Know Your Breed: German Shepherd Dogs

by: JanRyan
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When anyone says the word dog, the image that pops up in most people's mind is that of the German Shepherd. Also known as Alsatians (from the province in France where the breed was developed), the German Shepherd is one of the most popular dogs in the world. With their distinctive look, incredible intelligence and remarkable personalities, you would think the German Shepherd would be the perfect dog.

But a German Shepherd is not the dog for everyone. Their large size, their exuberant nature, their coats and sometimes health problems leave many thousands of German Shepherd Dogs to be abandoned every year. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that a quarter of all strays are purebreds, including purebred German Shepherds. Knowing basic German Shepherd information can help teach you what to expect from them as pets will help you decide if a German Shepherd is right for you and your family.

Let's look at the biggest reasons for owners abandoning German Shepherd dogs - the dog's energy, the dog's intelligence and the dog's health. First, let's take a look at how energetic this breed is. Although this will vary from individual German Shepherd to individual German Shepherd, these are dogs bred to be on the go all day.

They need to be active and to find things to do. If they don't get this exercise, they will use their extreme intelligence to find things to do in order to get your attention. These efforts from such a large dog may or may not be destructive.

German Shepherd dogs have thick coats that shed a lot. They need to be brushed every day. This is often not a problem for most dog lovers, but some people cannot stand a shedding dog.

German Shepherds also need regular exercise every day, or else they get a bit hyper and mischievous. They have been bred for centuries to work all day, not sleep all day.

German Shepherds are incredibly intelligent and will find things to do, whether or not they are good for you or the dog or not. They need a job, even if the job is family pet. If they are a family pet they need to be involved with the family and not tied to a post and left outside.

Even though many of these health problems can be easily treated, the previous owners do not want to or cannot pay the vet bills and instead abandon the dog. When you get a German Shepherd keep in mind that they may need frequent visits to the vet.

About the Author

About the author: Jan Ryan is an avid lover of the German Shepherd and owns a popular website that can show you how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved German Shepherd. Among other topics at this website, you can also learn all about German Shepherd Working Dogs plus a whole lot more.  

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