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German Shepherd

origin: Germany · 35 figures in the corpus · Q38280

Every figure below carries this breed's name or id in its source study -- grouped by what it measures, not ranked. A breed appearing under a study here does not mean every other breed was tested and came back negative; it means this is what has a named source so far. See each figure's own page for its caveats.

Longevity

11.3 years (median survival) verified

German Shepherd Dog: median survival age, UK veterinary clinic population

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a census of all dogs of the breed.
  • Hazard ratio vs. the crossbred reference group: 1.24 (95% CI 1.22-1.27, p<0.001).
10.16 years (life expectancy at birth) verified

German Shepherd Dog: life expectancy at birth, UK veterinary clinic population

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a census of all dogs of the breed.
  • Life expectancy at birth (cohort life-table method), a different statistic from a Kaplan-Meier median survival age -- do not compare directly against McMillan 2024's figures.

Disorders (VetCompass)

7.89 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: most common disorder by prevalence -- Otitis externa

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
7.89 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Otitis externa prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
5.54 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Osteoarthritis prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
5.24 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Diarrhoea prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
5.18 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Overweight/obesity prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
4.76 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Aggression prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
4.1 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Dental disease prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
3.19 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Ear disorder prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
2.77 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Lameness prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
2.71 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Underweight prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
2.65 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Hip dysplasia prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
2.65 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Skin cyst prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
2.59 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Skin disorder prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
2.53 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Vomiting prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
2.05 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Stiffness prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.75 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Anal sac impaction prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.57 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Hypersensitivity disorder prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.51 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Conjunctivitis prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.51 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Laceration prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.45 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Atopic dermatitis prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.39 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Anal furunculosis prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.39 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Cryptorchidism prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.27 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Inability to stand prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.27 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Umbilical hernia prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.27 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Skin mass prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.14 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Periodontal disease prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.
1.14 percent prevalence verified

German Shepherd Dog: Seizure disorder prevalence

  • UK primary-care veterinary clinic population (VetCompass), not a breed census.

Temperament

27.5 percent scored 'high' fear preliminary

German Shepherd: share of surveyed dogs scored high on the Fear trait (Salonen 2020, Finnish pet dogs)

  • Self-selected online convenience sample of Finnish pet owners, not a random sample of the breed or of all dogs.
  • Restricted to breeds with at least 50 surveyed dogs to avoid small-sample noise.
23.2 percent scored 'high' noise sensitivity preliminary

German Shepherd: share of surveyed dogs scored high on the Noise sensitivity trait (Salonen 2020, Finnish pet dogs)

  • Self-selected online convenience sample of Finnish pet owners, not a random sample of the breed or of all dogs.
  • Restricted to breeds with at least 50 surveyed dogs to avoid small-sample noise.

Bite rate

51.838 bites per 1,000 licensed dogs preliminary

German Shepherd Dog: NYC bite reports per 1,000 licensed dogs of this breed, all years combined

  • One city only (NYC); breed labels are self-reported, not verified against a registry or genetic test.
  • Licensed-dog counts are active-license snapshots per extract year, not a true owned-dog population.

Other

4278 puppies registered verified

German Shepherd Dog (Pastoral group): UK Kennel Club new registrations, 2025; -44.8% vs 2016

  • UK-only; a breed with 0 or blank registrations in a year may be newly recognised, temporarily unregistered, or genuinely absent that year -- the source table does not distinguish these.
3.7 average litter size (puppies) verified

German shepherd dog, long-haired: average litter size, Danish Kennel Club registrations Aug 2022-Jul 2023
5.7 average litter size (puppies) verified

German shepherd dog, short-haired: average litter size, Danish Kennel Club registrations Aug 2022-Jul 2023