We have a german shepherd. He's almost a year old and he's a great dog. He's very smart and comes when ever we call him. I'm so glad we got him-you couldn't ask for a better dog! The thing my mom doesn't like about him though is the way he's scared of people that he doesn't know. He barks/growls at strangers... When people come over he won't let them pet him. He just keeps his distance. He's very protective though. He showed signs of being protective of us and guarding the yard at a real early age.