Ranked as the second-most-popular dog breed by the American Kennel Club, German Shepherds are intelligent and courageous, as well as large and strong, traits that help explain why they are popular shepherding and work dogs.
History
German Shepherds were originally bred as herding dogs, their strength, trainability, and intelligence making them nearly perfect for the task. These qualities, along with their loyalty, have opened up a vast array of job opportunities to German Shepherds. They are popular police dogs, actually holding rank as officers after undergoing training. Other specialized training allows them to work as guards. They can also be trained to sniff bombs, drugs, and gas leaks. Further, German Shepherds are trained as search-and-rescue dogs, working at disaster scenes as part of the emergency response. They are additionally popular as service dogs, where their loyalty and strong personalities are perfect for those needing extra assistance. Overall, German Shepherds are phenomenally talented animals.