Is the Alsatian Dog a Good Choice?
The German Shepherd Dog also known as an Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund. They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog that dates from the late 19th century. They are part of the Herding group that was originally developed as a working dog for herding sheep.
The Alsatians strength, intelligence and obedience they are often employed in police and military roles. They are nearly always one of the top 5 global breeds.
The original dog was named Hektor Linksrhein. Hecktor so stunned Von Stephanitz that he purchased it and changed the dogs name to Horand von Grafrath and founded German Shepherd Dog Society.
Horand von Grafrath became the heart of the society’s breeding programs and was mated with many other society member dogs.
The German Shepherds popularity has increased quickly throughout the 20th Century, though it had some problems in popularity in the early days due to health problems from poor breeding and after the world wars with anti German feelings. This caused the UK Kennel Club to rename it to “Alsatian Wolf Dog”, eventually the wolf dog addition was removed and in 1977, the breed officially became the German Shepherd Dog. The German Shepherd popularity was fuelled by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now it is globally the third most popular dog breed.
They are a large dog of between 55 and 65 centimetres (around 24 inches) at the top of the back and weigh between 22 and 40 kilograms ( 49 and 88 lb).
The Alsatian’s face has a long square cut muzzle, a doomed forehead, a long neck, strong jaws, large erect ears (that are often pulled back when on the move), black nose and brown, medium-sized eyes. With a bushy tail.
German Shepherds come in many colours, the normal versions are the tan/black and red/black versions with black masks and saddles. Rarer versions include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue types, which may not fit country breed standards. Alsatians have a double coat. A thick close dense outer coat, which sheds all year round and a thick undercoat. There is also the rare long-hair variant.
Like many working dogs, Alsatians were bred for their intelligence, and are considered to be the third most intelligent breed of dog (Border Collies is deemed to be number one by Stanley Coren in his book The Intelligence of Dogs). This intelligence combined with the German Shepherds strength makes the Alsatian sought after as guard, police, search and rescue dogs, being able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.
German Shepherds are known for aggression and have been restricted in areas as a result. Statistically, in the States, they are responsible for more unprovoked indiscriminate bites than any other breed, and have a known tendency to attack smaller dog breeds.
Additionally research has shown that German Shepherds are the third most likely dog breed to attack someone and in another report found that German Shepherds accounted for almost fifty percent of the dog bites that mandated medical attention, compared to a more typical 20% of bites requiring medical treatment, not surprising with their strong jaws and scissor teeth.
There is no problem with the German Shepherd breed, it is the fault of the owners. As with all intelligent active dog (or person), if they are not regularly exercised and kept occupied, they can become difficult. Good dog training and dog socialisation are crucial for a dog like the German Shepherd. The Alsatian is different from the collie, where a lot of its aggressiveness has been breed out from show strains, the German Shepherd does not seem to have lost this character.
They can bond very well with their family, however they can become over-protective of their family and territory. Due to this they may appear a bit aloof.
German Shepherds learn well and are very obedient and not easily distracted, but due to their strong character, you must be very firm with them.
The Alsatian will need to have two good walks a day. They are not a dog for a busy family who cannot give them the time and attention. For this reason, busy families often ask professional dog walkers such as London dog walking to help out by walking them for a few hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common genetic health issues, elbow and hip joint problems (dysplasia) which is painful for the dog and may cause arthritis. The Alsatian also is susceptible from monorchidism (one testicle), weakness of temperament, and missing teeth, as well as folded or bent ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood. The Alsatian is often has ear infections due to his large and open ears.
Alsatians, like many large bodied dogs are sensitive to bloat, this is a very dangerous and often rapidly fatal problem, so if in doubt consult a veterinary. Bloat is a build up of gas in the stomach, caused for varying reasons. The symptoms of distress for no apparent reason, a firm distension of the abdomen, general weakness, depression, problems breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias ( forty percent in one study), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.
The Alsatian also suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are predisposed to Von Willebrand Disease, a common generic bleeding disorder, which shows in differing degrees of bleeding tendency, usually in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .
In spite of these problems, the German Shepherd is sturdy with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a German Shepherd is around 9 years, which is typical for a large dog.
The German Shepherd has great olfactory sensitivity so is one of the most widely-used breeds in a wide variety of scent-work roles, including cadaver searching, search and rescue, explosives detection, narcotics detection and mine detection.
So the German Shepherd is a great clever breed that will love you, if you have the time and dedication for him. Not advised for busy working families.
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