Dogs

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Germany.
MOST SUITED AS Family pet, suitable for a number of other pur­poses.

SIZE
The shoulder-height is 60 - 65cm (231/t - 251/2in) for dogs and 55 - 60 cm (211/t - 23 1/2in) for bitches.

COAT
The German Shepherd can have three kinds of coat: coarse straight-haired, long coarse straight-haired, and wavy long-haired. The last of these three is less desirable. The coat can be black, iron-grey, ash-coloured, or can be one of these colours with regular brown, or yellow-to-light-brown markings. An upper layer of black is very common.

CARE REQUIRED
The coat has relatively little attention required. During moulting the use of a special comb for their hair will help to remove dead and loose hairs.

CHARACTER
This very intelligent and eager pupil is an obe­dient, sociable, and friendly dog that is temperamental, attentive, alert, protective, brave, self-assured, independent, and unconditionally loyal towards its handler and family.

TRAINING
Throughout the world these dogs are used as guide dogs, avalanche rescue dogs, tracking dogs, watchdogs, defence dogs, and police dogs. In some of these roles, the German Shepherd is almost the only breed used. In obedience competitions they stand head and shoulders above over breeds. It is therefore unnecessary to explain what the possibilities are with this breed.
It is eager to learn from you, intelligent and quick to get the hang of things. Work principally with your voice. The great majority of the breed worship their handler and has an enor­mous need for contact with it. If you do not have the time to devote to them, it is not advisable to purchase a German Shepherd. In its Country of origin, the German Shepherd is still used for herding livestock.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
German Shepherds get on well with their own kind, other animals, and children provided they have been correctly socialized, but unwanted visitors are halted. They are territorial by nature which means that they have no tendency whatsoever to run away.

EXERCISE
People who keep German Shepherds frequently overlook the fact that they are eager to work for their handler. It is not sufficient for them to be companions in the home with nothing else to occupy them.
Join a breed group or other organization so that you can participate together in agility, obedience, defence and police trials, tracking, or whatever else is available, in order to keep your dog both physically and mentally fit. For all large dogs, and that includes the German Shepherd, all their energy is needed during the growing stage for healthy bones, joints, and muscles. Damage which cannot be put right can be done by over-exercising or inadequate diet. They can happily live in an outdoor ken­nel provided they get sufficient exercise and regular attention.