German Shepherds no longer the policeman's best friend

By Julia Waeschenbach Sep 8, 2011, 4:06 GMT

Hamburg - German Shepherds are the archetypal police dog, but they are increasingly being replaced by other breeds that are considered more courageous and better able to work under pressure.

Their cuddly fur, loyalty and mild nature has put the German Shepherd high on the worldwide list of most favourite breeds. But these facts have become less useful when it comes to police departments, which are gradually reducing their use of the breed in security and search operations. The new breed of choice is a Belgian sheepdog found to be more courageous and resolute.

But Christian Grube, spokesman for Germany's association for the popular breed, said German Shepherds are in no way cowardly.

'These dogs have strong nerves and in terms of their ability to be taught have the best characteristics,' said Grube. Their big advantage is their versatility. 'They can be deployed as sheepdogs, as seeing-eye dogs, as dogs used in therapies for humans, as sporting dogs, as family pets and of course as rescue dogs.'

But in Germany love of the breed nevertheless has slowly declined. The number of registered births of German Shepherds has dropped by half in the last 12 years. However, Grube points out that 1 million German Shepherd puppies were born around the world in 2010.

Nevertheless, the dogs are being phased out by the police in North Rhine-Westphalia. There are only 26 German Shepherds active in the force compared with 281 sheepdogs belonging to the Belgian breed Malinois.

Starting in 1988 animals of both breeds were bred over a period of several years. On average the Belgian breed performed better than German Shepherds, said Guenther Bonke, a dog handler at the North Rhine-Westphalian state education and research office for the police.

'A police dog has to be courageous and determined in stressful situations and defend its handler,' said Bonke. The animal must be highly motivated through play and reward in order to sniff out illegal narcotics and explosives. 'The Belgian sheepdogs that we raised showed all of that in greater measures.'

On the whole the Belgian sheepdog is not only more robust, but also cheaper than its German counterpart. Because many of Germany's 16 states buy their dogs rather than breed them, the price plays a decisive role, said Bonke.

In any case, however, German police departments have no plans to stop using German Shepherds completely. 'We have amassed a long record of good experience,' said a spokesman for the police department in Potsdam.

Many families also remain true to the German Shepherd and want them as pets. There were 14,500 German Shepherd puppies born in Germany last year, according to a German dog association. That puts it ahead of the ever-popular dachshund and even the retriever.

The police in North Rhine-Westphalia still stand by the dogs. 'Our decision on breeding is not a decision against the dog,' said Bonke. 'Many of our dog handlers would love to have one. We are desperately looking for good dogs for them.'