The German Shepherd Dog:

"SHOW ME YOUR DOG & I WILL TELL YOU WHAT MANNER OF A MAN YOU ARE"

If you are an intelligent, loyal, loving & dedicated person than the German Shepherd is for you.

Well, before I start to explain a little about the German Shepherd I must say that once you have owned a German Shepherd you will be hooked for life. With their love, loyalty and devotion that they will give you until their last breath, can never be matched. They are an exceptionally intelligent breed. German Shepherds are the only breed of dog that are so multi tasked, being used in every military force throughout the world in such things as bomb and drug detection, search and rescue, security, herding etc and the same dog will also cuddle up next to your 2 year old at night acting as her guardian whilst you sleep. Considering the breed is still quite a young breed there is no other breed that has achieved so much in such a short time.

"THE PSYCHOLOGIST OF A GERMAN SHEPHERD'S LIFE IS BORN NOT MADE"

The first impression of a German Shepherd is that of a confident, strong, very alert and full of life dog. The German Shepherd makes an ideal guard and companion dog. They have a very strong and protective nature, always watching over his family. The height, body weight and shape do vary quite alot but the breed standard states a male should be (being measured from the highest point of the shoulder blade) 24" - 26" and weigh around 40 - 45kgs and the female according to the breed standard the height should be 22" - 24" and should weigh around 30kgs. The breed standard is set for show stock and this is the desired height and weight for the show ring. I myself have bred many quite large German Shepherds that have reached over 65kgs and have been over 32".

Our own breeding programme produces females on an average of 40kgs and around 55kgs for males and I am sure at least 90% of this weight comes from their very huge heart.

German Shepherds make wonderful mothers and can have very large litters. I have bred everything from 1 single puppy to 15 puppies. Their usual litter size is around 8 puppies. The majority of German Shepherd puppies born, the first pup will be a male (typical male always impatient). Puppies start to be weaned around 3-4 weeks of age. Puppies must be wormed every 2 weeks from the ages of 3 weeks to 14 weeks.

German Shepherd's tend to live to around 12 - 14 years of age. We have had one very large boy live until he was 18 years old. I also knew of a lady that had one of our white German Shepherds many years ago and lived in Bowral and her dog lived until it was 21 years old. We have had many to 15/16/17 years with very little health issues. A lot has to do with the way they are raised. Good balanced nutritional food, not over or under exercising them, good firm bedding and of course lots and lots of love. German Shepherds love to be outdoors. They love the wind blowing in their face as they run through the luscious green grass. They also love to be indoors at night whilst the family are watching TV and whilst they sleep he will keep a watchful eye over everyone.

German Shepherd's love to swim however some just don't like the smelly foamy baths they have to endure. German Shepherd's are no different to any other dog as far as grooming is concerned. They require a 5 min brush everyday and once a week when moulting a half hour strip session is advised. Having the correct grooming tools for your German Shepherd definately will make the job easier. You will need a standard double sided brush for a puppy and as he gets older an undercoat rake and a slicker brush is recommended. The curve one we have found the best.

In any large breed there can be problems. Hip Dysplasia in the past was a large concern but these days breeders are becomming more responsible and with the hip schemes in place, this has dramitically reduced the amount of Hip Dysplasia that was being recorded. I have more information on this in our Hip Dysplasia section.

German Shepherd's really don't have any special needs except being made to feel he is a very loved new member by his family. German Shepherd's adore attention. Most essential for your new puppy is Patience, Love and Consistency. 

German Shepherd's do not thrive on cheap and nasty food. They need a quality premium dry dog food as well as fresh veges, fruit, cheese, yoghurt etc. Basically all the yummy things you like to eat except NO ONIONS or GRAPES. Fish Oil is a great additive. As well as all the normal things that we all know fish oil provides, it also helps reduce the amount of hair loss dogs shed. It is also great for arthritis in older dogs.

Providing German Shepherd's are well socialised when they are young they usually get along with most other animals. However, they are a herding breed so asking them to share their bed with a chook might be a bit much. Once again this comes back to training and socialising. German Shepherd's are very easy to train. They are always willing and keen to please their owners.

Some training tips that may be helpful:

When you take your new puppy home teach him to sit and wait whilst you prepare his food.

Jumping up on you should not be allowed as they don't stay little puppies for long and as they get bigger can easily knock you off balance.

Always give your new puppy lots of praise. Whilst he is a puppy everything must be positive and everything should be about playing and having fun. No serious training should start under 14 weeks. It is essential that all new dog owners attend puppy classes and continue with some obedience training. Most councils in NSW have a Dog Training Club listed on their website.

HISTORY OF THE BREED

Although the German Shepherd have roots which go back in time to ancient Persian Sheepdogs, the German Shepherd was actually perfected in the times from 1890 - World War 1. During this time a few major strains were developed. Five actually. On April 22nd 1899, Captain Max Von Stephanitz along with Artur Meyer & 28 others founded the parent club of the German Shepherd the "Verein for Deutsche Shaferhunde (SV) (in which we are members of) in Germany to promote the breeding of the German Shepherd Dog. Through their hard and conscientious effort it was soon recognised that they had produced the most powerful dog, society had ever seen. In 1901 the SV had arranged trials with the Belgian Police and before long Police all over Central Europe were training the German Shepherd Dog. By 1923 the German Shepherd stud book had over 180,000 dogs registered.

This amazing breed has become one of the most popular breeds throughout Europe and in such a short time they have achieved so much and the numbers just keep growing. Once you have owned one of these wonderful dogs only then can you truly understand just how much of your heart they really do own.