German Shepherds have this rather strange and funny habit that might be tied to the breed itself. The funniest part is that folks seem to have stumbled upon this discovery purely by chance.

Considering social media makes it easy to share and respond to things, there’s no surprise why this little discovery went viral so quickly.

Every quirky aspect of a German Shepherd has been talked about pretty extensively by now. Not that we ever get tired of it, obviously. The breed is charming and timeless, and you could talk about every likable thing in German Shepherds all day long.

We know they’re protective, shed a ton, and are notoriously intelligent dogs.

Though I bet you never considered this to be a German Shepherd “thing.”

It all started with a Reddit post from u/pureadobaby. They noticed their German Shepherd’s strange habit of always dangling half their body off of furniture. Be it the bed, sofa, chair, you name it.

“Does anyone else’s GSD like to just hang out halfway on the furniture?” they wrote.

It was posted to the r/germanshepherds subreddit, so there was a lot of evidence to share.

Hey, sample size is always important!

I don’t blame them. It does look super comfy, in a strange way. Don’t we position ourselves similarly to use our phones on the bed? There’s just something oddly satisfying about having just half your body propped up on a soft surface. It’ll definitely get you some weird looks, though.

Just like these Shepherds.

Hundreds of other Reddit users chimed in to verify based on their own experiences with the breed.

“Yes! Mine has actually fallen asleep like this on several occasions! Sometimes with a toy or ball in her mouth too!” – one said

OMG YES! All the time” – another user commented

Of course, people began wondering why German Shepherds do this.

There’s no one-size-fits-all explanation yet. Some people have their own hypotheses based on their experiences.

“Afaik, sometimes they do this to stretch their legs and hips because it’s comfy. Not necessarily a sign of an injury or problem, he might just like the leg stretch.” – said one Reddit user

Does anybody else’s GSD like to just hang out halfway on the furniture?
byu/pureadobaby ingermanshepherds

This could still potentially be a sign of a health problem in some, so it wouldn’t hurt to check on your German Shepherd if you catch them doing this.

The Reddit OP for this post informs us that a recent vet trip rules that out for them, so that’s good news!

“My boy did this all the time and turns out his knees are bad. He just had one reconstructed this summer. It’s expensive (but worth it) and he is still recovering. He’s only 3 and a half.” – one commenter mentioned to OP

So while it may be impossible to narrow it down to one single cause, it seems like the joints in the lower body may have something to do with it.

Whether it’s hip dysplasia, bad knees, or they just find the position to be a good rest for their hips and kegs.

The breed is, after all, prone to joint problems. It wouldn’t be so farfetched if it was an underlying cause.

One thing’s for sure though.

It sure is adorable.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: r/germanshepherds, Harling Veterinary Clinic