Is the German Shepherd Dog a Good Choice?
The German Shepherd Dog also known as an Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund. They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog originating in the late 19th century. They are part of the Herding group that was originally developed as a working dog for herding sheep.
The Alsatians strength, intelligence and obedience they are often employed in police and military roles. The Alsatian is also one of the most popular breeds around the world.
The original dog was called Hektor Linksrhein. Hecktor so stunned Von Stephanitz that he purchased it and changed the dogs name to Horand von Grafrath and founded Alsatian Dog Society.
Horand von Grafrath became the focus of the German Shepherd breeding programs and was bred with many other society member dogs.
The Alsatians popularity has grown quickly throughout 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 addition was removed and in the late seventies, the breed officially became the Alsatian Dog. The Alsatian popularity was helped by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now it is globally the third most popular dog breed.
They are a large dog of around 60 centimetres (around 24 inches) at the withers and weigh around 30 kilograms (60 lb).
The Alsatian’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 a variety of colours, the normal versions are the red/black and tan/black varieties with black masks and saddles. Less common types include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue types, which may not fit country breed standards. Alsatians have a double coat. A dense close thick outer coat, which sheds continually and a thick undercoat. The long-hair variety is rarer.
The Alsatian, like many working dogs is very intelligent, and are ranked as the third most intelligent breed of dog by Stanley Coren in his reference study and book “The Intelligence of Dogs”. This attribute combined with the Alsatians power makes the Alsatian desirable as guard, police, search and rescue dogs, being able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.
German Shepherds are known for aggression and have been restricted in areas as a result. Statistically, in the United States, they are responsible for more random bites than any other breed, and have a known tendency to attack smaller dog breeds.
Additionally research has shown that Alsatians are the third most likely dog breed to attack a person and in another report found that German Shepherds accounted for around fifty percent of the dog bites that mandated medical attention, versus a more typical twenty of bites needing medical treatment, not a surprise with their powerful jaws and sharp canine teeth.
The problem is not with the dog, but the owners. As with any clever active dog (or child), if they are not regularly active and kept occupied, they can become difficult. The Alsatian must have puppy socialisation and good training from an early stage. The German Shepherd is different from the collie, where a lot of its aggressiveness has been removed by breeding for shows, the Alsatian has not lost this streak.
The German Shepherd are great with the family they know, but can be over protective of their home and family – why they are a great guard dog. Due to this they may appear a bit aloof.
German Shepherds are rapid learners and are very obedient and not easily diverted, but due to their strong character, you need to be very firm with them.
The Alsatian 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 often ask dog walkers to help out by walking them for a couple of hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common genetic health problems, hip and elbow joint problems (dysplasia) which often causes the dog pain and often causes arthritis. The German Shepherd 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. The Alsatian is often has ear infections due to his large and open ears.
Alsatians, like many large chested dogs are sensitive to bloat, this is a very dangerous and often rapidly fatal problem, so if you think this may be a problem, go straight to the vet. Bloat is a build up of gas in the stomach, caused by a number of different causes. 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 large percentage 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 generic bleeding disorder, which shows in differing degrees of bleeding tendency, commonly in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .
In spite of these problems, the German Shepherd is sturdy with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is 7 – 10 years, which is typical for a dog of this size.
The Alsatian has great olfactory sensitivity so is one of the most widely-used breeds in a many roles requiring this ability, including cadaver searching, search and rescue, explosives detection, narcotics detection and mine detection.
So the Alsatian is a wonderful clever breed that will bond well with you, if you have the time and energy for him. Not advised for busy working families.
