Bred in Germany from the 1890s as a herding dog, standardised by Max von Stephanitz, and turned to police and military work within a generation — which is why it is the breed everyone thinks they recognise.

The standard asks for a dog slightly longer than tall, with a firm back, well-angulated hindquarters, and above all a temperament described as steady of nerve. Judges are looking for a dog that stands its ground when a stranger approaches and does not react. Nerve is not a cosmetic quality — it is the first thing to go in careless breeding, and the hardest to breed back.

Living with one in Jamaica

The double coat sheds heavily year-round in this climate and needs brushing twice a week, not twice a month. Shepherds do not cope well left alone in a yard all day; they are a house dog that works, and they will invent work if none is given. Exercise them early morning or after five — midday heat is genuinely dangerous for a black-and-tan double coat.

Health to ask about

Hip and elbow dysplasia are the two screenings any serious breeder will have done and will show you without being asked. Degenerative myelopathy has a DNA test. A breeder who cannot produce hip scores for both parents is not a breeder you should be buying from, whatever the card says.

Before you buy

Ask to see the dam with the litter. Ask for the sire’s registration number and check it here before you hand over money. A JKC-registered puppy leaves with a Registration Card and a Pedigree — not a promise that they will follow.