Introducing Your German Shepherd to a New Companion
Even if you find two breeds that should be compatible on paper, there’s no guarantee that the two dogs you have will get along. They might be temperamentally and physically suited to each other but still decide that they don’t want to be friends.
Luckily, there are some ways you can help to prevent this from happening. A lot of it comes down to the way that you introduce them.
If you introduce your dogs in the right manner, you might set them up for a lifelong friendship. On the other hand, if you introduce them improperly, you could be setting them up for failure instead, practically egging them into a fight.
Naturally, this is something you want to avoid, which the following tips will help you to do.
Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to introduce your dogs when they’re young. But if you can, this is absolutely the best time to do it.
When puppies are still young, they usually haven’t developed the territorial or possibly aggressive tendencies that might manifest later in life. They still rely on other dogs, namely their mother, for love and affection, so they’re far more receptive to interaction with other dogs at this stage.
If you introduce your dogs when they’re still both young, they’ll grow up together. In essence, they’ll be siblings or packmates, and they will see themselves that way. This means they aren’t as likely to be territorial about the home, though they might still be territorial about particular toys or places.
When you introduce two adults, they’re often already territorial or aggressive towards other dogs, particularly if they’re the same sex. But when you introduce them young, they usually haven’t developed these tendencies yet.
11 Best Companion Dogs for a German Shepherd
Do keep in mind that differences between individual canines mean that there’s no guarantee your German Shepherd will get along with particular pooches of any breed; even those breeds seem highly compatible on paper.
Having said that, the following breeds are the ones that will temperamentally line up with your German Shepherd the best, providing a high probability of them getting along.
Physically, German Shepherds are a perfect match for each other, and they’re nearly as good of a match temperamentally as well.
When you get two German Shepherds, you can be fairly sure that their energy levels and desire to play around will match up.
Furthermore, we know that German Shepherds are highly trainable and very obedient dogs, and two dogs that obey your every command will be more likely to get along. Plus, you’ll be able to put a quicker end to their fighting if it happens!
German Shepherds meet most of the criteria we’ve outlined above that would make them a good match for another German Shepherd. The only problem is, German Shepherds aren’t the most accepting of other dogs.
Even so, they’re a great match in so many other respects that it should be pretty easy to mitigate this one issue by following some of the tips I’ll lay out later in this article.
There’s only one breed of dog that’s more popular in the US than the German Shepherd, and that is the Labrador Retriever. They’ve been ranked number one for many years running now, and if you know a bit about the breed, it’s easy to see why.
Like German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers are exceptionally adaptable dogs, receiving a 5/5 rating by the AKC.
The breed has also been given a 5/5 rating in trainability, which means they’re easy to train and more likely to be obedient once you’ve trained them. This gives you better control over your dog, making it easier to put a stop to problems before they grow out of control.
Continuing with our 5/5 ratings, Labrador Retrievers are ranked the same for their energy levels, meaning that they’ve got sufficient energy to match any rambunctious German Shepherd. And with another 5/5 rating in playfulness, you can be sure that a Lab will want to play just as much as your Shepherd does.
Thankfully, since Labrador Retrievers weigh between 55 and 80 pounds on average, they’re also a great fit for a German Shepherd physically. They’re large enough to hold their own in any rough play and won’t be seen as potential prey.
Dobermans might not be as popular as German Shepherds or Labrador Retrievers, but they’ve still been in the top-20 consistently for many years. This is mainly due to how they interact with their families, and Dobermans have proven to be loving and affectionate dogs that are great with children, similar to German Shepherds.
Also like German Shepherds, Dobermans have only been given a 3/5 rating for how good they are with other dogs.
However, they’re a 5/5 breed on energy levels and trainability, with 4/5 ratings for both playfulness and adaptability.
Given this information, it’s safe to assume that most Dobermans will easily match a German Shepherd for energy and should have a similar desire for play.
Plus, they’ll be easy to train and will adapt well to many situations, making them obedient and easy to control. This helps you to avoid any conflicts that might arise between your dogs if they don’t get along like best friends right off the jump.
Physically, Dobermans are ideal partners for German Shepherds. They’re a bit larger than a Shepherd, with males sometimes weighing up to 100 pounds and standing 28 inches tall.
This means that they won’t be pushovers to your German Shepherd’s rough play style, making them a great match for the rambunctious play that German Shepherds love so much.
Rounding out the top three of the most popular dog breeds in America is the Golden Retriever. To be fair, these dogs are so amiable that they’ll probably get along with any breed, and it’s exactly this that makes them a great fit for nearly any German Shepherd.
Like Labs and German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers are excellent with kids and affectionate with family. They’re also great with other dogs, receiving a 5/5 rating from the AKC.
Golden Retrievers are also just as adaptable and trainable as German Shepherds, which is why they’re also used for a variety of different canine jobs with great success. The fact is, they’re some of the best candidates for service work.
You’ll find that most Golden Retrievers are almost as playful as your average German Shepherd, though they’re a little less energetic.
Don’t take that to mean that they’re lazy dogs because they’re certainly not, they’re just not quite as active as German Shepherds, which might help to temper your Shepherd’s energetic behavior just a bit.
Weighing in between 55 and 75 pounds on average, Golden Retrievers are a great physical match for German Shepherds, and they will easily be able to give back as much as they take during vigorous play sessions.
With males weighing up to 80 pounds, Boxers are a bully breed that’s a close physical match for the German Shepherd.
Similar to Shepherds, Boxers are lean, muscular, athletic, and have exceptional endurance, which is part of what makes them a great choice for a German Shepherd’s companion.
Boxers are almost everything that German Shepherds are, but a little less. Where the German Shepherd is rated 5/5 in trainability, energy, and adaptability, Boxers are rated close behind in each category.
Still, this shows that they’re trainable, obedient, and brimming with energy. And as any Boxer parent can tell you, Boxers absolutely love to play! I have a Boxer, and personally, I would rate him a 6/5 for playfulness any day of the week.
Boxers are obedient dogs that listen well, and they’re generally quite easy to discipline. This will make it easy to keep control of your Boxer to help avoid any problems from occurring between them and your German Shepherd.
Topping out around 60 pounds but standing nearly two feet tall, Siberian Huskies are a bit smaller and more petite than German Shepherds, though they make up for that with incredible temperaments.
Despite the small difference in size, Huskies can still give German Shepherds a good run for their money in any physical arena. After all, we’re talking about a breed that was originally used to pull sleds full of supplies in temperatures far below freezing across vast snowy expanses. These dogs are anything but pushovers.
German Shepherds may not be apt to get along with every dog they encounter, but Siberian Huskies are, which will make it more likely for your pair to get along cordially. And Huskies are also just as playful as German Shepherds with energy levels to match.
While German Shepherds are incredibly protective, Huskies really aren’t, receiving a rating of just 1/5 by the AKC for protective nature. This means that they’re less likely to become jealous of your German Shepherd for getting time with the family. When they’re not jealous, they won’t cause problems, and the household stays harmonious.
With a 5/5 rating by the AKC in both energy levels and trainability, you can be sure that a German Wirehaired Pointer will match your German Shepherd in energy and be obedient enough for you to keep control of them both.
German Wirehaired Pointers (GWP) are extremely active dogs that are classified as part of the sporting group. They’re smart, quick-thinking, and require tons of exercise, similar to a German Shepherd. This is what makes them a good match; they’ll be able to push each other and play, ensuring that both are getting ample exercise.
In addition, GWPs are appropriately sized to make great playmates for a German Shepherd. Standing 22-26 inches tall on average, they’re essentially the same size as their Shepherd cousins.
However, Pointers tend to be a bit lighter, topping out around 70 pounds. Even so, your GWP should have no problem holding their own against your German Shepherd, even during the roughest of play!
Bred for hunting in a variety of different environments, GWPs are incredibly versatile, adaptable dogs, which should make it easier for one to adapt to a new life with a new family and a German Shepherd.
Plus, GWPs are far less protective than German Shepherds, receiving a rating of just 3/5 for their protective nature, so they’re less likely to display jealous behaviors.
And as an added bonus, German Wirehaired Pointers are low-shedding dogs. When you’ve already got a German Shepherd that’s known to shed an inordinate amount, it could be considered a blessing if your second dog doesn’t shed much!
In many regards, Belgian Malinois are very similar to German Shepherds, which is why they’ve become such popular choices for the same types of work that German Shepherds are used for.
Weighing in between 40 and 80 pounds, these dogs are a bit lighter than German Shepherds, though they’re essentially the same size, standing between 22-26 inches on average.
Temperamentally, a Belgian Malinois will also be very similar to a German Shepherd, though they’re usually a bit less affectionate and friendly. This can be an advantage though, as it can reduce the chances of your German Shepherd having jealousy issues because of your Belgian Malinois looking for attention from the family.
Belgian Malinois are very energetic dogs with plenty of endurance to play or work for the whole day without issue, which is exactly what your German Shepherd needs in a partner.
That said, Belgian Malinois aren’t the most playful dogs ever. They’ll still want to play often, but your German Shepherd’s drive to play will probably be stronger than your Belgian Malinois.
As you might expect from a breed that’s used across the world for demanding work, Belgian Malinois are highly trainable and very intelligent. With a little training, you can expect your Malinois to be obedient, allowing you to be confident about your control. When you’re in control of your dogs, you can more easily stop confrontations between them.
The German Shorthaired Pointer or GSP is very similar to the German Wirehaired Pointer that we’ve already discussed, but it is a separate breed. Still, many of the traits that make a GWP a good companion for a German Shepherd also apply to German Shorthaired Pointers.
GSPs are the ninth most popular breed in the US, and they’ve been in the top ten consistently for many years. It’s very easy to understand their immense popularity once you know a few of the breed’s finer points.
Not only are they excellent with children and affectionate with family, but German Shorthaired Pointers are also known to get along well with other dogs.
They don’t shed nearly as much as German Shepherds, so you won’t be multiplying the loose hair in your household by too much if you add a GSP to the family.
GSPs are protective by nature but less so than a German Shepherd. They’ll still feel the natural urge to protect the family but are less likely to become jealous when your German Shepherd is getting affection and attention.
Like German Shepherds, GSPs are very adaptable. Moreover, they’re extremely high-energy dogs bred for long days spent hunting in the field, brush, or even the water. There’s little chance that your German Shepherd will outplay or outlast a German Shorthaired Pointer!
Thankfully, GSPs are quite similar in size to German Shepherds, standing 21-25 inches tall and weighing between 45 and 70 pounds on average.
In the German Shorthaired Pointer, any German Shepherd will have met their match in terms of energy, playfulness, and obedience, making it very likely that everyone in the household gets along.
Big, strong, and tough, Rottweilers are a bully breed that can’t be pushed around by anyone, including your German Shepherd. This is why German Shepherds and Rottweilers make great companions; Rotties can keep up with German Shepherds in every way.
Rottweilers are quite a bit bigger than German Shepherds. They’re not much taller, mind you, with the tallest males only topping the tallest German Shepherds by an inch. Even so, they’re much thicker dogs, with some males weighing up to 135 pounds.
Despite how much heavier they are, Rottweilers are still incredibly athletic. They’re agile, fast, and extremely strong.
Plus, they love to play, just like your German Shepherd. Both of these breeds require a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour of exercise each day, and they’ll certainly get it with the vigorous play that’s sure to ensue between them!
Do be aware, it might be very difficult to walk a German Shepherd and Rottweiler together, simply due to their immense strength! So, make sure you’re prepared.
A snow-white furball with a happy-go-lucky smile, the Samoyed is a relative of the Siberian Husky. There are many similarities between the breeds, some of which help to make the Samoyed a great companion for a German Shepherd just like a Siberian Husky would be.
These dogs are slightly smaller than German Shepherds on average. Samoyeds stand between 19 and 23.5 inches and weigh up to 65 pounds.
Don’t let their smaller size fool you though. These are tough dogs that were bred in the Siberian Arctic to hunt, herd, and haul heavy sleds in the freezing snow. They can definitely handle a bit of rough and tumble play!
Best of all, they really love to play! Samoyeds are even more playful than German Shepherds, though they’re just a tad less energetic. This combination should make them great partners for German Shepherds since they’ll want to play just as much but will be likely to keep the antics a little calmer.
You might think with all that poofy hair that a Samoyed would shed like crazy, but they actually shed less than German Shepherds, so they won’t increase the extra mess all that much.
How to prevent fights between German Shepherds and small dogs?
Mind you, a fight between a German Shepherd and a small dog isn’t going to end well!
Unless you are 100% sure of their behavior, you’ll need to keep a close eye on both dogs until they are well-integrated with each other.
Here are a few things that you can do to help prevent fights between dogs.
GERMAN SHEPHERD WITH CHILDREN AND PETS
The best companion dogs for German Shepherds are usually mellow, large dogs that can keep up with their sweet personalities. Depending on the breed of the dog, they will have distinct personalities. If you look at these traits closely, you can find breeds that are most suitable to German Shepherds.
You need to take into account more than just how dogs behave while resting or playing. You need to check whether possessiveness, aggressiveness, and rivalry can arise between the dogs too. The best part about owning German Shepherds is that they pretty much get along with any dogs that are the same size as them. Large, mellow dogs are better able to keep up with the demands of the Shepherds.
While some experts suggest that some small dogs like bulldogs and terriers can also go along well with German Shepherds, large dogs are generally your best bet. Here are some of the best dogs for German Shepherds. Contents