Veterinary biosphere and one health: GERMAN SHEPHERD- THE GUARD DOG

GERMAN SHEPHERD- THE GUARD DOG

German Shepherd has achieved a legendary status as the ideal working dog due to his acute intelligence, courage and amazing versatility. This athletic and fearless breed excels almost anything he is trained to do like police and military service, search and rescue, competitive obedience, drug detection and, last but not least, faithful companion.
German shepherd’s abilities go far beyond its origin as a herding dog, as they have done extremely well in every canine sport, including obedience, agility, rally, tracking and, of course, herding. These protective but loving dogs are great choice for families with children, as well as singles and couples who love the outdoors. If you also want to be a proud owner of this amazing dog breed, then this article is a must read for you as it explains all important information about this energetic dog breed.

Other names	German Shepherd Dog Alsatian wolf dog Berger Allemand Deutscher Schäferhund
Common nicknames	Alsatian DSH GSD Shepherd Schäferhund
Origin	Germany

HISTORY:

In Europe during the 1850s, attempts were being made to standardise breeds. The dogs were bred to preserve traits that assisted in their job of herding sheep and protecting flocks from predators.

In Germany this was practiced within local communities, where shepherds selected and bred dogs that they believed had the skills necessary for herding sheep, such as intelligence, speed, strength, and keen senses of smell. The results were dogs that were able to do such things, but that differed significantly, both in appearance and ability, from one locality to another.

To combat these differences, the Phylax Society was formed in 1891 with the intention of creating standardised dog breeds in Germany.

Max von Stephanitz, an ex-cavalry captain and former student of the Berlin Veterinary College, was one such ex-member. He believed strongly that dogs should be bred for working.

In 1899, Von Stephanitz was attending a dog show when he was shown a dog named Hektor Linksrhein.

Hektor was the product of few generations of selective breeding and completely fulfilled what Von Stephanitz believed a working dog should be.

He was pleased with the strength of the dog and was so taken by the animal’s intelligence, loyalty, and beauty, that he purchased him immediately.

After purchasing the dog he changed his name to Horand von Grafrath and Von Stephanitz founded the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (Society for the German Shepherd Dog).

Horand was declared to be the first German Shepherd Dog and was the first dog added to the society’s breed register.

Height	Dogs	60–65 cm (24–26 in)^[1]
	Bitches	55–60 cm (22–24 in)^[1]
Weight	Dogs	30–40 kg (66–88 lb)^[1]
	Bitches	22–32 kg (49–71 lb)^[1]
Coat	Double coat
Color	Tan with black saddle, sable, solid black or bi-color
Litter size	4–9
Life span	9–13

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS :

German Shepherds are medium to large-sized dogs

They have a domed forehead, a long square-cut muzzle with strong jaws and a black nose.

The eyes are medium-sized and brown.

The ears are large and stand erect, open at the front and parallel, but they often are pulled back during movement.

A German Shepherd has a long neck, which is raised when excited and lowered when moving at a fast pace as well as stalking.

The tail is bushy and reaches to the hock.

German Shepherds have a double coat which is close and dense with a thick undercoat.

The coat is accepted in two variants: medium and long. The gene for long hair is recessive, and therefore the long-haired variety is rarer.

Most commonly, German Shepherds are either tan/black or red/black. Most color varieties have black masks and black body markings which can range from a classic "saddle" to an overall "blanket". Rarer color variations include the sable, pure-black, pure-white, liver, silver, blue, and panda varieties.

Variants:

East-European Shepherd

The East-European Shepherd is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in the former Soviet Union with the purpose of creating a larger, more cold resistant version of the German Shepherd; it lacks the physical deformities bred into western show lines of German Shepherds and has become one of Russia's most popular dog types.

King Shepherd

The King Shepherd is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in the United States, its breeders hoping to rectify the physical deformities that have been bred into the original breed.

Shiloh Shepherd

Shiloh Shepherd

The Shiloh Shepherd is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in the United States. It was developed in the 1970s and 1980s to correct behavioural and conformational issues that have been bred into modern German Shepherds, and was bred for large size, length of their back, temperament and soundness of hips.It has been recognized by the American Rare Breed Association since 1990.

White Shepherd

The White Shepherd is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in the United States. White coated German Shepherds were once banned from registration in their native Germany, but in the United States and Canada the colouration gained a following and a breed club was formed specifically for white coloured German Shepherds, calling their variety the White Shepherd. The variety is recognized as a separate breed by the United Kennel Club.

White Swiss Shepherd Dog

The White Swiss Shepherd Dog (French: Berger Blanc Suisse, German: Weisser Schweizer Schäferhund, Italian: Pastore Svizzero Bianco) is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in Switzerland. It descends from the American White Shepherds; the first stud dog of what became the breed was an American dog born in 1966 and imported to Switzerland. The variety was recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale as a separate breed in 2003, and it is now recognised by a number of national kennel clubs.

Personality and Temperament:

The German Shepherd is very protective and devoted to its family and home, maintaining a suspicious and aloof demeanor around strangers. It can be dominating and assertive towards dogs, though it is normally friendly with other pets in the home.
The German Shepherd is an immensely versatile dog, displaying a keen intelligence while dutifully performing its tasks.

Care:

The German Shepherd can live outdoors in cool or temperate climates, but enjoys living indoors too.

Frequent training or exercise sessions are essential for keeping its mind and body active, and because the German Shepherd sheds throughout the year, its coat should be brushed once or twice a week to encourage turnover as well as to minimize buildup in the home.

Health:

The German Shepherd has an average lifespan of between 10 to 12 years.

It is, however, susceptible to some serious health conditions like elbow dysplasia and canine hip dysplasia (CHD), as well as problems like cardiomyopathy, hemangiosarcoma, von Willebrand's Disease (vWD), degenerative myelopathy, cauda equina, malignant neoplasms, pannus, hot spots, skin allergies, gastric torsion, cataract, and perianal fistulas.

This breed is also prone to a fatal fungal infection due to the Aspergillus mold. Because of these susceptibilities German Shepherds, like most other dogs, need to be seen by a veterinarian for routine checkups. There they will undergo hip, elbow blood, eye and other tests.

UTILITY:

German Shepherds are a very popular selection for use as working dogs.

They are especially well known for their police work, being used for tracking criminals, patrolling troubled areas, and detection and holding of suspects. Additionally thousands of German Shepherds have been used by the military.

The German Shepherd Dog is one of the most widely used breeds in a wide variety of scent-work roles.

These include search andrescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection, and mine detection dog, among others.