The German Shepherd Pitbull mix is a hybrid or cross-breeding puppy dog born between the German Shepherd and the American Pitbull terrier. The dog is medium-large in size. It has a height of about 17-24 inches and weighs around 65 to 85 pounds.
The breed has a life span of 10 to 12 years. It is sometimes known as the German sheppit or the German pitt.
Although the parent breeds are known for their aggressive behavior, the German Shepherd Pitbull mixed dog breed is known for its loyal, energetic and loving nature. The German pitt is a designer dog and because of this the breed is recognized by the American kennel club.
German Shepherd mixed with The American Pittbull Highlights At A Glance.
Other names: German sheppit, German pitt
Average height: 17 to 24 inches
Average weight: 45 to 90 pounds
Average size: medium to large sized
Breed type: Mixed breed
Major health concerns: hip dysplasia, irritation, bloat and atopic dermatitis
Coat type: short to medium coat, straight coat
Coat colors: black, tan, or pale color (with some markings)
Grooming needs: low
Safe for children: No
Shedding: Moderate
Brushing requirements: two to three times a week
Good with other dogs: No
Sensitive to touch: No
Barking: Moderate
Good pet: Yes, German Shepherd Pitbull mix are excellent pets when trained and socialized at an early stage.
Suitable for first time dog owner: No
Suitable for apartment: No
Training: Stubborn
Good with other pets: No, early socialization required
A tendency to gain weight: Yes
Average lifespan: 10 to 12 years
Hypoallergenic: Yes
Good tolerance to heat and cold: Yes
Tolerance to isolation: No
A wanderer or roamer: Yes
Average yearly medical expenditure: $485 to $600
Average yearly non-medical expenditure: $500 to $600
The appearance
The appearance of the German pitt highly depends on its genetically dominant parent during their breeding proces. This is because it can inherit the traits from one of the parents or have a blend of traits from both of the parents.
Therefore, you can only know what the breed looks like after it has been born. The appearance can also change as the German pitt grows.
In general, the German pitt has a body that is lean and muscular. The body is also solid. It also has a coat that is short and mostly gets the ears of the Pitbull.
They have a medium to large size. Sometimes they breed can be smaller in size. The male dogs have a height of around 18 to 26 inches. They have a weight of about 60 to 80 pounds.
The females are usually shorter that the males and have a height of 17 to 24 inches. Their weight is around 30 to 70 pounds.
They can also have coats that come in different colours. Some coats have a colour that is tan, black or pale like colours while some coats can have fawn and black markings like those of a German Shepherd.
When it comes to the face, most of the crosses take the on the appearance of the Pitbull. They also have ears which are floppy.
Breeding History
When it comes to the origins of the German pitt, its origins are not well known. The mixing of the breeds is said to have started in the 1990s in north America.
The two breeds were mixed in order to create a breed that would be a great companion and guard dog.
The German Shepherd Pitbull mix has not been around very long as compared to the parent breeds. Most of the time the Pitbull is the male and the German Shepherd is the female.
The Pitbull parent does not have a very good reputation, so one of the main reasons for this cross breed is to improve it’s qualities by using the German Shepherd.
In the other hand, the German Shepherd has a reputation of being a good family dog. It is known for its intelligence, loyalty as well as it’s athletic nature.
The Shepherd pit is a designer dog. This therefore means that this breed inherits the traits from either of the parent breeds or combined characteristics from both of the parents.
This makes it very hard to determine the kind of behavior that your breed will have. Therefore, to understand more about its origins we look at the breeding history of the parents.
Pitbull breeding history
The American Pitbull terrier is said to have been there since the 1800s, the breed originally comes from the United Kingdom and Ireland. These dogs were originally bred in order to be used in bull baiting sport, they are known for their fierce and aggressive nature. These are sometimes known as bully breed. The breed was then bought by America immigrants who used the dogs for hunting.
German shepherd breeding history
The German Shepherd is a breed that dates back to 1899. The breed was and is very popular in Germany. These were originally bred so that they could be obedient herding dogs.
The German Shepherd was a herding dog back in the day in Europe. The dog is also very intelligent, athletic and loyal. They are also used as guard dogs and police dogs.
This is because they have a good temperament and can easily be trained. The German Shepherd also makes a very good family dog.
The German pitt Temperament
The German pitt is a dog that can be very loving and gentle. The dog is friendly to the owners and it can also be over protective.
The dog can sometimes be very challenging especially when it comes to the authority and leadership. If it has been trained properly and early this will not be a problem in any way.
The dog does not like to be left alone for long periods of time. This is because it easily gets bored. Leaving it alone for long periods can result in making your dog noisy as well as naughty.
The parent breeds have a reputation for being aggressive. Although we cannot certainly say that the German pitt is aggressive, it is possible that it may inherit some of these aggressive traits from the parent breeds.
Therefore, if you socialize and train the German pitt at an early stage will be very helpful in preventing it from becoming aggressive.
The dogs can sometimes be very mischievous and may become playful. However, the German pitt is not very suitable for homes that have young children or have other pets due to its possible aggressive traits from the parent breeds.
This dog needs to be properly introduced very well to the other pets that you may have in your house or children because they may end up provoking the dog unknowingly and in the end it may react aggressively. You should also teach your children on how to play with the dog.
The The German pitt Living Conditions
The German pitt is an energetic, athletic and active dog. The breed does not do well with being left alone for very long periods of time.
Therefore, you should not leave the dog alone. When left alone it can develop some behaviors like excessive barking, unnecessary chewing, destruction like digging and more.
The German pitt dog breed is not suitable dog for apartment living conditions. In general, these dogs are not suitable for small spaces. It does better with conditions that have a wide space and that the dog can easily run around as well as play. It can do well in homes that have backyards and highly spacious areas.
Feeding
Since the German pitt is a dog that is medium to large in size, its diet should be that of a medium to large sized dog. The diet should contain food that give the dog high energy.
You should give your dog three to four cups of dry dog food; you can also combine thus with a homemade diet that is highly nutritious.
The dog requires a well-balanced diet that contains all the important nutrients like vitamins and calories. The Pitbull needs 800 to 2700 calories
In order to know more about the diet to give to the German pitt you can ask the veterinarian or the pet nutritionist on what kind of food you can give the dog and in what amounts you should give the food to your dogs.
The nutritionist or veterinarian can determine the food for your dog depending on its size as well as its current health condition. You should give your dog high quality food rich with calories.
As the dog grows, its diet also changes according to its size. The amount of food that you will also give to the dog will also change as it grows.
When you feed your dogs, you should also make sure to exercise them afterwards. Overfeeding the dog can cause some health problems for the German pitt.
You should also ensure that you do not give them a lot of treats when complimenting them because this can cause overweight gain. You should make sure that the dog is active and ensure that you do not feed them all the time but put on a regular meal schedule for them. You should also ensure that the food given to your dogs Is easy to digest.
Behavior with other animals and children
The German pitt is a friendly and loyal dog when properly trained and socialized. These dogs are also very affectionate especially to family members, the dog can also be good around children if it has been well socialized and trained.
However, these dogs have a large size and therefore it is very important to always be cautious especially around young children. Their large frame can be a disadvantage particularly to a toddler because they can be accidentally knocked over by the dog.
It is also essential that the children are well taught on how to play, touch or approach the dog. Supervision is always needed when the children are playing with the dogs this is because the dog can sometimes be aggressive due to the traits of its parent breeds.
These dogs also get along well with other dogs and animals especially when they have been raised together.
Exercise needs
The German pitt is a very active and energetic dog. Its high energetic and active nature may make the dog become naughty and sometimes destructive.
The dog loves to walk around and loves doing exercises. Therefore, it is essential to give your dog an exercise for at least an hour every day.
It is also very important that you follow the exercise requirement every day. This is because if not given enough exercise, the dog can start some behaviors like unnecessary barking, digging and chewing unnecessarily.
It is also essential to use mental stimulation exercise so that the dog does not get bored. Mental stimulation exercises also help in improving how the dog socializes and interacts with people and other pets.
Exercising your dog also prevents it from gaining weight unnecessarily. This also ensures that your dog stays healthy and fit.
You can also take your dog for exercises like jogging and more. A backyard is where the dog can easily play around.
Training needs
When it comes to training, you should ensure that the dog is properly trained and with proper exercise. The German pitt can be very stubborn when it comes to its training and therefore training this breed can be a little overwhelming.
Although the parent breeds of the German pitt are highly intelligent, due to its stubbornness the German pitt is not suitable for first time dog owners.
This dog loves to challenge the master, proper training is therefore very important for this breed. You should train the dog with patience and give it attention. When training it, it is also very important to use positive reinforcement methods.
You should also ensure that the dogs are trained at a very young age. When it is trained at a young age, your dog easily understands and masters the behaviors that you want him to have and this prevents unwanted behaviors.
You should also start by training the puppy slowly and then increase the pace of the training as the puppy grows. When training him, it is also better to take the dog to an experienced dog trainer rather than a novice trainer.
Since the dog can be very stubborn, you should always avoid using measures that are too extreme. You should not punish the dog negatively as you train him because this may lead disrespect.
You should also ensure to reward him when he is doing the training right, for example you can give the dog treats and more. When you train the German pitt positively you can be sure that you will have a great companion.
You should also socialize your dog at an early age so that it can interact with people as well as other animals. This helps to prevent it from becoming aggressive and it develops a sense of acceptability.
To do that you can enroll the puppy in puppy classes, take him for walks around the neighborhood, play with him at the park and take him to daycares.
When it comes to exercise you should also ensure that you include metal exercise. This helps to stimulate the mental state and this wards off all the unwanted behaviors.
Grooming requirements
The German pitt has a coat that is short to medium in size. The coat is also straight. The grooming requirements of the dog are very low to medium. Grooming the German pitt is very easy.
The dog only sheds a moderate amount and this is because the coat is short.
You can brush the German pitt one to three times in a week. The dog should be bathed only when it is very dirty and really needs a bath.
Because bathing it too much can make the dog to lose the natural oils on its skin. It also makes the skin too dry.
You should also make sure to check the dog’s ears for debris and dirt. You should also ensure that the area is well cleaned and kept healthy.
You should also trim the nails when they get too long. You should also make sure to brush the dog’s teeth at least 3 times each week.
Health problems
The German pitt has a healthy lifestyle so long as it has been taken care of properly. The dog has a life span of up to 12 years, some of the most common health issues that the German Shepherd can suffer from include:
Hip dysplasia: the hip joint is malformed and this can cause pain and the dog may end up becoming paralyzed
Atopic Dermatitis: inflammation of the skin. This can be caused by reaction to pesticides sprayed on the grass or mold spores. It can be prevented by ensuring that the house is clean.
Skin Irritation: this is inherited from the Pitbull parent.
Conclusion
The German Shepherd Pitbull mix is sometimes known as the German pitt or the German pitt. It is generally a crossbreed between the German Shepherd and the Pitbull.
The dog is highly energetic and an active dog. It is also very intelligent and can make a very friendly dog with early socialization.
This breed can be found is shelter homes as well as in rescue group. It is a very healthy dog and can live for up to 12 years.
