German Shepherd Review

Good Points
Amazingly intelligent (sometimes too intelligent!)
Alert and playful
Loyal (to the point even beyond all reason!)
Intuitive - will sense a person's mood
Cheeky (not sure whether this is a good point or a bad point, but gorgeous all the same!)
Can be trained to do almost anything
Great with children - treats them as a pup that needs love and protection

Bad Points
Can tend to be prone to health problems (due to ignorant people overbreeding them - can be avoided by not buying from these people and stick to a reputable (and registered) breeder)
It IS a long-haired dog, and it will shed - but not as much as some people might think
Because the GSD is so intelligent, it needs strong socialisation early in its life. Otherwise behavioural problems can arise later in life (this is the cheekiness I mentioned earlier!)
Cannot be left alone for long periods. They are passionate shoe chewers and trench diggers!
Can be overprotective

General Comments
Originally bred to herd sheep, the GSD is one of the most loyal breeds in the world. Unrivalled in intelligence, these dogs are used in a wide variety of jobs serving the public - such as seeing eye and hearing dogs and airport sniffers, police dogs, as well as great stock dogs.



Fiercely protective of their "pack", the GSD makes a terrific guard dog, without showing such aggression displayed in other breeds. I have witnessed this first hand when I was home alone one night when my parents were at a party: A man came into the backyard, totally out of his mind drunk, shrieking at me. Our breeding bitch at the time, Bella, heard the commotion and leapt over the kennel run fence to stand between me and the man. When he lunged, she grabbed his wrist (not hard, just enough so he could not move closer). She then proceeded to led him by the wrist from the backyard, released him and stood there, watching him until he left. Good girl!



Not needing a massive amount of exercise, the GSD can be kept in regular sized yards, but does need lots of mental stimulation.

In closing, the GSD is a wonderful family dog as well as an asset to public service jobs. Needs lots of attention and training to avoid behavioural problems.