Do German Shepherds Like Snow?

Some dog breeds are known to be snow dogs like the Siberian Husky or the Bernese Mountain Dog.  The German Shepherd is not necessarily as known as being bred for snowy climates.  So, the question remains: Do German Shepherds like snow?

Yes! Although it depends on the individual dog, most German Shepherds love the snow!  German Shepherds enjoying playing in, running on, jumping in, and even eating the snow once they have been exposed to it.

Do German Shepherds naturally like snow?

Yes!  It has been my experience that German Shepherds naturally like the snow.  German Shepherds may not be known like some breeds to be snow dogs, but they are actually more built for the colder weather than the warmer weather given their double coat.

Why do German Shepherds like snow?

Here are some of the reasons German Shepherds like snow so much. 

German Shepherds enjoy the colder weather

German Shepherds are a double coated breed; thus they are more suited for cooler weather than warmer weather.  When the weather is colder, they don’t risk overheating as easily, so they can enjoy romping around and playing for longer without getting hot.

The snow is fun to play in

The snow is like a big outside play toy for our GSDs.  They can run in it, roll in it, jump into it, eat it, and chase it as it falls. 

My German Shepherds loves it when I make a snowball and toss it to her.  She gets all confused if she misses the catch and it disappears into the rest of the snow.  When it snows, she wants to stay outside all day to play.

The snow is different

Another reason German Shepherds like snow is because it is a different new phenomenon for them.  Most people don’t live in a location where is snows all year long, if it even snows at all every year.  Therefore, snow isn’t something our dogs see every day. 

Since most of our dogs don’t get to experience the snow often, they get extra excited when they go outside and see that white fluffy stuff on the ground.

Snow is edible

How often do you allow your dog to eat their toys?  Hopefully never!  Snow is edible and fun to play with, so it’s like a toy and a snack built into one for our German Shepherds.

The one thing to be mindful of with a GSD who likes to eat snow is to let them play with snow in an area that hasn’t been touched by chemicals. 

For example, letting them eat the snow in your yard is safe because it should be clean chemical-free snow, but letting your GSD eat snow close to roads that have been salted isn’t safe.  Just be mindful of how clean the snow is where you let your dog play, especially if they like to eat the snow.

Fun games to play with your German Shepherd in the snow

Frisbee or Ball Toss

Playing fetch with a frisbee or a ball is fun in sunny weather, but it’s even better in the snow.  The snow provides an added layer of fun to a normal game of fetch.  

Once you toss the frisbee or ball to your dog when it lands it usually will get covered by snow so it adds an additional searching aspect to the normal game. 

You can even get balls or toys that are brighter in color or glow so that they are more visible in the snow (so you don’t have to go searching as hard if your dog losses the ball).

Sledding

Who doesn’t love sledding?  It’s shouldn’t be a surprise that some dogs may like sledding too.  If your dog is comfortable, putting them in a sled with you or your kids and sliding down a hill is an absolute blast! 

Check out this video of a sledding German Shepherd:

Even if your German Shepherd doesn’t want to be in the sled with you, they also enjoy just running back and forth beside the sled chasing you the family down the hill. You’d be surprised how much fun they have!

Skijoring

If you live on a large property and have skis skijoring is another fun activity to consider doing with your GSD in the snow.  Skijoring is where you are on skis and your German Shepherds pulls you through the snow. 

Your dog would be wearing a harness with a leash attached and you would hang on for the ride!  This is would also be fun for older kids and teenagers to have their dog pull them around in the snow. 

Check out this video to see skijoring in action:

Tracking

Tracking is another activity that is really fun in the snow.  My German Shepherd does search and rescue and when she was learning how to track her trainers would tell us that teaching a dog how to track in the snow is great because you as the handler can physically see where the track is laid.

Get some of your dog’s favorite treats (the smelly ones are best for new trackers) and lay a short path with the treats.  Have your dog on a leash and take them to the start of the short path and gesture to get them to look for the treats.

It may take a little practice for them to get it down, but once they have it you can have them track different family members all around the yard in the snow.

Hide & seek

German Shepherds enjoying playing hide and seek in the house but playing in the snow just takes it up a notch. 

If you have enough snowfall, you can make different structures to hide inside or around, and you can also have a family member cover themselves with snow and have your dog look for them.  Give it a try, it is fun for the whole family!

Final Thoughts

In summary, do German Shepherds like snow?  Yes!  They enjoy the colder weather and the snow is like a big plaything that gets them extra excited. 

Once your dog gets outside in the snow, I think you’ll find that they don’t want to go back inside.  There are many fun activities that you can do with your German Shepherd in the snow, but you’ll also find that just being outside romping around suits them perfectly fine too!

What is your German Shepherd’s favorite thing to do in the snow?  Let me know in the comments!