German Shepherds

German shepherds, sometimes called Alsatians, are very intelligent dogs that make good pets, guard dogs, rescue dogs, therapy dogs, and herders, among other things. German shepherds are easy to train and are very obedient. If trained properly from a young age, german shepherds are capable of many things. German shepherds are often recognized as Seeing Eye dogs, police dogs, and guard dogs. German shepherds are sometimes referred to as Alsatians, after a region in France. Of course, this had a lot to do with the British kennels club’s anti-german sentiments after the war, and so they changed the german shepherd name to the Alsatian shepherd. It was only in 1977 that the British kennel club allowed the dogs to be called by their original name, the german shepherd. As a child, I had a German shepherd puppy. Our german shepherd was gentle with me and the other children in our neighbourhood, but could be very vicious if she detected an intruder. For this reason, german shepherds make great guard dogs and family pets. Though they have a reputation of being very aggressive and intimidating animals, this is a misconception. German shepherds are very gentle and loyal animals if properly trained and socialized. If a german shepherd is overly fearful or vicious, it is likely the fault of the owner and is often due to neglect or ignorance on the part of the owner. It is important that german shepherd owners train their dogs responsibly, because german shepherds can also be very powerful. If a german shepherd is trained to attack on demand, it can become a serious weapon.

German Shepherd Appearance and Behaviour

German shepherds make good police dogs because they are very obedient and respond well to training. German shepherds are often used to find narcotics and bombs because they have a keen sense of smell. German shepherds may also be used as cadaver dogs, to seek out cadavers in a murder investigation, for instance. German shepherds can have very different coloured coats to one another. Many german shepherds have tan coloured coats with black patches. Other german shepherds are all black while some are all white, called the white german shepherd. The white german shepherd is classified by the united kennel club as its own distinct breed of dog. White german shepherds are less common than the black and brown german shepherds. Most german shepherds have pointed ears that stick straight up. If a german shepherd’s ears don’t stand up quite the way the owner wants them to, they can take their german shepherd to the vet and have his ears taped so that they stay standing straight up. If a german shepherd’s ears fold down, they are said to have friendly-tipped ears.

German Shepherds as Herders

German shepherds make good guard dogs because they were originally sheep herders and are good at protecting their flock, whether they’re sheep or a family. Sometimes, german shepherds even try to herd other dogs if they’re in a group. Many german shepherd owners claim that their german shepherd tries to ‘herd’ their family together when they go for walks. Germans still take their german shepherd dogs very seriously and are very careful breeders. Though german shepherds are rarely used for sheep or cattle herding anymore, they are considered working dogs and must pass an intensive work test before they are used for breeding. German shepherds may seem intimidating to some because they are often used by police officers and security guards. You often see german shepherds on TV attacking runaway criminals and pulling them to the ground. Don’t be deceived – these are not random brutal attacks; german shepherds are specially trained to attack in a particular way so that they just manage to hold the perpetrator without causing them any serious harm. Dog trainers train german shepherds for the police force using heavy arm guards that allow the german shepherd t o bite them without injuring them.

When I was a young girl, I had a german shepherd of my own. I called my german shepherd holly. As well as a german shepherd, I had a number of pet ducks. My german shepherd was very well behaved. I took her to german shepherd obedience school as soon as she was old enough. My german shepherd was very good to all my other pets, though my ducks were not as well behaved. My ducks would taunt my german shepherd and peck at her heels. Still, despite the abuse, my german shepherd never harmed any of my ducks. My german shepherd, like most german shepherds would be, was very protective of my family and me. I used to take a lot of photographs of my german shepherd with my ducks and enter them in photo contests. I won first place in several photo contests for my photos of my german shepherd playing with the ducks. Ducks, though interesting animals, are not as easy to train or as obedient as german shepherds. However, if I had to choose between a duck and a german shepherd, it would be a tough choice. Ducks are a lot of fun when they’re small but become less playful and a bit more vicious when they’re older. German shepherds could do the same if not trained properly, but are generally very gentle loving animals. The other advantage of owning a german shepherd is that you can take it for walks, whereas ducks are less good at walking and certainly don’t like to be leashed. Before buying a duck or a german shepherd, do some research and weigh your options. Both can be a lot of work, but at the same time can be great companions and loyal friends.