Are German Shepherds Good With Kids? The Truth Revealed!

German shepherds are primarily working dogs originally bred for herding sheep and other livestock animals.

Their strength, intelligence, trainability, and obedience have made them a preferred breed for disabled people, search and rescue assistance, military roles and acting. The German Shepherd was the seventh most registered dog breed by The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom in 2016 and the third most registered dog breed by The American Kennel Club in 2020.

The German Shepherd has a long neck that is raised and lowered when excited and moves at a fast pace or stalking respectively. Their physical features include a domed forehead and medium-sized and brown eyes, a long square-cut muzzle with strong jaws, a black nose, ears that are large, erect, opened at the front and parallel that are often pulled back when they move, and a bushy tail that reaches the hock.

A German Shepherd's diet should be designed for a large breed that requires a lot of energy and exercise. For suggestions on what to feed your German Shepherd Dog and how much to feed him, talk to your veterinarian or a professional nutritionist. As they progress from puppyhood through adulthood and senior years, their food requirements will change. As young dogs, the German Shepherds are full of energy and require regular exercise to burn their energy. Socializing the puppy from an early age will help regulate the protective nature and teach it to respect the owner.

Keep track of these dietary requirements. Although the German Shepherd embodies many of the best qualities of dogs, it is not for everyone. This is a high-energy dog that requires a lot of action and exercise. It was originally intended to herd flocks all day. They'll likely communicate their boredom and dissatisfaction in ways you don't enjoy, including barking and chewing, if you don't provide it. A young pet pup would require a lot of care at an early age. It would not be good to expose it to socialization when your pet is a pup. Socialization can be done at any point in life for your pet.

After understanding that are German Shepherds good with kids, also check German Shepherd facts and are cats or dogs smarter.

Are German Shepherds a good family dog?

German Shepherds, due to their intelligence were ranked the second breed for a list of dogs most likely to bark as watchdogs. Since German Shepherds are intelligent, loyal, and fast learners it’s a fair choice to make them trained on many fun tricks so as to get along well with them.

Although they’re used as tough dogs they’re sweet and good with children, especially female German Shepherds. The male German Shepherds need extra training so as to fit in with kids unless they’re raised with them. A good training, calm, consistent, kind, and loving environment will make them show no aggression.

They become spoiled and disorderly if they aren’t socialized or trained poorly. So if you’re to keep a German Shepherd, the takeaway here is, train them perfectly, treat them kindly with love and make them grow along with children such that all the years make them very well acquainted with the kin.

When they're young, German Shepherds, like all dogs, require early socialization—exposure to a variety of people, sights, sounds, and experiences. Socialization is important for your German Shepherd puppy's development as a well-rounded dog. Fans claim that American-bred German Shepherds are calmer than their German counterparts, but opponents claim that these dogs have lost some of their abilities to work with traditional German Shepherd dogs and are more prone to behavior problems like separation anxiety.

Expect difficulty if you leave them alone for long periods of time without exercising them. Boredom and inactivity lead to behavior problems such as gnawing, digging, and barking as a result of boredom and inaction. The German Shepherd needs both physical and mental activity. For example, jogging, romping in the dog park, and training exercises like agility or obedience competitions. These behavior problems should be avoided from an early age.

Besides that, they usually have friendly behavior. On average a German Shepherd dog weighs around 90 lb (40.9 kg). Proper training must be provided. The German Shepherd makes a good family dog as it is good with kids. It can be home with children in case you are worried about your child, these are amazing companions for your child.

What is bad about the German Shepherd?

As in the temperament, the main concern relating to the German  Shepherds is their behavior. Sometimes when not trained adequately or an inconsistent treatment towards them may make them very aggressive.

Considering their health perspective, this breed is common to have canine hip dysplasia capable of making them disabled or leading to deaths.

Apart from canine hip dysplasia, the German Shepherds are often victimized to many other diseases such as elbow dysplasia, allergies, cleft palate, degenerative myelopathy, perianal fistulas, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, bloat, panosteitis, Von Willebrand's disease, Wobblers Syndrome, heart and skin disease and thyroid disease.

The German Shepherds also shed their thick long overcoat heavily around the year and shed the thick undercoat twice a year.

All things considered, to find a good breed with a well-trained temperament and health is the hardest part henceforth.

What is the temperament of a German Shepherd?

Described in breed standards as self-assured, German Shepherds are quite active dogs with a trait of likeness to learn and enthusiasm to be goal-oriented. Their curiosity makes them the best fit for searching. Saddle Coat German shepherds are the best and the most common type of German shepherd.

If not out in the society more, they might be overprotective of the family it is with also making the German Shepherds harder to be acquainted with strangers. Hence you can say they’re vastly better, intelligent, protective, loyal, diligent, and obedient.

The highest quality of German Shepherds is West German and is exceptionally good for their abilities to learn, listen and work rather than keeping their appearance. The protective nature of the dog deserves some respect as the German Shepherd will go to any length to take care of kids as well as the entire family.

The German Shepherd dog is a working dog breed that originated in Germany and ranges in size from medium to giant. The German Shepherd Dog is the breed's English language name, according to the FCI. In the United Kingdom, this large breed was officially known as the 'Alsatian Wolf Dog' from the end of World War I until 1977, when it was renamed, German Shepherd. The German Shepherd, despite its wolf-like look, is a relatively new canine dog breed, going back to 1899. They bond with their owners and families quickly and respect them.

A German Shepherd is a good family dog as they are good with kids. The dog has even been designated as a national hero. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, German Shepherds were the search and rescue dogs crawling through the remains of the World Trade Center, hunting for survivors and soothing rescue personnel and families. Massive respect for them to do that. They are good at socializing and are of kind nature towards their families and owners. The dog breed is also aloof and of suspicious nature, making it ideal for a watchdog but not for a family dog who would make visitors feel welcome. However, if a German Shepherd is exposed to a variety of events and people from the time they are a puppy, they can learn to accept new people and situations they are good with kids.

How to introduce a German Shepherd to a child?

With proper socialization and training, a German Shepherd can be child friendly and enjoys the company of children very much as any other breed of dog, and hence it’s not a bad idea to have a German Shepherd with your family.

These family pets are curious beings as mentioned before and they love learning, so training them is not hard as you may think. A successfully trained German Shepherd can be your guardian angel and loyal to have your back at all times, but do make sure that you socialize them since they can be overprotective and may harm any person who’s a stranger to them as a defense to protect its family.

In order to make them acquainted with the children, both of them need to understand each other. Small kids are often unpredictable with their noises and mood swings from time to time, and it may mislead the German Shepherd into interpreting them to be a call for play. Accordingly, the counteractions may frighten the children causing long-term mental trauma though they have no such intentions to harm them.

There’re a few safety measures to be considered while petting a German Shepherd :

Teach basic commands such as sit, come, don't jump, etc so as to use those wisely when needed especially around children.

Before introducing the dog, mimic the behavior of a child so that the dog is well aware of children’s behavior.

Reward the dog with tasty treats whenever he/she shows tolerance towards the little ones and also make your children reward them from time and again with various training activities.

Educate your children of the do’s and don'ts around the dog since unpredictable chaos can make them aggressive if not perfectly trained.

Give a 'time out' to your dog for misbehaving with children, let them stay in a room for 30 seconds in isolation, and bring them back when they've done the time in the room same as your child.

The best way to introduce a German Shepherd might be a properly trained adult dog since puppies take an ample amount of time to be trained and that might get harder with children around.

Look for a German Shepherd which is child-friendly. You may find the history from previous owners or from the rescue. Such an adult dog from either of the mentioned two is a good option as the dog is well understood before being taken in.

Firstly, parents should teach the dog how to be a composed self, then teach your children how to control the dog. German Shepherd dogs are the smartest of all, so they respond excellently to obedience commands.

German Shepherds are energetic and working breed dogs, hence they do not take it well when left idle for a very long time, make sure they’re provided at least with exercises or simply a walk 30 minutes a day in order to avoid any behavioral issues.

Play interactive games with your dog so as to make a bond between the dog and children. A good game of fetch or any other fun game can be rejuvenating and keep the body healthy for both the dog as well as the family.

Teach both parties to respect each other. Train your dog in front of children or where the family can see so as to make the entire family follow the training. Also, ask the children not to take the dog’s meal or disturb during his nap time.

A German Shepherd is a good family dog breed and is completely at home with children after proper training. As a family dog, German Shepherds like to cuddle kids and adults, thanks to their friendly behavior. With proper socialization training, owners can ensure that their kids can bond with the pet and enjoy cuddling each other.

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