German Shepherd 101
with handsome noble good looks the German Shepherd was the original canine movie star what are you doing here but from the silver screen to silver stars German Shepherds lead the way as police dogs experts estimate the breed accounts for over eight thousand deputy dogs German Shepherds are just fearless I mean they would be the first dog to take a bullet for you two members of our military and police force German shepherds like officer Hogan’s canine dasty are more than a dog stew yeah I consider Daphne a police officer he’s actually asked to do more than I am sometimes and he puts himself in great danger the German army captain max von Stefan its first registered a German Shepherd in Germany in 1899 the dog was the result of careful breeding to develop an ideal service dog the captain’s mono was utility and intelligence arguably the most versatile of all of the working breeds now that’s the way the German Shepherd was almost immediately put to wide use serving the German army in World Wars one and two they were one of Hitler’s dogs dogs of war returning American GIs brought back tales of the breeds prowess they were impressed by their bravery and brought a few of them home but Hollywood loved the handsome breed and the German shepherds fought their way on to the silver screen think of rin-ten-ten everyone relates to him how intelligent that dog was when Rin Tin Tin first premiered in silent films in the 1920s he received over 10,000 fan letters a week and saved Warner Brothers from financial ruin they’re very athletic extremely intelligent you can train them to do almost anything the German Shepherd is bread with versatility beginning with a double layered coat they have a very dense undercoat so there are very good all-weather type of dog color varieties include the standard black and tan all black and in recent years even white this breed also has pointed alert years but as puppies the ears are floppy and this is actually very close to the wolf wolf puppies are born with floppy ears check out the bushy slightly curved tail they’re rumors that occasionally they back cross a wolf into the breed Dutch breeders did cross wolves into the bloodline in the 1920s but the result dogs could not be domesticated yet police are thankful for one wolfy hangover that long muzzle the better to track you with with the capability to exert up to 238 pounds of pressure the German Shepherd has a bite that is second only to the Rottweiler in power when that jaws snap shut the six upper incisors meet the six lower incisors in a devastating scissor grip but the real utility of the German Shepherd to police work is not the fierce bite it’s the discipline to stop when told hostess gives the officer an option to use force without using his gun I can actually call the dog back to me if I made a decision use a firearm I can’t call that bullet back the German Shepherd can toe the line with the best of them but like most working stiffs he’s a big softie at heart every German Shepherd is unique but in general the German Shepherd is a healthy dog although the breeds body does wear down over the years German Shepherds are legend for having a hip dysplasia for a grooming watch out you will find clumps of fur everywhere adaptability is this dogs middle name you could have a German Shepherd in an apartment as long as you exercise them regularly the German Shepherd heads the canine list as the number one biter so early training is important but with the proper guidance love and attention these dogs make loyal pets these dogs want to please they want to please you give them the least bit of encouragement they’re going to be all over you and making you a really happy person the German Shepherd is a loyal wonderful family dog but outsiders beware they’re just so protective of what they consider their their pack or their family the German Shepherd is very adaptable and generally healthy but beware of bad breeding it sheds heavily is one of the easiest breeds to train and makes for a great family dog
