Breed Guide: The German Shepherd Dog

The German Shepherd Dog is ever popular and commonly found as both a companion and working breed. It is a remarkably versatile breed and has excelled as a military and police working dog, general purpose security dog, as well as providing guiding and disability assistance. It is currently less commonly found herding sheep in the modern era, but retains the capacity to do so if properly trained.

The German Shepherd Dog is a relatively large breed with working line dogs generally being slightly smaller in stature. It comes in a range of colours including black and tan, black, and sable (grey). Working German Shepherds tend to have short coats whereas those bred for the show ring have longer coats. Temperamentally, the German Shepherd is highly intelligent and protective. They require active owners who can dedicate significant amounts of time to their training. Socialisation is particularly important to prevent a German Shepherd from becoming overly protective.

As they are so intelligent, German Shepherds take to work well. Owners should consider offering them a variety of forms of enrichment which are intellectually as well as physically stimulating. Scentwork-based activities such as tracking and games involving hidden food tend to be appreciated and are relatively easy to deliver without specialised equipment. German Shepherds should be exercised as much as possible, and a tired German Shepherd is usually a happy German Shepherd.

German Shepherds have two coat layers and shed throughout the year. Shedding intensifies around spring and autumn and is best managed with regular grooming sessions. A salon is best placed to provide the specialist coat care German Shepherds require, and they are a breed Golden Bone has significant experience working with.