okikiosibodu:
@OP, some. People also call it POLICE DOG, cos it is used extensively in the US police though they also use other breeds such as Belgian Malnois (I hope I got the spelling well), which is a slightly smaller version of German Shepherd Dog. Personally, I love German Shepherd Dog more cause it is a General Purpose Dog. It can be trained to perform any task (sniffing, bomb detections, lead the blind, search and rescue, guard a territory, etc), unlike other breeds that have only one function (mostly guard), or a combination of few functions.

okikiosibodu:
Said that already , that because they are used extensively by the police. So when POLICE DOG is mentions, German Shepherd Dog comes to mind (just like every tooth-paste in Nigeria is Maclean, every noodle is Indomie, and every seasoning cube is Maggi). They ranking 3 with intelligence made me love them more. They also rank among the top 5 dogs with a "nose", and one of the top 10 guard dog. Finally, German Shepherd Dog is the best for a first time dog owner. German Shepherd Dog all the way

egorov:
yes boss, we are on the same page. But I don't know why most people esp breeders don't like going for Gsd, maybe because of the low price its been sold for. But believe there are still expensive gsds around. Some go for 150k or thereabout, depending on the purity. I wanted to import one recently, it was too much, about 4000dollars. The cheapest I saw was in Ghana, 1,050 dollars

okikiosibodu:


Hmmmmnnnn. You are very right. German Shepherd Dog nw goes for as cheap as 25-30k. Breeders prefer to go for a Rottweiler, Caucasian Ovcharka or Boerboel that's fetch more pay since the stress involved in breeding them are almost the same.
But to be candid with you, what pulls money one those dogs, are mostly pedigree (proper documentation of ancestry) with details of ancestors registered in the governing dogbreed's associated. This ensures that the dog has no mix or diluted gene along its lineage, and it also ensures dogs conform with the breed standard. Getting appraisals for your dogs has some financial implications, same as getting their documents. Breeders somewhat spread this costs to dog buyers, hence the high prices. A pedigree Rottweiler for example, could cost about 300k, but one witout papers that pass the test of the eye, could go for 50k. So you as a canine lover that have no intention of breeding, will rather go for the 50k one (from a Miller) than the 300k own (from a breeder), 'cause you can't spot the difference. That's one of the reasons we need enlightenment in Nigeria. A whatsapp group I joined on whatsapp, is serious working towards getting Boerboels in Nigeria appraised, so that people can start patronising local breeds for pedigree dogs and avoid the stress of importation. Once again, a pedigree German Shepherd Dog's puppy can go for 150k, while a non-pedigree can go for 25k. With proper documentation, you can tell if their is a particular disease, ailment, etc peculiar to the lineage, you can identify a distinguishing feature in the lineage, you can spot what needs to be improved on (structure-wise, health-wise, etc), you can determine what the offspring of the lineage has, that you need for your Dam/ stud to improve in their offsprings, etc. In short, it helps you plan properly on your breeding programme
Note: pedigree does not necessarily mean hybrid or diluted breed, it ensures documentation of ancestry and proves that the ancestry are pure breeds. Even if a dog has the exact qualities of a pedigree dog or even has better structures than a pedigree dog of its breed, its ancestry will be tagged "unknown" 'cause no document to back it up. Pardon my lengthy post

okikiosibodu:
@egorov, Labrador Retriever also score high on intelligence even more than the German Shepherd Dog, but they are neither guard nor watch dogs, but are great for gaming: retrieving killing shot birds etc(guess their name is "stirring" them).
About the police dog, I said that already , that because they are used extensively by the police. So when POLICE DOG is mentions, German Shepherd Dog comes to mind (just like every tooth-paste in Nigeria is Maclean, every noodle is Indomie, and every seasoning cube is Maggi). Of course and breed could be police dog, but the German Shepherd Dog comes to mind most times sha. They ranking 3 with intelligence made me love them more. They also rank among the top 5 dogs with a "nose", and one of the top 10 guard dog. Finally, German Shepherd Dog is the best for a first time dog owner. German Shepherd Dog all the way

*modified*

egorov:
I beg to differ on ur first line sir, a GSD is more intelligent. Labrador retriever ranks 7th sir.

TheLoneCitizen:
This is evidently false, my man.

okikiosibodu:

Brother, you obviously didn't read the write up before commenting. He stressed it out that they are the same.
However, the British were loath to using the name “German Shepherd” as the Germans were their arch-enemy and they (the British) didn’t want to associate with the Germans in any way, at least symbolically in this case. So, they coined a new name for the German Shepherd, Alsatian, which somehow some people has come to refer to as a different dog breed.
The Americans, however, had no such hangovers and the name German Shepherd was widely used. Once the war was over, the British also decided that the name Alsatian has outlived its usefulness and went back to its real and trusted name, the German Shepherd.

okikiosibodu:

I stand corrected. I came across many articles that's ranked German Shepherd Dog German Shepherd Dog d 3rd most intelligent dog with Labrador Retriever been the second, and Border Collie ranking number 1, but I tried surfing the net for the website I saw it on but could find it. Rather, I found German Shepherd Dog ranking number 3 on many sites and Labrador Retriever ranking next after it. Thanks for the correction though.
Oga Seun I know you love dogs and Lalasticlala I know why love snakes, please come and grace this thread with your presence

TheLoneCitizen:


Thanks for the maturity. It's shameful but I admit to not reading it, next time I wouldn't leap without looking.

hatundalexander:
Thank you for this article, this is a beautiful and well-known breed.
It is also fairly healthy, for the dog of its size, meaning it doesn't have those joint problems like hip dysplasia some larger breeds have: http://iheartdogs.com/10-most-common-health-problems-in-large-breed-dogs/
At least, not to the same degree, and they are somewhat preventable by more active lifestyle.
There are still some issues and conditions that owner should look out for, like anal gland inflammation. It is mostly related to unbalanced nutrition, for example feeding the dog with excessive amount of fat. But if it is too late to correct the food, some basic vet medicine may help - https://vetxed.com/en/y/Ypozane/ Curing this condition will also stop the dog from rubbing against the dirt, and will make it feel more comfortable

deltateam:
When you see the Police dog that so many of you say is the German shepherd you will notice that it is HUGE why is the ones being posted here that lanky?

egorov:
that's where the issue of pedigree steps in, its a function of the lineage of the dog, then proper feeding plays a major role as well.

deltateam:


Is it possible they castrated their dogs?