What You Should Know Before Adopting a German Shepherd

One of the biggest decisions you're typically going to make when adopting a dog is your choice of breed. It's obviously most relevant if you're purchasing from a breeder (which I don't recommend; adopt, don't shop!), but it can also be important if you're browsing sites for pet adoptions or checking out your local shelters.

All dogs are good dogs, but their breed does guide some of their characteristics. How clever they are, how energetic they are, how sociable they tend to be, and, of course, what kinds of health issues they're most prone to developing.

Knowing all of this ahead of time allows you to be prepared for the best and worst of adopting a pup, so you'll know what to expect and how to handle it. That's why I've been writing these guides on the most popular dog breeds.

What is the History of the German Shepherd?

German Shepherd Dogs (commonly abbreviated as GSDs) are also known as Alsatians in Britain. They're on the large end of medium-sized dogs and were developed as a breed around 1900.

Back in the 1890s, different people were pushing to codify specific breeds of dogs rather than group them by their temperament or their purpose, like herding dogs and hunting dogs. During this time, there were also a bunch of people – often noblemen – who tried to develop their own breeds and leave their marks on history.

In 1891, a group called the Phylax Society was formed specifically to standardize the breeding of dogs in Germany. Of course, if you get five people together to have strong opinions on dogs, you'll have five different fights on your hands, so the society was abandoned and didn't accomplish much. What it did do is inspire the independent development of dog breeding standards elsewhere.

This is about the same time that herding dogs and sheepdogs were facing something of a crisis. On one hand, rising industrialization was making herding less and less profitable and thus less common. On the other hand, some enterprising people like Max von Stephanitz recognized that dogs like sheepdogs had characteristics that would be very useful to have in other settings as well, like strength and intelligence.

Max found a dog at a show and was enamored, and purchased the dog immediately. That dog is now known to be the first GSD and is the dog that became the template for breeding further generations of German Shepherds. Numerous puppies from litters produced from that dog, and interbred with one another, led to the breed we call the German Shepherd today.

Addressing the Reputation

Like pit bulls, GSDs have, at times, had a negative reputation. As a German dog prized for strength and a sort of militarist association, they were popular in Nazi Germany. When they were brought abroad, to the United States in particular, it was often associated with bootleggers, gangsters, and others, and came to have a reputation as a dangerous or violent breed. This even led to them being banned in Australia for a short time.

Fortunately, we've collectively overcome this stigma against the GSD. Yes, they're strong dogs, but there's nothing inherently any more dangerous to them than any other dog breed. It's all about the nurture, not necessarily the nature. As you'll see from my rundown of breed characteristics below, there's a lot to love – and not a lot to fear – from these huge chunks of dog-shaped love.

Primary Breed Characteristics of German Shepherds

German Shepherds are frankly an iconic dog breed, but what makes a GSD a GSD?

The Physical Characteristics

German Shepherds are on the large end of the classification of medium-sized dogs. They stand tall; males are around 24-26 inches at the shoulder, and females tend to be an inch or so smaller. They weigh a bit more than comparable middle-sized dogs, like labs, at around 65-90 pounds. Physically, they stand proud and tall, usually with their hindquarters a little lower than their front shoulders, as if they're poised to run at a moment's notice.

GSDs have a variety of coat colors and patterns. The most common is a saddle pattern, where their necks, shoulders, legs, and stomachs are all a lighter color, while their sides, backs, and muzzles are darker. Other patterns, like sable, bicolor, and solid colors also exist. As far as base colors, they come in many different forms, including black and cream, black and brown, black and silver, all-white, all-black, and more. There are also some unusual colorations, including a solid white recessive saddle coloration that is very handsome and some liver/brown colors, too.

One of the jokes about GSDs is that they shed twice a year, for six months at a time. Their medium-length coats are double coats, and they blow those coats out twice a year for seasonal changes and shed a lot of "GSD Glitter" all year long. They aren't the worst breed for shedding, but they're pretty close.

One of the strongest characteristics of the GSD is their ears. With alert faces and a proud, tall-standing demeanor, their ears stand tall and show just how alert they are to their surroundings at all times.

Health and Wellness

GSDs are on the longer-lived end of the dog spectrum, with an average life expectancy of 12-14 years, according to the American Kennel Club. This gives them plenty of time to work their way into your heart, quirks and all. As agile, strong, and active dogs, they're high energy but prone to keeping themselves healthy just based on their personalities.

There are a few common health issues in German Shepherds, just like there are in any breed.

• Degenerative myelopathy. This is a degenerative neurologic disorder in the spine, which starts with hind leg weakness and difficulty standing and progresses to rear-end paralysis. It's not treatable or curable, but physical therapy can delay it in dogs that develop it.

• Dysplasia. Many mid-sized and larger dogs have some form of joint dysplasia. These conditions are degenerative joint problems where the bone and socket in a joint don't fit well and rub into, wear down, and cause pain in the bones around the joint. GSDs often get dysplasia in their elbows and hips. Around 20% of German Shepherds develop this condition over time.

• Cancers. While not quite as prone to cancers as some other breeds, GSDs can still develop them. GSDs, in particular, are more prone to hemangiosarcomas, bone cancers, lung cancers, and intestinal cancers.

• Bloat and GDV. Similar to Great Danes and other large breeds, German Shepherds can develop bloat, especially if they eat too quickly. Bloat is a condition where the stomach fills with gas and twists up on itself, causing pain and potentially killing part of the stomach through construction. It can be life-threatening and requires surgery to handle. Most GSDs get an optional surgery called a gastropexy at the same time as spay/neutering, which fixes the stomach to the interior of the abdominal cavity and prevents this twisting.

• Heart Disease. One of the more common problems GSDs face is heart issues, including valve disease, heart murmurs, and dilated cardiomyopathy. These can be addressed with medications and can be detected during their annual physicals, so it's always important to make sure you're bringing your pup in for check-ups.

• Ocular pannus. This is a condition that can affect primarily dogs that live at high altitudes and face irritating UV light or air pollution. It causes painful growths in the eye and can eventually cause blindness. Dogs in these conditions can wear goggles to stave it off.

I always have to mention after these sections: just because your dog is potentially prone to these problems doesn't mean they'll get all of them or even any of them. Many GSDs live long and healthy lives with barely anything worse than allergies along the way. These are just the issues that are more common in GSDs than in other dog breeds.

Mentality and Personality

GSDs were bred from working dog stock and kept both their physical strength and their intelligence. They have a lot of stamina, they're very clever, they seemingly have endless energy, and they have strong personalities.

German Shepherds are, in particular, extremely smart. So smart that they're sassy about it. They can learn all kinds of tricks, including very complex commands and routines, which is why they're common show dogs and competition dogs these days. They're still working dogs, too, of course. The trick is that they will also give it some thought when you give them a command, and you can see the gears turning as they decide whether or not to obey. They know the commands and what to do, but do they want to do it? Probably, but you never know for sure.

GSDs are also incredibly loyal. They make fantastic guard dogs, most of the time, though some of them are more outwardly outgoing and friendly with strangers. They aren't going to attack the mailman or drive off your friends, though; as long as they can see that you approve of a person, they'll adopt that attitude as well.

Often, a German Shepherd will start out as an aloof and majestic dog, but once it gets to know you, it starts to let out its goofier side. They can be very loving and affectionate in their own ways, and they're even usually good with children.

While they can be very scary at first glance – and if they want to be mean-looking, they can pull it off in spades – they aren't violent by nature. But, as working dogs that worked herding sheep, they naturally had to help protect those sheep as well and aren't afraid to show it.

Tips for Caring for a German Shepherd

What do you need to know to care for a new GSD when you adopt one?

Know the health issues.

I say this for every breed, but it's important to know the possible health issues they could encounter.

In particular, bloat and rear-end paralysis problems are the two biggest to watch for. Many other problems come on slowly enough they can be diagnosed in annual check-ups, so make sure you have a good relationship with your vet.

Be prepared for endless activity.

One of the biggest challenges with a GSD is that they have endless energy, and it's not just physical energy. A German Shepherd will ask you to play fetch and then will play fetch with you for literal hours until they physically collapse because their body can't handle it. And even then, they'll wonder why you aren't still throwing the ball for them because they want to keep going.

Be prepared for a lot of physical activity with a GSD, but more importantly, be prepared with cognitively interesting activity. Teaching new tricks, running agility courses, using puzzle toys; anything that helps challenge the mind as much as the body will help you keep them a little more under control. A little. Nothing can stop them all the way.

Know that they'll chew on everything.

While GSDs aren't necessarily going to eat everything in sight, they will definitely chew on things you probably won't want them to, and they'll do it more if they're left bored and ignored.

It's not too challenging to keep them from doing too much damage – they do learn commands very well, after all – but you might find a table leg a few millimeters smaller than it used to be if you're not paying attention.

Adopt, don't shop!

As the fourth most popular breed of dog in the country, there are a lot of German Shepherds out there. But, since they're a demanding and challenging breed to care for, many families find them to be too much and end up surrendering them to shelters. So, there are a lot of poor GSDs confined to kennels in shelters, wishing they could be running free in fields all day long.

Do your part to rescue one of these fantastic dogs, and you'll have a goofy, dramatic, and fiercely loyal companion for the rest of their lives. It's very much worth it.

Do you have any questions about German Shepherds that I haven't covered in this article? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments section!