Sell me on German Shepard dogs

[Chicago526]

I already have a dog, and been around dogs my whole life, so I know all about taking care of them. DH wants to get a German Shepard puppy this spring. I've never been to fond of the breed (large and short, wirey coat) so I'm rather leery about this. I love all dogs, I just like some breeds better than others! If it were up to me, we'd get a cocker spaniel.

Tell me all the good things about them, and warn me about the bad. DH has his heart set on this, and I don't know if I can say "no" to him. For warned is for armed, I always say!

 

[Christine]

I have only owned one German Shepherd. Honestly, it was the best dog I ever had. Extremely intelligent, easy to train, loving companion, regal.

They are rambunctious puppies (but most large breed dogs are) and their hair sort of "imbeds" into the furniture.

Love them.

 

[mommytotwo]

We had two pure breed german shepards as I was growing up and they were very loyal and loving. They are great family dogs.
The down side is that their hind legs give off as they get older. One of our dogs lived to a very long age, and you could see him starting to suffer towards the end.
But I love german shepards and just told my dad that if we were to get another dog, I would like a german shepard to be raised with my daughter and baby.

 

[ntburns22]

I loved my Rosie. We got her when I was in first grade and she passed my sophomore year of college. We had other dogs since her don't get me wrong they are great but they are no German Shepard. They really are a great breed.

 

[mtblujeans]

My DH wants a GS pup, too! He is determined he wants a pure-bred and they are so hard to come by here! **sigh** I had a GS mix when I was a kid and it was a very good dog however they are very protective when they are bonded to family members so I have always felt that a GS should go through the formal dog training to make sure there is no problem with the dog biting.

 

[labdogs42]

What other breed of dog do you already have? Are you a herding breed person? I know I'm not. I have Labs (as you can see in my avatar!). I like friendly, goofy, outgoing dogs. GSD's are often aloof and one-person or one-family dogs. Many people love that about them. I also think they are very noisy dogs. They are bred to herd and protect therefore, a lot of barking. They can be great dogs, but they aren't a favorite of mine. You said you wanted the good and the bad, right?

 

[Chicago526]

Another question, we don't have kids yet but plan on having them in the next few years. In general, do GS's have problems with "new" family members, or do they roll with the punches pretty well?

 

[Dodie]

We have three German Shepherds (note the spelling - in case you are doing online research about the breed). I've had dogs all my life, but never had a GS until I married DH. Now, I would never have any other type of dog again. They are intelligent, predictable, loyal, and loving dogs. They are usually good with children and are often very protective of them.

Just like with any breed, a lot of behavior depends on training. We have never had a problem with our dogs being "barky" or noisy. One of them is more of a watchdog than the others, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Keep in mind that these are "working dogs" and may have the energy to want to do more than just lay around. They want to be with you and want you to "do things" with them.

On the other hand, Cocker Spaniels can be unpredictable sometimes and are not "always" good with children.

Do your research.

Get your GSD from a reputable breeder.
Socialize your dog at a young age.
Spend some time actually obedience training it.
It will be a loyal, intelligent companion for a long time.


Ruby:

Maya:

Opal:

 

[SillyMe]

I have/had a german shepherd. He's actually shepherd/husky mix. He is the best dog in the world! He loves, loves, loves the kids. Never ever bit anyone. He's so lovable and behaves very well. We did have a bit of a hard time training him, only because he wouldn't bark when he had to go out. So if we were in the other room, we had no clue he was sitting at the door. I hung bells on the door handle and trained him to ring the bells. To this day he still rings them when he has to go out. If you don't come running immediately, he will shake the heck out of them. I miss him.

 

[Christine]

Another question, we don't have kids yet but plan on having them in the next few years. In general, do GS's have problems with "new" family members, or do they roll with the punches pretty well?

My GS did fine with new family members (and new dogs). My GS was approximately 8 years old when my DD came along. When she was about 5 years old, we brought two new dogs into the family. She was fine with all that, but she did not have the "alpha" personality. My beagle has been TERRIBLE with new dogs/people.

Anyway, the only thing my GS didn't like was one day my DD ran "at" her and stepped on her paw. She got a little "snarky" over that.

 

[labdogs42]

Another question, we don't have kids yet but plan on having them in the next few years. In general, do GS's have problems with "new" family members, or do they roll with the punches pretty well?

This will depend a lot on good breeding and socializing of your new puppy. Any well-bred dog that is socialized properly as a puppy should adapt to a changing environment. ALL puppies, no matter the breed should attend at least puppy kindergarten and a basic obedience class. Positive training is the way to go and reputable trainers can be found at APDT.com (I am active in dog sports and I do training as a hobby).
I can give you more training resources if you are interested!

 

[SillyMe]

Another question, we don't have kids yet but plan on having them in the next few years. In general, do GS's have problems with "new" family members, or do they roll with the punches pretty well?

When I had dd6 my dog was about 2 years old. He was already attached to my older dd, but I wasn't sure how he'd react with the baby. We took the car seat and blanket in first so he could sniff it out. Then I went in before we brought our baby in the house and made sure I gave him my attention. He was great. He was curious the first few days and sat and watched her alot. It was actually cute. Then for some reason he started licking her feet all the time and she'd giggle and they hit it off real well. He did become protective of her because when she would cry while I was holding her, he'd bark at me as though I was hurting her.

Now, when other little kids come over he runs and hides. I guess as he's getting older he doesn't want to be bothered with the little ones who tend to get rough when petting him or step on his paws.

 

[Chicago526]

We have three German Shepherds (note the spelling - in case you are doing online research about the breed). I've had dogs all my life, but never had a GS until I married DH. Now, I would never have any other type of dog again. They are intelligent, predictable, loyal, and loving dogs. They are usually good with children and are often very protective of them.

Just like with any breed, a lot of behavior depends on training. We have never had a problem with our dogs being "barky" or noisy. One of them is more of a watchdog than the others, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Keep in mind that these are "working dogs" and may have the energy to want to do more than just lay around. They want to be with you and want you to "do things" with them.

On the other hand, Cocker Spaniels can be unpredictable sometimes and are not "always" good with children.

Do your research.

Get your GSD from a reputable breeder.
Socialize your dog at a young age.
Spend some time actually obedience training it.
It will be a loyal, intelligent companion for a long time.

Thanks for the spelling tip, I always forget that extra 'h'.

I grew up with a Cocker, she was a sweetie (and why I want another)! She didn't feel one way or the other towards young children, usually just ignored them. Unless they had food, then they were VERY interesting!

 

[DMickey28]

I grew up with a pure breed GS and then a GS/Lab mix. Both we wonderful dogs. The GS mix is the one I remember the most. He was great with us. We would play barbies and GI Joes all over him and he could care less. When I was really little and wanted a horse, I would try and ride him. He could care less.

Right now DH and I have a year and half old Corgi. They are the same family, herding, but a small dog. 28lbs. He IS a herder. He tries and herds the cats. He "herded" his toys into the corner last night and was barking at them.

Both breeds have a lot of energy. Lobo's newest thing is to play catch.. ALL THE TIME. From the time I get home from work until I fall asleep he wants to play catch. When it's warm out he will run back and forth for hours if I let him. They do require a lot of exercise and he has little legs.. a GS would just need more b/c they have a lot of energy and they are working breeds and need to be "working" on something or they get destructive. I notice with Lobo if he doesn't have enough active toys he gets bored and starts chewing on things he shouldn't.

Good Luck, I think it's a great breed.. I think the herding family is a great family. Training and exercise are KEY with the breeds.

 

[magicmouse2]

Our GS is fantastic

Excellent with kids never growls at them even when they rough and tumble with him.

Extremely clean no accidents in the house

Extremely loyal and protective of owners family and house

Really obedient, good looking, quiet - not much barking not like a yappy small breed dog.

Very intelligent tells you what he wants by the look in his eyes.

Great with other animals even cats.

Downside is all the hair they lose, meaning daily vacuuming. They are susceptible to hip problems as they age however you can get a puppy with a good hip score that this is less likely to happen to.

 

[MAKmom]

What other breed of dog do you already have? Are you a herding breed person? I know I'm not. I have Labs (as you can see in my avatar!). I like friendly, goofy, outgoing dogs. GSD's are often aloof and one-person or one-family dogs. ?

I agree Dh grew up with Shepards this is what he said one would only listen to his Dad.

 

[LindaR]

We adopted our GSD when she was 2 years old. Her previous owner had a heart attack and surgery and felt like he couldn't give her the proper attention anymore, so she went back to the breeder. My daughter was 10 when we brought her home. Not only was she "pure bred", but more importantly.......she was the result of careful research and breeding, so she has none of the "traits" that are common in poorly bred dogs.

We never had any "problems" with her. She WAS very protective of us, but only when she needed to be. She could tell by our body language and our tone of voice if someone coming to our house was welcome, or gave us the creeps (our former pest control guy), etc. When someone new arrived, we'd properly introduce her to the person. She always placed her body between us and the other person. ALWAYS.

She was completely trained and socialized. ALL dogs need this. AND it needs to be reinforced throughout their lives. This is not a breed for the person who wants a lazy couch potato. They are independent thinkers and if you cannot be "alpha" then they will decide that they will be alpha and not mind you. The hair gets everywhere! When they bark, its for a reason. They can have very sensitive stomachs. Wonderful breed for the right person/family.

If you are not certain, do not get a GSD. A good breeder would not sell one to you if they don't believe its a good match.

 

[ZachnElli]

I don't know anything about GS's but my in-laws have one and they have had a lot of trouble with their homeowner's insurance because they have him. They wanted them to add a 100K rider on their house in case he bit someone. He's really old and fat and couldn't get up fast enough to bite anyone, but they still had to do it.

 

[labdogs42]

Wonderful breed for the right person/family.

If you are not certain, do not get a GSD.

YES -- this is what I was trying to say in a nutshell.

 

[NMAmy]

We had a German Shepherd/malanois mix. We got her when dd was 2 and they hit it off immediately. She was great with our other dog (a noisey little mutt) and most of the time, was perfectly behaved. She was not a barker (I have a golden retriever now who is a HUGE barker) and was not aggressive. She was a great dog and dd and I were just talking the other day about how much we miss her. I'd get another GS in a heartbeat.