Yes! Woof woof! Although we have a pretty mean reputation, we German Shepherds are nowhere near as nasty as you’ve been led to believe. I promise!
Look at my cute yet stern face and you’ll see I’d never lie to you. You may know this already, but we are incredibly loyal and dedicated pups.
Steadfast and strong, we’d do absolutely anything for our humans, especially the small humans!
Are German Shepherds Aggressive?
Because lots of us have had important roles as Good Boys working with the police and military, as well as Guard Boys keeping houses safe, I guess it’s no wonder y’all think we’re meanies.
Sure, we’ve worked with cops, but did you also know we make fantastic service dogs and love to help our blind humans get from A to B safely? That’s right.
Much like all furry friends, our personalities are very much determined by the way you treat us. Treat being the operative word – lots of those, please!
Therefore, we will only get aggressive and prove that our bite is worse than our bark if you treat us badly and don’t provide enough love and care.
Will German Shepherds Attack People Or Their Owners?
No! We’re no more likely to attack you than any other dog breed. However…
It’s really really important that, from a young age, we are socialized with other dogs of all shapes and sizes. Otherwise, when we bump into strangers and their canine companions in public, we’ll get aggressive.
The same goes for humans – let us interact with as many as possible. ALL THE PETS! No, this isn’t a sneaky trick to get attention, it’s just a fact that the more time we spend around you people, the better behaved we’ll be.
If you teach us from being very tiny that little ones are precious and we need to be extra gentle with our jumping and boofing and tail wagging around them, we’ll get pretty good at it pretty quickly. Like most things! Woof.
Are German Shepherds A Good Family Dog?
Yes! We love being with you and your mini humans… and they will love us too!
For one thing, having fun with kids is great exercise for us.
German Shepherds will happily spend hours chasing them around and running after balls… though you might want to keep the human toys away and separate, as we can get pretty territorial over our stuff.
Naturally quite protective pups, we pride ourselves on guarding the house once we become a fully fledged member. We will also try very hard to protect you and the mini humans once you’ve earned our trust and we have fallen in love with you.
That will happen pretty quickly, ‘cause we LOVE snuggles.
You have to teach other humans around not to aggravate us though. Especially the small ones. I’m not responsible for what I do if they start yelling! How do I know there isn’t a fire or someone trying to break into our house?!
Are German Shepherds Noisy?
No, but if you start making a racket or we feel attacked, we might join in!
I’m not saying ban fun or yelling. That’s impossible in a house with kids, am I right? If we could keep the teasing and screaming to a minimum, I’d appreciate it, though.
Don’t get me wrong, barking is one of my favorite hobbies! I love to chat and will let you hear my opinion all day long if I can.
Kids who don’t like loud noises might not enjoy that, as much as we’re just telling them we love them and are enjoying playtime! You have to teach us about this, because to me, I’m just having a conversation!
Being bigger dogs (one of the biggest, grrrrrrr) we can make quite a loud noise and it can be scary for nervous little ones. Even grown ups are scared of our bark! We probably aren’t a good fit if your human puppy is a sensitive one.
I don’t mean to scare anybody, I just get very overexcited. Very easily! Was that a frisbee? We are also super playful! Yeah! Playtime! Woo! Let’s go to the park!
Sorry, I got distracted… what was I saying? Oh yeah. Easily excited. However, despite that, we are also great learners who really enjoy pleasing you by listening to commands.
We are highly intelligent dogs and absolutely love to learn and play with you.
Teach us tricks and we will perform them on command, especially if you bribe us with our favorite snacks. Kids really like it when we roll over a bunch of times. I’m barking from experience!
Do German Shepherds Shed A Lot?
Our fur is very long and thick and beautiful, if I do say so myself. However, we also tend to leave a lot of fur behind, even when we’re not scratching. It’s the price you have to pay to be this handsome.
I think those extra tiny humans that cry a lot should be watched around us, in case we get too close and shed in their blankies or cradles. Dog fur does not taste good! But it sure is fun to lick…
Plus, if you give us a real good groom on a regular basis, you’ll be able to keep us looking soft, shiny and beautiful with LESS shedding. We like taking baths, so long as you throw in some nice scratches as we go.
Are German Shepherds Energetic?
Yes! You should bear in mind that we really really really like to run! A lot! We have so much energy! Can we go to the park right now? No? Okay. You need to let us expend this energy or pay the price. What do I mean?
If you don’t have time to take us for lots of walks, we’ll be sad. And then we might pee on your carpet. Or poop, depending on how grumpy we’re feeling. It’s your fault though! You should have taken us to the park!
If you want to bring a German Shepherd like me into your family home, I would love that! I will quickly become a trusted and constant companion. You’re my best friend already!
As long we are properly trained right from puppyhood, there’s no reason we can’t be the best behaved boys (and girls) on the block! And also the most beautiful and proud!
