Page #1 German vs American lines:

What's the right shepherd for me?

1) Temperament & Personality?

All German Shepherds are not the same.  Purchasing the right puppy for your family can be a difficult and confusing task. There are several different types of shepherds and shepherd breeders with good and bad breeders in each category. A knowledgeable breeder will use a dog’s individual natural instinct, personality, and temperament to produce shepherds more suited to the breeder’s goal. It is better to have a shepherd controlled or driven by his genetic programming than to attempt to train a shepherd to go against his natural genetic programming. In our experience a shepherd (like humans) is 70% controlled by genetic programming and 30% environment. This bit of information places a great emphasis on a puppy’s parents and less on his or her environment. This is true for all types of shepherds ranging from police work, family, show dogs, farm, guide dogs, and assisted living. A shepherd bred for police work may not be the ideal family pet and a shepherd bred for herding may not be ideal for all types of police work.

2) Is German Imports better than American Shepherd? (updated 4/20/10)

As stated on our History of the German Shepherd Dog page, the original purpose for the German Shepherd dog was herding sheep. The founders of the breed needed more people involved in their dogs so they started looking for other jobs (besides herding sheep) to help their breed survive. They found their German Shepherds did very well in military duties to help soldiers do their jobs.

Today the Germans are still breeding and producing a Police Working Dog. The first German Shepherds I saw as a kid (1960s) they were called a German Police Dog. We American are breeding for a dog more along the lines of a herding dog. The American Kennel Club have them listed in the Herding Group. In general the American Shepherds are calmer dogs than the Imports for several reasons. Police work requires that a dog be highly motivated to work 7 days a week. Their training requires them to be aggressive enough for bite training (or attack training). If their shepherds fail the “biting sleeve test” they do not receive their Schutzhund title and cannot be used for breeding in Germany. These dogs that fail can be sold to other countries and used for breeding there. Some German breeders try to improve their success in bite training by breeding an overly aggressive dogs to insure they will pass their Schutzhund test.  These dogs maybe great in a working environment but may not be the idea American family pet.

Smart breeders (American & German) use a dog’s natural instinct (genetic programming) and natural drive for their breeding program.  It’s much easier to work with a dog with a natural drive and abilities than to attempt to train a dog with little or no drive or desire for the job.

For example: Beagles are bred for their natural drive and desire to run a rabbit. Their idea structure for short legs ensures they keep the rabbits moving but can’t catch the rabbit. Many drives needed in German Shepherd to do the jobs to aid Police Officers may not be idea for the average American family.

A shepherd used in Detecting Narcotics must be a dog that’s ball and/or toy crazy (high ball drive). These dogs are picked (as puppies) because they can’t do without their toys. The training procedure to detect drugs evolves around their desire for their toy. These dogs are hand picked from a litter because they have this drive.  The other puppies in the litter may have less of a this drive and used for other type of training.  A shepherd needed for Personal protection needs to have a strong separation anxiety with a desire to be by their owner’s side 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. This is great protection “IF” your live style allows you to keep your shepherd with you all the time. The down side to this kind of shepherd, they can be very annoying to the average American family that needs to leave their dog go to work or school.

The Germans are greatly regulated with their breeding programs. All of their shepherds must pass their Schutzhund – I (basic police work) and have their hips x-rayed at 2 years of age before they are allowed to breed their dogs. Some breeders breeding the German lines here in the U.S. think they are breeding the correct German Shepherd because their dogs are German lines. They don’t understand these dogs have many generations behind them for police work and that’s where their market should be focused. They continually advertise their puppies in the newspaper and sell them for family pets with little regard for the intended purpose for these dogs. Some adapt to family life very well but others don’t.

We Americans like our freedom and freedom always has its’ good and bad side. Here in the U.S. anyone with two registered (AKC, UKC, etc.) shepherds can produce puppies. Not all that’s breeding German Shepherds here in the U.S. understand the genetics of breeding nor are they willing to go to the expense and trouble to purchase the correct shepherds for breeding. AKC papers is not and should not be the only requirement to breed a German Shepherd. Too many breeding the American lines are producing soft temperaments or hyper dogs that’s hard to control and live with.

We (HeartStar Shepherds) are breeding a Family shepherd that will fit into an average American family and their life styles very well. We have more than 20 years experience with shepherds and have seen some of the good, the bad, and the ugly. In general our shepherds are suited for obedience training, agility, herding, farm working, some assisted living aid, and our favorite a loving family member.

We can predict the temperaments and personalities of our puppies because our shepherds have many generations of well adjusted shepherds behind them. In most cases we not only have the parents a litter of puppies but a grandparent(s), an older brother or sister, a half brother or sister, an uncle, or an aunt. Needless to say, we know the temperaments and health of our shepherds very well. For this reason the temperaments and personalities of our puppies do not vary from puppy to puppy. Our litters are very even from puppy to puppy and there are no shy or overly aggressive puppies in our litters. This is a good sign of a well breed litter with the same type parents.

Structure:   Breeders use dogs with the best structure to help the dog do the job he was bred to perform. The Germans are breeding a strong short range dog. American lines are bred for a long range dog. Bone structure can help both types of dogs do their jobs better. This can be seen in the pictures above. The Germans are bred with a Banana back (rounded back) and rear angulations to give them an advantage for getting their rear legs under them for climbing walls. The American shepherds are breed for a straight sloping back and rear angulations for a longer rear stride. If you have a dog working the field all day, the more ground he covers with each step, the longer he can work the field. Please note that NOT all German Imports have Banana backs and NOT all American line have slope backs.

Please note: This information is not intended to discredit the German line German Shepherd or the American German Shepherd. The German Shepherd breed is one of the smartest and versatile breed of dog with many uses. The purpose for this information is to help educate people about the German Shepherd dog and to help them make an educated decision to purchase the correct German Shepherd for their family and their live style. Here “Average American family and their live style” means most all of the family members on a daily basics, go to work or school and leave their shepherd in a fenced in backyard alone or with other dogs for most of the day. In our opinion the best German Shepherd for you is the one that fits your needs, purpose, desires, and your heart.

Rescues Dogs: 

Some families think they will save some money and do a good deed by rescuing an adult German Shepherd from the pound or rescue program.  In short, you get what you pay for and you need to be careful in selecting a rescue dog (of any breed).  Over the years it’s been our experience that 90% of the German Shepherds that we have seen in a rescue program are there due to a poor temperament.  In most cases the original family that purchased a puppy with a poor temperament aren't satisflied with the type of dog they have become and don't want them.  They send them to the pound and rescue programs will pick them up and try to find them a new home.   If you are a good judge of character, you can sometimes find a good Shepherd that ended up in a bad family and ended up at the pound.  Unfortunately that's not the case in most German Shepherds in rescue program. 

At first it seems like giving a needy dog a home is the noble thing to do.  But a German Shepherd can live 10, 12, to 14 years.  If the Shepherd has a bad temperament you have to ask yourself, am I willing to put up with a dog with a bad temperament for years and deny my family the companionship of a well behaved German Shepherd?  You need to ask yourself who’s needs come first?  The dog with a bad temperament (a bad breeder's mistake) or your family’s enjoyment.  

German Shepherds with bad temperaments are due to a novice breeder not knowing what they are doing and breeding shepherds with incorrect temperaments or breeder that doesn’t care what they are producing.  

If money is an issue and you are willing to take an adult German Shepherd into your home, a better idea would be to contact a reputable breeder and inquire about a quality adult that they are retiring.  Most breeders that care about their Shepherds will enjoy seeing them getting a good home with more individual attention.