German Shepherds 101: Their Personalities

What qualities would you look for in a friend? You would hope they would stick by your side through good times and bad. You pray that they will never betray your secrets. You wish that they would help you out when you needed help. You can find all of these qualities in a German Shepherd dog. And, as added benefit, they won’t sue you, either.

You need to do your part in this friendship, as well, in order for it to work out. You have to be patient, have a sense of humor and learn all you can about the German Shepherd breed. You have to be committed to exercising your German Shepherd dog every day, with a walk and play. They need to be active, or else they get a bit hyperactive. They also need regular trips to the vet for inoculations and check ups. Purebred German Shepherds are more inclined to have genetically caused problems than many other breeds of dog. You must be willing to pay any and all medical costs for your friend.
German Shepherds are indeed powerful dogs that can take quite a large chunk out of you – when they are given the command to. They will also attack if they think anyone in their family is being threatened. There are some German Shepherds that, in the presence of an intruder, will run and hide rather than attack, but they don't get much press. They have to be trained to attack before they would ever attack another human being.

Since German Shepherd dogs are so large (they average about 75 pounds), they often do not know their own strength. Ever watch puppies playing? They wrestle quite fiercely and often bite softly. German Shepherd dogs will think you want to play like a puppy – very roughly. This can cause unintentional (but still painful) injury. It is important that your German Shepherd be trained and regularly exercised in order to prevent any accidental injuries.
A German Shepherd dog looks to you as a worshipper looks to God. Don't abuse this trust and devotion. You don't like it when God rains bad situations down on you through no fault of your own. This sadly happens to many German Shepherds who are abandoned because their owners did not take the time to learn basic German Shepherd information about their care, needs and personalities.

German Shepherd dogs are very hard to distinguish from human beings in terms of their needs and personalities. They need attention, want to know when they've good job and need a reason for being alive. In their world, they want the good to be rewarded and the bad to be punished. If they are taught to do something bad, they think they are doing well by obeying and will have a hard time understanding why they are being punished. They are capable of being retrained, if you have the guts to stick with your best friend.

This author hopes that one day humans will act as good as German Shepherd dogs. New dog owners should know basic German Shepherd information before bringing home a German Shepherd rescue dog.