Breed library
Compare dog breeds
Select 2–4 breeds to compare side-by-side on size, temperament tendencies, care, health and suitability.
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Select 2–4 breeds to compare side-by-side on size, temperament tendencies, care, health and suitability.
| Breed | German Shepherd Dog Herding · Large |
|---|---|
| Size & physical | |
| Size category | Large |
| Height | 55–65 cm |
| Weight | 22–40 kg |
| Lifespan | 9–13 years |
| Brachycephalichigh | No |
| Coat | |
| Coat type | Double, dense, weather-resistant (medium harsh outer coat over thick undercoat) · Medium (a recessive long-coat variety exists) |
| Sheddinghigh | 5 |
| Droolinghigh | 2 |
| Behaviour tendencies — low predictive confidence (Morrill 2022) | |
| Breed describes tendencies, not your individual dog — research finds breed explains only about 9% of behavioural variation (Morrill et al., Science 2022). Always meet the dog. | |
| Energymedium | 4 |
| Trainabilitylow | 5 |
| Barkinglow | 3 |
| With childrenlow | 4 |
| With other petslow | 3 |
| With strangerslow | 3 |
| Independencelow | 3 |
| Prey drivelow | 4 |
| Care | |
| Exercise (min/day)medium | 90 min |
| Groominghigh | 3 |
| Heat tolerancehigh | 2 ⚠ Low |
| Space need | 4 |
| Health | |
| Known conditions | 6
|
| Rec. health tests |
|
| Median lifespan | 10.16 yrs[McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports — UK dog life tables (VetCompass): GSD life expectancy at age 0 ≈ 10.16 yr (95% CI 10.00–10.37); an earlier VetCompass study reported median longevity 10.3 yr] |
| Biddabilitylow | 5 |
| Excitabilitylow | 4 |
| Separation-related behaviourlow | 3 |
| Stranger-directed aggressionlow | 3 |
| Suitability | |
| First-time owner | ✗ Challenging (2/5) |
| Apartment living | ✗ Challenging (2/5) |
| Children | ✓ Good (4/5) |
| Other pets | ~ Moderate (3/5) |
Trait bars are 1–5 scales. Confidence pills (high/medium/low) indicate how reliably breed predicts each trait. Physical traits (size, coat, heat tolerance) are highly predictable. Behavioural tendencies are weak breed-level priors — breed explains only about 9% of variation in individual dog behaviour (Morrill et al., Science 2022). Always meet the dog.
