Dax
I spend hours on the phone, counseling people who are enduring problems with their adolescent German shepherd dog. It barks and lunges at other dogs, stalks and even nips visitors in the home, attacks other puppies in puppy class, and drags the owner down the street on walks. In the worst cases, the dogs are suspicious, aggressive, reactive, fearful, and sharp.
I have had German shepherds since 1985. They are remarkable dogs: loyal, protective, majestic, silly. As working dogs, they are unparalleled. They are forward, bold, and forceful dogs. They need a job that gives them purpose and direction in life. They need clear rules and boundaries. They need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation, and they need the socialization as a puppy that teaches them to understand and accept normal human situations and behaviour.
Without these, German shepherds can be destructive and aggressive and even a liability.
Without even touching on the differences between well-bred and poorly bred dogs; or discussing the differences between German working lines, German show lines, DDR, Czech, or American dogs, there are some traits that just go hand in hand with being a German shepherd.
German shepherds are active
They were bred to be working dogs: police, military, herding, guide dogs, sport dogs. They have a genetic desire to work, and if they don’t have a job, they’ll find other ways to keep busy, not always good. They can be destructive and hard to control. In some, this need to work can turn into hyperness, where the dog is in constant, aimless motion and can’t settle down. If you are looking for a couch potato, you don’t want a German shepherd.
A good German shepherd is active, energetic, always eager to work, but easily capable of turning it off and settling down when the day is done.
German shepherds are protective
It’s their nature. That’s what they do. Isn’t that why you got a German shepherd?
But this protective nature needs guidance. Your shepherd needs a tremendous amount of exposure to normal people, different places, and other dogs. Socialisation helps develop the confidence to accept and be comfortable in normal situations.
Protectiveness without confidence gives you fearfulness. Many, many GSDs are fearful and their first reaction to anything different is to bark and lunge and otherwise threaten. If your dog is reacting like this because he’s afraid, you can’t correct him into compliance. Punishing a dog who is reacting out of fear just tells the dog he was right to be afraid.
You need to commit to getting your shepherd puppy out to experience as many new things as possible. If your puppy tends towards shyness or fearfulness, you don’t have to insist it meet and greet every person. He should not be forced to accept handling from strangers if he’s uncomfortable, but he should be calm and neutral in new situations.
A good German shepherd is reserved towards strangers. This doesn’t mean shy; rather the dog is neutral, neither fawning nor shying away. He ignores strange people and dogs, preferring to interact with and focus on his owner instead. He reacts to real threats with confidence and power, but calms as soon as the threat disappears.
German shepherds have high prey drive
Prey drive is the need to chase balls and sticks and play tug. It is the behaviour behind sheep herding. High prey drive has been part of the selection process in breeding working German shepherds. Prey drive helps increase confidence and gives the trainer a useful tool to motivate the dog in training.
Unchannelled prey drive can result in a dog that notices anything that moves — and moving things elicit the need to chase and catch. A bored shepherd learns to chase bicycles, horses, cars, sheep, skate-boarders, cats, etc.
A good shepherd has abundant prey drive and an owner who knows how to develop and channel that drive into appropriate behaviours while also teaching self-control, so the dog can contain the desire to chase when not appropriate.
German shepherds are possessive
“Mine” is their motto. Many GSDs are fulfilled when they have a toy in their mouth. They don’t need you to throw it, they don’t need to bring it back to play tug. Just carrying the toy and maybe doing a little “it’s mine and you can look but you can’t have it” dance is all the fulfillment they need.
Teach your GSD to out on command by showing him that the game starts again when he gives up the toy. The sooner he releases the toy, the faster the game resumes. Encourage him to bring the toy to you. Don’t let him play keep-away: you’ll never win, and he’ll have a great time at your expense.
German shepherds are territorial
Shepherds guard home and property with vigilance. This also means they can be obnoxious or even frightening when someone walks near their car. They slam the glass with their teeth and look for all the world like they’re coming through the window. Crate your dog or train them not to guard the car — this is a definite liability!
German shepherds are environmentally aware
They notice things. They might alert on a stranger who is all the way across a parking lot. They might be fearful of an object that they’ve passed by many times, but suddenly perceive as threatening. Many shepherds also have fear reactions to strange or new surfaces like slick, shiny floors.
Again, socialization is key: get your dog out and around as many different people, places and things as possible.
German shepherds are emotionally external
They don’t sit quietly and watch; they’re noisy and rambunctious complainers. They cry, they rooo, they talk, they have to tell you about everything. They hate being left alone and complain loudly. Have a friend hold your dog while you leave momentarily, and your dog will whine and leap and act like he’s sure he’ll never see you again. Some even have levels of separation anxiety which can lead to fence eating or other destruction. (Boarding kennels hate German shepherds.)
German shepherds are easily stimulated
It doesn’t take much to get them leaping and biting. And when aroused, they are loud and boisterous and tending toward the stupid. They have difficulties with self-control and containment.
German shepherds have “hard” temperaments
Traditionally, the Germans were hard trainers and they needed a dog that took corrections well, didn’t shut down, and indeed blossomed under demanding training regimens. GSDs don’t always do well with “purely positive” training. They need clear guidelines for acceptable behaviour.
German shepherds are body insensitive
They can be real body slammers. If you have a toy they want, they think nothing about slamming into you to get it. With other dogs, they play hard: they slam, chest-butt, bowl over and ram into their playmates. We have had a “no having fun rule” around the house for years because of injuries due to rough play.
German shepherds are reserved towards strangers
You want a dog that will be friendly with, and relate well with all your friends. But your dog treats your friends like “landscape”. Your friends can coo and coax, and your dog just ignores them.
German shepherds have to be first
They want to be out in front when you’re walking down the street. They want to be first to the door. Wanting to be first means that shepherds very naturally pull hard on the leash. Teaching your dog to walk calmly next to you on a loose leash is fighting a losing battle against the dog’s natural behaviour.
German shepherds are heavy shedders
They shed like an old couch losing its stuffing! The undercoat comes out in clumps. And when they’re not shedding, they’re still constantly losing hair.
German shepherds have many health issues
Even the name German shepherd is synomonous with hip dysplasia – a debilitating malformation of the hip joint. They also are prone to elbow dysplasia and many different types of spinal injuries. Big, fast-growing puppies can suffer from panosteitis. Skin allergies are extremely common.
23 Comments
A really nice summary of why you DO want a German Shepherd, and what you will NOT get sympathy complaining about when you do get one.
As a German Shepherd owner of over 30 years I commend you on a well written article. I have owned many dogs in my lifetime, most were GSDs, and I can agree with you that, yes German Shepherds are a wonderful dog but, also true, they are not for everyone – no more so than a Saint Bernard would work in every home, or a Chow, or a Jack Russell, or a ……… well, you get my meaning.
Bringing a dog into your home, any dog breed, requires thinking in advance and lots of planning to make sure that the dog is a fit for you, your home, your family and your lifestyle .
Having a German Shepherd for almost 10 years makes me agree to your post. I agree to all the characteristics that you have presented. GSD’s are very eager to learn, alert, obedient, and cheerful. But I still believe that a dog’s attitude depends on the trainer’s ability to mold a dog’s own characteristic.
I have owned and trained German Shepherds all my life — I find most of these comments on this page to be false. If you’re reading this page deciding whether or not to get a GSD, keep researching, most of these comments are false. The only one I agree with is that GSD’s need exercise. If you can’t commit to exercising them every day, find a lower energy breed.
Thanks for your comments, JK. I, too, have had shepherds for many many years, and love the breed. I train and compete in obedience, agility and Schutzhund. But I also teach dog training classes and continually have clients with reactive dogs that they can’t handle. They seem to want a golden retriever in a German shepherd body. I wrote this piece after a long conversation with a person whose GSD had just bit someone else, and they were considering putting their dog down.
I’m curious – you don’t find shepherds to be reactive? Your dogs aren’t territorial? They don’t always want to be in front when you’re walking somewhere? Hmm.
Anyway, thanks again for reading and sharing your opinion.
-sam
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this breed and overall there isn’t much to add since it is right on target.
Having handled numerous GSDs over the past 3 decades, one thing is absolutely certain – I would never blame a dog for misbehavior, aggression or any other non-attractive objectives which are usually pointed on a dog.
In conversations with people that dislike the GSD and call him/her an “attack dog”, the question I ask simply is “who trained this dog?” – a human.
Back home in Germany the screening process in order to get a GSD is so intense that most people wont even consider adaption or buying one because this process will display their own human character weaknesses. You need to present a police report, a clean police report even to be considered a future owner of this breed.
So there must be a reason for all of this why the German Government goes through a lengthy process to ensure that only people that are physically and mentally fit handle this breed. On the positive site, the GSRA here is using a similar, but not as tough approach to get GSDs that are up for adaption into the right hands.
I’ve seen first hand well trained GSDs become life savers during my time in the military, along with Rottweilers or Belgium SDs. And these are impressions that can not be taken away; the real value of a GSD comes to play when human lives are being saved, be it in Search and Rescue, Police and Narcotics work or simple family protection.
One thing I’d like to address, Sam; not sure if dogs really need socializing, I think the human handler needs socializing but not necessary the dogs because their training will determine their behavior.
Think back when Shepherd dogs worked their daily routines herding sheep, the interaction was primarily between one (human) shepherd and his dog. I would think that the relationship between GSD and handler have to be extremely social but applying this towards other dogs? Not sure, but I’ve been wrong before.
In my humble experiences, the social bound can easy be determined to find out who or what is important to the GSD; let the dog play with other dogs and call him while he is totally distracted playing; see how many times it takes calling him before he responds. A well trained GSD needs 1 call, which shows his priorities that can be relayed or translated into the dogs social “needs”.
And then watch other breeds and their owners doing the same, essentially it comes down again to training, and good training is an excellent tool for a social interaction with the dog, that is where he/she will set priorities and focus – on the handler…..just a thought :-)
Cheers,
Thomas
Great post! My adolescence GSD is everything you describe and I know the only thing lacking in our relationship is MY confidence. I once complained to a trainer “it’s my husband’s fault, I didn’t want a German Shepherd” to which she replied “You always get the dog you deserve.”
As per JK’s comments, my aunt share’s those sentiments as her GSD is one of the most submissive and calm creatures I’ve met.. he was also inbred though, ha ha. But he is a rarity among GSD.
It’s really hard to bring a child into a house where a german shepherd has been kept for several years. Their possessiveness will turn into “sibling rivalry” with the child.
That…plus the heavy shedding makes the GSD a hard breed to own.
I have owned two GSD’s, both Schutzhund 1′s and I wouldn’t have any other dog. Both have watched over, protected and played with my grandchildren. Both have been my wife’s companion, walk mate and protecter. Yes they protect the family, can show aggression, but a good trained dog shows aggression when needed, not out of fear. They are characters, like to play and love to sit in your lap. Yes they shed, but we all aren’t perfect. Just outstanding dogs, smarter than most people.
I had a GSD growing up, another from ’99 to 2009 and now an 8 month old male. I have told many people many times that a GSD is something to think carefully about before getting and at the same time I would not want life without one. But one must socialize them their whole life, ensure there is always training and exercise to wear them out body and mind. While not all GSDs show each of these characteristics a majority do.
Mine is high drive, has to be first, is very aware of his environment and sheds like a tree. He loves to play tug with his toys but is just as happy to play chase me then chase you. He is a body slammer for sure at daycare and plays with those dogs that enjoy the same rough and tumble. 8 hours of rough play and he still goes like an EverReady battery! He turns whining into a fine art of communication.
At the same time, he will curl up next to me on the bed, lay his head in my arms for a pet, cuddle up to any person that he can tell I like and I would not trade him for the world. He is a GSD and because I know that, I know the life stages he will go through and what he needs to succeed through those.
Okay, so I wished I had read this article BEFORE we got our GSD. But I didn’t. I love that our dog is protective. He is really good with our children and our other dog (a Maltese). But he scares the holy heck out of our friends and family when they try to visit. How do we teach him not to be afraid of these people? Everyone says we need to get rid of him, he is too aggressive. But he is a member of our family and I refuse to just get rid of him because of our mistakes. What can we do?
Misty
Have you worked with a dog trainer who is familiar with GSDs? From your brief message, it sounds like he’s afraid… there are some things you can try to overcome his fear. And if he is reacting out of fear, you will get much further using reward-based methods than punishment… you can’t punish fear! When you do, you just assure the dog that he was right to be afraid all along.
Nice to see some common sense and real Shepherd knowledge on the web for a change! Well done!
As a breed, Shepherds have a need to have total faith and trust in their owners, if the owners are not worthy of it, the dog will never reach his/her full potential.
My German Shepherd found me, she was 6 months old and abused. Mange, hook and worms, no hair on her face and open sores with lava growing in the sores. I could not turn her away. This poor dog shock when i approached her. I was able to put her in the car and call my vet. He stayed open until I arrive and over the next 2 months he patched her up and got her back on the road to good health.
She spent her first couple of weeks hiding behind the couch but slowly we delevoped a bonding relationship. As long as she can see me she is happy, always by my side. Sleeps on the bed, rides in the car, spoilt and one of the family. My children have always said she is my dog not the family’s. She is now 12 years old and her health is failing. I know I can not watch her suffer even though it will be hard for me when her time comes. She has brought a light into my life and a constant companion.
It’s hard to watch them get old. But she is lucky that you gave her a long and happy life. Hopefully you’ll have many more years. Thanks for your note about your wonderful dog.
I’ve had four white gsd all together & love the breed. Alot of this article is so true however At the moment I have a very calm & well socialised two year old & a nine month who is causing me some concern. She always has been a bit nervous but even so was approachable etc but over the last month of so has shown signs of fear & started to lunge, growl, snap etc in some situations. We are taking her training & getting advice but I wondered what your thoughts were on this kind of behaviour. Is it something we can overcome? For her sake & ours. I’m know it’s all down to the owner but can’t work out what we’ve done differently this time.
HI Hayleigh — My sympathies on your situation with the younger dog. We’ve had a couple of GSDs with less than ideal temperament, and it is not an easy thing to deal with or live with. First, I don’t think you need to be beating yourself up over this. As you said, you have a 2-yr-old that is calm and well-socialized, and you’re not sure what you did differently. My guess is you didn’t do ANYTHING differently — at least not significantly differently. Not enough to account for the change in behavior. I don’t know your dog but I am guessing it’s a couple of factors: 1) Age. I always see something a little funny when the pups hit about 9 months. Think 13-year-old — hormones a-ragin’, different feelings about the world, etc. In other words, it is just something that IS. 2) Genetics. Even with littermates, there are fundamental differences between dogs that cannot be traced to differences in upbringing. I have a friend who bred a litter and has kept close tabs on the pups in different homes. Two of the males are a couple of the toughest working dogs I’ve ever seen, and are not, I repeat NOT easy to live with. Their sister is one of the sweetest and most social dogs I’ve ever met. It just HAPPENS.
So what is a dog owner/handler to do? First, You cannot “fix” the behavior with a set of corrections. The lunging, growling and snapping are her responses to stimuli that she regards as threatening. I know it sounds really unhelpful, but remember the old joke — “Doctor, my elbow hurts when I do this…”; Doctor:”Well, Don’t do that!”. In other words, it will be your task to manage her interaction with the world so that (a) you avoid the kind of stimuli that put her in that mindset. It is a classically conditioned response that she does not have a choice about making. (b) when you are in a situation where you might get that kind of behavior, make sure you have control so no one gets hurt! Finally, you probably need to do attention training with her — that is, teach her to look at you when there is stress — use food and a marker word or sound when she looks at you, and once she focuses on you on command, you can start putting in distractions and stimuli. Finally, just accept that you probably can’t expect her to be the Wal-Mart greeter. She may get better when she gets older, but any attempt to just “work through it” will likely not end well. She’ll just get more defensive.
Good luck!
Warren
It’s somewhat common for GSDs at this age to go through this, whether the barking and lunging is at a person or another dog. I generally try to ignore the bad behaviour and work on some obedience, something the dog already knows well. Teaching a “watch” command is a great first step. I also try to watch my dog closely and see what their initial bodily changes are when they’re stressed, before the lunging and barking begin. The moment I notice the dog starting to “swell” or become stiff, I turn around and go the other direction. It’s better to prevent a reaction from occurring than to deal with all the heightened emotion.
One of the things that I keep learning over and over again, is that you can’t punish fear. If your dog reacts in an aggressive manner by lunging and barking, and you try to prevent the behaviour by punishing your dog, you may succeed in temporarily suppressing the behaviour, but you won’t stop it. Indeed, you are likely to make your dog think they were right all along to be afraid, because every time they see the scary person, something bad happens.
Dogs can become classically conditioned to react to certain situations by falling into a predetermined emotional state. For instance, many dogs hear thunder and become afraid. We can’t punish them for being afraid and hiding in the bathtub, any more than we can tell an arachnophobe not to be afraid of spiders. The reaction is initially a learned response to something scary, but becomes an inherent emotional response. The dog has no choice.
The good news is that many dogs can be conditioned over time to be less fearful. The best way to do this is with food, of course. A dog can’t eat food and be afraid. I, personally, do not like giving food to strangers and having them feed my dog. Dogs aren’t good at generalising, so every new person, every new situation, will need to have food. Plus, I really don’t want strangers to feed my dog!
Instead, I like to teach the dog a behaviour that helps them cope with strangers and scary new stuff. As I said above, I like to teach the dog a “watch” command. If you can teach your dog to make eye contact with you, and your dog understands that it leads to a desired reward, then you have an excellent tool to help defuse a scary situation.
First teach “watch” at home without any distractions. (There are articles in the archive on how to teach watch.) Then, once your dog understands to make eye contact when you say “watch”, you can take your training on the road. Start at quite some distance from the scary person or dog. As the dog notices the scary person, ask him to “watch”. Mark “yes” and reward. Turn 180 degrees away and move off. Reward your dog for going with you. “See? You make eye contact with me, and not only do you get a treat, we move away from the scary person.” By moving away, we take the emotional pressure off the dog.
Over time, slowly move closer to the scary person. Watch your dog intently for any sign of arousal. You want to turn and go the other direction before your dog starts to react.
The entire time, your response is neutral and unemotional. You don’t want to add any stress to an already stressful situation.
Get yourself a copy of the book Control Unleashed and read about some of the exercises. This book will show you how to teach your dog to look at a scary person or dog on cue, and when they do look, you mark “yes” and the dog looks back to you for the reward. It’s really an excellent way of teaching your dog a response — if they’re afraid, they look to you for guidance.
Good luck, and let me know how it goes
-sam in Montana
well fist of all they are active, that is a good thing, you dont want an boring dog. they are protective, that depends on how you rase them (mine is rased so that it still is protective but not over protective) high prey drive, that is normal for a dog. they are posessive, that is still how you are raising it. they are teretorial, i have 1 thing to say, WRONG. environmentally aware, raising. thay are emotionally external, oh thats wierd because my german shepard is laying besides me and sleeping on the floor. easily stimulated, raising. body insensitive thats you problem and they dont have to play “rough” its called raising a dog corectly.reserved towards strangers, wierd because if a stranger visit, my dog almost start crying because she is so happy. have to be first, raise you dog right. have many health issues, its not many!
German Shepherds are great dogs. I don’t know why a former owner and current trainer would write an article giving the breed a bad name. They already have a bad name by ignorant people who know nothing but what they news and TV tell about them. I study dogs and happen to specialize in the breed and consider this artice not very reliable and a waste of time.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I am both a current owner and trainer (and very occasional breeder) of German shepherd dogs. I love the breed. My boy Dax is a delight and makes me laugh every day. He is a serious working dog who is thoughtful, intelligent and capable. His brother is a wonderful family dog and retrieving fool, and another brother is a perfect companion for an active hiker, snowboarder and outdoorsman.
I wrote the article after receiving yet another phone call from someone who was facing putting their GSD to sleep because it had bitten someone. I’m tired of people who get a GSD puppy, then complain because the puppy grows up to be a territorial guard dog. The German shepherd is not a golden retriever in temperament. For generations, the GSD has been bred to be a working dog, excelling in military, police, search and rescue, and other service work. They are also great sport dogs, and enjoy Schutzhund, agility, competitive obedience and other active pursuits.
When you say you specialise in the breed, I’m curious about what that means. What sort of training do you do? Do you assist distraught owners with problem dogs? Or better yet, do you help new puppy owners raise and socialise their GSDs to become model members of society?
Thanks, and hope to hear back from you,
-sam in Montana
I agree with one of the first posters. While this is a fantastic, truthful rundown of the GSD, for me, this is a reason why some people want a GSD. Of course they can be a handful. Anyone who does not realize this have obviously not done their research, let alone ever own a GSD. Living with German Shepherds since birth (30 years), I would never consider owning any other breed. The loyalty, friendship, intelligence and protectiveness is a trademark with them. Sure, I’m biased since I was raised with them, but I consider my dogs friends and companions. I do not consider them pets. To sum it up, great rundown on the subject, and for those with problems with Shepherds, they can be trained very well. Although it does take patience and understanding of the breed. The author is dead on with their take on the breed. Please, listen to Sams’ information. Maybe a GSD is not right for you. It will be right for many. Thanks Sam.
Thank you so much for this article. I have a four year old female GS who just last week attacked our smaller dog. The smaller dog was an older male that was here prior to the GS. Per our vet, the attack was a ‘kill’ attack because the smaller dog was grabbed on the back of the neck. Unfortunately, we had to put our smaller dog down. Our GS has plenty of room to roam and exercise, however, she is an outside dog. We have never taken our dog to training. I’m extremely concerned because we have a small child and I have heard stories of these dogs ‘turning’ on their human families. Obviously, I should have done my research prior to buying this dog. But, I didn’t and I don’t want to give this dog away if I can learn to train this dog and lose my fear of having this dog around my child. Do you think the GS could still be trained? Would you have any concerns with this dog being around a small child?