Australia 2018-P Year of the Dog - German Shepherd Mother and Puppy Chinese Lunar Zodiac $300 10 Kilograms Pure Silver Reverse Proof Kilo GX P04 P05 - MINTAGE 100

The Year of the Dog - Loyal, Friendly Intelligent!
Centuries ago, the Chinese invented a calendar based on the lunar (rather than the solar) cycle. There are twelve animals in the Chinese lunar zodiac, each corresponding in sequence to a year rather than a month.

Those born in the years 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, and 2018 celebrate the Year of the Dog - man's best friend! According to tradition, people born during a Year of the Dog are said to exhibit that animal’s attributes.  They are loyal, honest, intelligent, straightforward and faithful, and possess a strong sense of righteousness. This large coin features a German Shepherd, an intelligent and protective breed that bonds strongly with its owner.

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Intelligent, Loyal - And Extremely Popular!
The German Shepherd Dog (also known as an Alsatian or Deutscher Schäferhund) is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. The breed is a working dog originally developed for herding and guarding sheep. Because of its strength, intelligence and abilities in obedience training it is often employed in police and military roles around the world. German Shepherds currently account for nearly 5% of all dogs registered with the American Kennel Club. Due to its loyal and protective nature, the German Shepherd is one of the most registered of breeds.

The German Shepherd first gained international recognition following World War I, after returning soldiers spoke highly of the breed, and animal actors Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart popularized the breed further through the medium of moving pictures. As time progressed, their popularity increased gradually until 1993, when they became the third most popular breed in the United States. As of 2009, German Shepherds had climbed to the second most popular in the US. Additionally, the breed is typically among the most popular in other registries. The German Shepherd Dog's physique is very well suited to athletic competition, so they commonly compete in shows and competitions such as agility trials.

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German Shepherds were bred specifically for their intelligence, a trait for which they are now renowned. They are considered to be the third most intelligent breed of dog, behind only Border Collies and Poodles. In the book The Intelligence of Dogs, author Stanley Coren found that they had the ability to learn simple tasks after only five repetitions, and obeyed the first command given 95% of the time. Coupled with their strength, this trait makes the breed desirable as police, guard, and search and rescue dogs, as they are able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.

German Shepherds are highly active dogs, and described in breed standards as self-assured and confident. The breed is marked by a willingness to learn and an eagerness to have a purpose. Shepherds have a loyal nature and bond well with people they know. However, they can become over-protective of their family and territory, especially if not socialized correctly. They are not inclined to become immediate friends with strangers. German Shepherds are highly intelligent and obedient and some people think they require a "firm hand", but more recent research into training methods has shown they respond as well, if not better, to positive reward based training methods.

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And A Hard Worker!
German Shepherds are a very popular choice for use as working dogs. They are especially well known for their police work, being used for tracking criminals, patrolling troubled areas, and detection and holding of suspects. Additionally thousands of German Shepherds have been used by the military. Usually trained for scout duty, they are used to warn soldiers to the presence of enemies or of booby traps or other hazards. Incredibly, German Shepherds have been trained by military groups to parachute from aircraft.

The German Shepherd Dog is one of the most widely used breeds in a wide variety of scent-work roles. These include search and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection, and mine detection dog, among others. They are suited for these lines of work because of their keen sense of smell and their ability to work regardless of distractions.

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At one time the German Shepherd Dog was the breed chosen almost exclusively to be used as a guide dog for the visually impaired. In recent years, Labrador and Golden Retrievers have been more widely used for this work, although there are still German Shepherds being trained. A versatile breed, they excel in this field due to their strong sense of duty, their mental abilities, their fearlessness, and their attachment to their owner.

German Shepherd Dogs are used for herding and tending sheep grazing in meadows next to gardens and crop fields. They are expected to patrol the boundaries to keep sheep from trespassing and damaging the crops. In Germany and other places these skills are tested in herding utility dog trials also known as HGH (Herdengebrauchshund).

This is the eleventh annual release in the Lunar Zodiac Series II from Australia!

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