# Whats the truth on those giant german shepherds?



## NYCgsd (Apr 23, 2016)

Don't know much about them, other than they are oversized german shepherds. Whats the story on them? Some of the breeders selling them seem legit, but Ive also heard how they aren't real german shepherds? Does anyone have any experience with them? If so do they have health problems? One of the breeders site was advertising puppy growth pills. Seemed really sketchy. But another one looked very legit. Just looking for general info on this type of dog. Im not looking to get one just curious as to their origin.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Remember that old saying about a fool and his money? The internet put in ALL CAPS.


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

A German Shepherd is a medium sized dog, not a large dog. A normal, male GSD should be in the 70 - 85 lb range when full grown, @ 3 years old. A normal, female GSD will be be 55 to maybe 70lbs. Naturally, there will be some exceptions to the rule. With some well bred dogs being smaller or even a little larger. 

When it comes to size, bigger is not better with GSD's. As Mark Twain said: It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. 

German Shepherds are rarely near a 100 lbs. Let me clarify, well bred dogs that have drive and can work are rarely 100 lbs. I know of one dog that worked well at 99lbs. I love it when some one tells me that their GSD is 120lbs as that is a good thing or something to brag about????? It clearly shows me that they have little experience with GSD's, and they feed their dogs way to much. 

How many 300lb Olympic Sprinters do you see? The dog in this picture is 80 lbs max, and he is not a small dog by any means. His physical shape is what a GSD should be. If a breeder brags about the size of their GSD's or promotes oversized dogs, run away. Run very quickly. :wink2:


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Bud still tips the scales at a solid 95lbs and he's in good shape, lean and fit.
He came from perfectly normal sized parents, he's just big.
And I can promise you that Shadow runs circles around him, all day. Had he been put to work I would be concerned about his joints and his overall health. As it is I am blessed that he has stayed sound for almost 14yrs.

If I EVER wanted a huge GSD the only breeder I would even consider would be Royalair. They have done everything they can to ensure the health of their dogs, and even they admit that their dogs are not working dogs.


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## Augustine (Nov 22, 2014)

I see a lot of people - especially other men - bragging about their "king" shepherds, or saying they'd love to have a big, strong dog. It's mostly one of those big macho things. I'm guessing for the same reason that people get giant, obnoxious cars; they're just show offs with inflated egos. They think the bigger the dog, the manlier *they* are.

We thought Butters was going to be a big girl; she was the runt of the litter, but our vet said she'd probably be at least 80 pounds. Now Butters is sitting pretty at 65lb. lol

People producing litters that have a few over or undersized dogs is normal, IIRC, but I'd be wary of anyone that breeds specifically FOR a certain size. That just shows they either don't know much about the dog, or simply do not care. In the end, it all stems from people being, well.. idiots.


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## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

I happen to have an exception to the rule with my girl.. Did not buy her to be oversized and she is a well bred working line Shepherd. She is a certified SAR trailing dog and I watched her today run circles around my malamute /gsd (both are 2yrs old) and my brothers 11mos old aussie/lab mix. She is ridiculously fast and agile and was weighed at the vets Friday at 88lbs lean... 

You wouldn't think she is the weight she is, most think she is 70lbs as she is lean although well muscled and proportioned.. That being said, I am extremely aware of how much pounding her joints are getting and try very hard to mitigate any unnecessary hardcore jumping etc.. I would be happier I'd she was the 70lbs or so... For her longevity and working life..


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## Dionne2u (Nov 5, 2018)

I purchased one from a breeder in Texas, the puppy is same weight as my other NON giant german shepherd at the same age. Not sure now of how other dogs look as they won't let you on property, though before a deposit they say they will. Much learned from this experience!


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

My big-boy is a healthy long haired GSD of 90 lbs. He is strong and courageous and when doing bitework hits like a tank! In the summer, though, he melts. His stamina goes way down because he just gets too hot to work long. I'm sure it is part being long haired and part being huge. Even when he was young and only 70 lbs, he still slowed down in the summer. So that is something else to consider about over large dogs.

If you are talking about King Shepherds, there are breeders trying to make them their own breed but I cannot see that being a good thing. A general rule is The larger the dog, The shorter the lifespan. Why would anyone want that?


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

NYCgsd said:


> Don't know much about them, other than they are oversized german shepherds. Whats the story on them? Some of the breeders selling them seem legit, but Ive also heard how they aren't real german shepherds? Does anyone have any experience with them? If so do they have health problems? One of the breeders site was advertising puppy growth pills. Seemed really sketchy. But another one looked very legit. Just looking for general info on this type of dog. Im not looking to get one just curious as to their origin.



My dog is oversized and I’ve been asked if he is a King Shepherd. 
You can find info on Google including finding breeders.
They are a mixed breed dog, German Shepherd and something else.


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## Femfa (May 29, 2016)

I've met a King Shepherd, and my partner's uncle over in the UK has always owned them. Not what I'd consider true to the breed standard in terms of temperament, let alone size, and being that size with a GSD is just a problem waiting to happen. And @Slamdunc, I agree... for some reason every person I've ever met who hasn't tried to learn about the breed always brags about the weight of their GSD and them being "alpha". I always just have to nod my head and smile. Especially at the people who tell me their GSD is "defense trained"...


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

The King shepherds branched off from the Shiloh shepherd, which became their own breed when Tina Barber crossed a dog named Secret Samson Woo with her German shepherds. Samson was supposed to be a mix of German shepherd and giant malamute. 

Tina was already breeding GSDs that were over the standard height. Some of her purebred registered males were 28 - 29 inches tall. She did not allow her dogs to get overweight though, nor did she brag about how heavy they were.

Anyway, a lady named Alice Fisher wanted to go her own way with the Shilohs, and breed to whoever she felt like breeding to, but since the breed was still under development, Tina couldn't let that happen, and took her to court, and won.

Alice had to stop calling her dogs Shilohs. She chose the name King shepherds instead. Most of her dogs were heavily line bred on a GSD that was NOT purebred, and had probably come from the union of a GSD female and an unknown male: possibly a Sarplaninac. Because this was an outcross, linebreeding on her was bringing in a lot of undesirable traits, which was the main reason Tina had to shut her down.

I have heard that other breeds have been mixed in with the Kings, but the giant malamute/GSD and the 'big grey dog' which was likely a Sarplaninac, or one of the other flock guardian breeds, are the only two I know about for sure. And it's quite possible the malamute had more than a little wolf blood in it!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Shepherd


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