5 Odd German Shepherd Behaviors Explained

In this video, we bring to you 5 Odd German Shepherd Behaviors Explained.
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To Be Clear: A German Shepherd can bring you much joy, but they also come along with some particularly odd behaviors. If you have a German Shepherd, you might have noticed some weird behaviors that they keep doing over and over, and you might be wondering what these behaviors mean. In this video, we will talk about 5 Odd German Shepherd Behaviors, and go in-depth, explaining why your German Shepherd does them, and what it means. Let’s get started.
Number 1: Nipping at Heels.
As herding dogs, it is natural for your German Shepherd to want to herd, and that instinct usually manifest in the odd form of nipping at your heels. When herding animals, German Shepherds nip at them to keep them moving and have them go in a specific direction, and in the same way, they nip at your heels to get a reaction from you or try to convey their needs. Although this is a natural behavior for them, it’s important to control it when they’re young, as it can become problematic when they’re much older. If you have kids, they’re going to be easy targets for your German Shepherd, as they’re smaller and behave spontaneously, which will trigger your German Shepherd’s urge to nip. So, try your best to supervise their interactions, and train your German Shepherd to use their mouth less.
Number 2: Head Tilt.
When you talk to your German Shepherd or give them commands, you might notice them tilt their head to the side, as if they’re trying to figure out what you’re saying. This odd but funny behavior is actually an indication that your German Shepherd is in fact, listening. They’re listening to the frequencies or inflection in your voice and are gathering information from it. This behavior is not only odd, but funny, and now, you know it’s a sign your German Shepherd is putting in a lot of effort to understand you.
Number 3: Tail Chasing.
Lack of exercise, pent up energy, and little to no activity, usually result in a particularly odd behavior in your German Shepherd, which is tail chasing. It’s not really the fact that they want to catch it, but it’s usually an indication that they’re bored, excited, or anxious. This behavior is usually a sign that your German Shepherd has been cooped up for too long, and needs physical and mental stimulation. Ignoring this sign will only lead to worse behaviors, such as digging, chewing, and barking incessantly.
Number 4: Jumping.
Jumping is a behavior that is gradually developed overtime, and needs to be stopped early. German Shepherds tend to jump when they’re excited, like when their favorite person is back, they’ll jump to greet them, when you have their favorite treat, they’ll jump to try to get it. If not stopped early, they’ll keep jumping even when they’re much bigger and stronger, which can be dangerous, both for them, and for you. For you, it could cause havoc in your home, or even lead to injuries, and for them, it can lead to a common health problem associated with the breed, hip dysplasia. It’s important to stop them from jumping using training, with the most effective being positive reinforcement training.
Number 5: Defensive Aggression.
German Shepherds are not aggressive, but they’re protective. What this usually means is that, while they won’t attack anyone for no particular reason, they’re defensive of their home and family, and will definitely do something if they feel like you’re threatening any of those things. And while this is a nice behavior, as it means they know when to protect, if you don’t guide them properly, they can be protective of everything, which will make them aggressive. To them, they’re protecting, to you, it’s aggression. That’s why guiding them properly using appropriate training methods, is the perfect way to utilize this behavior, so they can be protective, but not aggressive for no reason.
#germanshepherd #dog101

[@shavaunaronan3188]

My 12 month old male GSD recently protected me on a trail when a guy jumped down an embankment and out of the bush right behind me. He must have initially only seen me and not my GSD because he sure got a surprise when my boy went after him and he took off running the other direction. GSD's will protect you with their lives, I am so grateful for my GSD!

[@Dr.RojoMcDelly]

12 month old????? A year lmfaoooo

[@MEME-qe4ze]

i love the GSD!

[@Amocoru]

Didn't happen but sure.

[@kiahmadison8541]

My dog would head tilt and I always thought it was the cutest thing GSD did. Nice to know he was listening.

[@jadeansumney7060]

I miss my sweet boy so much...GS are the best!

[@carolinemcgovern8059]

Sorry for your loss.

[@carolynlaco9477]

My son has had 4 GSD They have all been very intelligent and well behaved. The biggest threat is the hip dysplasia they are prone to develop. Such great companions!

[@Lupus_01]

If you got straight back working line GSD's you should be fine, The showlines are where you will see this problem as they bred the GSD's to have sloping backs which is what causes the issue.

[@johnh1932]

My brother had a male GSD named Chief. The dog was on the big side for the breed and was lean at 110 lbs. We had a female Golden named Bailey and we were worried about how they might get along on joint family vacations. We needn't have worried, when they met, it was love at first sight. One of the funniest things was when Bailey would take Chief's fave chew toy right out of his mouth and walk away with it. Chief would then go lay next to her and they would both share the toy. I believe this was evidence that Chief was kinda soft on Bailey.

[@789syrus789]

Awww he in wuv. 🥹

[@phyllisaverine1252]

No way I've got a 2 yr old male right now named chief that's crazy

[@johnh1932]

Great dogs. Hope he lives a long and healthy life.@@phyllisaverine1252

[@mdh6977]

One of the overall best breeds imo... ive had various breeds in my life, but man I miss my roxy girl... she was so intelligent and such an athlete, mixed with being a cuddle bug

[@EduardoMartinez-lq2xh]

We picked up our Sable gsd from Berlin Germany 4 years ago. He's an awesome, hard-working dog . Love him. This dog is very loyal and would lay down his life for you and your family. I recommend gsd if you ever want a dog.🎉

[@xslabcabxhearsex]

I’m in my 50’s and have adopted rescue German Shepherds most of my life.all have been amazing dogs. To me the dog you get is the amount of work and training that you put in them.they are smart dogs and can do just about anything.

[@tabongamoyo7177]

I have a 12month old GSD l got 3 months ago. He doesn’t bark or protect the home. Hes big. Mayb 33kgs and on our morning runs we sometimes encounter strays and he gets punked by them all the time. Tail between his legs. Is it normal GSD behavior.

[@louises25]

Can I just ask evrything you do to train them ??

[@xslabcabxhearsex]

@@louises25 I am in my 50”s and live alone no wife,kids or family left.so I adopt the ones who have been abused or have behavior issues or need that special home. I always start with the basics.sit,down,shake,leave and the most important to me is come.then I go into leash walking. Many that I have had and the girl I have now were fear aggression and I try to work and train them through their fears.i will be honest some dogs I never could get them past it and had to accept and work around it,not but them in a situation where it can trigger them. After all that I do a lot of scent work and playing fetch.everyday I still do some basic obedience or new tricks to keep them mentally excise. Hope this helps.

[@louises25]

@@xslabcabxhearsex that’s amazing good for u I am a new German shepherd owner he has just turned 6 months and is Gettin there but has a lil cheeky personality lol he likes to swipe things off my table and run around with it in mouth still trying to teach him to drop / pass ball but knows the basics I just wanted to know exactly what it is people do to train to know if I’m doing right steps so thanks very much

[@curtwalters8328]

I have had 3 GSDs in my life. My last one was the best because as i got older, i had more time to spend with her. I was an IT consultant and would only take customers who would let me bring her off-leash. Once they met her, they fell in love. I had to put her down due to hip displaya.😢 One time I was parking my car at the mall and 2 gang bangers tried to harass me. They didn't see Heidi. I rolled down the back window and she went full on protective mode. They apologized and called me "Sir".

[@SylBeB-wp1gg]

I’ve never known a German shepherd who nips at heels. I have met several, including my own who will nip hair or hands when overly excited. Like puppy behavior but larger. Mine hasn’t done it in a long time as he gets corrected but I’ve seen him want to when he’s super happy to see someone.

[@laydeestroh4830]

Mine either. My Zimmie only nudges me with his snout if he wants something. Normally it's a nudge to the hand, but if I'm sitting on the couch, sometimes he'll gently nudge my shoulder.

[@hearourvoice5495]

We have a white German Sheppard and 3 of her pups, love each one and that’s why we have 4! 3 females and 1 male….couldn’t ask for better companions.😊❤❤❤❤

[@lindawatts5102]

Love this beed very intelligent

[@robertnewquist3003]

Baron you were the BEST !!!

[@jameshaddix8610]

I got a gsd we both have came along ways together he's so much calmer now a 4 years old and loves people attention seeking he still gets on a defensive mood when other dogs come near him or me I love him because he is showing the other dogs this is my master leave us be

[@edwardfrost9464]

GSD, more human than you can image.

[@tunucat4557]

Amazing dog 😊❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@torkeymada]

And all these years I thought that they do the 'tilt head' so that they can see past their long noses. Live & learn. Thank you.

[@stacyb1341]

I've never understood why that became such popular thinking or who started it. If you've ever seen a GSD laser focused on something, they never tilt their heads. If they never tilt their heads when they're hunting, herding, mothering and protecting, why would it be a sight thing? It's always only in a result to a sound or when confused. And I don't know if I picked up the habit from them but I find I tilt my head whenever someone says something that makes no sense to me; like advanced calculus or conspiracy theories. 😂😅

[@RichardCrook-kb4bq]

amazing dogs i had one as a child and she would always be by my side would even wait outside the rest room for me

[@Foxrock321]

You forgot one more nibbling …mine nibbles everything

[@Jeni-ow1kl]

GSDS ARE GREAT!!🐾🐾❤️❤️❤️

[@kateowens45]

You failed to mention the high C whine that will pierce your ears and brain. This occurs whenever things don't go perfectly their way. They don't seem to realize they are doing that and it is best worked on as soon as it appears in puppyhood. They can control it (somewhat) if they realize what they are doing. I use the word "Quiet" for the whine and for excessive barking.

[@claudiacanales2662]

Omg Kate you are spot on!!!

[@SylBeB-wp1gg]

Mine talks about everything, plus the whine and bark. If I didn’t have his akc reg.and pedigree I’d think there was husky in there.

[@Usercantwelve]

Got a Black Shep. shutzund trained by my partner.. What a Great dog )))

[@kennethkearney116]

All training methods are positive.

[@anonymusum]

I once had a girlfriend who was a very good dog trainer and had 2 GSDs. So of course they both behaved very well. One day we were shopping and entering a huge supermarket when she left the dogs right in the entrance off leash. I couldn´t believe it as there were so many people passing by. She only commanded "wait" and both dogs sat down and were right there when we came back after ca. 45 min. of shopping.

[@MrEye4get]

My German Shepard only does 2 or 5.

[@JAYDOG1337A]

I've had 2 myself, Murphy was the perfect family/guard dog, utterly friendly to the family, and fiercely protective, Sam on the other hand... well Sam was a lazy bastard who probably wouldn't even notice an intruder, great family dog... not so much a guard dog, but a good boy anyway.

[@carlosdiaz-kq9wr]

Miss you Sasha

[@daviddauterman325]

The most “effective” way to get them to stop jumping on you is definitely not positive training methods. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to teach your dog to stop jumping. Correct unwanted behavior, reinforcing good behavior, it’s simple.

[@alcyr5655]

I'm in my mid 50's, love big dogs, can barely tolerate small yappy dogs. I ended up with a 9 month old GSD, last January. When I get the head tilt, cute as it is, I know just use key words that she knows. I didn't want the responsibility of a dog, but I couldn't let her go to a shelter. I can see why all the previous owners gave up on her, way to much energy.

[@claudia_youtube]

I didn't know jumping could contribute to the displasia, on the contrary, I thought it was healthy for them (at times), i.e. playing fetch. I'm kinda confused now.

[@NatureEllaJ]

❤

[@robinstewart1874]

We miss you, Charlie. I regret wanting some space in bed. You were worth sleeplessness.

[@donaldgodwin3419]

I enjoyed most of the video, the part with the dog on a chain should have been cut out of this to give it more legitimacy

[@PB-rq1og]

I have a GSD, I wouldn't personally recommend this breed to anyone!!! Mine is untrainable. I spend 24/7 with mine and he refuses to to do certain things. I'm 57 and he is nearly 2 and I wish I never took him in as a pet. He is NOT my 1st dog. I absolutely hate these bs trainers on here who in 5 min brake what ever bad habits.. trust me it's all bs.

[@malcolmmoffat2108]

Bad owner.

[@northwards2218]

First 24 mos can be very tough. Pursue some solid obedience training and make sure the pup can get vigorous exercise. You likely know these things, but I can’t stress them enough as a working line/Schutzhundt GSD/DSH owner. Also, if you haven’t, get careful instruction on a pinch collar (if necessary). Work with the GSD and they will work with you. Sorry to hear it has been a challenge

[@rmnixon14]

Maybe you are untrainable. A German Shepherd will be your partner. If you learn what the Shepherd wants there and do it there is a good chance the Shepherd will do things for you that you never thought to train the dog to do.

[@sueharrison9392]

You have let him be the alfa

[@ashwilliams3859]

I'd imagine it's because of your dogs lifestyle. Do you keep a tight and structured crate schedule or do you just let it freeroam the house all day and do whatever it wants?

[@davidlawrence942]

Mine only does one thing you say head tilting otherwise just a big softy that that wants to be friends with everyone an every dog he meets an doesn't do anything when another dog goes for him.