German Shepherds are a hugely beloved dog, and for very many good reasons. However, for a family, it might not always be the best option to keep a German Shepherd as a pet. Here are some reasons why German Shepherds might be a little hard-to-handle at times, and while these entries are mostly humorous, some of them are seriously worth thinking about beforehand, especially if you intend to add a new pet to your family in the future.
German Shepherds will look at you with a straight face, while the rest of your family cracks up at something funny. They don't have time for your nonsense, they're busy, hard-working dogs and demand everyone acts as seriously as they do.
A German Shepherd gets what it wants, when it wants it. They don't care about your space, and will do anything to become comfy. Good luck trying to battle one of these dogs for territory, because you'll be straight out of luck every time!
German Shepherds seem to love working more than they enjoy playing. They aren't your traditional family dog, and you're going to seem like a fool trying to get your companion to play fetch all day. They are strictly no nonsense dogs.
Nope. You can't make a German Shepherd smile. It is like they took some kind of oath to always look as cool and as straight faced as possible. Catching a German Shepherd smiling is like seeing a double rainbow, usually they're focused on nothing but business.
German Shepherds are natural leaders, meaning you and your family might find it hard to get them to listen to your orders. To a German Shepherd, you're a peasant and it is the kind, and these dogs will be sure to show you who is boss.
German Shepherds have a tendency to be lone wolves. They will march forward without caring about the pact, and will constantly chase adventure and leave behind trivial things like family. It's like they are straight out of a cowboy movie.
A German Shepherd won't care much for anything trivial. In their minds, cats are pretty trivial as they don't really seem to serve a use in the workplace. A German Shepherd's sense of duty may stop it from taking the time to get along with your other pets.
As with the previous point, because of their hard-working attitude their companionship skills aren't as high as you might find with other creatures. Generally speaking, they just don't bother to play nice with other dogs, or at the very least won't try to.
Some animals are super compassionate towards the more little members of our families, like the babies and toddlers. German Shepherds don't care about them either! In all seriousness, it can actually be a bit of a risk to keep one of these dogs near a baby, because they might not consider the possibility of accidentally hurting the child.
Their sense of adventure will constantly lead them out the front door, and getting them to stay inside--especially when you and the rest of your family aren't home--will be a constant struggle. They simply refuse to stay in one corner.
This one is more of a joke than the other points...mostly. These fellas can make some weird, scary faces because they don't quite get the concept of 'smiling.' Look at this picture and honestly say it's not terrifying--we dare you!
These dogs always have a sense that they should be guarding something, and seem to never ever 'clock out.' While this could be a good thing, it would also be nice if your pet would just chill out every once and awhile and take the day off.
Being true to their instincts means these dogs can be kind of stand-offish and will not be overtly friendly to strangers most of the time. A German Shepherd will be quick to let you know when they're not happy about something.
So not only will these pets not stay patiently at home, they won't stay patiently by your side when you're out either. If you try to take them on a picnic, for example, they'll be quick to march somewhere else in the search for adventure.
German Shepherds are literally designed for work--it's even in their name! They would rather be serving a duty than just hanging out. While this is a good quality, it might not be the best quality for a family pet. Regardless, they'll love you all the same, and are actually really sweet animals deep down.
