There are many many sources of information about German Shepherd Dogs (GSD) on the internet complied/written by folk vastly qualified in the area of German Shepherd Dogs (GSD's) so my aim here is not to reproduce that information, but to summarise what we think are important issues.
There are many different views on what a GSD should look like. Today you could say that there are 3 tracks (almost sub breeds) of GSD, the Working Line, the Show Line and this can be further broken down as Stock Coat (short coat) or the Long Stock Coat (long coat).
The Working Line (often refered to as WL in various forums and blogs) is normally a more stout animal being squarer and generally wider/heavier set. Quite often they will be more of a dark sable colour tending closer to black.
The show line is more sleek than a working dog. Their colours are often more black/tan - black/gold though a good number of sables are shown.
Whilst both Lines of dogs are bred to the breed standards, a working dog is concerned more with function rather than conformation and will typically have a higher prey drive. A show line dog while not requiring the same prey drive as a working dog, still must be sure of itself and be of good temperament.
Which type of dog best suits you? If you are a professional who uses dogs as part of your trade such as a security guard, then you may be better off with a Working Line dog. If you are after a family companion/pet, then a Show Line dog maybe more suitable.
At the end of the day, these dogs are just as diverse as any animal including humans. The above is a generalisation and you may have a litter of Working Line dogs that only 1 or maybe none are suitable for a "working" role. At the same time you may have a litter of Show Line dogs who would not be suitable as a family pet.
The final development of the dog will be up to environment. If the animal is not adequately socialised and trained, regardless of its parents and litter mates temperaments and first 8 weeks of implanting life's lessons, the dog can not be expected to be stable and most likely be a challenge (if not dangerous) to live with. This is true of any breed and not just GSDs.
There is a slight difference in the protective behavior of a male and female GSD. A male GSD may be more inclined to protect processions (ie this is my property) while a female is often more protective of her pack members (be they other dogs or human pack members). This does not mean the males will not protect the pack nor females protect processions, they will. They just seem to have a bit of an emphasis for one or the other.
The Working Line (often refered to as WL in various forums and blogs) is normally a more stout animal being squarer and generally wider/heavier set. Quite often they will be more of a dark sable colour tending closer to black.
The show line is more sleek than a working dog. Their colours are often more black/tan - black/gold though a good number of sables are shown.
Whilst both Lines of dogs are bred to the breed standards, a working dog is concerned more with function rather than conformation and will typically have a higher prey drive. A show line dog while not requiring the same prey drive as a working dog, still must be sure of itself and be of good temperament.
Which type of dog best suits you? If you are a professional who uses dogs as part of your trade such as a security guard, then you may be better off with a Working Line dog. If you are after a family companion/pet, then a Show Line dog maybe more suitable.
At the end of the day, these dogs are just as diverse as any animal including humans. The above is a generalisation and you may have a litter of Working Line dogs that only 1 or maybe none are suitable for a "working" role. At the same time you may have a litter of Show Line dogs who would not be suitable as a family pet.
The final development of the dog will be up to environment. If the animal is not adequately socialised and trained, regardless of its parents and litter mates temperaments and first 8 weeks of implanting life's lessons, the dog can not be expected to be stable and most likely be a challenge (if not dangerous) to live with. This is true of any breed and not just GSDs.
There is a slight difference in the protective behavior of a male and female GSD. A male GSD may be more inclined to protect processions (ie this is my property) while a female is often more protective of her pack members (be they other dogs or human pack members). This does not mean the males will not protect the pack nor females protect processions, they will. They just seem to have a bit of an emphasis for one or the other.