One of my favourite past times is researching dog breeds and their distinct personality traits. I love all varieties of dogs (purebreds, crossbreeds, scruffies, etc) and especially enjoy training and walking the wonderful mixes at the humane society. Helping to raise Rory, a german shepherd/border collie mix, I notice particular traits from both dogs in her behaviour. She does the "border collie stalk" and takes the stance of a german shepherd when alert.

I hope you learn something about the breed below that you may not have known before!

Official name: German Shepherd Dog (GSD)

Where is it from? Germany…who would have guessed!

Life? Approximately 10 years, which is the average for a dog of its size. They are prone to hip problems.

Colours? Black and tan, solid black and most recently white

Backstory? Unlike many dogs the German Shepherd was bred for intelligence and training as opposed to physical appearance. They are known as being ideal service dogs but were originally developed to herd sheep. German Shepherds are used as police, guard, search and rescue and seeing eye dogs. While they have a biting power second only to the Rottweiler, they have the discipline to stop when told, another reason they are great police dogs.

Who should own one? While German Shepherds are ideal service dogs German Shepherds are best with active owners and families as they require lots of exercise. They are one of the easiest breeds to train as a result of their intelligence but shed quite a bit so beware!

Personality? German Shepherds are loyal to their owners and family, because of this they are protective of their pack and form a strong bond with owners. Due to this, it is important that they are socialized and trained properly to become accustomed to strangers.

Fun Facts? German Shepherds are the 3rd most intelligent breed of dog.

Famous dogs? Rin Tin Tin made 26 films and received over 10,000 fan letters per week. London from The Littlest Hobo, the most badass Canadian show of all time.