Does anyone have a German Shepherd ??

[bebe]

I am considering a German Shepherd. I''ve done some research and still don''t know if the breed is the right choice for us.
I want a smart and loyal dog. But I don''t want to worry about aggresive behavior or shielding friends and family from our pet.
Also, I''ve read that GS''s have a distinct odor - not so sure about that. And I am willing to work with and train the dog.
We have been "petless" for about 4 years, so this would be a big step for us if we go forward with this.

My husband wants a Basset Hound

, but I''m totally against the drooling ! Also thinking about a Lab. Dunno

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

I don''t currently have a german shepard but it''s the only dog that i have grown up with and if we were to ever get a dog, i would be aiming for another one!! My mum still has one and my sister has 2.

They are smart, loyal and awesome gaurd dogs, my mums is the biggest sook in the world yet no one in their right mind would dare walk through the gate when they saw him.

My sister has 3 small children and they all hang off of their 2 dogs and both of them are so good with the kids.

Personally, there isn''t a dog that i would trust more than a shepard that i knew.

My thoughts on being worried about agressive behaviour and having to sheild family and friends all falls on the way the dog is brought up. Treated and trained correctly you wont have any problems.

Out of the 6 shepard that i can remember, none of them have ever been agressive yet they have all been fantastic gaurd dogs.

Hope that helps a bit!

 

[Lynn B]

My husband's brother used to *breed* GSs. He (the BIL) was a back-yard breeder

and a loser, but the dogs were always wonderful. Simply wonderful.

He gave one of his puppies to my son, and that dog grew to be one of the greatest joys of our lives. He was so smart, and so intuitive... and so gentle and loving. His ONLY *FAULT*

was that big, beautiful wildly wagging tail that could clean off a coffee table in one fell swoop!

He lived to about age 10... he passed away last year from cancer, and we all still miss him every day.

Honestly, I've never met a German Shepherd that I didn't just LOVE. From my experience, I totally recommend the breed.

ETA: Never noticed any specific *odor*, either... just the the usual doggie smell when he needed a bath!

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 11/27/2009 7:35:31 PM
Author: hawaiianorangetree
My thoughts on being worried about agressive behaviour and having to sheild family and friends all falls on the way the dog is brought up. Treated and trained correctly you wont have any problems.

I would also add that breeding matters sometimes as much as training. A well bred dog from a reputable breeder will be much more likely to have a great temperament. Dogs from puppy mills and backyard breeders are more likely to be aggressive, but that's the case with all breeds, really.

Personally, I think they're fantastic dogs! I'm not a huge fan of the ones bred for show, because I feel that their hind legs are in an unnatural position that makes it harder for the dog to move. However, the working bred dogs, like those used for the police force, are beautiful. I've never known a GSD that was anything other than friendly and loving.

You could also look in shelters or through GSD rescues - there are a ton out there.

P.S. I've never heard about them having an odor. Now basset hounds *do* have a very specific odor! Haha

 

[pinkelephant]

I have a German Shepherd and he is a great dog. He can be a bit aggressive towards other dogs, but that is due to some unfortunate incidents when he was a puppy (attacked by other dogs). Other than that, he is not at all aggressive towards people and is actually quite a suck. He always wants to be pet and if anything, the only concern with him and children is that he always wants to give them kisses, which they do not always appreciate! I will warn you that they do require a lot of physical activity and mental stimulation. As for the odor, it is quite distinct and cannot be ''washed'' away. We were unaware of this when we got Rocky and thought that the scent was because he was dirty, but we soon realized that it was just his special scent. As well, shepherds shed all year round so they do need regular brushing as well as ear cleaning. As well, he is a great guard dog as he has a strong bark and an intimidating appearance. He also was easy to train and is incredibly smart. My mom speaks Korean to him while the rest of us speak English; he understands both!

 

[Lynn B]

Here's a picture of Newman as a baby.

He eventually outgrew the adorable *ear pose*... but it stayed our "family greeting" for years!!!

Gosh, I miss him to this day.

 

[shimmer]

I just got a 1yr old shepherd lab mix from a shelter. My last dog was a shepherd mix and he was *perfect*, the best dog ever, but passed away in April at age 13 and we had him since he was 8 weeks old. So that''s why I chose this dog.

This dog, now he is a handful to say the least! We are not sure of his past, but he is great with other dogs but dominant and aggressive towards people. We didn''t know this when we got him, and to be honest, I would not have chosen him if we did.

We are working with him, it is very difficult and practically a full-time job right now. It is hard to have people over because he tries to jump and get in their face. I hope it gets better!

I''m not trying to discourage you, I just want to let you know to be careful about the dog''s past if you get an older one. Don''t rely on what the shelter says, you need to spend time with the dog to make sure he is well socialized.

 

[D2B]

Grew up with one as a child. Great dog, but they need lots of training, which is fun and rewarding in itself if you are into this - but they are a big dog, and with any large breed, lots of training needed.

I would also strongly support PP who have mentioned breeding, you need to find a well breed dog with good bloodlines, bred for family use as well, so no aggression or unsrupulous brother sister matings etc , etc which can increase genetic problems and personality issues. They are a wonderful dog, get a good breed one, they will love you to death, be intelligent and loyal and very very smart.

 

[bebe]

Thanks for all the great advice.

I have looked at rescue dogs from all over the state of Texas! I want to do that, but to be honest, I do worry about adopting an older puppy/dog and
possibly dealing with issues from the past. But I know there are great doggies just waiting to be loved and have a forever home.

I''ve researched breeders and would never buy from a pet store or a breeder that I haven''t visited and asked a lot of questions.

janey, just how bad is this odor !!

 

[gailrmv]

I have two shepherd mixes. They have some german shepherd combined with who knows what! Both were adopted as young adults from the animal shelter. My older dog is GREAT with people of all types, especially children. She's quite the ham and is very affectionate. The only exception is when a stranger approaches the house (like a delivery person). Then she is quite "assertive" in protecting the house. More so than I would like. She is also not good at all about meeting other dogs on leash - she feels she needs to protect her people. At the dog park or other times when she can be off leash, she is fine. My younger dog is much more easygoing when it comes to other dogs, but more apprehensive when meeting new people. She is shy and takes a while to warm up. As a younger dog she destroyed things on occasion out of anxiety, but she's much better about that now.

Overall both are wonderful dogs. Although they do have a few issues, I am sure every dog does. I did not have the time to care for a young puppy and so it was great to have adult dogs who were already house trained etc. Being mixed breeds, they don't have the health problems that some purebreeds do. There are so many wonderful shelter dogs needing homes. I plan to always adopt my pets from shelters.

 

[niccia]

My parents rescued one and gave it to our neighbour so we basically grew up with her. She was at our house every day. Considering that she had been abused and badly neglected, she had a wonderful personality and loved us kids (as well as our other animals). She was incredibly smart and easy to train, and always very clean. She fell in love with our black lab at first sight, and never left his side again. I think she drove him a little nuts truthfully. She was an amazing dog and I would not hesitate to get another one.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Lynn, your boy was an adorable puppy!

To illustrate just how good shepards can be..

Ziggy was being ''tourmented'' by our long billed corrella Fred.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

and here he is with the pet rabbit on his back.

He is such a good boy, he''s never hurt any of our other pets even when being subjected to this!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Lynn, What an adorable puppy Newman was!

It's amazing how they steal our hearts, isn't it?

hawaiianorangetree, I love that pic of Ziggy with the bunny!

What a good boy!!

bebe, I've never had a German Shepherd, but when I read that you had looked at rescues all over Texas, I just had to take a peek on Petfinder.com. I can certainly understand your hesitation about adopting a dog, without knowing his history, but I have a few ideas to help remedy this concern:

1. Adopt a puppy, though this idea could raise its own concerns, assuming GS puppies are a bit more rambunctious than an adult.

2. Adopt an adult dog from a rescue organization that has a foster system. You could speak with the foster parent extensively about the dog's behavior. A good rescue organization would do its best to match you with a dog that best fits you and your family.

3. Foster a dog through a rescue group. You can contact a rescue group in your area, explain your concerns and indicate that you would like to foster with intent to adopt. If you find that you and the dog are not a good match, then you can foster him until the right adopter comes along.

I'm not sure where in Texas you are, but this girl in Houston caught my eye. She is soooo cute! I just had to post her pic! Her name is Ginger, and she SMILES!!

Ginger

 

[Smores84]

We had 2 purebred German Shepherds. First dog was AKC and cost $100 from a local family, second was $200 from a farm nearby. They were found through local newspapers. Hubby had another german shepherd before we met. He absolute loves them!

Aggressive behavior was not an issue, but #2 always growled and barked at all strangers. But as soon as the stranger approaches her, she gets scared and tucks her tail. She acted ferocious, but was a scaredy cat. They shed so much hair, we had to ban them from the bedroom. I couldn''t resist posting this link. I know he''s not purebred, but he''s just so cute!

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15169383?rvp=1

 

[luv2sparkle]

We have always had GS since I was a little girl. My two older brothers had them, one breed and trained them. We lost our last shepherd in 2003, she was a wonderful dog.
She scared people because she sounded ferocious but she was as gentle as a lamb. She was a long haired shepherd and beautiful but we lived in the mountains and
she shed huge hair balls. I have always found them very easy to train. We now have a mini dachshund and we have had more problems with aggression with him than
with any German Shepherd we have ever had. He wants to bite peoples ankles! He is obedient and trained so we have been able to stop most of it. The UPS man is scared of
him though!

They are wonderful dogs. I would love to have another. Only two drawbacks I have found. Hair balls and big poop. That wouldn''t stop me from having one if our backyard
was bigger. When you have a great dog you never forget them, and they are great dogs.

 

[Lynn B]

And here''s a picture of grown-up Newman (affectionately nicknamed "Noodle"

) the summer before he died.

 

[pinkelephant]

Love all the pictures!

Bebe, the smell is not all that bad. I live in Vancouver, so I think it''s made worse by all the rain, so we got a raincoat for Rocky to keep the majority of his coat dry when on walks. You just have to make sure that you groom the dog regularly. I can''t say enough about how wonderful Rocky has been for my entire family. He is incredibly loyal and is just so loving!

 

[oddoneout]

My neighbour has had a few german shepherds over the years. They are protective but it seems to be bark not bite. They''re very loving and smart.

 

[bebe]

LOVE the pictures. Those little babies look so loveable!

We won''t go go into this in a hurry, that''s for sure. We''ve been
discussing a pet for quite some while. DH thinks he wants the Basset
Hound. And I''m fairly sure the Shepherd is what I want. We have always
had 2 dogs and 2 cats, and now, nothing. But we have never had a big dog,
so I''m a little concerned about that. We do have a very large backyard (w/pool),
so space to play and exercise is fine.

The Shepherds are so smart and loyal - how can ya resist that