German Shepherd service dogs are a better option while planning to have a service dog.
Dogs are the most loyal animal to their owners. They fill the emptiness with their engaging activities. It’s not like they only play, but they can do much more.
Most dogs help their owner in many tasks and bring improvement in their life. These dogs are Service Dogs.
Service dogs are in demand because people know the importance of service dogs.
The service dogs help with health disorders, disabilities, physical or psychological damages, depression.
In the list of service dogs, the German Shepherd is the best and famous service dog.
German Shepherd had a history of service; Search and Rescue, military and Police. German Shepherd gets training with different tempers to deal with various situations.
The critical point is that not all German Shepherds are good service dogs. Many factors tell whether a dog can be a service dog or not.
This article is about the German Shepherd as a service dog. Thus, all the relevant information is available here:
Does German Shepherd Serve As Service Dog
Yes! German Shepherd does serve as a service dog. German Shepherd is one of the well-known breeds serving as a service dog.
If you look at the history of a service dog, you may find that the German Shepherd is the first service dog breed.
These dogs are kind in nature, they are friendly with your other pets such as cats. Their greater size and powerful strength help them assist and support their owners.
German Shepherd utilizes its bigger size and incredible strength to help disabled people. Their excellent senses enable them to guide deaf and blind persons.
The intelligence of German Shepherds reminds the owners to take proper medications. Yet, they also detect an anxiety attack.
Suppose you get interested in having a German Shepherd. There are few points about a German Shepherd you need to know.
Such as temperament, nature, and some issues are arising if the dog has not trained adequately.
Kinds of German Shepherd Service Dogs
Service dogs usually get training to deal with any particular disorder. But, some get general practice.
Service dogs have three basic types:
1) To Deal With Physical Disability:
These service dogs assist physically disabled people. They give them assistance to get back into life. They help them to live life fully.
It is difficult for the disabled person to perform various activities. They help them by picking up items, getting them around, and many other tasks.
German Shepherds are incredibly the best service dogs for their intelligence.
2) Trained To Give Psychiatric Services:
Psychiatric service dogs help people with mental inabilities. Like nervousness, despair, and PTSD. They give emotional support.
Their active senses identify things using hallucinations to anxiety outbreaks.
3) Emotional Support Providers:
Service dogs give emotional support to their owner. Their support, love, and company enlighten dismal life.
German Shepherds can sometimes get aggressive if people are aggressive. They are not like other emotional support service dogs.
They are protective of their owner more than anything else. Therefore, they can harm one who accidentally produces worry.
10 Qualities Of German Shepherd Service Dogs
Service dogs should have an excellent set of traits to assist their owner and perform their job in a better way.
Many aspects determine whether a German Shepherd will be a better service dog or not. Breeding and temperament are one of those factors.
There are a few qualities and traits of a German Shepherd Service dog:
1) Obedience Of Service Dogs:
One of the appealing qualities of a German Shepherd service dog is obedience. The training enables them to follow their owner’s commands.
2) Strength Of German Shepherd:
The most important quality is the strength of a German Shepherd. This quality is beneficial for providing physical help to a disabled person.
3) Excellent Senses Of German Shepherd:
Service dogs have an excellent sense of smell. They can detect particular odors and make their owner aware of them.
They should have a strong sense of sight to protect their owner from impending danger.
4) Active Nature Of German Shepherd:
German Shepherds are always ready for various activities with their owners. They are active and attentive to work.
This quality is helpful; whenever the owner needs help, they get ready to assist.
5) Eager To Please The Owner:
Service dogs are always eager to please their owner. Similarly, German Shepherd service dogs are also keen to entertain their owner.
6) Service Dogs Are Hardworking:
Service dogs have the capability to hardworking. They give their best service to the owner.
They never get distracted from their assigned task by the owner.
7) German Shepherd Service Dogs Are Friendly:
German Shepherd service dogs have friendly nature toward its owner. They trust them and always help their owner in indifferent situations.
8) Protective Instinct Of German Shepherd:
Dogs are faithful animals, as we have discussed above. The German Shepherds are famous for sacrificing their life for the sake of their owners.
They are very protective of their owner. They face every danger to save the owner’s life.
9) Service Dogs Are Excellent Guard:
German shepherd service dog is an excellent guard with protective instinct. They are always attentive to their owner to ensure the owner’s safety.
10) Temperament Of A German Shepherd:
Service dogs have to face severe temperament training sessions. But, German Shepherds don’t undergo any such situation. The reason behind this is their over-protective and guarding nature.
5 Tips: Training A German Shepherd Service Dog
Training of German Shepherd service dog is not an easy job. Yet, it is a hectic task. The practice demands skills, persistence, and tolerance.
When you want to help disabled people, the training will be satisfying for you. This will add value to society.
Following are the essential tips need to train a German Shepherd service dog:
1) Socialize German Shepherd Service Dogs:
An essential tip while training a German Shepherd as service dogs are to socialize them. Give them proper training not to get afraid of people.
Guide them not to get distracted by the situation or people. Also, allow them to interact with other animals and dogs.
2) Set Specific Goals For German Shepherd Service Dogs:
You need to identify the essential goals and objectives to achieve during training. Goals should be challenging, but it should be attainable.
Train your German Shepherd to achieve those goals. After each attainment, you should appreciate them.
This helps German Shepherd service dogs to overcome challenging situations.
3) Have Patience While Training:
As we have discussed, the German Shepherd has exceptional intelligence. But, every good thing takes time.
Training a German Shepherd service dog also requires time, patience, and persistence.
4) Acting As A leader To Service Dogs:
Leadership is vital to train a German Shepherd as a service dog. When you have Shepherd for you, you should behave like a leader. Show your leadership skills to best train your dog.
It is not easy, but you have to focus on your defined goals. You will face hardships while training; but, a leader doesn’t lose hope.
5) Give Time To Service Dogs:
Best services demand time and effort. Give proper time to the training session of your German Shepherd.
All German Shepherd are not well-resourced to understand training activities.
Importance Of A German Shepherd’s Temperament
Temperament is always vital while considering a service dog. A German Shepherd service dog’s fair temper shows how quickly it may learn and obey its owner.
Service dogs do interact with other animals and people in the surrounding. So, temperament is vital for a German Shepherd.
However, the situation is not always calm and peaceful. So, service dogs should keep quiet and tackle the problem without losing their temper.
It is not easy to generalize each German Shepherd’s temperament. As humans’ characters differ, similarly, the temperament of dogs varies too.
So, while considering a German Shepherd service dog, you should know the temper. They should not breed strictly.
For example, different service dog’s pieces of training are different. If Police have a service dog, it will be indifferent or capable of concentrating on various tasks.
Proper training is essential for a German Shepherd to get rid of ill temperament. A specialized professional trainer treats them well. They teach the dog by giving adequate training about temperament.
Suitable Size For A German Shepherd Service Dog
The physical size of the German Shepherd service dog is of great importance. German shepherds look strong and athletic.
To handle specific disabilities, a German shepherd must be strong. Thus, it may support the disabled person.
Some People have anxiety issues in a crowd. However, the physical size and height of German Shepherds enable them to feel at ease.
The suitable size for a male German Shepherd must be 24 – 26 inches, and weight should be around 65 – 90 lbs.
The Female German Shepherd size is around 22 to 24 inches, and the weight is between 50 to 70 lbs.
Care For German Shepherds: Easy or Not
Yes, it is easy to take care of a German Shepherd by a healthy man. But, it is difficult for a disabled person to take proper care.
A person who is not well may not care for a dog as a healthy person can. They can have a pup to engage themselves, and it becomes easy to take care of.
German Shepherds are active dogs. They need to take hours of exercise to keep them healthy and athletic. If a disabled person wants a German shepherd service dog, they should hire someone for the dog’s care.
7 Breeders Of A German Shepherd Service Dog
You can train a German Shepherd puppy as a service dog by breeders. They have trained puppies and work on German Shepherds to train as Service dogs.
Some of the breeders for German Shepherd service dog are:
- Tre’Good German Shepherds
- Huntley’s German Shepherds
- Highlander German Shepherds
- Francis German Shepherd Service Dogs
- Reds Above The Rest
- Taylor Made Working Dogs
- Cross Keys K9
5 Qualities Of Best Breeder Of Service Dogs
If you want to have a trained German Shepherd service dog, you need to contact a dog breeder.
Always keep in mind the following qualities of a decent breeder.
1) Breeder Requires An Applications For Service Dog:
The best breeder doesn’t hand over their trained service dogs to anyone. They need them to fill an application to learn about how their trained dog is going to live.
They care for their trained service dogs as they have spent time with them. Moreover, the breeder is in demand as their bred dog is of high quality.
2) Knowledge Of The Service Dog’s Breed:
The breeder has extensive knowledge of the nature, temperament, and requirements of dogs.
They know everything about German Shepherd service dogs. So, they can better answer each query about German Shepherd service dogs.
3) Invites You To Visit Their Service Dogs:
The breeder is emotionally attached to the dogs. But, they welcome you in their home to check how they treat their dogs.
They show you how they have trained the dogs, raised them, and every important information.
4) German Shepherd Breeders Are Highly Specialized:
The German Shepherd breeder is highly trained and specialized in this field.
They don’t own many dog breeds as it becomes difficult to give proper attention. The focus on training each dog effectively reduces with more dogs.
5) Give A Written Contract For Service dogs:
The best quality of a good breeder is that he offers a written contract and guarantees you his services.
The breeder certifies their bred dogs and puppies. They provide written information to take better care of the breed.
8 Conditions: Help By A German Shepherd
Service dogs get different training according to the requirements. A German Shepherd can be helpful in various conditions.
Some training sessions are; assist with physical disability, anxiety, depression, or Police services.
Here are different bits of help that a German Shepherd can provide:
1) German Shepherd Assists Diabetic Patient:
German Shepherds have a compelling sense of smell. Their ability to smell helps diabetic patients. They detect the level of sugar smelling the breath.
After identifying the issue, they warn the owner to take action before any difficulty.
2) German Shepherd Service Dogs Provide Companionship:
When people get retired, they feel lonely. Some of the retired officers have German Shepherds as their companions.
These service dogs help them physically and emotionally. They engage the owner with different exciting activities to forget their loneliness.
Not every breed can support it emotionally. Few German Shepherd breeds give emotional help, such as; Calmer breeds like Labradors and Golden Retrievers.
3) Protection From Epilepsy Seizures By Service Dogs:
If someone has Epilepsy seizure attacks, they can get assistance from service dogs.
German Shepherd alerts if the owner gets an epileptic seizure.
German Shepherd Service dogs help them to move to a safe location. They protect the owner from injury or seizure attacks. Also, help them by providing medication or any other help.
4) Service Dogs Give Allergy Alerts:
Some service dogs get training to detect allergy alerts. They own an excellent sense of smell, enabling them to protect the owner from any allergen scents.
For better service, the German Shepherds wear a special vest that has proper medication in it.
5) German Shepherd Provides A Counterbalance:
People facing intellectual disability or any other physical disorders need strong physical support.
German Shepherds are best for them to provide a counterbalance. They help in various tasks and activities, opening and closing doors.
A German shepherd must have more than two years of age and more weight to provide such support.
Choose a heavier German Shepherd to have healthy and sturdy support.
6) German Shepherd Guide Visually Impaired People:
Some of the German Shepherds get training to guide visually impaired, blind people. They guide them properly and safely navigate the location.
These German Shepherds are also helpful to fetch useful items to their owners, so they don’t get upset.
7) Service Dog Assists The Wheelchair Person:
Not everyone can walk and run. Yet, service dogs are helpful in this regard.
German shepherds assist their owner in the wheelchair by getting the required item. They pick the items for the owner as an assistant.
Disable people often get disappointed in how they will manage all the activities. But, they don’t need to worry. Such people should have a German Shepherd to help entertain and guide them.
8) German Shepherds Help Deaf Owner:
The individual with hearing problem faces many hardships in life as they can’t hear.
For such people, the German Shepherd is helpful. They handle the hearing alerts like a doorbell, crying baby, phone alerts, or any other sound. They give warnings to their owner and let them know to take action.
Estimated Cost of A German Shepherd Service Dog
German Shepherds have different costs depending upon their size, training, and age.
As the age, size, and training enhance, the price of the German Shepherd increases. Specialized pieces of training demand more cost for service dogs.
If you train the German Shepherd yourself, it may cost less. But, you need to pay more attention to better service training sessions.
Different breeds cost differently. German Shepherds are one of the finest species; thus, it costs higher. A breed of German Shepherd may cost between $5,000 and $65,000.
A German Shepherd’s pup may cost between $2,000 – $7,000 if you train it yourself.
After getting a German Shepherd, you may get the cost of high-quality food for the service dog. Healthy food helps them grow well and live long. You can give them almond milk.
If you want to keep your German Shepherd healthy, keep them away from pretzels too. These can cause stomach disorders, and they can start vomiting.
Another cost incurred is the cost for food, accessories, and a vet. When a service dog gets injured, fell ill, or regular visit to the vet.
Having a German Shepherd can be costly. A German Shepherd lives over 9 to 13 years. The cost incurs per year may range from $500 to $1,500 per annum, and the overall cost may be more than $20,000.
Before buying a German Shepherd, estimate the expenses and financial status.
Can You Get A German Shepherd Service Dog For Free
Yes, you can have a German Shepherd service dog for free if you cannot buy one.
Various organizations help to have a trained or untrained German Shepherd for free. These organizations need a few qualifications from the person.
Fill the application with accurate information carefully and contact if needed. They search for the most relevant application. From many applications, they give the service dog to the right person.
A Retired German Shepherd Service Dog
A service dog gets retirement when they get old or unable to perform service tasks. The retirement of a German Shepherd service dog looks different.
Some individuals feel incomplete without a service dog. Therefore when their service dog gets old, they find a new home for them.
After the service dog’s retirement and giving them a better home, they get a new service dog for them.
Many people look-after retired service dogs. These dogs are already trained, so they find them lovely pets.
People have a special affection for their service dogs as they have spent living with them. However, some individual doesn’t give their retired dogs.
They live with them happily, even if their dogs get old. It is a painful situation for both the service dogs and owners to leave each other.
Suppose you want to live with your service dog after retirement. It is better to give them various tasks, so they get busy and don’t feel bored.
Can Everyone Have A German Shepherd Service Dog
NO, not an individual is capable of dealing with and handle a German shepherd service dog. It costs high that is not affordable for everyone.
Yet, it is not easy to have a German Shepherd.
There is also the fact that German Shepherds aren’t always the right breed for the job. But, if you have precisely selected, you can be confident that they will do a fantastic job.
People in need and can afford a German Shepherd service dog can buy a German Shepherd service dog.
German Shepherd service dogs give the best service to the owners. Service dogs are useful for many reasons.
German shepherds help provide great Companionship to their owners. They are also in demand as police dogs or as a detector; narcotics and bomb detection.
Shedding of A German Shepherd Service Dog
Yes, German Shepherds shed a lot, More than a Maltese or Goldendoodle Shed. The shedding can be continuous shedding during the year. Even seasonal shedding lasts for more than 4 weeks in the spring and fall seasons.
They shed, and you cannot stop them. All you require is to brush them to limit shedding.
The shedding process is not the same for all service dogs. Some of the German Shepherd shed very little like; Havanese and Cane Corso Dog. Some dogs do shed a lot as; St. Bernard and Siberian Husky.
Shedding of German Shepherd also depends upon their diet and grooming. The more you care for your German Shepherd, the more you can protect them and limit the shedding.
Conclusion: Reasons To Choose A German Shepherd Service Dog
There are many reasons to choose a German Shepherd as a service dog. These dogs are smart, obedient, and healthy.
German Shepherds are the best option for service dogs. These dogs can get training to provide brilliant services to people.
They have a tremendous ethical sense of work. They are highly intellectual to complete a given task. A German Shepherd can assist the owner in almost every job.
Their sturdy and robust body gives powerful support. They act as a guide to their visually impaired owner.
Their strong sense of smell helps the physically disabled owner in better ways.
German Shepherds need strict hours of exercise to keep them active and strong. If a German Shepherd has not given proper attention, they can behave frantically. They can attack people or other animals.
So, if you or anyone wants to have a service dog, they should have an excellent chance to choose a German Shepherd.
