The German Shepherd Dog also known as an Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund.  The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of large-sized dog originating in the late 19th century. They are part of the Herding group that was originally developed as a working dog for herding sheep.

Often employed by the military and police for their obedience and intelligence. They are nearly always one of the top five global breeds.
The breed originates from a dog named Hektor Linksrhein. He so stunned Von Stephanitz that he bought it and changed the dogs name to Horand von Grafrath and founded German Shepherd Dog Society.
Horand became the heart of the society's breeding programs and was mated with many other society member dogs.
The Alsatians popularity has grown quickly throughout the 20th Century, though taking dives in popularity in the early days due to genetic health issues from poor inbreeding and after the world wars with anti German sentiment. To such an extent that the UK Kennel Club renamed it to “Alsatian Wolf Dog”, a while later the wolf dog addition was dropped and in 1977, the breed officially became the Alsatian Dog. The Alsatian popularity was helped by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now days it is in most countries the third most popular dog breed.

They are a large dog of between 55 and 65 centimetres (around 24 inches) at the withers and weigh around 30 kilograms ( 49 and 88 lb).

The German Shepherd's face has a long square cut muzzle, a doomed forehead, a long neck, powerful jaws, large erect ears (that are often pulled back when on the move), black nose and brown, medium-sized eyes. With a bushy tail.
 
German Shepherds come in a variety of colours, the most common being the red/black and tan/black types with black masks and saddles.   Rarer versions include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue types, which may not fit country breed standards. German Shepherds have a double coat. A thick close dense outer coat, which sheds continually and a thick undercoat. The long-hair variety is rarer.
The Alsatian, like many working dogs is very intelligent,  and are considered to be the third most intelligent breed of dog (Border Collies is deemed to be number one by Stanley Coren in his book The Intelligence of Dogs). This intelligence combined with their strength makes the German Shepherd desirable as police, guard, and search and rescue dogs, being able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.
Alsatians have a reputation for aggression and have been restricted in areas as a result. Statistically, in the United States, they are responsible for more random bites than any other breed, and have a known tendency to attack smaller breeds of dogs.

Additionally research has shown that Alsatians are the third most likely dog breed to attack someone and in another report found that German Shepherds were responsible for almost fifty percent of the dog bites that needed medical attention, compared to a more normal 20% of bites requiring medical treatment, not a surprise with their powerful jaws and scissor teeth.
 
There is no problem with the German Shepherd breed, it is the fault of the owners. As with any bright energetic dog (or person), if they are not regularly active and kept busy, they can become troublesome. Good dog training and dog socialisation are crucial for a dog like the German Shepherd. Unlike the collie, where a lot of its aggressiveness has been removed by breeding for shows, the German Shepherd does not seem to have lost this character.

They can bond very well with their family, however they can become over-protective of their family and territory. Due to this they may appear a bit aloof.

Alsatians are rapid learners and are highly obedient and not easily distracted, but due to their tough character,  you need to be very forceful with them.
The German Shepherd must have two good walks a day. They are not a dog for a busy family without time for attention.  For this reason, busy families regularly ask dog walkers to help out by walking them for several hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common genetic health issues, elbow and hip joint problems (dysplasia) which often causes the dog pain and often causes arthritis. The German Shepherd also suffers from monorchidism (one testicle), weakness of temperament, and missing teeth, as well as folded or bent ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood. The Alsatian is often has ear infections due to his large and open ears.

Alsatians, like many deep bodied dogs are sensitive to bloat, this is often fatal, so if you think this may be a problem, go straight to the veterinary. This is a build up of gas in the stomach, caused for varying reasons. The symptoms of distress for no apparent reason, a firm distension of the abdomen, general weakness, depression, problems breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias ( forty percent in one study), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.

The Alsatian also suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are more likely to have Von Willebrand Disease, a common inherited bleeding disorder, which shows in differing degrees of bleeding tendency, usually in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .

In spite of these problems, the Alsatian is robust with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is seven to ten years, which is typical for a large dog.

The German Shepherd has great olfactory sensitivity so is one of the often used in a many roles requiring this ability, including cadaver searching, search and rescue, explosives detection, narcotics detection and mine detection.

So the Alsatian is a great clever breed that will love you, if you have the time and dedication for him. Not advised for busy working families.

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