The German sheppard, a brief history.

The German Sheppard, a history.

My second hub is all about man’s best friend, in particular the German Sheppard. I have owned my German Sheppard for just over a year now and I love her to bits. She gets spoilt rotten and I buy her all of the latest bling, plus I am a big softie when it comes to discipline so I am not exactly a good role model! Still, my heart is in the right place.

The history of the German Sheppard.

The GSD is also known as an Alsatian, many people refer to the long haired variant as a GSD and the short haired dog as an Alsatian. A very loyal breed, German Sheppard’s can be very much one person dogs which only like to take orders from their owner.

The breed was first registered in 1899 by Max von Stephanitz. As the name suggests, the breed originated in Germany with the “Sheppard” part of the name referring to the breeds original purpose of a herding dog.

The main trait of a German Sheppard is its intelligence. They are one of a few breeds that are not only strong but also very clever and this is the main reason why so many are used worldwide in military government roles.

The breed is a working dog that was originally used for herding sheep (hence the name). However more recently, the breed has been used more for protective and aggressive roles, such as police dogs and prison dogs.

The temperament.

As already mentioned above, the breed is VERY loyal to their owners which means they are also very protective. If a GSD feels that their owner is threatened by someone then expect an aggressive reaction. This is another reason why the breed is used by security guards. Alsatians need lots of exercise as they are a very active breed, bear this in mind before purchasing one.

Health issues?

Unfortunately there are plenty, and this can be blamed on careless breeding in my opinion. The most common problem is hip dysplasia, which a lot of people also refer to as “their back legs going” it is very common now to see a GSD with a slanted back where there is a problem with hips or arthritis. BE WARNED, Alsatians are prone to gastric torsion or more commonly known as “bloat” where the gut can twist, so NEVER feed your GSD before exercising it.

Conclusion.

A lovely breed to own. You will not find a more loyal breed on the planet, I can promise you that, however do expect health issues at some point and do not expect a long life expectancy, the average life span of a GSD is 10 years, although my last one lived to 13.

Resources.

German Sheppard dog club of America. Some interesting information about the breed.

Dog Beds website where I bought my bablies bling from. Well worth a look!!