German shepherds are known for their fierceness, efficiency, reliability, and courage.

But another side of them exists, especially when around smaller critters.

Marley, a gorgeous black German shepherd, is friends with the unlikeliest bunch.

Marley grew up in a loving household and is best friends with a child with special needs.

This helped him develop social skills that are inclusive and amiable.

In a video posted by Woof, Marley is shown eating dinner. We’ve seen a lot of food videos but Marley, with the help of his little friends, might have developed a different kind of knack for snacks.

He’s shown to be pulling a stalk of kale from the guinea pig.

Being a natural carnivore, Marley curiously gnawed on the treats that his friends seemed to enjoy. He doesn’t even know that it’s the guinea pig’s dinner. But if his friend is having fun, he should too.

The video was viewed over 5 million times with thousands of interactions. Does Marley care if there’s a strand of carrot dangling under his chin? No, not at all!

His antics didn’t end there.

In one video, he was eating a leaf of bokchoi while his friends are just chilling beside him. Whether or not they mind him chewing on their dinner, we’ll never know.

Aside from stealing their food, though, Marley can be found dozing off with the smaller critter on top of his head, back, hind legs, or anywhere they’d find comfortable. Marley always welcomes their presence anyway.

But this is not always the case with dogs like Marley.

German shepherd dogs are known to have a high prey drive. This means, their tendency to chase after smaller animals and injure them is higher than most dogs.

Prey drive is a natural instinct for dogs since they descend from wolves. This is also one of the reasons why humans established a lasting partnership with the species, most especially when a dog’s first task is to help humans during a hunt.

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Their prey drive is also affected by how their breeds were developed. Hunting dogs would have a greater urge to chase after prey while shepherd dogs, like the German shepherd, would have a mixed temperament.

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Since they were bred to protect prey animals, German shepherds have a protective instinct towards animals but that doesn’t mean they won’t chase after things that are unfamiliar to them.

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Still, it is best to keep an eye out on your dog whenever he hangs around animals, especially those that are smaller than him.

Always remember, not all dogs are as gentle as Marley and Beau when it comes to critters. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad dogs either. It’s all about redirecting and diverting their instincts to something more productive and caring.

As for Marley, you might want to buy some more kale before he chews on his friends’ dinner.

Watch the adorable video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Facebook – Woof Woof, Instagram – @worldmeetmarley, Cesar’s Way, YouTube – Fenrir German Shepherd Show