The German Shepherd Dog also known as an Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund. They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog originating in the late 19th century. Originally a herding dog, particularly for sheep.

The Alsatians strength, intelligence and obedience they are often employed in police and military roles. The German Shepherd is nearly always one of the top five global breeds.
The breed originates from a dog named Hektor Linksrhein. Hecktor so stunned Von Stephanitz that he bought it and renamed him to Horand von Grafrath and founded the Society for the Alsatian Dogs.
Horand von Grafrath became the heart of the society’s breeding programs and was mated with many other society member dogs.
The German Shepherds 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 removed 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 it is globally the third most popular dog breed.

They are a large dog of between 55 and 65 centimetres ( 22 and 26 in) at the withers and weigh around 30 kilograms ( 49 and 88 lb).

The Alsatian’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 normal versions are the tan/black and red/black versions with black saddles and masks. 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 is shed continually and a thick undercoat. The long-hair variety is rarer.
The German Shepherd, 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 the Alsatians strength makes the Alsatian sought after as police, guard, and search and rescue dogs, the Alsatian rapid learning ability and ability to interpret instructions are better than other large breeds.
German Shepherds have a reputation for aggression and have been banned in areas as a result. Statistically, in the USA, they are responsible for more unprovoked indiscriminate bites than any other dog breed, and have a reputation to attack smaller dog breeds.

Additionally studies have shown that Alsatians are the breed third most likely to attack someone and in another report found that Alsatians accounted for around fifty percent of the dog bites that needed medical attention, versus a more normal 20% of bites needing medical treatment, not a surprise with their powerful jaws and sharp canine teeth.

The problem is not with the dog, but the owners. As with any intelligent active dog (or child), if they are not regularly exercised and kept busy, they can become difficult. Good dog training and dog socialisation are crucial for a dog like the German Shepherd. The German Shepherd is different from the collie, which a lot of its aggressiveness has been breed out from show strains, the Alsatian 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. This can give them an aloof personality.

Alsatians learn well and are highly obedient and not easily sidetracked, but due to their strong personality, you need to be very firm with them.
The Alsatian 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 often ask professional dog walkers such as London dog walking to help out by walking them for a couple of hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common genetic health issues, hip and elbow joint problems (dysplasia) which often causes the dog pain and often causes arthritis. The German Shepherd also is susceptible 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 German Shepherd is often has ear problems due to his large and open ears.

Alsatians, like many large chested dogs are prone to bloat, this is a very dangerous and often rapidly fatal problem, so if in doubt consult a veterinary. Bloat is a gas build up 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 (around forty percent), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.

The German Shepherd also suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are predisposed to Von Willebrand Disease, a common generic bleeding disorder, which shows in varying degrees of bleeding tendency, usually in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .

In spite of these problems, the Alsatian is sturdy with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is around nine years, which is typical for a dog of this size.

The German Shepherd has great olfactory sensitivity so is one of the most widely-used breeds in a many roles requiring this ability, including search and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection, and mine detection dog, amongst others.

So the Alsatian is a wonderful intelligent breed that will love you, if you have the time and energy for him. Not advised for busy working families.