The Role of Genetics In German Shepherd Behavior
German shepherds were originally bred to be working dogs. Their original use was guarding and herding livestock. Today, they can still be found working on ranches. But they also perform many demanding jobs and are popular pets.
Due to their initial breeding, German shepherds are active, intelligent, and loyal. They form strong bonds with their family but are known to be aloof with newcomers. They are naturally protective and always keep watching over their home.
Well-bred German shepherds are confident, courageous, and willing to learn. They’re smart and can be trained to do many things. They are versatile and excel in obedience training, dog sports, as service dogs, working in law enforcement or the military, and much more.
Despite the characteristics common within the breed, their personalities, temperament, and drive vary wildly. This is due to their genetics, which is influenced by careful breeding programs (or a total lack of).
Their genetics play a huge role in their personality. From the beginning, German shepherds were carefully bred to perform jobs that humans relied on. They were needed to guard, herd, and help keep food sources safe from predators.
Today, all German shepherds are categorized as herding dogs by the American Kennel Club. However, their role has slowly changed since the breed's creation. Despite their historical behavioral characteristics, they began to perform more jobs and eventually became one of the most popular pets in the United States.
Although herding dogs share common traits, such as their high energy and attentiveness, their drive and temperament vary between dogs, which enables them to excel at certain high-intensity jobs or thrive in homes as loving companions.
Genetics influence many aspects of their behavior including:
• Temperament
• Nerve stability
• Instinct
• Intelligence
• Hardness
• Confidence
• Drive
• Trainability
• Health
• Appearance
Since their genetics highly influence their behavior, appearance, and health, breeders typically breed dogs to work or as pets since both lines are very different from each other.
Working Lines
Working line German shepherds are bred to perform a job fearlessly. They require a high drive, strength, endurance, intelligence, courage, loyalty, and must have strong nerves. They are most often used in law enforcement, the military, and protection sports.
Due to their intense personalities, high energy, and strong work ethic, they are not suitable for the average pet home. They need to perform one of the high-intensity jobs that they were bred to do, or they can develop behavior problems. Their lineage includes West German, East German, DDR, and Czech working lines.
Show Lines
Show line German shepherds were bred to be active family companions, participate in dog sports, and have jobs, such as service dogs, and more. They have lower drive and energy than working lines. However, they are also very loyal to their family. They have a friendlier temperament than working lines while being naturally protective and can be suspicious of strangers.
Their lineage includes include West German, American, and Canadian show lines. However, some breeders have combined working and show lines into their breeding programs and the dog’s personality will be determined by their dominant genes.
In both working and show lines, good breeders strive to maintain and improve on the desirable traits while eliminating genetic defects and health problems. They carefully choose their breeding dogs to reproduce the behavior traits they’re looking for.
No matter a German shepherd’s lifestyle, their personality and characteristics are inherited. It’s part of their DNA and can’t be changed. Their energy, drive, protectiveness, love of chasing a ball, and more, are all result of their lineage.
You can’t change genetics, even when you try to shape a dog’s behavior through training and socialization. Yes, both are crucial for their development. However, choosing a dog whose personality and drive match the lifestyle owner’s lifestyle is the most important aspect of dog ownership.
German shepherds are awesome dogs. Whether they’re working or enjoying life as a family companion, they are very special. We hope you enjoyed this article. Please feel free to share it with your friends.
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