Aggression In German Shepherd Dogs

While German Shepherds may not inspire the ill-placed fear of such breeds as Rottweilers and Pit Bulls, they do land on many banned breed lists.

German Shepherds have, throughout the years, had a reputation of being aggressive. That reputation, while not entirely accurate, is based on some truth. While German Shepherd aggression is, in some small part, genetics, the main cause of ill manners is caused by the owner.

It is important to point out that not all (not even most) German Shepherds display inappropriate aggressive behavior.It is wholly unfair to let the misdemeanours of the minority result in the entire breed being labeled as “dangerous” or “aggressive”.That being said, it is vital for owners to learn to recognize the signs of German Shepherd aggression, so that they can immediately begin to work to bring them under control.

So, what forms can aggression take?Some German Shepherds will be aggressive only towards other animals. Some will display aggression only if they are approached whilst they are chewing a bone or eating. Others are aggressive toward strangers, and others even show aggression to some human members of the household in which they live.

Don’t discount even minor forms of aggression, say to a cat or the postman, because these could easily escalate into something more serious. At the first sign of aggression being displayed, or even before this, you need to embark on a course of proper training. Not only could is save injury to other people and animals, it could also save your own dog’s life.

Simply yelling at or hitting your dog when it acts aggressively is a faulty approach to take.For the most part, this makes the overall situation worse, as the dog becomes less trusting of humans.Also, a person is not going to win a “fight” with a German Shepherd. If he attacks you, you are going to be seriously hurt, and he is probably going to be put to sleep.

For German Shepherd aggression, the one course of action that should be taken is obedience training. It is best to begin at a young age before any bad habits are formed,however, no matter the age of your dog, obedience training remains the best option.

Learn More : German Shepherd Dog Aggression

German Shepherd – a Dog with Intelligence.

The German Shepherd Dog also called the Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund.  They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog that dates from the late 19th century. They are part of the Herding group that was originally developed as a working dog for herding sheep.

Often employed by the military and police for their obedience and intelligence. The German Shepherd is nearly always one of the top 3 global breeds.
The breed originates from a dog called Hektor Linksrhein. He so impressed Von Stephanitz that he purchased it and changed the dogs name to Horand von Grafrath and founded Alsatian Dog Society.
Horand became the centre-point of the Alsatian breeding programs and was bred with many other society member dogs.
The German Shepherds popularity has grown quickly throughout the 20th Century, though taking dives in popularity in the early days due to health problems from poor breeding and after the world wars with anti German sentiment. This caused the UK Kennel Club to rename it to “Alsatian Wolf Dog”, a while later the wolf dog appendage was dropped and in 1977, the Alsatian Dog was back as the official name, though it is still often known as the Alsatian. The Alsatian popularity was helped by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now it is globally the third most popular dog breed.

They are a large dog of between 55 and 65 centimetres ( 22 and 26 in) at the top of the back and weigh between 22 and 40 kilograms ( sixty lb).

The German Shepherd’s face has a long square cut muzzle, a doomed forehead, a long neck, powerful jaws, large erect ears (that are often pulled back when on the move), black nose and brown, medium-sized eyes. With a bushy tail.

Alsatians come in a variety of colours, the most common being the tan/black and red/black versions with black saddles and masks.   Rarer versions include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue types, which may not fit country breed standards. German Shepherds have a double coat. A thick close dense outer coat, which sheds all year round and a thick undercoat. The long-hair variety is rarer.
The Alsatian, like many working dogs is very intelligent,  and are considered to be the third most intelligent breed of dog (Border Collies is deemed to be number one by Stanley Coren in his book The Intelligence of Dogs). This intelligence combined with their strength makes the breed sought after as police, guard, and search and rescue dogs, being able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.
German Shepherds have a reputation for aggression and have been banned in areas as a result. Statistically, in the States, the German Shepherd is responsible for more unprovoked indiscriminate bites than any other breed, and have a reputation to attack smaller dog breeds.

Additionally research has shown that German Shepherds are the breed third most likely to attack a person and in another report found that Alsatians accounted for almost half of the dog bites that required medical attention, compared to a more typical twenty of bites requiring medical attention, not a surprise with their powerful jaws and scissor teeth.

There is no problem with the Alsatian breed, it is the fault of the owners. As with all clever active dog (or person), if they are not regularly active and kept occupied, they can become troublesome. Good dog training and dog socialisation are crucial for a dog like the German Shepherd. The Alsatian is different from the collie, which a lot of its aggressiveness has been breed out from show strains, the German Shepherd does not seem to have lost this character.

The German Shepherd are great with the family they know, but can be over protective of their home and family – why they are a great guard dog. Due to this they may appear a bit aloof.

Alsatians learn well and are very obedient and not easily distracted, but due to their strong character,  you need to be very forceful with them.
The Alsatian will need to have two good walks a day. They are not a dog for a busy family who cannot give them the time and attention.  For this reason, busy families regularly ask dog walkers to help out by walking them for several hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common genetic health problems, hip and elbow joint problems (dysplasia) which often causes the dog pain and may cause arthritis. The German Shepherd also suffers from monorchidism (one testicle), weakness of temperament, and missing teeth, as well as folded or bent ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood. Due to the large and open nature of their ears, Shepherds also are prone to ear infections.

German Shepherds, like many deep chested dogs are prone to bloat, this is often fatal, so if you think this may be a problem, go straight to the veterinary. Bloat is a gas build up in the stomach, caused by a number of different causes. The symptoms of distress for no apparent reason, a firm distension of the abdomen, general weakness, depression, problems breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias ( forty percent in one study), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.

The Alsatian also suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are more likely to have Von Willebrand Disease, a common generic bleeding disorder, which shows in varying degrees of bleeding tendency, usually in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .

In spite of these problems, the Alsatian is sturdy with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is around nine years, which is normal for a large dog.

The German Shepherd has a great nose so is one of the most widely-used breeds in a many roles requiring this ability, including search and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection, and mine detection dog, amongst others.

So the Alsatian is a superb clever dog that will bond well with you, if you have the time and dedication for him. Not advised for busy working families.

The Noble German Shepherd

Many dogs, today, are being mistreated and trained to be vicious guard dogs. So when you encounter a noble canine, it is enough to make you wonder, just what motivates some modern day dog “heros” we hear about in the news. What heros, you say? This German Shepherd dog really fits the bill

The incident Friday the 15th on the NYC expressway was a truly unique example. A German Shepherd was hit by an automobile and lay bleeding and helpless, with cars edging carefully around it. But, just like the “masked man” of the old days, a hero comes weaving its way through all the traffic to stand guard and keep officials at bay. The hero, the son of the injured dog, circled and barked warnings and lunged at those who tried to approach its mother.  After sometime, the officials were able to get to the injured Shepherd  and take it to the Vet for treatment.

What is it in their make-up that causes them to put their own life in jeopardy? It is their built-in instinct that enabled the German shepherd hero to rush headlong into traffic and loyally stand guard, something missing even in some humans today. We have heard many unusual stories about German shepherds in the past and wonder at their loyal acts in protecting their owners. Some of us have actually experienced watching their loyalty grow as the German shepherd becomes used to his new family.

No one knows what motivates these animals to do these heroic deeds but one thing is sure to be the human emotions they pick up from loving and caring owners, as well as the inborn instinct and some say, in females, hormones. Another thing that enables a Shepherd to be so loyal is the ability they have to identify a threat to their owners. This comes from good knowing how to train a German Shepherd and TLC. Each dog is an individual as to what they are able to do in any given situation. Do not expect them to all be heroes. Just like anything else you get out of an animal what you put in it, especially with German Shepherds.

For expert advice on Dog Training products