Dogs are one of the most raised pet breeds ever. The reason behind this is their friendliness, loyalty, intelligence, and whatnot. If you are a dog lover, then a Shepherd dog can quickly grab your attention with their charm and intelligence while walking on a street.
If you have made your mind to bring a Shepherd dog to your family, then let me tell you, not all the shepherd dogs are suitable as a pet. Some of them are aggressive breeds suitable for professional purpose only and not as a pet.
If you want to know the Shepherd dogs that can not only serve you as a right pet during the day but as a great guard at night, then we have come up with the Shepherd dogs one can raise.
In this guide, we will list the most common German Shepherd breeds that you can get. Read about the largest and the smallest Shepherd breeds here. If you are having difficulty choosing a specific GSD breed, then go over this article as it will surely help you make your decision.
We have come up with the list of 10 most common Shepherd dogs one can raise.
When talking about some of the most famous Shepherd dog breeds, Australian Shepherd comes at the top. Originated from Basque Shepherd Dogs, they were first designed in the 1800s, and till then, people are raising them for different purposes.
With a comparatively shorter height, Australian Shepherd can grow as tall as 23 inches, and male Australian shepherds can weigh even around 70 pounds.
Currently, they are one of the most famous herding dogs breed people love to raise.
The core reason behind this is energy, skills, and intelligence. They are known as one of the easiest to train dogs because of their smartness.
Being very agile, they are adjustable around the Earth. Apart from this, this dog breed is a frisbee lover and a good runner as well. They are quite sensitive and get attached to their owner. Their obedience and love for their masters make them a perfect pet.
They have a thick coat to resist extreme cold. Apart from this, earlier, it used to have a dull coat, but its coat darkens with time. It has a pretty overcoat available in the shades of red, black, white, grey, and even blue.
Since they have a long overcoat, they shed a lot and require frequent grooming and brushing to their hairs.
Another medium-sized dog on our list is the Belgian Sheepdog. With a height varying from 22 to 26 inches, it can weigh up to 65 pounds. They are known for their adorable black overcoat.
As their name suggests, this breed was developed in Belgium in the 19th century and was mainly used for herding sheep earlier. But because of their intelligence and smartness, Belgian Sheepdog started serving in the police and Army to search for drugs and other evidence.
Because of their agile nature, people mostly raise them around the world. Being very energetic all the time, they are pretty smart and friendly dogs and become a perfect pet.
With a long coat, they are remarkable canines that can quickly threaten small and medium predators. Apart from this, they have a lovely dense overcoat to protect them against extreme cold. But what makes them the best pet dog is their friendly nature.
They have a calm temperament, and thus they go with kids well. Although they require plenty of space, it is an adjustable dog that can also serve you as a pet, even if you live in a small apartment.
Now, who doesn’t know a German Shepherd dog, or we can say German sh. You can find this breed in almost all the localities. Initially, they were raised for the herding purpose solely by shepherds. A German military personal, Max von Stephanitz, adored it, crossbred it, and made one of the most famous shepherds breeds ever.
Recognized as the second most famous dog breed by American Kennel club@all rights reserved, Shepherd German Shepherd dog gets fame only after being featured in Rin Tin Tin.
Because of its alertness and intelligence, it is perfect for searching purposes, and thus they also serve in police and army, apart from being an ideal pet breed.
Although they are large yet, because of their friendly nature, they get along with kids well. With adequate exercise and proper socialization training, they serve as a perfect and attentive guard.
Yet, the most beautiful thing about a German Shepherd dog is their loyalty and obedience. It can even give up his life for its master. All it needs from you is a little bit of love, daily exercising sessions, nutritious food, and long walks.
If you are looking for a large dog breed as a pet, then you must consider Anatolian Shepherd on your list. Although they have a long ancestral history yet, their debut in the United States was no longer than World War II, where they serve the Army for searching purpose mainly.
As their name suggests, they belong to Anatolian and are large. Its height varies from 26 inches to 29 inches, while they can be as massive as 150 pounds.
They have shorter hairs, with a coat of variable color but majorly appearing as cream. Apart from this, they have a long tail and brown eyes and are enough to threaten medium-sized predators easily.
Although they are a little shy to strangers, they will become your perfect partner in crime once they start knowing you. Their training matters a lot in their aggression. A properly trained Anatolian Shepherd becomes very polite, charming, and adorable.
Yet, because of their aggressive nature and muscular build, people commonly raise them for protection.
Because of their short overcoat, they don’t require much grooming and care, yet bath them at least once a week in the name of grooming. Also, they need a proper exercising session daily to keep them healthy and active all the time.
Similar to the Australian shepherd, another dog native to Australia is the Australian Cattle dog. Commonly known as cattle dogs, Australian cattle dogs are also known as the red or blue heeler and Queensland heeler. This dog breed again came to the United States while World war II because of its strong sense of smell and good searching skills.
Developed in the 19th century, they are known for their blue, black, and tan coat. Being short in size, its height can vary from 17 to 20 inches. They can weigh from around 30 to 50 pounds.
Being very faithful and alert all the time, they serve as a perfect pet. And because of its shorter height, it requires very little space to live as well. one of the herding breeds got its name because people used to raise it to take care of their cattle.
They are very active and agile, not just physically but mentally. Being very social, it gets along with kids well.
Also, they have very short overcoat and doesn’t require much grooming and care. Although it requires proper training from its childhood to become social and active yet, it has one of the calmest temperaments and is very friendly.
Native to Bohemia, Bohemian Shepherds are the predecessor breed of German Shepherd dogs. They are the result of crossbreeding of German Shepherd dog and the old German Herding landrace dog.
They can grow up to 22 inches with a shorter height and can weigh around 35 to 55 pounds. Because of their calm temperament, these dogs are suitable for petting purposes. They are not aggressive at all, which is why they are one of the most famous shepherd breeds.
Being very loyal to its owner, this dog breed serves as a pretty good guard because of its alert and attentive nature.
These dogs are agile and have a long overcoat to protect it from too harsh weather. However, it requires a little grooming, nutritious food, proper training, and a long walk to keep them active. They are very energetic and adorable dog breed pointed ears, a long neck, and a medium-sized tail.
They also have a pretty good sense of smell and serve perfectly for rescuing and searching purposes. They are also selected for army and police because of their sharp senses.
Commonly known as Sheltie, Shetland sheepdogs are one of the cutest herding dogs ever. This dog is known for its activeness, intelligence, smelling, and vocal senses.
They are a quite short-sized dog, with their maximum height reaching around 26 inches, while they can weigh around 11 to 24 pounds as max.
They have very silky, shiny, and long hair, with their coat varying from primary dog colors like black, white, tan, and sable to modern colors including blue, white, tan, and matte shades.
With proper socialization training, it is one of the most charming pet breeds one can own. Also, they are very alert and have a loud bark, making them one of the best guard dogs.
This dog breed is very obedient and follows the instructions of its owner pretty well.
Because they have a long coat, they require plenty of grooming and caring. Brushing their coat regularly is very important. It does shed a lot. Also, they are more prone to skin disease because of their long fur, thus keeping care of that.
Another German Shepherd dog breed on our list is the Pembroke Welsh Corgi German shepherd mix. Being one of the most common cattle herding dogs, and is also known as one of the smallest herding dogs.
It is a crossbred between Pembroke Welsh corgi and the German Shepherd dog, to result in an even smaller corgi. But it is known, only after it gets recognition from the American kennel club and it nibs in Queen Elizabeth’s feet. It is available in standard size varying from smaller size 11 inches to large size 26 inches. Also, they can weigh around 70 pounds.
As it is a mix of German Shepherd dogs, it serves well not only as a herding dog but also as a good guard dog. They have a smaller coat with variable colors ranging from the basic tan and black to cream color with short hairs.
It is one of the most active dog breeds, which love playing and running all day long. Also, they get bored quickly. Thus, you might need to bring a lot of toys for them for their entertainment.
Being very intelligent and calm tempered, it is one of the best pet dog breeds ever. They are also very loyal to their owner and require minimal grooming.
Next in our list of herding breeds is another famous family dog, commonly known as Belgian Malinois. Recognized by the American kennel club, Belgian Malinois was raised as a shepherd dog until it was selected in the Belgian police and army.
This shepherd dog is a medium-sized, alert, square body animal, known for its service for the Belgian Army in world war 2. As its name suggests, this shepherd dog is native to Belgium and is perfect for search and rescue operations, drugs, and bomb detection.
Apart from this, they have sharp teeth, and they are good runners, thus perfect even for chasing a suspect. They are known for their dedication and loyalty towards their master and their intelligence. So, if you are looking for a good guard dog, then this shepherd dog is perfect for you.
The height of a Belgian Malinois varies from 22 to 26 inches, while it can weight up to 70 to 80 pounds. Its health and height are similar to that of a German Shepherd dog.
These are easy to train dogs, and being agile, they adjust themselves everywhere irrespective of that particular region’s climatic condition.
More commonly known as the border collie, landrace collie are medium-sized dogs with a height ranging from 23 to 26 inches, even growing up to 28 inches. They are furry digs with a very pretty black and white fur. Originated from Scotland, these are Anglo-Scottish Shepherd dogs, like German Shepherd dogs.
They are also recognized by the American kennel club and are quite agile and adjust themselves worldwide. The reason behind calling them border collie is because of their unique eye or unique stare moreover.
They are pretty intelligent and a great guard as a pet. Although they require a little grooming because of their long overcoat, yet it falls under one of the cutest dog breeds ever.
These dogs also have a pretty calm temperament, and thus, even if you have kids around you, they will quickly get along with them. Border collie, moreover, is a complete family pet, yet sometimes they are also used by police and Army for searching and rescuing purposes.
When it comes to shepherd dogs, there are pretty large dogs like German shepherds you can have. But the most massive Shepherd dog is no doubt, Anatolian shepherd. It can grow up to 32 inches, while other average dog breeds having height around 22 to 26 inches at max.
There is nothing like the best Shepherd breeds, but in terms of calmness, intelligence, and cuteness, no doubt German Shepherds tops the list. They are not just perfect family dogs but also suitable for rescue works and drug and bomb detection.
Many mixed breeds of the shepherd dogs are the miniature version of the original species. Those small, pretty, and cute dogs only don’t attain their full height, but their qualities remain the same as that in the original breed.
One of the smallest shepherd breeds one can raise is the miniature German Shepherd dog. Not just that little packet of joy adorable, but they possess the smartness, agility, and other qualities similar to their parent breed in them.
German Shepherd is the dog that comes to our mind when we saw Shepherd breeds. Yet, there is a long list of Shepherd breeds that one can raise. Not just shepherd breeds are agile and versatile. It comes out as pretty loyal and adorable pets as well.
If you plan to get a Shepherd breed dog at your home, you can consider a few factors before making your decision.
Shepherd dogs’ agility is because of their dense coat making it suitable for them to live anywhere around the world irrespective of the climatic condition. But, with a thick coat, they require extra protection. Will you be able to give them regular grooming sessions?
Training is another essential part of shepherd breed. They can be the most aggressive dog breeds when not trained well and can be the most sophisticated and calm dog breeds when trained patiently. Will you be able to spare time for their training and exercising sessions?
All-in-all, Shepherd breeds require proper attention and care in their growing days. Thus, if you have enough time for them, it can be the most charming pet you can own.
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