German Shepherd
A standardised German herding dog that became the default police and service breed. Exceptionally trainable, heavy shedding, and unforgiving of missed early socialisation.
- Weight
- 22–40 kg
- Lifespan
- 9–13 years
Weight and lifespan are reference ranges from the breed guide. They vary by sex, lineage and individual dog and do not predict your dog’s ideal weight or lifespan. Read the care descriptions alongside the individual dog’s history.
Background and characteristics
The German Shepherd was assembled in the 1890s from regional German herding dogs into a single standard, with a working temperament rather than looks as the stated goal. As industrialisation shrank the demand for shepherds, the breed was redirected into police, military and later assistance work, and selection for handler focus and stamina intensified. The protectiveness and the appetite for training that owners see today both come out of that history.
Exercise and play
Expect to spend ninety minutes to two hours a day on activity, and treat mental work as the more important half. Obedience sessions, scent work, retrieving with rules, and tracking games give this dog something to think about; distance walked matters far less. A German Shepherd short on work becomes reactive at windows and doors, and the barking escalates quickly.
Coat and everyday care
Grooming is the practical dealbreaker for many households. The dense undercoat sheds all year and blows out twice annually in visible clumps. An undercoat rake three or more times a week, daily during a moult, is the minimum.
Long-coated lines add mat management behind the ears and on the tail.
Before bringing this dog home
New owners most often underestimate the socialisation window. Puppies that do not meet a wide range of people, surfaces and sounds between roughly eight and sixteen weeks tend to convert natural wariness into fear, and a fearful large dog is a serious management problem. Health-wise, ask about hip and elbow scores, and be aware of degenerative myelopathy in older dogs, bloat risk common to deep-chested breeds, and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, which presents as chronic weight loss with loose stools.
Home environment and care planning
A German Shepherd fits suburban and even city life when the exercise and training are genuinely delivered, but it needs an owner who is comfortable being firm and consistent, and who accepts that strangers will react to the dog's size whether or not the dog has done anything.