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German shepherds are known for their intelligence, energetic zeal, and loyalty. They also help identify illegal activities and explosives at crime scenes. They are not usually aggressive but might feel hesitant while meeting strangers due to their protective instincts. If you are keen on adopting a German Shepherd, you should check its breed standard to determine whether it’s a purebred.
These working dogs are alert, fearless, intelligent, obedient, and enthusiastic. Dog lovers willing to adopt a German Shepherd puppy should examine the dog’s physical characteristics and coat to identify if it’s purebred. This article will discuss the ways you can identify a German Shepherd breed.
7 Ways to Identify if Your German Shepherd is a Purebred
Before doing a breed test, you can check whether a German Shepherd is a purebred by examining some of its characteristics. Here are some identifying factors.
1. Examine the Dog’s Coat
Different German Shepherds may have varying coats. A dog coat is a hair that covers its body, which can also be called fur or hair. These Shepherd dogs may have double coats, long-haired coats, or plush coats. The ones having a double coat possess straight, short, and dense hair that lies close to its body.
On the other hand, the ones with plush coats have longer, thicker, and fuller hair lengths compared to standard dog coats. The long-haired German Shepherds are also common as they are family pets. You should be aware that German Shepherds shed their hair consistently yearlong and, therefore, they need brushing.
Furthermore, you should check out the Shepherd’s coat color – the tan and black coats are the most common among the purebreds. They can also have entirely black coats. However, more commonly, German Shepherds have a tanned coat with black saddle and facial markings. Also, white, reddish brown, or blue coats are very rare among these detective dogs.
2. Check the Dog’s Build
German Shepherds are working dogs as they help the police or military to identify drugs, explosives, mines, etc., and perform other search operations. Therefore, they have a strong build and a proportioned body structure.
These working dog breeds usually weigh between 23 and 41 kg (50 and 90 pounds) by the age of six months, and their typical height is around 22 to 26 inches. After the first month of a German Shepherd puppy, they usually weigh about 3-4 kg (7-9 pounds). Their body weight will gradually increase after their first year.
Furthermore, German Shepherds have deep, narrow chests, and their shoulders and front legs are sloping and muscular. The body of this breed is longer rather than deeper if you measure from the shoulders to the rump.
3. Notice the Pointed Ears and Bushy Tail
German Shepherds have erect and pointed ears, which is a distinctive characteristic of this breed. Their ears are longer from the face onwards, at the base, which creates triangular-shaped ears. The tips of their ears may roll down a bit during their initial years, but these will eventually straighten with age.
On the other hand, the tail of a German Shepherd is long and bushy, and it hangs down during the dog’s resting position. Besides, when this dog breed is in motion or stays alert, its tail is slightly raised, and the tail curve is accentuated.
4. Recognize its High Energy Levels
German Shepherds are known for their high energy levels and, therefore, they need to perform lots of exercise or other physical activities every day. If you leave your Shepherd alone for prolonged periods of time, it will likely get bored and start showing destructive behavior. For instance, your pet might start digging, barking, or chewing things.
Therefore, help your German Shepherd to engage in an adequate amount of play activity or exercise, at least for an hour. We need to take care of their health, which is the least we can do for them for the support and loyalty they show us. Owners should also understand that every dog has individual temperaments, so each of them may show different behaviors.
5. Check for the Dog’s Loyalty
While many dog breeds are loyal to their owners, check for some specific behavioral traits and loyalty of German Shepherds. They can appear reserved and may stay aloof from you initially, which they typically do with strangers. However, once they develop a good bond and when they feel connected with their owners, they remain exceptionally loyal to them. These working dogs are generally loyal to and friendly with their family. But when they feel threatened, they may turn protective.
6. Does Your Dog Have a Sense of Possession?
German Shepherds are known to keep their family safe and protected. They have a sense of possession, which makes the German Shepherds apt for safeguarding the home. A Shepherd dog has the power to differentiate between a family and an enemy. They can know what they need to protect once they understand and realize what belongs to them and what does not.
In other words, German Shepherds are excellent protectors if you have kids at home. However, they may act strange with unknown kids and strangers, as mentioned above. So, this protective nature of German Shepherds makes them a great family-friendly dog. Hence, they are known as police dogs, too.
7. Check Whether They Are Trainable
The German Shepherd breed is highly intelligent and, therefore, extremely trainable. They love to engage themselves in some job or task. Therefore, owners can train them to carry out a range of jobs. You can help your dog attend obedience classes to train your dog to obey commands for carrying out a range of tasks. This is a stimulating and fun way of learning that your pet will enjoy.
For instance, these working dogs may help the rescue team to search and rescue someone or something. This breed is also known for accurately identifying drugs by sniffing. Besides, they can also be used for providing additional security. Furthermore, German Shepherds are useful in offering assistance and aid to visually impaired individuals.
Conclusion
We hope the article will help you identify whether your German Shepherd is a purebred. While adopting a Shepherd, you should check out and examine the above-mentioned characteristic traits to determine the breed. You can also ask the breeder directly or get its DNA test done. You can also check your German Shepherd’s pedigree papers to learn more about its breed.
