Working Life...

German Shepherds often compete and excel in obedience trials and Schutzhund competitions. German Shepherds are also often trained as police dogs, due to their trainability, size, work drive and look which commands respect, but is not too scary.

Shepherding

The original purpose for the German Shepherd Dog was (not surprisingly) to herd sheep, cattle, or any other animal that might require the assistance of a shepherd. Even given the name "Shepherd", some people are surprised to hear that these dogs were bred for herding, as the GSD is more often found working as a guard dog, police dog, or companion pet than in the field working sheep.

The German Shepherd Dog does not have the "eye" that Border Collies or some other similar breeds have. They are trained to follow their instinct, which for the GSD is to "work the furrow", meaning that they will patrol a boundary all day and restrict the animals being herded from entering or leaving the designated area. It is this instinct that has made the breed superb guarding dogs, protecting their flock (or family).

A German Shepherd Dog's instincts to herd might manifest themselves by the dog closely watching or even nipping at members of its family as they go for walks. The dog might attempt to lead people to what it perceives is the correct location, even going so far as to gently take a hand in his teeth to lead the person. With some training, this can become a trick, sometimes known as "walk the human."