German Shepherd Pitbull Mix – Complete Dog Breed Information

• Size: Large
• Dog Breed Group: Hybrid
• Purebred: No-Cross Breed
• Lifespan: 10-12 Years
• Height: Male: Height: 18-26 Inches (45-66 Cm), Female: 17-24 Inches (43-60cm)
• Weight: Male: 40-90 Pounds (18 – 40 Kg), Female: 30-70 Pounds(13-31 Kg)
• Coat Appearance: Normal, Short And Straight Coat
• Coat Colors: Tan, Black, White, Fawn
• Temperament: Alert, Athletic,  Affectionate, Devoted,  Intelligent, Lively,   Loyal,   Protective,  Responsive,  Spirited, Territorial, Watchful
• Good With Children: Yes
• Intelligence Level: High
• Good With Pets: No
• Hypoallergenic: No
• Grooming: Minimal
• Shedding: Average
• Barking: High
• Suitable For Apartments: No
• Need For Exercise: High
• Easy To Train: Yes
• Good For First Time Owners: No
• Health Issues: Demodicosis, Panosteitis, abnormal development of hip joints (coxofemoral joint), Hemophilia, Degenerative Myelopathy, Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency
• Litter Size: 5-10
• Average Price: 300- 600 Usd

It’s estimated that the Shepherd Pit started emerging en masse about 20-30 years ago, around the same time other cross breed dogs hit the scene.

Breeders need to thank Jessica Simpson and her Maltipoo, Daisy for that. While there’s no precise origin and history about GSD-Pitbull Mix, it’s speculated that this hybrid was designed to blend the Pit’s power and athleticism with the Shep’s smartness and loyalty.

Today, it’s one of the most common hybrids out there but it’s also one that is commonly found in animal rescues and shelters.

These are due to some very common misconceptions and many scathing attacks made towards both the parent breeds a well as mixes associated with these breeds.

Read on to figure out what’s factual and what’s fake about these dogs.

If you want a dog who is

• Powerful, protective and Looks stern as well as Striking
• Strong, sleekly-muscled “masculine” build
• Smart, Loyal and makes an excellent watchdog.
• Looks imposing enough so that he makes an effective deterrent even when friendly
• Easy grooming requirements

Well, a Shepherd pit may be right for you.  

If you don’t want to deal with

• Boisterousness and exuberant jumping when young
• Strong athletic streaks and energetic exercise requirements
• A calm, collected pooch that can some lines are bit timid around
• High prey drive and Potential aggression toward other animals
• Low boredom threshold. Destructiveness, when bored or, left alone too much

A Shepherd pit may not be right for you…keep looking

Height – Male: Height: 18-26 inches (45-66 cm), Female: 17-24 inches (43-60cm)

Weight – Male: 40-90 pounds (18 – 40 kg), female: 30-70 pounds(13-31 kg)

German Shepherd Pitbull Mix Life Expectancy

A healthy German Shepherd Pitbull Mix should expect to enjoy a lifespan of between 10 – 12 years when properly cared for and fed a good quality diet to suit their ages.

• Trainability – Easy
• Intelligence – High
• Memory – High
• Mouthiness – Low
• Prey Drive – High
• Wanderlust Potential – Average

This designer dog is one of the intelligent crossbreeds out there… This means that they won’t give you such a hard time in training and chances are they will need fewer repetitions than the average breed.

The GSD- Pitbull mix puppies without proper obedience training (at around 8 weeks of age) often grow up to have problems following orders as they think that they’re the pack leader and not the follower.

So stick to the right basics of dog coaching such as positive reinforcement (in the form of praise or treats or both) and establish yourself as the ALPHA (the pack leader) as well as remaining consistent all through the training.

They need a minimum of 1 – 2 long walks a day (20 or 30 minutes), keep training sessions short and shouldn’t be more than 15 minutes long.

Allow him to spent some time on his own in the patio or yard and take him as your jogging companion (use an anti-pull harness).

Are the GSD-Pitbull mix is really aggressive?

When you hear of a Pit Bull- German Shepherd mix behaving in a hostile way, it’s because that dog was not properly trained and raised. No dog is bad at heart. Bad owners/ trainers make for this dog’s bad reputation.

Mostly, a Shepherd Pit is very calm, collected, restrained and loyal.

Certainly, they’re very protective, so they will attack if given orders or if anyone in their pack (family), are in danger. But overall, it’s not an aggressive dog.

Two badass Temperaments!  Pitbull vs GSD   

As befits its stocky demeanor, Pitbull is extremely gutsy and very protective.

While not naturally aggressive towards people; they have more “spider senses”, meanwhile, the GSD is a typical herder that is loyal, very protective and also has the warning bells (always ringing!).

Overall, your Pitbull-GSD mix will be loyal and intelligent while thrives on guarding its household and generally is attentive, affectionate and devoted.

Pits were combat dogs that were molded into farming and guard dogs while the GSD was a herding dog whose acumen allowed them to procure complex jobs as military, police or guide dogs.

When German pits are left alone too much, they can get anxious and behave indifferently. However, few others have a quite solid independent streak even when owners are around.

If they meet head-on with unfamiliar people or pets and haven’t been taught how to behave, their guarding inclinations can take over. You can easily avoid this by early socialization and obedience training

That’s why we tend to be of the opinion that these dogs are better suited to an experienced dog owner.

For first time owners 

GSD- Pitbull mix is not a good choice for first-time owners. The sooner you begin training this dog, better the chances you have of getting a loyal, affectionate and obedient family dog.

Adaptability

• Apartment Living – No
• Good For First-Time Owners – No

Friendliness

• With Family – High
• Kids – Good
• Other Dogs – No
• With Cats – No
• Strangers – Suspicious

General Behavior

• Independence – Average
• Dominance – High
• Combativeness – Aggressive
• Indoors – Active
• Outdoor – Highly Active
• Territorial – Yes
• Easy Of Transportation – Good

• Exercise Needs – High
• Intensity – High
• Activity Level – High
• Exercise Requirements – >60 Minutes/Day
• Walk Mileage/ Week – 10 Miles
• Playfulness – High
• Grooming Needs – Minimal
• Tendency To Drool – No
• To Snore – No
• Bark – High
• Dig – Low
• Social/Attention Needs – High

• Daily Cost – $1.50 – $1.90 (average)
• Monthly cost – $39.00 – $52.00
• Pups between eight and 12 weeks old – 3 meals every 24 hours (275g- 400g).
• 3 to 6 months old –  3 meals every 24 hour period (400-600g)
• Feed puppies 6 months to 11 months- 2 bowls of food daily (600g)
• After 12 months, 1 or 2 bowls of adult dog food every 24 hours is typically all that’s necessary.

Remember, Adult dogs need to be fed a high-quality diet that meets all their dietary and nutritional requirements while keeping a close eye on a dog’s weight.

• Dogs weighing-30 kg = 400g to 500g ( depending on their activity level)
• 35 kg =400g to 500g
• 40 kg = 400g to 600g

Here is a rough Macronutrient breakdown for your glance.

• Protein content should be anything from 14 – 25%
• Carb content should be 30 to 60%
• Fiber content should be less than 4%
• Fat content should be less than 10%
• Calcium content should be 0.5 – 0.8%
• Phosphorous content should be 0.4 – 0.7%
• Sodium content should be 0.2 – 0.4%

The Ten Commandments to choose the best dog foods

1. Substantial amounts of meat-based protein
2. No unidentified meat ingredients, meat by-products
3. Generic animal fats – No
4. Artificial coloring agents – No
5. No controversial chemical preservatives, fillers
6. fat-to-protein ratio 75% or lower
7. Avoid unhealthy grains and fillers
8. Modest carb content
9. Choose certified organic labels
10. should have essential vitamins and minerals

• Coat Density – Normal
• Length – Short
• Texture – Straight
• Brushing Frequency – Weekly Twice
• Trimming/Stripping – No
• Hypoallergenic – No
• Shedding – Average

Due to the German Pitbulls short and flat hair, grooming is considered to be low to the medium maintenance level.

A weekly brushing using a simple slicker brush or even a de-shedding fulminator slicker brush is more than enough to straighten out the coat hair. It is essential you brush your dog’s coat frequently during season shift periods.

Brushing the dog’s fur makes it detangle, remove shed hair, keeps it healthy and also maintains the natural sheen.

Wash your dog only when it is extremely needed as they don’t have a bad doggy odor.  Just make sure to check and clean the ears often and trim the nails every few weeks to keep the paws healthy.

So if you are looking for a dog with easy maintenance (on grooming front) then the German Pit may be the one for you.

Major concerns

• Demodicosis
• Panosteitis
• Hip Dysplasia
• Hemophilia
• Degenerative Myelopathy
• Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

Minor concerns

• Elbow Dysplasia
• Hemivertebrae
• Von Willebrand’s Disease
• Footpad Disorder
• Cervical Vertebral Instability
• Cutaneous Asthenia

Occasional diagnosis

• Patellar Luxation
• Gastric Dilation-Volvulus
• Sebaceous Adenitis (SA)
• Pulmonic Stenosis

You should expect to pay between $300 to $600 depending on the pedigree, the immunization shot details, breeder. Always make certain to buy your puppy from a reputable breeder.