Half the battle of having a well-behaved dog is finding the right type of dog for you and your family. As trainers who provide professional dog training in Los Angeles, we cannot stress the importance of knowing your breeds and doing your research!

Figuring out what you want from your dog is important: do you want a dog who is silly and has lots of personality? Are you an outdoor adventure family who go on hikes often and want a dog who's up for the physical challenge? Do you have young kids looking for a canine companion? Some people like dogs who are independent, and others would prefer a dog who follows them around the house.

Every breed of dog was engineered for a different purpose. There are working dogs, sporting breeds, toys, herding dogs, terriers, and so on and it matters which group your dog (or soon-to-be dog) belongs to. If you hate physical exercise and you bring home a husky, you might have a few problems.

For that reason, we’ve created a semi-regular series featuring posts on specific dog breeds and mixes. We talk about what certain dogs were/are bred for, what they are good at, and different ideas on how to achieve success when training them.

This month, we are starting with the German Shepherd!

The German Shepherd is a breed of large-sized working dog that originated in Germany. As part of the Herding Group, German Shepherds are working dogs developed originally for herding sheep. German Shepherds are routinely seen working in airports, with police officers, even jumping out of planes! German Shepherds are the second most popular dog breed in the United States.

erman Shepherds can be a wonderful addition to any family or workplace, provided they get they get what they need: lots of exercise, proper socialization, and a couple of hobbies will go a long way. The main thing to remember with any dog is that their success is dependent on your participation. These animals don't get to choose which home they end up in—that's our choice. Which means it's up to us to do our research. It’s our responsibility to learn everything we can about what these dogs need and make sure we are able to meet those needs.

Most behavioral issues result from the dog not getting what they need from us. We call them our best friends! Let's do our best to treat them like that.