One man's ideal dog
In 1899 a German cavalry officer, Max von Stephanitz, bought a herding dog at a show and set out to create the perfect working breed from it.
Big dogs · A lot of time and space
German shepherd
Herding dog · from Germany
A large, athletic dog, tan with a black saddle and a black muzzle, with big upright ears and a bushy tail.
- Size
- 55 to 65cm at the shoulder; 22 to 40kg
- Lives for
- 9 to 13 years
- Suits
- Experienced owners with time to train every day
Pads after you, ears up, watching. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the german shepherd
The police dog
It is the breed most used by police and armed forces around the world, for tracking, searching and protection.
Once called the Alsatian
In Britain it was renamed the Alsatian after the First World War, when anything German was unpopular. The old name returned in 1977.
A remarkable nose
It can follow a trail that is days old, and is trained to find people, explosives and even some illnesses.
The first guide dogs
The first dogs trained to guide blind people, in Germany in the 1920s, were German shepherds.
A one-family dog
It bonds closely with its own people and can be wary of strangers.
The real thing
Photos of the german shepherd
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
A German shepherd needs at least two hours of exercise and training a day. It learns fast and gets bored fast. Brush the thick double coat several times a week.
Before you get one
This is a clever, powerful dog that needs firm, kind, consistent handling from puppyhood. Buy only from parents that have had their hips checked.
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