German Shepherds are highly intelligent, agile and well-suited to active working environments. They are often deployed in various roles such as police work, guarding, search and rescue, therapy and in the military. They can also be found working as guide dogs for the blind. Despite their suitability for such work, German Shepherds can also make loyal and loving pets inside the home. They enjoy being around people and other animals. German Shepherds are well-suited to obedience, with advanced & prestigious titles available to test both the handler and dog in various
Appearance
The German Shepherd Dog is a large and strong dog. The fur is a double-coat and can be either short or long haired. Although the black and tan saddle may be most recognizable, German Shepherds come in a variety of colors and patterns though not all are accepted by the various breed clubs or FCI. Two toned German Shepherds can be black and tan, black and red, black and brown, black and silver, black and cream, blue and tan, or liver and tan. Solid colors may be black and solid white or any of the dilutes (liver, blue, or cream).
Dogs with coats that have tricolored hair (black and white with either brown or red) are called sable or agouti. Sables can come in a variety of mixtures as well including black and silver, black and red, black and cream, and black and tan. Some various markings are referred to as 'striping' (black stripe markings on the legs found in some sables), 'pencilling' (also often found on the sable as black lines on the top of the dog's toes), 'tar heels' (black that runs down the back of the dog's legs), and the bitch stripe (grey hairs along the back of a female or a neutered male).
Temperament
German Shepherds are powerful dogs with a high level of intelligence and trainability, but like many dogs can become dangerous or destructuve if raised improperly. With their uncommon strength, agility and strong sense of loyalty, they can be trained to attack and release on command. Poorly bred German Shepherds can be fearful, overly aggressive, or both. German Shepherds, along with Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans, are often perceived as inherently dangerous, and are the target of Breed Specific Legislation in several countries. If a German Shepherd is violent or aggressive, it is often due to the combination of poor breeding and the owner's lack of control, training, and socialization. German Shepherds are often used as guard, seeing eye, and police dogs and more specifically search and rescue, narcotics dogs, and bomb scenting dogs which further contributes to the perception of their being a dangerous breed. However, many German Shepherds function perfectly well as search dogs and family pets - roles where aggressive behavior is unsuitable.