Why are German Shepherds considered an "at-risk" breed?

Question

My apartment allows dogs, but has breed restrictions for Pit bulls, Rottweilers, Chow Chows, Doberman Pinschers and German Shepherds.

I've never known German Shepherds to show any violence, except for some results when you search "German Shepherd attacks" and even then, it's usually pets attacking their owners. My friend's Doberman/Shepherd mix is a docile, mostly frightened sort of dog, but when her little Westie terrier started barking at lady passing by, the Doberman went up and bit her.

Is there really a predisposition toward attacking bred into these dogs, or is neglect from the owner to blame?

Answer 1

None of those breeds are inherently 'at risk' but any breed can bite and dogs that are fearful are often the worst culprits because of fear bitting.  

GSDs are as 'at risk' as any other breed or mix.  Basically most landlords or rental companies don't allow them because insurance companies won't insure the property if they allow tenants to own them.  It has nothing really to do with their breed but the fact that a lot of people are stupid and a popular breed is often poorly bred by ignorant people who will breed them without having a clue about temperament.  There have been notable GSD attacks just as with any breed but the sad fact is no well trained dog has ever been the problem but insurance companies aren't bright enough to figure that one out so they simply blanket deny larger breeds of dogs.  

It is both - neglect from irresponsible owners not purchasing from knowledgeable, responsible breeders and then not training properly as well as inherent temperament problems (that occur in ALL breeds and mixes) due to ignorant breeding practices.  Unstable temperament is genetically predisposed but most people making puppies don't have a clue what stable temperament is like and just breed their dogs together to sell to someone dumb enough to buy them and keep the problem going.

Answer 2

Cause animals get a bad rap cause bad owners mis treat them and teach them them to be bad!

Answer 3

They're one of the least violent of the at risk breeds. I'm sure it's mostly because they can be very threatening, as they are often used as guard dogs for their loud warning barks.

A dog is basically going to grow up the way the owner trains it to. If you want it to guard, it will. A lot of these dogs have been bred to guard, so attacking is unfortunately natural for them. If you nip it in the bud, you shouldn't run into any problems. I have friends who both own the nicest, most tolerant rotties in the world. It's all in how you raise the dog.

Answer 4

In all honesty, the German Shepherd Dog name has been tainted by irresponsible breeders and owners. Due to their popularity, the breed has suffered in temperament. Behavioral problems are very common in poorly bred GSDs. When there are cases of a German Shepherd Dog mauling or injuring people or other dogs, those are not proper German Shepherd Dogs. They are temperamentally unsound dogs bred by irresponsible breeders or irresponsible owners that allowed their pets to breed.

German Shepherd Dogs are meant to be outgoing and confident. Most of the dogs I see today are fearful and unpredictable. They are fear biters and they are dogs with displaced aggression. They are dogs with temperament flaws that should have never been bred. These are the dogs that give the German Shepherd Dog breed a bad reputation. Poorly bred dogs of any breed have the possibility of becoming dangerous. The GSD breed has a "higher chance" simply because they are more popular.

To directly answer your question; No, there is no predisposition to biting and mauling people in any breed of dog. Horrible breeding practices combined with poor instruction and owner negligence play a role in a dog's behavior and can ultimately lead to a dog that bites or is unpredictable. Genetics play a huge role in canine temperament. In my opinion, poor breeding practices are mostly to blame.

As a side note, German Shepherd Dogs were NOT originally bred as guard dogs. They were bred to herd flocks.

If I can help answer any other questions, feel free to e-mail me!!

Answer 5

German Shepards were bred to be guard dogs, therefore they are extremely protective of their owners and given their size and also the fact they many of them will bite because of that if they are not socialized enough to learn good protective vs bad protective, is the reason I believe.  Sorry for the run-on sentence lol

Answer 6

I can understand the first three, but the dobie and shepherd?  They don't have the same bite record as the others.  In fact, you CAN ask why they don't include cocker spaniels, since the CDC has records showing that that breed bites the most out of all the dog breeds.

Possibly it's due to the insurance company. My renters insurance banned 6 breeds of dogs (mostly the various pit breeds) and would not cover the apartment if I had one (which I didn't).  The landlord may have similar restrictions on the insurance that he carries on the building so it may be out of his hands.

Have you asked the landlord about it?  If it's not insurance related, it could be that the landlord has had specific problems with the last two breeds in particular and have grouped them with the other three because of it.