The King Shepherd is an intelligent, obedient, and friendly breed. But how do you know whether you are ready to purchase a pet and if this breed is right for you? This information is absolutely necessary in making the decision to purchase a pet.
History
The origin of the King Shepherd can be traced back to 1990’s United States, when breeders Sally Watts-Cross and David Turkheimer began experimenting with crossing various breeds. The two eventually bred the German Shepherd Dog, Alaskan Malamute, and Great Pyrenees, and the King Shepherd was finally born.
Throughout its history, the King Shepherd had been most commonly used for herding, driving, and protecting cattle from predators such as wolves, and as a watch and guard dog, proving its superior abilities to work while providing protection and companionship.
Today, while the King Shepherd has attained an underground popularity as a working and companion dog, the breed remains rather rare outside of its native United States.
Personality Traits
Best known for its friendly and outgoing nature, the King Shepherd is a genuinely happy and enthusiastic breed. These dogs thrive on strong and dependable relationships with humans, and often look to their owner for guidance and leadership. This breed is extremely intelligent and generally very easy to train. As a pet, the King Shepherd is obedient, loyal, loving, and affectionate. The King Shepherd is not suited for full-time indoor or apartment living, as it enjoys spending time outdoors, playing games such as fetch, and taking long walks.
Train-ability
Due to its eagerness to please and impress its owner and willingness to learn, the King Shepherd generally responds well to basic training and commands. This bright breed has the ability to learn to perform most any task its trainer is willing to take the time to teach.
Establishing immediate dominance, trust, and respect is key to successfully training the King Shepherd. These dogs require a confident, patient, and caring handler with a stern and serious approach to repetitive exercises and tasks.
Benefits and Disadvantages of the Breed
There are many benefits to owning a King Shepherd. This intelligent breed is obedient by nature, easy to train, and capable of learning to perform many impressive tricks and tasks. When properly socialized from a young age, the King Shepherd gets along well with small children and other pets, known for making friends quickly due to its social nature. These dogs are alert, territorial, and protective, making incredible watch and guard dogs by announcing the arrival of guests and unwanted visitors, and serving as a deterrent to would-be intruders. The King Shepherd is obedient, loyal, loving, and affectionate, making an excellent working dog, family pet, and companion alike.
Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages to owning a King Shepherd. These active and athletic dogs require large amounts of daily exercise and room to run and play outdoors. Anyone wishing to purchase this breed lacking the adequate amount of time and space to dedicate to the dog is strongly advised against doing so. A King Shepherd not receiving the proper amount of exercise and space will often act out by destroying property, chewing, barking, whining, and ignoring basic training such as housebreaking.
The King Shepherd has a strong instinct to herd and will occasionally indulge in a good chase. When on the run, these large dogs are surprisingly quick, and may pose a threat to other animals, neighborhood pets, and small woodland creatures. These dogs must be leashed or properly secured at all times when outdoors.
This breed’s long and gorgeous coat requires almost constant attention such as brushing and grooming in order to prevent tangling and maintain its attractive appearance.
As previously mentioned, the King Shepherd remains rather rare outside of its native United States and can prove difficult to obtain. Individuals seeking to purchase this breed often encounter such challenges as inability to locate a breeder, high prices, and being placed on long waiting lists.
While the King Shepherd is typically known as a healthy and hearty breed, they do suffer from a few health problems, including: hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, likeliness to be born with a cleft palate, congenital heart defects, chronic kidney infection, cryptorchidism – failure of one or both of the testicles to fully descend, and bloat.
Now that you know all about the breed, do you think you are ready to own a King Shepherd? Remember, purchasing a pet is a big decision and should be discussed thoroughly and seriously with your entire family.
