German Shepherd Training Secrets?

Origin and History of the Breed

The modern day German Shepherds come from a history of shepherd dogs that originate from Bavaria, Thurginia, and Wurtemberg. Most of these original dogs would have a variety of different coats including long haired, short haired, and even wire haired.

The first German Shepherd was registered in 1899 in the month of April. It was until 1915 that only short haired variety of the dog was considered to be a German Shepherd. Come 1915 the long haired and wire haired were also considered. In terms of Dog shows, even in modern times most of them only consider the short haired variety.

A General Appearance of the Dog

Most people all around the world will know what the breed of German Shepherd look like, and its one of the most popular among pet owners throughout the world. The dog is extremely well proportioned, with good amount of muscle and has stand up triangle shaped ears. Its extremely quick and fast on its feet. In general the German Shepherd is a good and balanced breed that is more often than not longer than it is tall.

The most common form of the breed comes in black and tan but there are varieties of the dog that come in Gray (often known as blue) or a brown. The colors will vary in amounts all over the body. Most of the time the fact and legs will be lighter in shade whereas the ears will be much darker. The eyes of a German Shepherd are almond shaped and will often times have a michevous happy expression. The tail of this breed hangs towards the ground.

The German Shepherd usually trots along, smoothly and elegantly, meaning that he will cover a lot of ground extremely quickly. He will stride up and down quick and fast. His back legs are very powerful and are what seem to be powering the front end of his body. When the dog wants to or needs to he can jump up and far at great lengths.

Temperament of the Dog

German Shepherds are extremely loyal and protective of their families, and as a result very alert of their surroundings, keeping an eye out for danger and strange behavior in general. They are very fast learners and are one of a kind in terms of their love for learning. They are very eager to please their owners and so rarely show any stubbornness and will be obedient to anything that the owners requests them to do.

This breed of dog is very social and so should not be left alone for long periods of time. You as an owner of the dog should take the time to make sure that you socialize with the dog and let him socialize with others of its kind. You should also train and teach him obedience from a young age if you want it to obey you later on when he becomes older. The best relationship and one that brings the most joy to both the owner and the dog is one where you are firm but loving. German Shepherds are not usually barkers but will bark when they sense on coming danger.

The German Shepherd is known as a one man breed meaning that he apart from his owner he will be hesitant to give out any affection to others. The reason being that he is extremely loyal and serious to his owner and so will put 100% of his time and focus toward him. He is an extremely strong and brave breed of dog that will fight hard if need be.

A lot of the times in modern days you will find that German Shepherds are being used for work such as Guard duty, search and rescue simply because they are fearless, direct, calm, confident and extremely intelligent. Those dogs from this breed that don’t show these attributes are usually a result of bad breeding or more often than not just bad training.

If you begin training your puppy from a young age and teach it the order of the pack then you will find that you will have little or no trouble getting it to do what you want. However you should keep in mind that this breed of dog is dominant by nature and may exert a little stubbornness in the beginning. You main goal in training your German Shepherd is to let it know that you and all members of your family are the Alpha’s, do this and you will be fine.

If you are thinking about getting a german shepherd for the first time then you should do your research properly to make sure that this is the breed for you. You should find out more about the parents of the puppy that you are about to get and as many other relatives as you can so that you will have a better understanding and judgement about the personality your dog will have.

Better suited to an indoor or outdoor lifestyle?

A German Shepherd can be kept in a closed environment such as an apartment building but they would rather prefer to be living in dwellings that have a large fenced garden where they can play and have some exercise freely. This is a breed that enjoys long walks. Note that if you don’t exercise this breed on a regular basis then you are going to find it become quite destructive.

Are they suited to homes with kids?

A German Shepherd that has been bred properly is a great edition to a family that has children, even better when the children are older. But keep in mind again that the dog will need to be taken for exercise on a daily basis and you are going to have to spend some quality time with him. Having children around you should teach them how to handle the dog without hitting or yelling at it.