German Shepherd

Very loyal dog and very playful.

I have a 15 month old neutered male GSD. He's the first dog I ever owned by myself. He's super smart and has caught on to every aspect of training that I've attempted to do with him (we just started Flyball classes and he loves it!) He's super affectionate to everyone once he gets to know them and he gets along well with 99% of other dogs (younger/smaller males that attempt to "dominate" him at the park being the exception). He plays wonderfully with my friend's TEACUP yorkie and we never have to worry about him in that regard. His best friend is another neutered male GSD that's a few months older than he is. We go to the dog park everyday together and watching them play always makes me laugh. Plus the fact that I get paid to take him is nice too :). He does very well inside the house during the day and is pretty laid back there. As soon as I get home tho we have to go for a 1-2 hr trip to the dog park or I have to take him to the park several times a day and throw the ball to... Read more

My german shepherd was one of the best dogs I've ever had. He was very smart as well. One time he figured out if he grabbed the refrigerator door handle with his mouth and pulled he had access to some better food than the stuff he was being fed. After that he was the best garage/backyard dog I've ever had.

Great, loyal dogs. I had my doubts, but then I met one and she is just as sweet as my lab was.

This is the kind of mix the family had when I was a kid. It was a pretty good dog. It only bit not breaking when I stepped on it so as if it was my fault. Really though in training it is not supposed to do that. I never myself have had any trouble from them. You can see how the police dogs have been trained and you need to watch out for them. It depends on how they have been trained. The security guy had one and it was ok. That is what would scare me that they could be trained either way. I looked them up for behavior and I didn't see any attacks on kids or people as for some other breeds. That doesn't mean it couldn't be there. They have attacked small dogs. As in any large dog you would need to watch out for them. I think they are good as a dog guard. They need to know their place. The attached page explains it. It does say young children need to be with an adult person not alone with it or any dogs. I just saw the video of the dog Buddy showing where the fire was in Alaska. I alwa... Read more

I have had two shepherd mixes and they have been the best dogs I have ever had! One saved my sister from another dog who attacked her.

Working with a reputable breeder is critical when considering a GSD for your family. Ask your vet for some names and start there. All dog breeds need some form of training in order to know how you want them to respond. GSD's are no exception, but the good news about training them is that they are very intelligent and eager to please you, so you will see quick results and your investment of time in training will be quickly and handsomely rewarded with this breed. This breed has been owned by many different members of my family and we all agree that they are one of the best dogs we have ever owned because of their intelligence and loyalty. They want to be with you at all times. Some of the negatives are the shedding and some people are afraid of them, so they might not be welcome by everyone. Our GSD goes on every vacation or overnight trip we take - we don't go where she isn't welcome. And we travel a LOT. Once people meet her and see how well-mannered and friendly she is, they ... Read more

Who doesn't love a German Shepard? These dogs are great with families, children, and some accepted friends. They need moderate excerse, minimal grooming, and with some obedience training they make wonderfull companions. Great as a guard dog, however, it's one of those dogs that insurance companies frown upon homeowerns having in their back yards because of their temperment towards strangers.

Great dog and will never own any other breed, but they are not for everyone. I have 3 male non-neutered GSDs, all 5 years old and outdoors but none of them related to one another. As other GSD owners can imagine - I have my hands full with them :) While the general traits of the breed are there, each dog will have a distinct individuality. One of my GSDs will lick you to death, but when meeting another dog will instinctivly attack. The second one is just fine with other dogs, but is the best guard dog ever - will launch towards the fence if stranger comes near my house and it does it with such viciousness - it sends chills up MY spine. The third one is a great all-arounder, very, very intelligent, which made him the pack leader among the three and naturally me and him bump heads often :) Btw, he looks exactly like the one pictured on this page and I mean exactly :) They are also very protective of their territory and mine will kill any other animal that enters the backyard - they ha... Read more

I own a GSD. He is almost 2 yrs now. He has been extremely well socialised as a pup & attending obedience classes weekly since then. I am a first time GSD owner & I will say the following: Firstly, there is no one bad breed, every dog is an individual, it depends on the dog's personality & how it is reared & treated. However, the fact is true that the traits of this breed of dog are : protection, guarding, herding, wary/distrustful strangers (of course there are the exceptions in every breed). Whatever you train, however you train, you will not train this out of a GSD, it is in in their breed. If you don't need a dog with these traits then you should perhaps consider another breed. Although in my opinion they are the best overall dogs & family dogs. It is important to keep the heirachy in the home with a dog. By keeping to a number of rules you will have a happy dog and a dog that doesn't ultimately have to be re-homed or at worst 'put down' . Our dog is wonderful with our... Read more

I know a german Shepherd and he scares the hell out of me

The best dog I've ever known was a German Shepherd. His owner had him at his motor shop a lot of times and he never barked at the cars/people arriving. He always got exited when he saw me (I was a kid back then) because I knew that I always brought him a treat. The dog lived for 17 years and never hurt anyone or anything. And he would have never ran away from his owner whom he adored. The man was heartbroken when the dog died. He was truly his best friend.I don't think that a person who knows nothing about dogs should get a Shepherd though.

To the people that keep calling this gorgeous breed a wolf dog and a piece of crap, F*** Off! You had a bad experience with one because your a piece of Sh*t loser. If this breed is a piece of crap then why are they used for so many different reasons? They have more jobs than any other breed. Also why is it that they are the number 3 dog breed in the United States? Maybe your the reason why your GSD turned into a bad dog. I feel bad for any dog that lives with you, no matter the breed. My good friend has a GSD and he is no attack dog. He is very gentle and silly. I also have a GSD and I absolutely love him!!!!! He is solid black and his name is Sinister. He is to die for! He's the smartest dog I have ever owned and he is very sweet. He LOVES strangers. He doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body. I work at a Cancer hospital and I bring him around to see my Co Workers because they absolutely adore him and many of the patients have met him and have encouraged me to make him a Therapy D... Read more

Great police dogs and herding dogs!

I have a German Shepherd mixed with a Red Heeler and he's a very unique dog! He's got the German Shepherd look without the pointy ears but is very protective of everyone especially children and old people!! He has certain strangers that he will allow and others whom he jst does not like. If he doesn't like a stranger we take it as a warning of the type of person the stranger might be. Everyone knows that if a dog whos not usually aggressive doesn't like someone its for a good reason!! This dog would be great as a service dog! His patience is infinite and he loves to help people! My grandmother sometimes tends to lose her balance and he will stand next to her and she can hold on to him and even put weight on him until she regains her balance and he'll jst patiently stand there and wait for her to do so. I have 6 dogs and if I'm lacking a leash he's the one to be without it. He's the type of dog that comes with an invisible leash and doesnt move an inch without your permission! Very lovi... Read more

Why i rated this dog good because- 1.Aggressive dog- ( - not friendly to strangers.) 2.Very good search dog. 3.Easy to train/very intelligent dogs. 4.Good watch dog. Overall suitable to those who want dog for home security,easy to handle,less expansive. They mostly used as a protection dogs.

I love German Shepards. I don't love other people's German Shepard's, I love mine. They're great dogs, very intelligent, very protective. They do have an aggression problem and they're not friendly to strangers.

Excellent pets if you can keep up the energy requirements. Highly trainable, loyal, affectionate. But these are the #1 biting dogs. Make sure that you socialize it properly, and use only positive training.

I love my GSD. SHe is vcery loyal, loving, and protective of her family. She is the best dog ever. SHe is not aggressive. As long as GSDknow their "job" in their pack they will do great and be a loving companion for life!

MY GSD IS AFRAID OF ITS OWN SHADOW,RUNS AWAY FROM OTHER DOGS NO MATTER HOW SMALL,THE RUSTLE OF LONG GRASS MAKES HIM JUMP, BUT PLAYS HAPPILY WITH CHILDREN I THINK HE FEELS HE IS ONE HIMSELF.YOU COULD NOT FIND A MORE HAPPY LOYAL DOG AND UP TILL LAST MONTH I WOULD OF INCLUDED TIMID. I WAS WALKING HIM AT ARE LOCAL MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE ONE EVENING, IT WAS GOING DARK AND WE WERE GOING BACK TO THE CAR THE DOG WAS OFF ITS LEAD SOME 75 MTRS AWAY WHEN 2 MEN CAME OUT OF THE BUSHES AND DEMANDED I GIVE THEM MY WALLET WHEN I SAID "NO CHANCE" THEY TRIED TO TAKE IT ANYWAY,I WAS WRESTLED TO THE GROUND,MY "TIMID" GSD CAME OUT OF THE GLOOM TOTALLY SILENT GRIPPED THE FIRST ATTACKERS ARM AND BEGAN TO SHRED IT THE SECOND ATTACKER BELIEVING THE BEST FORM OF ATTACK WAS TO RUN AWAY DID'NT GET FAR HE WAS KNOCKED TO THE GROUND AND BITTEN SEVERAL TIMES I CALLED THE DOG OFF AND THE ATTACKERS RAN AS FAST AS THERE BLOODIED LIMBS WOULD TAKE THEM.SO YOU SEE GSDS DO BITE BUT ONLY WHEN THEY HAVE TOO.

I grew up with GSD they are awesome loving dogs.  I would own another if I didn't already have 2.  My Best Friend has one and he is a very good dog!

I had one as a pet, and he was a very loyal, and protective dog. If I was to get another dog, it would be a German Shepard.

Great family dogs, smart, loving, loyal.  I have 4 aged 10 to 4. Can't imagine not owing a GSD.

The German Shepherd is a great service dog used by the police for drug and explosive detection and as an air scent dog for search and rescue.

Wonderful dogs!!!  I was raised with this breed so, I've been around them for a long time.  Loyal, smart, loving and discerning are only a few of this breeds many good qualities.  Very, very nice dogs.

One of my favorite breeds! I love them ! Very good dogs in any perspective.

I have a 2 year old German shepherd. He is the best dog I have ever had! He is every bright, loving, loves our 3 and 4 year old. He listen to every command. He gets along other dogs. He is not tied when outside and doesn't go out of the yard. My husband works shift work and I'm not affaid to be home alone! I don't think that you can rate a whole breed. I think every dog is different! I think it is all in how you raise them and how their parents were raised. I have had labs and mixed breeds and I will never have another dog. I love my German Shepherd!

I have two German Shepards and would have 10 more if I could.  They are woderful animals...Brave, loyal, super-intelligent - pretty much anything good you would want in a pet.  They both have a very keen sense of what is right and wrong and who to trust and who not to.  Those who put GSDs down or detract from them simply don't understand the breed.  While they may appear vicious or aggressive, they are simply doing what they believe is their job - what they were bred and raised to do.  It is the owners' responsibility to raise their dogs correctly and teach them right from wrong.

I had one when I was a little girl. They are extremely intellegent and loyal animals.

I had a German Shepherd when I was about thirteen. He was a good animal. They must be intellegent animals because they are used in the line of police work all the time.

Best dog you will ever have. Just make sure you buy it from reputable breeder who knows how to place their pupppies with your energy level. These dogs can be use as a Sear and Rescue, guide dogs, police dogs and excels in obedience competition. No other breed can be of such versatility.

It's hard to categorize a whole breed as there is a wide variety of temperaments and intelligence levels in every breed. Typical examples of the German shepherd are intelligent and are easy to train as property guardians or disciplined attack-on-command dogs (for example, for police work). They have a high prey drive. This is necessary for a good working dog. Unfortunately this means that better specimens of the breed may systematically chase down and kill cats and other small animals. They may also redirect this aggression to family members if they are not properly trained. Some GSDs may do best if enrolled in Schutzhund (bitesports) so they learn proper outlets for aggression and to release bite on command in case an incident does happen. Even though animal-directed aggression doesn't always predict human-directed aggression, the ability to redirect prey aggression to humans is what makes the GSD such a superb guard dog. This is not to say GSDs are all vicious biters, but... Read more

german shepards are loverly dogs

I have limited expieriance with German Shepards until recently when One showed up on my doorstep maybe a month ago..and I fed it and then noticed it had an ear infection,to make the long story short..I took it the the vet,and it's on a 2 week intensive antibiotic treatment plan,and so Im taking home for the holidays (over a thousand miles away)to give to my brother for Christmas..one thing I can say is it is very gentle and quiet,even when I took it to the vet,and they messed with her ears she did not whimper or anything. I think like with humans it all depands on how dogs are raised as how they behave.

Awesome dog, very powerful, very protective...

Clearly they weren't dangerous to the Nazis. . .

German Shepherd Dog requires intelligent, patient and committed owner. In the right hands you cannot get a better dog, friend, companion, protector who would not hesitate to die for you if necessary. German Shepherd Dog is a quintessence of doghood, equally suitable for almost any task, police work, Search & Rescue, army duties, herding, sport, security work, obedience trials, agility, children companion and much more...

german shepherds are not dangerous dogs but infact very loyl dogs and respect everyone

German Shepherds are not dangerous dogs. Ive had them ever since I was 1 and a half years old. Mum left me in the back yard with our first dog when i was only 1 years of age and mum never was worried once that I was left alone out side with her. The 4 other german shepherds we have since have been the best dogs too. I have a 7 month old dog now and he still has the mind of a puppy, jumping and running everywhere but he's never been vicious to me or my family

I have owned or own several breeds of so-called "tough" or "dangerous" dogs, both purebred and crossbred animals. None except one purebred male of a certain mastiff breed ever bit someone, and I did have it put down shortly after that, the dogs had "bad nerves", it reacted to percieved threats "wrongly". One simply cannot call oneself a responsible person and still keep a nasty, unpredictable, weak nerved 60kilos dog in a civilized society. I confess that I love a good mixed breed animal the most for reasons that have nothing to do with this topic, so I will get to the point. It is absolutely pointless to say for example, as some say here,that the GS is ugly or beautiful, it makes me laugh! The taste in dogs are so different and no one has the RIGHT taste. As for the GS I have one female, it loves my kids more then most dogs, and is very careful with them, but not nervous at all. My GSD is from(European) schutzhund 3 titled males in the pedigree for several generations and she has a... Read more

POWERFUL, COURAGEOUS, FAITHFUL & INTELLIGENT

The GS is a superb dog for guarding your home. It only barks and protects at real objects (not noises). I own a GS/Great Pyrenees mix, a Jack Russel/Keish hound mix, an AKC Great Pyrenees, & another Shepherd mix dog. They all get along wonderful. Nikeeta (our GS) is the best natured and always has been. She is a confident, friendly, intelligent, loyal, and playful dog. She can kill critters quickly & easily but she loves cats to only play around the yard with. I have had a few terrifying experiences with dogs. When I was young it was a tied up GS, that was never allowed to run, later in life, it was 2 labs, that again, were not allowed to run, a couple of chows and an abused Rat Terrier mix. The worst dog for aggression I have came across is ANY DOG THAT IS ALWAYS TIED UP or the CHOW. If people want a trustworthy, loyal dog, they need to be trustworthy themselves. There is absolutely no sense in having a dog as a pet if it cannot run free around the yard or preferibly in the country. ... Read more

All I know about GSD's is that my father adored them.  He and my mother both termed them, one person dogs.  In their case, I think it was more like two because the dog they had before I was born was attached to both of them - and only tolerated others.  The trouble was, when I did come along, the dog was very jealous and would pace quietly around my crib.  My mother started to fear that he would get it into his head to do away with the little bundle of competition and they decided to find a home for him.  They are beautiful and intelligent dogs and I totally agree with Lindabcs - with socialization and training I believe they would be great dogs.

WONDERFUL, LOYAL, COMPANIONS, IF TRAINED PROPERLY AND THE OWNERS ARE NOT IDIOTS AS MANY OF YOU ARE... SOCIALIZATION OF YOUR ANIMAL IS NECESSARY TO HAVE A GOOD PET. SIMILAR TO THOSE CHILDREN THAT BEHAVE LIKE ANIMALS AS THEY WERE RAISED BY ANIMALS, IF YOU ARE NOT SOCIALIZED YOU DON'T LIKE ANYONE ELSE EITHER...!

German sheperds are such a beautiful breed. They are so smart and love to learn. They make great search and rescue dogs. Generally they are very gentle and conscience of people.

These wolf like dogs are not to be trusted--please take extreme caution if you have children. I bought a akc gs from a breeder who raised them with kids. I owned the shepherd for about a year. My wife also had a 10 lb sheltie purebred. They always played together and seemed to get along. One day we left them together in the backyard for about 30 min and came home to see the shelties guts ripped out and half of it consumed. This GS was observed by my elderly neighbor. She grabbed the little dog with her teeth and ripped her neck open and then started eating her. She was not malnourished and had food right beside her. Now my inlaws have a GS too and I have a 3 and a 5 yr old and they have to stay away from it because it growls and has to be tied up because of fear of it attacking them. These are not nice dogs to own and remember--at any time these dogs will turn on you. To me they are as bad if not worse than a pitbull. Please consider and preserve your kids and your other smaller pets b... Read more

German Shepherds are my all time favorite breed of dog. I currently have two but I have had many throughout my life. They are so smart, they are easy to train, eager to please, and they are just all around beautiful. This really is a great dog!

Most GSDs in the US are in pet-only homes, not used in police or other official work. Most GSD bites are from undersocialized dogs that have had little to no training by their owners. A good owner usually results in a great dog.

as one GS owner said about another dog, GSs are pathetic dogs perdiod. Is that a low rider wanna be or do you just have a couple of flats in the back. lol

German Shepherds, GREAT dogs, loyal, smart, protective, and mine is my best mate, great with kids, the cats, in the car etc. Why? Because it was brought up correctly, a dog is an animal like you & me, & it will reflect its surroundings. If there is a bad dog out there its the owners fault, not the dogs. How can people criticise a whole breed of dog over a few attacks, people like you are the people who incite racism & discrimination, and reflect your childhood raising, narrow minded & have nothing positive to say, so before you criticise something, criticise yourself. You can blame one dog/owner for an attack, not the breed! Next time you see a person of your nationality kill someone or rob a bank I want you to slap yourself in the face, because thats what you are doing to this great breed.