Appearance
The German shepherd labrador mix dog (also known as the Sheprador) is a hybrid of German shepherd and labrador retriever. It has more of a labrador retriever appearence with slim and lean body, short haired coat, floppy ears and a long short haired tail, though the dog can have medium hair and a fluffy tail.
The color if mostly similair to that of a German shepherd and may include black, brown, tan and white. Shepradors are commonly tan with or without a black saddle and have black circles around their dark eyes, which makes their faces look very expressive.
But sometimes you can see completely dark shephradors. They are generaly larger-than-average dogs with weight around 20 kg(44 lbs).
Temperament
The sheprador is very active, agile, playful and intelligent dog. It has derived fierce protectiveness and ability to sniff and track from the German shepherd so it is a perfect guard for a house or even a child.
Like labrador, this dog is very loyal, eager to please and loves human contact and has a mild temper, which makes sheprador an excellent family dog. The sheprador is very active and requires higher-than-average dose of daily exercises, but the dog is also very trainable, which makes it a good choice for active families/owners, who spending a lot of time outdoors.
Activity and Training
Because of it’s high activity sheprador requires a lot of space to release it’s energy, so it is highly recommended to have a large backyard. The dog needs a lot of activity each day, running, playing games, chewing toys and human contact to relief innect activity to be healthy and mentally aware. If left alone and unoccupied for a long time, the dog becomes miserable and mischievous, prone to ilnesses.
Shephrador requires socialisation and training from a young age, otherwise the dog can become skittish, unconfident and way too cautious. But with it’s qualities, it can be easily trained in no time. Also, regular walks should be done twice a day. Sheprador likes chewing a lot, so be sure to prepare a lot of chewing toys.
Care
The dog’s coat requires frequent brushing, especially during seasonal shreddings twice a year. Clipping nail requires a very precise work, so it’s better to be done by professional groomers, though you can help keep nails short by exercising a dog on a hard concrete surface.
Food Diet and Exercises
The Sheprador is very prone to suffer from Hip Dysplasia, even more than other large dogs, that’s why it is highly recommended to prevent additional weight gain by using a high quality diet. Doing exercises daily is required to keep it’s muscules fit and provide it’s joint health.
If the sheprador doesnt get enough amount of daily exercises, it will definately suffer from a very painful cause of hip dysplasia. You should also keep track on feeding the dog during exercises, because these dogs are easy to overeat.
Suitability
The Sheprador is a very loyal, clever, and happy dog. It is talented and capabe in police work, agility, rescuing and retrieving. It’s a perfect family dog, siutable for active families or people with active lifestyle.
Friendly, playful with children, sometimes the dog can become to enthusiastic, so it’s better to overseer your kinds while they are playing.
Сonclusion
So the early training and socialisation are the key. The dog needs to release it’s energy, otherwise it can become destructive. Being a fierce protector, the dog will protect family members and the house, alarming of any intruders, which makes it a exceptionaly perfect dog for young families with children living live in the country.
