The German Shepherd breed is loved by many and feared by some.
As a distinct breed, the German Shepherd has only been recognized for a little over 100 years.
As the name suggests, the German Shepherd had its origins in Germany.
It is also known as an Alsatian, particularly in those Europe countries outside of Germany.
The popularity of the German Shepherd breed suffered somewhat during the two world wars due to anti-German sentiment at the time, but over the past 50 years it has become a very popular breed.
Currently the German Shepherd is the third most popular breed in the United States.
Insofar as intelligence is concerned, only border collies and poodles are brighter crayons in the box.
The Shepherd is a quick learner, in spite of having a rather bold and self-assured temperament.
This ability to respond to training shows in the way the Shepherd performs in police work, tracking, rescue work, and as a guard dog.
The German Shepherd breed is an extremely active breed and, being somewhat slow to reach full maturity, can be a handful for an owner not familiar with the breed.
It was originally bred as a working animal, and as such requires room to roam and exercise.
The breed is not vicious as some would lead you to believe, however it must be trained at a young age to socialize with people and smaller dogs.
A well trained German Shepherd is obedient to the extreme, very loyal, and an extremely good family pet.
It is good with children and often very protective of children and other family members, which of course can lead to problems in certain situations.
For the most part though, Shepherds accept the advances of strangers, though are slow to bond with people they've only recently met.
Although a large percentage of dog bites are attributed to the Shepherd, it must be remembered that there are many of the breed around, plus more people are apt to remember being nipped by a Shepherd than by a poodle or spaniel.
The Shepherd is usually approachable yet fearless in its demeanor, giving one the impression that rather than being submissive it is willing to serve, yet in another sense demands to be treated with respect.
As a registered breed, the German Shepherd falls in the Herding group or category.
It is a well-muscled animal, alert in temperament, and agile and nimble in movement.
When observing a Shepherd, one gets a definite impression of balance and strength in motion, without heaviness or clumsiness.
The German Shepherd breed is a trotting dog, with a smooth extended stride.
At a trot the Shepherd can cover a remarkable distance in a short amount of time, as it appears to cover the maximum possible distance with each stride.
Shepherds typically stand 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder, the female typically being 2 inches shorter.
They are more long than tall, dark in color, with darker being considered better in competitive show.
The dog has pointed ears and a long wedge-shaped muzzle.
When on alert the Shepherd will hold its head upright.
When in motion, the head thrusts more forward than upwards.
Although the Shepherd appears rather long in conformation, it actually has a short back, with a long wither, forequarters and hindquarters accounting for the body length.
The legs and feet are somewhat short, adding to the appearance of the Shepherd being a "long dog".
The bushy tail, carried horizontally when in motion adds even more to this illusion of length.
Magnificent in appearance, loyal, obedient and intelligent, the German Shepherd breed is in many ways very different from other breeds, and requires a different approach in training in order to become the type of dog we expect of it.
Yet the rewards gained make the effort involved in training a Shepherd more than worth it.
But that is a subject to be addressed elsewhere.