The German Shepherd Dog also called the Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund. They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog that dates from the late 19th century. They are part of the Herding group that was originally developed as a working dog for herding sheep.
Often employed by the military and police for their obedience and intelligence. They are also one of the most popular breeds around the world.
The breed originates from a dog named Hektor Linksrhein. Hecktor so impressed Von Stephanitz that he purchased it and changed the dogs name to Horand von Grafrath and founded the Society for the German Shepherd Dogs.
Horand von Grafrath became the hub of the society’s breeding programs and was mated with many other society member dogs.
The Alsatians popularity has increased quickly through the 20th Century, though taking dives in popularity in the early days due to genetic health issues from poor inbreeding and after the world wars with anti German sentiment. To such an extent that the UK Kennel Club renamed it to “Alsatian Wolf Dog”, eventually the wolf dog appendage was dropped and in the late seventies, the German Shepherd Dog was back as the official name, though it is still often known as the Alsatian. The German Shepherd popularity was helped by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now days it is in most countries the third most popular dog breed.
They are a large dog of between 55 and 65 centimetres ( 22 and 26 in) at the withers and weigh around 30 kilograms ( 49 and 88 lb).
The German Shepherd’s face has a long square cut muzzle, a doomed forehead, a long neck, powerful jaws, large erect ears (that are often pulled back when on the move), black nose and brown, medium-sized eyes. With a bushy tail.
German Shepherds come in many colours, the most common being the red/black and tan/black types with black masks and saddles. Less common versions include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue varieties, which may not fit country breed standards. German Shepherds have a double coat. A thick close dense outer coat, which is shed continually and a thick undercoat. The long-hair variety is rarer.
Like many working dogs, Alsatians were bred for their intelligence, and are considered to be the third most intelligent breed of dog (Border Collies is deemed to be number one by Stanley Coren in his book The Intelligence of Dogs). This attribute combined with their power makes the breed sought after as guard, police, search and rescue dogs, being able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.
Alsatians have a reputation for aggression and have been restricted in areas as a result. Statistically, in the States, they are responsible for more unprovoked indiscriminate bites than any other dog breed, and have a reputation to attack smaller dog breeds.
Additionally studies have shown that Alsatians are the breed third most likely to attack someone and in another report found that Alsatians accounted for around half of the dog bites that needed medical attention, compared to a more typical twenty of bites requiring medical treatment, not surprising with their strong jaws and sharp canine teeth.
There is no problem with the Alsatian breed, it is the fault of the owners. As with any intelligent energetic dog (or child), if they are not regularly active and kept occupied, they can become difficult. The Alsatian needs to have puppy socialisation and good training from an early stage. Unlike the collie, which a lot of its aggressiveness has been breed out from show strains, the German Shepherd has not lost this streak.
They can bond very well with their family, however they can become over-protective of their family and territory. This can give them an aloof personality.
Alsatians learn well and are highly obedient and not easily distracted, but due to their strong personality, you must be very forceful with them.
The German Shepherd must have two good walks a day. They are not a dog for a busy family who cannot give them the time and attention. For this reason, busy couples regularly ask professional dog walkers such as London dog walking to help out by walking them for a few hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common health issues, elbow and hip joint problems (dysplasia) which is painful for the dog and may cause arthritis. The Alsatian also suffers from monorchidism (one testicle), weakness of temperament, and missing teeth, as well as folded or bent ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood. Due to the large and open nature of their ears, Shepherds also are prone to ear infections.
Alsatians, like many large chested dogs are sensitive to bloat, this is a very dangerous and often rapidly fatal problem, so if in doubt consult a veterinary. Bloat is a gas build up in the stomach, caused for varying reasons. The symptoms of distress for no apparent reason, a firm distension of the abdomen, general weakness, depression, problems breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias (around 40 percent), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.
The Alsatian also suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are predisposed to Von Willebrand Disease, a common inherited bleeding disorder, which shows in varying degrees of bleeding tendency, commonly in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .
In spite of these problems, the Alsatian is sturdy with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is seven to ten years, which is normal for a large dog breed.
The German Shepherd has great olfactory sensitivity so is one of the often used in a wide variety of scent-work roles, including cadaver searching, search and rescue, explosives detection, narcotics detection and mine detection.
So the Alsatian is a superb intelligent breed that will love you, if you have the time and energy for him. Not advised for busy working families.
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