German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is a herding breed from Germany, standing males 24–26 in · females 22–24 in at the withers, weighing males 66–88 lb · females 49–71 lb. Recorded lifespan is 9–13 yrs.
- Breed group
- Herding
- Origin
- Germany
- Height
- males 24–26 in · females 22–24 in
- Weight
- males 66–88 lb · females 49–71 lb
- Lifespan
- 9–13 yrs
Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the German Shepherd is taller than 74% of the measured breeds, heavier than 80%, one of 27 in the Herding group, one of 32 from Germany.
Living with the German Shepherd
Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the German Shepherd’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.
- Affection with family
- 5 of 51 independent · 5 devoted
- Good with young children
- 5 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Good with other dogs
- 2 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Openness to strangers
- 4 of 51 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend
- Watchdog / protective nature
- 5 of 51 unbothered · 5 vigilant
- Energy
- 5 of 51 couch potato · 5 busy all day
- Exercise needs
- 5 of 51 a short walk · 5 a job to do
- Playfulness
- 4 of 51 only when invited · 5 non-stop
- Barking
- 4 of 51 only to alert · 5 very vocal
- Shedding
- 5 of 51 barely · 5 constantly
- Drooling
- 2 of 51 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel
- Tolerates being alone
- 2 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates hot weather
- 3 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates cold weather
- 4 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.German Shepherd on AKCGerman Shepherd on DogTime
Breeds that look like the German Shepherd
A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the German Shepherd.
Height 0–38 in
- German Shepherd24–26 in
- East European Shepherd26–28 in
- Pastor Garafiano24–28 in
- Icelandic Sheepdog12–16 in
- Eurasier20–24 in
- Chow Chow17–22 in
- Czechoslovakian Wolfdog26 in
Weight 0–220 lb
- German Shepherd66–88 lb
- East European Shepherd75–105 lb
- Pastor Garafiano77–101 lb
- Icelandic Sheepdog25–30 lb
- Eurasier51–71 lb
- Chow Chow40–90 lb
- Czechoslovakian Wolfdog66 lb
Lifespan 0–20 yrs
- German Shepherd9–13 yrs
- East European Shepherd10–12 yrs
- Pastor Garafianono recorded figure
- Icelandic Sheepdog~12 yrs
- Eurasier12–14 yrs
- Chow Chow11–13 yrs
- Czechoslovakian Wolfdog12–16 yrs
Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.
Guides that mention the German Shepherd
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