Female German Shepherd dogs are slightly smaller, lighter and more delicate in their features than their male counterparts. A female German shepherd puppy may be the best choice if you are primarily seeking a pet or a guard dog for the family. This is because they have a stronger tendency towards guarding groups, not individuals. They also have lower overall aggression than males, and therefore are a popular choice for therapy or service work.
Contents
- How big are female German Shepherds?
- Differences in temperament
- Training and socialization
- Special female health considerations
Today, I’ll take a close look at the female German Shepherd Dog. I will examine the unique temperament, personality, and characteristics of these gorgeous girls, and to help you decide which gender is the right fit for you.
Male vs Female German Shepherds
For some people, aside from simple size, weight, and height considerations, there really is no important or measurable difference between a male and a female German shepherd. But for other people, even the subtle differences between a male and a female German shepherd can be sufficiently important to make one gender a preferable choice to the other in certain specific situations.
Female German Shepherd size, height, and weight
One of the most obvious general distinctions about the female GSD is that she is generally leaner, smaller, and shorter than her male counterpart.
German shepherd dogs are considered to be “sexually dimorphic,” which means there can be a visible difference in appearance between the appearance of the adult male and adult female dogs within the breed. This may be as simple as a height and weight difference or it could include differences in facial and body configuration and behavior, what is often termed “feminization” or “masculinization,” which relates to the dominance of different hormones as the dog grows up.
The female GSD stands 22 to 24 inches high (paw to shoulder), a full two inches shorter than the male. And the female GSD will weigh between 50 and 70 pounds, which makes her about 15 pounds lighter than the adult male. Of course, these weight generalizations may vary depending on any given puppy’s parents.
Coat Color and Pattern
The bi-color coat pattern is the most common and recognized color for the German shepherd dog of either gender. In most cases, you will find a black female German shepherd that displays one other secondary coat color, either cream, red, tan, or silver.
In certain cases, you may see a single-color GSD in blue, gray, liver, sable, or white, although these are not breed standard colors and may render your dog at fault or deemed ineligible (certainly in the case of the white coat color) for the show ring.
There is no gender-related differentiation in overall coat color or pattern that is seen in the male versus female German shepherd.
Female German Shepherd Personality
The German shepherd female temperament can also show marked differences in behavior and personality that can be related back to her gender.
Whether these differences are present and how apparent they may be will vary depending on the traits of the specific parent dogs, which is why it is important to be able to meet and get to know each parent dog as you are selecting between male and female German shepherd puppies.
Experienced GSD breeders and trainers often cite the following presentation and personality differences you may see more frequently or more overtly in the female German shepherd temperament:
- Less likely to guard “her” items, be that a favorite toy, a treat or meal, a certain family member, etc.
- More likely to bond equally with more than one family member (aside from the principle person responsible for training and meals).
- May be easier to train and more sensitive to commands and cues.
- Possibly a better pick for service dog or therapy dog work.
- Good for rally, agility, and obedience training due to lighter weight, smaller size, and more graceful body structure.
- Less apt to become territorial in the presence of strangers.
- A female German shepherd dog may be a better pick for first-time dog owners, families with young children, or individuals/families primarily desiring a pet dog.
Lifespan
In one study sponsored through the Royal Veterinary College in the UK, data showed that at 11.1 years, female German shepherd dogs tend to live, on average, 1.4 years longer than male GSDs, whose average lifespan is 9.7 years.
Female German Shepherd Training
The GSD is currently the second most popular family pet dog in America, and this is for good reason, but ongoing regular socialization and puppy training is a huge reason why! Here, when planning your GSD’s sociability and training, it is wise to keep certain fundamental German shepherd dog traits in mind.
This is one of the most intelligent of all dog breeds! Your German shepherd has an incredibly strong work ethic with tremendous drive and focus while on the job. They will also bond strongly with the entire family.
Positive training methods focus on delivering praise, playtime, pets, and treats in response to well-learned tasks and commands. Negative training will likely increase this breed’s tendency towards aggression or hostility when poorly handled.
German shepherds of either gender are hands-down one of the most popular police and K-9 dogs in the world. Some of these are German shepherd mix dogs while others are purebred GSDs.
Socialization
Everyone in the family should play a part in feeding and training your new pup. This will go a long way towards developing her tendency to bond closely with each family member. Make sure that she meets lots of strangers outdoors and at home. The window for socialization closes around 16 weeks old, so your first few weeks together are going to be busy.
While a female German shepherd is lighter and shorter, she will still be strong from the get-go! Choosing the right collar and lead system will help you.
Female German shepherds will need plenty of early socialization with young children in the family and with other family pets. Young children in particular will need to be supervised at all times in interactions with your female GSD puppy! This is for everyone’s safety. Children may be unintentionally rougher with a puppy that can be easily tolerated and this can lead to preventable incidents.
Health Issues and Testing
There are some health issues that both male and female GSDs share in common. These issues include hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, cardiac issues, eye issues, autoimmune thyroiditis, and degenerative myelopathy. Only hip and elbow dysplasia are currently required tests for reputable breeders, with the remainder being optional (recommended) health tests.
German shepherds can sometimes contract a blood disease called hemophilia A. Female German shepherd dogs are usually carriers and, unlike males with the genes for the condition, will not show symptoms. There is a health test to detect this disease, which is present from birth.
Idiopathic Epilepsy
Interestingly, this condition is less likely to impact female German shepherd dogs than males. The reason is not yet known, although researchers suspect there may be several genes (polygenetic) involved.
German Shepherd Spaying
Having an un neutered female dog is inconvenient, but only for a few weeks of the year.
Spaying is a commonly carried out procedure, but it does come with some risks. Certain health conditions are more common in girls that are spayed before 12 months old. This is because spaying gets rid of some important hormones. Urinary incontinence, mammary cancer and joint disorders are all more likely is your girl is neutered before a year old.
LISA says
how to train my dogs German Shepherd
Pippa Mattinson says
Hi Lisa, I think you’ll find this article helpful.
trisha nicole humphreys says
my female is extremely protective of me. she is very aggressive towards our male shepard and others in the house. she will go at them as in attacking if to close to me. she will only listen to me for most part. how do i or what do i do to fix this aggression shes showing
Sherry says
You need to give her the confidence she is lacking. Mine lacks confidence and we are in training. She isn’t aggressive because she has her own toys and make sure you or your family members doesn’t play one dog against the other for entertainment. Some of my issues comes from genetics.
Don says
My female German Shepherd puppy is 19 weeks old tomorrow. She stands just over 20” at the shoulder and is 56” long from tip of muzzle to tip of tail and weighs 40LBS. My vet told me the very first time she saw her at 7 weeks that she had exceptionally large paws and that she would be over 100LBS at maturity. Is it possible that she could have King Shepherd genetics ?
Sherry says
I suggest you do a DNA from Embark. I have a large female too.
Claire says
Hey, My Name is Claire
I really love animals
Jay Tripathi says
What is the timing of her first heat ?
And please give me information how it will heat ?
Jay Tripathi says
What is the price of female German Shepherd of two months .
Please tell immediately because I have to buy it.
Sorry says
I HAVE A FEMALE GS 2 YEARS OLD AND A MALE GOLDEN LAB 3 YEARS OLD, MY GS JUST RECENTLY HAS BEEN ATTACKING MY GOLDEN LAB. PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE THIS ISSUE OUT.
Hillary Christian says
I have a 9 year old female German shepherd she acts like a regular dog but my mom and I are worried because her belly is black and we don’t know what is wrong
Heather says
I have a female gsd, she is 1 year and 4 months old. She went into heat for the first time 5 months ago and when it happened she started limping on her right rear leg and her front left leg. She didn’t want to eat anything so I made her some hearty meals that she would eat instead of her regular dog food. I was told that the behavior could be normal for her and to wait and see how she acted afterwards. She was back to perfectly normal as soon as she stopped bleeding and about 2 weeks into it she stopped limping. I have never had a gsd before, I’ve had a lot of different dogs though. She started limping on her hind leg and front leg again but she has not gone into heat, she stopped eating for 2 days and then started eating again. I called her vet and they said that if she had the same symptoms during her first cycle that it’s probably normal for her. What should I do in this situation? I’m worried that she may have something else wrong but I have no experience with these dogs and I don’t know anyone else that does.
DUKE says
I HAVE A FEMALE GS 2 YEARS OLD AND A MALE GOLDEN LAB 3 YEARS OLD, MY GS JUST RECENTLY HAS BEEN ATTACKING MY GOLDEN LAB. PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE THIS ISSUE OUT.
Roger says
Thank you for the advice on the female German Shepherd breed. I’m seriously considering getting 1
marley says
i am 9 and i am thinking about getting a girl GS puppy. pls help me with some tips.
Graham Skeer says
We have adopted a female German Shepherd. We are told she has finished breeding!! and sent to kennels, then a foster home. The foster carer believes she could be between 5 or 6 years old. Is there any definite way to be sure?
Melody says
I am a fairly new GSD parent. I’m very familiar with dobermans, and America pitbull terriers. However my family has had GSD. Always gentle and female’s. I got a female as well. And although every dog I’ve ever had has had a special place that I’ll never forget. Actually after losing my old red nose American pit at 12 to skin cancer I didn’t ever want another dog having to finally put her at rest. I have never had to do this to ease one of my animals pain. Eventually I tossed the idea around. I guess when my boy asked what do you want for Christmas? I’m sure he wanted me to pick out a ring. Lol um nooo how about a German shepherd puppy. So it was done. And I had Harley Quinn. A sable big boned girl. I just didn’t realize how big. So shes 8 months now and stands at 24 1/2 inches tall, everyone has thought she was a boy since I’ve gotten her at 8 weeks. Shes yet to go into heat. Shes to big to weigh at this point but I’m going to guess about 75 to 80 lbs is this normal for an 8 month old puppy? I got a female thinking they were smaller. Dont get me wrong not disappointed at all in her good nature or temperament easiest dog I’ve ever had to train, she tends to have a super crazy playful size but old sole, if that makes any sense. I’d keep her even if she was as tall as a horse lol I’d just get 3 king beds. But just wondering have you run across large females like her? Thank you
Jordan says
My husband and I have a 90 lb female that is tall and lean. Both her mother and father were very large GSD so we knew this was a possibility.
jaden says
yes get a female gsd. i had four of them 2 sisters and 2 sisters. the best part of my life ever, they are playful and loving protective they cuddle they respect there owners. they know when you love them because they are so smart. ammazing 2 the sisters had bloat . i was home was very serious. i did apexpy one other sheppard….loooovvvve my dogs so much. they fall in love with thr owners. 2 were akc they were kind and gentle, other two sisters not akc were a bit more gaurded with toys and me thy had a couple fights. you must walk these dogs in the evening before bed is best 4 hrs after dinner. not good, but i spent 1000 of hrs trainning them. dajota lived to be 12 a dr made a very bad mistake and killed her by accident, new dr, seems drs fresh out of school dont understand the fragileness of this type of dog .must be with experienced vet a good vet.for any issue. than her sisiter same thing,dr made a mistake kept feeding her with pancreatitus and gave her too much asprin was fatal, her name was tiga she lived to 14.5 yrs old. than lizzy had cancer she died at 15 yrs old but healthy and happy until last week of her life. My last sheppard lived to be 17yrs old. her sister. she didnt die on her own, new dr made a mistake, . Vca isnt the best hospital. i recommend an older experienced Dr, please look into pet ins. will help when they are older, please get your pet preventitive to bloat surgery. I had the best time with these dogs when running everyday. i cooked a organinc and boiled chkn meal.low fat with rice. mixed with merrick. some grains are good,
Hi says
Low fat isn’t good for a dog. Fat keeps you alive, and fat make it so you can even absorb all that protein.