Welcome to the forum
We lived in Berea back when I was in high school. Our GSD at the time, Skada, was about 4 and he was trained as a protection dog (I'm not sure what the real term is, just that Mom had him out at the club for hours several days/week doing "man-work" on the sleeve, etc.).
He had to go
everywhere with me, as it was 1984-85, there were soldiers in the streets, and my mother wouldn't let a teenage girl out in the city unaccompanied. I will never forget the feeling of walking along with him at perfect heel, whispering the word "Watch," and seeing every muscle in his body, every inch of his posture, become instantly focused and alert...all for me.
It was a huge culture shock for me, moving from the US into the winding down of the apartheid, but that dog's loyalty and training remain the strongest memories I have of South Africa.
Well, that and my black and hot pink uniform for the Jo'burg School for Girls, and getting reprimanded for being seen about town with my socks rolled down to prevent school-girl tan, hehe!
GSDs really are the Best dogs Ever. We have owned them on four continents, and I can't imagine living anywhere in the world without one