Background on German Shepherds
The German Shepherd is an exceptional dog breed. A relatively new breed of canine, the German Shepherd originated in Germany in 1899. The Shepherd was bred as a work dog, with the purpose of herding and protecting sheep. Because of the specific requirements of this type of field work, the German Shepherd was developed for their intelligence, athletic ability, strength, and fearlessness. These characteristics make the German Shepherd one of the most trainable breeds and has led them to be one of the most popular dogs for service work. Because of their trainability, German Shepherds are among the most popular breeds for police work.
Do Your Homework
One of the saddest things about any breed of dog is owners who don’t do their homework on the dog before bringing him home and thus don’t have a realistic understanding of how much work the dog will require in order to properly train. These dogs end up being aggressive and often given up and taken to a shelter which could end up in the dog being euthanized. Any dog, regardless of his breed, only wants to please his human master, but it is when the master fails to live up to his end of the bargain, that the dog begins to exhibit undesirable behavior or aggressive behavior. Also, I want to make a comment about aggressive dog behavior. This type of behavior, like biting, snapping, growling, excessive barking, etc. is not part of any dog breeds genetic code. In other words, German Shepherds are not going to be any more “naturally” aggressive than, say, a Golden Retriever. However, because of their strong personality, German Shepherds could learn to become aggressive when the human master fails to properly train the dog.
The Importance of German Shepherd Training
So it is important to be aware of potential problems when you make the commitment to a German Shepherd puppy. One thing that all dog owners must realize is that dogs are pack animals. This is a highly socialized system and part of what makes them so loyal. However, part of being in a pack is to develop a pecking order within the pack. Within every pack, there will be the alpha or the dominant member – the ruler of the roost, so to speak; followed by the beta, and on down to the omega which is the lowest member of the pack. As long the pecking order is clearcut, the dogs will be happy, regardless of their position in within the pack. However, some dogs (German Shepherds amongst these) will try to move up their social standing within the pack and this cannot be allowed. No dog should be allowed to feel that he is superior to any human family member. It may sound silly, but it is a real problem and failing to correct this problem could lead to aggressive behavior in the dog.
Now, in terms of the German Shepherd, this is a very confident breed of dog. This confidence should be an admirable quality, but the problem is that confidence also equals a desire to move up in the pack and is also a key component of a dominant trait – in either dogs or humans. With proper training, the confidence of your dog can be a wonderful thing, with inconsistent training, your dog’s confidence could lead to aggressive behavior.
German Shepherds are also active dogs. They are bred for field work and so it is important to these dogs are trained in order to channel their excessive energy into positive behaviors.
As I mentioned earlier, German Shepherds are extremely intelligent dogs. This can make them easily trainable and they will retain their training once it is firmly in place. However, Having an intelligence and confident dog can be a problem for an owner who is not firm and consistent in training their dog as the German Shepherd will be confused by lack of clarity within the pecking order and will seek to control that lack of order themselves.
For the right owner, German Shepherds can be extremely wonderful, loyal, and courageous pets. With the proper training, these dogs will be a very happy member of your family.