All about German Shepherd

Author: Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation: 5 August 2021
Update Date: 1 May 2024
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German Shepherd Everything You Need to Know
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O German Shepherd is a dog that never goes unnoticed, whether for its noble appearance, its attentive expressions or its so balanced demeanor. So many attributes explain why it is common to see so many dogs of this breed around the world, which continues to collect admirers of all cultures, ages and styles.

If you're fascinated by German Shepherds, you'll probably also love the chance to discover interesting new facts about their history, health, personality and huge popularity. In this article by PeritoAnimal we want to invite you to know all about German Shepherd - 10 awesome trivia. Come with us?

1. herding dog

Currently, we associate the German Shepherd with a police dog, rescue dog, guide dog or as an excellent guardian of your home and protector of your family. However, as its name suggests, this breed was developed to shepherdherds, especially sheep, in the fields of Germany.


Its origins as a sheepdog date back to the late 19th century, when cavalry captain Max Emil Frederick von Stephanitz was dedicated to creating a fieldwork breed that also sported a noble appearance. Thanks to his great intelligence and predisposition to training, the German Shepherd became one of the most versatile breeds, developing with excellence a wide range of tasks, tricks, sports, services and varied activities.

2. German Shepherd: personality

The versatility that the German shepherd demonstrates in all the functions he is capable of performing is not a mere chance, as it derives from his privileged cognitive abilities, physical and emotional.


German Shepherds rank third in the ranking of the smartest dogs in the world, second only to Border Collie and Poodle. Also, its nature alert, balanced, secure and extremely loyal to his tutors facilitates his training and makes him an adaptable dog.

Logically, to help them to fully develop their physical and mental attributes, we must provide adequate preventive medicine, as well as properly train the German shepherd and not neglect his socialization, physical activities and mental stimulation.

3. Among the most popular breeds of dogs

The German Shepherd has been one of the most popular and beloved dogs in the world for many years. This probably results from your "perfect combo", which combines a noble appearance, remarkable intelligence, great sensitivity and a trustworthy and obedient temperament.


In the family nucleus, they are extremely loyal to their tutors, and do not hesitate to defend their family, thanks to their enormous courage. When properly educated and socialized, they can get along very well with children, showing a caring and protective nature, as well as live together peacefully with other animals when they are well socialized.

4. German Shepherd: famous in movies and on TV

O dogRin Tin Tin, protagonist of the adventure "Athe adventures of Rin Tin Tin", was probably the most famous German shepherd in the art world. The most successful format of this fiction debuted in 1954 as a TV series in the United States.

But the character had already appeared in several silent films in the 1920s. The character's success was so great that Rin Tin Tin has his footprints registered in the famous Hollywood walk of fame.

In addition, the German Shepherd has participated in many other film and TV productions, such as "K-9 The Canine Agent", "I Am the Legend", "The Six Million Dollar Man" or "Rex the Dog police", among many others. Of course, several dogs of this breed participated in the recordings to bring the character to life.

Tip: If you're thinking about adopting a German Shepherd and still don't know what name to choose, see our article on German Shepherd Dog Names

5. German Shepherd and the two World Wars

The German Shepherd is one of the few breeds that accompanied the German army in the two world wars in which the country was involved. when the First World War broke out, the breed was still relatively young, and the German authorities were not so sure of its performance in this context.

During the harsh years of war, shepherds helped to deliver messages, locating wounded soldiers and patrolling with officers, always alert to the presence of enemies. His performance was so surprising that even Allied soldiers returned to their countries with great wonder and stories about the abilities of the German Shepherds. Thanks to this, the breed began to be known outside Germany and gained popularity in other countries.

already in Second World War, the German Shepherd was a famous breed in Europe and the United States, but his skills once again impressed the soldiers who served alongside him at the front.

Image: Reproduction/ warfarehistorynetwork.com.
Subtitle: Lieutenant Peter Baranowski poses with his German shepherd, called "Jaint de Motimorency".

6. German Shepherd Feeding

Despite its balanced demeanor, the German Shepherd can become a bit greedy, eating too much or too fast. As a tutor, you must be aware of these bad eating habits, both to prevent them and to treat them quickly.

The ideal is divide the daily amount of food in at least two meals, so he won't go so many hours without eating. Of course, you must ensure that you provide a complete, balanced diet that fully meets your nutritional needs and is appropriate for your weight, size and age. In addition to offering a routine of physical exercises and mental stimulation to maintain health and balanced behavior.

If you are already following these recommendations and your dog is still greedy, we recommend taking him to the veterinarian to see if the nutrition is adequate to nutritional needs, as well as to rule out the presence of intestinal parasites or any disease. Also, we invite you to know our article about my dog ​​eats too fast, what to do?

7. German Shepherd: health

Although it is a strong and resistant dog, the German Shepherd has a genetic predisposition to many degenerative diseases. The enormous popularity of the breed and the search to standardize its physical characteristics led to indiscriminate crossings that, until today, reflect on the health of the German shepherd.

Without a doubt, the most sensitive regions of its body are the abdomen and extremities, as the German Shepherd is one of the canine breeds. more likely to develop hip and elbow dysplasia. However, there are also other common German shepherd diseases, such as:

  • Epilepsy;
  • Digestive problems;
  • Dwarfism;
  • Chronic eczema;
  • Keratitis;
  • Glaucoma.

8. German Shepherd: by

The type of coat accepted for this breed of dog has generated much controversy since its recognition by canine societies. The reality is that there are three varieties: hair short and stiff, hair long and stiff and hair long. However, the official breed standard defines as correct the coat double with internal sheet.

The outer coat should be stiff, straight and as dense as possible, while the coat length can vary in the regions of the dog's body. Thus, the German Shepherd is not recognized as a long-haired dog.

It is also worth saying that different colors are accepted for the German Shepherd's coat. In addition to the traditional pure black or black and red, you can also find German Shepherds in different shades of gray and even yellowish. However, dogs from White color do not meet the official breed standard.

Last but not least, we remember that the beautiful coat of the German Shepherd requires daily brushing to remove dirt and dead hair, as well as to prevent the formation of knots or nodules in the fur.

9. German Shepherd: behavior

The German Shepherd is one of the dogs more reliable among all known canine breeds. They are not aggressive and much less mean by nature, on the contrary, they tend to show a balanced behavior, obedient and alert. However, as we always point out, a dog's behavior depends mainly on the education and environment offered by its guardians.

Unfortunately, the incorrect or irresponsible handling of some tutors can cause unwanted situations involving their dogs. Therefore, it is essential to pay attention to the training and socialization of your best friends, regardless of your race, age or gender.

The ideal is to start educating him as a puppy, when he gets home, but it is also possible to train and socialize an adult dog successfully, always using positive reinforcement to encourage his learning.

10. German Shepherd: the first guide dog

The world's first guide dog school, called "The Seeing Eye" was created in the United States and its co-founder, Morris Frank, traveled between his home country and Canada to promote the usefulness of these trained dogs. Thus, the first dogs trained to help blind people were four German Shepherds: Judy, Meta, Folly and Flash. they were delivered to veterans of World War I on October 6, 1931, in Merseyside.

Did you like to know all about the German Shepherd breed? There's even more fun in the following video for fans of the breed: