• Country of origin - Germany
• AKC Group - Herding
• Function - Family companion, guide dog, guardian, police dog, military, search and rescue, herding

• Life span - 12 to 14 years
• Watchdog - Yes
• Color - Black and tan, black and red, sable, black, black and silver, (white is common as well, but is not recognized by the AKC)
• Coat type - Thick, straight double coat of medium length and coarse texture (some GSDs have a long haircoat)
• Grooming - Double coat sheds. Brush often (preferably daily) with slicker and/or pin brush; regular nail trimming and ear cleaning; bathe as necessary.
• Height/Weight - males: 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder, 65 to 90 pounds; females: 22 to 24 inches at the shoulder, 55 to 80 pounds
• Activity level - High
• Intelligence - High
• Trainability - High, if done with positive reinforcement and firm, but gentle consistency
• Good with children? - Yes, with supervision
• Good with other pets? - Yes, with early socialization
• Home environment - Best suited to suburban and rural households but with thrive in urban environment if offered ample opportunity to work and exercise.
• Attitude toward strangers - Reserved
• Character - Sensitive, loyal, courageous, intuitive
• Club - German Shepherd Dog Club of America, 17 West Ivy Lane, Englewood, NJ 07631

A few words from mom's personal experience:

"I have found that there are two different types of German Shepherds. Those bred for show and those bred for work. The show Shepherds are not high maintenance dogs in my experience. Lupa's little brother (no genetic relation) is such a German Shepherd. He plays for very short periods of time and gets tired very quickly; he always has. From what I've heard, GSDs bred for work are a much different "breed." They tend to be very active and require a lot of play time and attention. Both types of GSDs are available in Germany and America, so I'm not sure what the big deal with German vs. American is. Lupa's 100% American as far as I know, and she's one high energy dog. Peanut, on the other hand, is of German descent, and he couldn't do shepherd work for longer than 1 hour a day. So I guess, from my experience, if you work a lot and don't have too much time to spend with your dog (they still get 1-2 hours a day of play time from my husband), go with a show dog (and crate train it). Now of course, my experience might completely change in the future when it's finally time to get another GSD. Oh, and if you're getting a Shepherd from a breeder who's not actively showing or doing working trials with his/her dogs, then you can't predict what kind of dog you're going to get. I see that in Lupa, and my parents' Psota and Kasia. They're still great dogs, though!

Also there's that whole size question, since the standard calls for males well under 100 pounds. My perception as a veterinarian who knows and is constantly learning about all the wonderful diseases that GSDs get, is that the German Shepherd Dog was not bred to be huge. Their bones were not made for over 100 pounds of body to be hung on them and this increased size often causes health problems. The worst is, of course, hip dysplasia. So if you're looking for a really big dog, get a Great Dane or Saint Bernard rather than an oversized GSD. Also, please don't try to get your 80 pound GSD to weigh 100 pounds; there is nothing beautiful and majestic about a fat dog. Lupa can tell you, she's been there. She got up to 85 pounds before I went to vet school and the stairs to our apartment caused her some major problems within 3 weeks of getting there. I now try to keep her at her ideal weight of 72 to 76 pounds. She looks beautiful and feels great. Her left hip (which is dysplastic) hasn't acted up since we got the weight off when she was 2 years old.

In closing, if you think a GSD is for you, I hope you have a lot of fun with yours and find him or her to be as enriching in your life as Lupa and Peanut have been in mine."