The German Shepherdis a dog that never goes unnoticed, either because of its noble appearance, its attentive expressions or its such a balanced demeanor of him. So many attributes explain why we tend to see so many dogs of this breed around the world, which continues to collect admirers from all cultures, ages and styles.
If you love German Shepherds, you'll probably also love the chance to discover interesting new facts about their history, he alth, personality, and sheer popularity. In this article on our site, we want to invite you to discover 10 curiosities for the German Shepherd Are you joining us?
1. The breed was developed for herding
Today we often associate the German Shepherd as police dog, rescue dog, guide dog or as an excellent home guard and protector of his family. However, as its name suggests, this breed was developed to herd herds, 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 breed for farm work that also had a noble appearance. Thanks to its great intelligence and predisposition to training, the German Shepherd has become one of the most versatile, excellently performing a wide range of tasks, tricks, sports, services and varied activities.
two. They are extraordinarily intelligent and loyal
The versatility that the German shepherd demonstrates in all the functions that he is capable of performing is not a mere coincidence, but derives from his privileged cognitive abilities, physical and emotional
German shepherds rank third in the ranking of the most intelligent dogs in the world, behind the border collie and the poodle. In addition, his character alert, balanced, secure and extremely loyal to his guardians, facilitate his training and make him an "all-terrain" dog.
Logically, in order for them to optimally develop their physical and mental attributes, we must provide them with adequate preventive medicine, as well as educate the German Shepherd correctly and not neglect their socialization, physical activity or mental stimulation.
3. They are among the most popular dog breeds in the world
The German Shepherd has been one of the most popular and beloved dogs in the world for many years. This probably derives from his "perfect combo", which combines a noble appearance, remarkable intelligence, great sensitivity, and a trustworthy and obedient temperament.
In their nuclear family, they are extraordinarily loyal to their guardians and would not hesitate to defend their family thanks to their enormous courage. When they are properly educated and socialized, they can get along very well with children, also showing a very affectionate and protective character, as well as coexisting peacefully with other animals if they are well socialized.
4. The German Shepherd has been a hit in movies and on TV
The Rin Tin Tin dog, protagonist of the adventure "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin", was most likely the German shepherd most famous of the artistic medium. The most successful format of this fiction was released 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 has been so great that Rin Tin Tin has his fingerprints recorded on the famousHollywood walk of fame.
In addition, the German shepherd has participated in many other productions for film and TV, such as "Super agent K9", "I am a legend", "The nuclear name" or "Commissioner Rex" among so many others. Logically, several dogs of this breed have participated in the recordings to bring the characters to life.
5. They have participated in both World Wars
The German shepherd is one of the few breeds that has accompanied the german army in the two world wars in which the country was has involved. When the World War I 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 the war, herders helped carry messages, locate wounded soldiers and patrol alongside officers, always being alert to the presence of enemies. Their performance was so amazing that even Allied soldiers returned home with great admiration and fanciful stories about the capabilities of German Shepherds. Thanks to this, the breed is beginning to be known outside of Germany and is gaining popularity in other countries.
Back in World War II, the German Shepherd was a famous breed in Europe and the United States, but his abilities returned to impress the soldiers who served alongside him on the front lines.
6. They can become very gluttonous
Despite his balanced demeanor, the German Shepherd can become somewhat gluttonous, eating too much or too quickly. As guardians, we must be aware of these bad eating habits both to prevent them and to treat them quickly.
The ideal is to divide the daily amount of food into at least two feedings, so he won't go without eating for so many hours. Logically, you must make sure that you offer him a complete and balanced diet, which fully meets his nutritional requirements and is appropriate for his weight, size and age. In addition to offering you a routine of physical exercises and mental stimulation to maintain a he althy weight and balanced behavior.
If you are already following these guidelines and your dog still continues to be gluttonous, we recommend you take him to the vet to verify if his nutrition is adequate for his nutritional needs, as well as to rule out the presence of intestinal parasites or any disease. In addition, we invite you to know our tips to know what to do if your dog eats very fast.
7. They are strong dogs, but their he alth is not iron
Although it is a strong and resistant dog, the German Shepherd shows a genetic predisposition to many degenerative diseases The enormous popularity of the breed and the search to standardize their physical characteristics, have led to indiscriminate crosses that, to this day, are reflected in the he alth of the German shepherd.
Without a doubt, the most sensitive region of their body is the abdomen and extremities, since the German shepherd is one of the dog breeds most prone to to develop hip and elbow dysplasia. However, there are also other common diseases in the German shepherd, such as:
- Epilepsy
- Digestive problems
- Dwarfism
- Chronic eczema
- Keratitis
- Glaucoma
8. His fur has generated a lot of controversy
The type of coat accepted for this breed has generated much controversy since its recognition by canine societies. The reality is that there are three varieties: short-haired, rough-haired, long-haired, and long-haired. However, the official breed standard only defines as correct the double coat with inner fleece
The external coat must be hard, straight and as dense as possible, while the length of the coat can vary in the regions of the dog's body. Likewise, the German shepherd is not recognized as a long-haired dog.
It should also be noted that different colors are allowed for the coat of the German Shepherd. Beyond the traditional solid black or black and tan specimens, we can also find German Shepherds in different shades of gray and even yellowish. However, whitedogs are not found in the official breed standard.
Last (and not least), we remind you that the beautiful coat of the German Shepherd requires daily brushing to remove dirt and dead hair, as well as to avoid the formation of lumps or knots in the coat.
9. They are not aggressive dogs by nature
The German Shepherd is one of the most reliable dogs of all known dog 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 emphasize, the behavior of a dog will depend largely on the education and the environment offered by its guardians.
Unfortunately, the improper or irresponsible handling of some owners can lead to unwanted situations involving their dogs. For this reason, it is essential to pay special attention to the training and socialization of our best friends, regardless of their race, age or gender.
Logically, the ideal is that we begin to educate him as a puppy, when he arrives at our home, but it is also possible to train and socialize an adult dog successfully, always resorting to positive reinforcement to encourage his learning.
10. He was the first guide dog in history
The first guide dog school in the world, called "The Seeing Eye" was created in the United States and its co-founder, Morris Frank, traveled between his native country and Canada to promote the usefulness of these trained dogs. Thus, the first dogs trained to assist blind people were four German Shepherds: Judy, Meta, Folly and Flash. They were delivered to veterans of the First World War on October 6, 1931, on Merseyside.
