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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
  
Location: CO | I'm looking at getting a German shepherd puppy..
What your recommendation ya nah stay away from breed. Goods bads... I've only owned Aussie heeler or lab.
Woman states it's a German bloodline |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
 
Location: Bandera, TX | I'm on my second GSD and will never be without one. They are an amazing breed: basically train themselves (well the basic stuff), are goofy and very loving, but also great protectors. |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | Above all, do not rush into buying a pup.
Do your research, ask questions.
Are the parents hips xrayed, health testing done, do the parents have any titles?
Does the breeder offer any sort of quarantees on hips/health?
As in horses, you get what you pay for.
There are German lines (typically working type) and American lines (typically show type).
Does the breeder have references? People who have purchased pups from them and are happy (or not) with what they bought?
Even if you are looking at buying a pup for a companion(vs sport or show) you want the health clearance on the parents. You don't want to buy a pup that 3 years down the road is having hip problems.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: CO | No hip, elbow dysphasia |
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Expert
Posts: 1255
| I love Shepard's mine lived to be 16 years old she was the sweetest dog until someone tried to break in one night and she attacked which I never thought she had it in her after she passed I went to pound and got two more the females just like her but the male was mean when I first got him he's not any more but I didn't trust him at first |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: CO | the one i liked was male |
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 Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | I just lost mine last week and I am heartbroken. I loved him but almost never realized how much I depended on him for company every day. I will eventually get another but right now. My breeder retired so I will have to find a new one as well. I recommend the working lines, IMO they are built more proportionate and have less of a chance of getting degenerative disk issues because of their long backs and weird angles. Clean hips and elbows are a must as well. You can't go wrong with GSD's best dogs in the world. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: CO | i was gonna post a pic but it wont let me... |
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 A Big Ditto!
Posts: 3600
Location: Jasper, Tx | kasaj2000 - 2014-04-16 8:09 PM
Above all, do not rush into buying a pup.
Do your research, ask questions.
Are the parents hips xrayed, health testing done, do the parents have any titles?
Does the breeder offer any sort of quarantees on hips/health?
As in horses, you get what you pay for.
There are German lines (typically working type) and American lines (typically show type).
Does the breeder have references? People who have purchased pups from them and are happy (or not) with what they bought?
Even if you are looking at buying a pup for a companion(vs sport or show) you want the health clearance on the parents. You don't want to buy a pup that 3 years down the road is having hip problems.
Yep! what she said!  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 683
Location: Ohio | As kasaj2000 said, do your research! While I don't own a German Shepard at the moment I have been around many and I have owned Belgian Shepard (Malinois) in the past, I also got to handle quit a few at a vet clinic I worked at. Amazing breed but you really need to think about if the dog will fit your lifestyle. Bloodlines have a lot to do with it! I've seen some extremely bad bred dogs at the clinic and cringed viewing x-rays of Shepard's who looked closer to being in their teens from the hip x-rays but were sadly very young. You really need to find a good breeder who knows their stuff and has the credentials and reviews to back it up. I found my breeder through my veterinary who knew the dogs and breeding program well.
My dogs were working bred and needed constant exercise and activity to keep them sane during their adolescent years. Obedience training started from day one and they were introduced to my horses early on, socialized regularly and were truly a great dogs. If I didn't keep them busy though they turned into destructive nightmares at times. Many days I would end up taking them along on long trail rides while seasoning colts to wear them out, a few even loved tailing us while riding our 4 wheelers on the trails. It took a lot to wear my guys down. That being said Belgain Shepards are known for having more drive and enegery but I know many German Shepard's that would give them a run for their money! lol
My guys were always extremely friendly when traveling (loved meeting new kids at shows!) but on their turf they would be more protective when strangers came by. While not overly aggressive, they would meet strangers at their cars, bark and escort them cautiously to the house (if they dared to get out of their cars! lol). Once the sun went down is when the real protectiveness came out, even on the road. Once the lights were off and everyone was in bed, they were on duty! My husband would have to announce his presence before he entered the house on nights when he worked late and I was already in bed! lol Otherwise he would be met with growls and a not so happy guard dog... A quick command would shut them down though and they were back to being sweet and welcoming. |
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Regular
Posts: 56
| I have one and love him.
Super smart - definitely the easiest dog I've ever trained. He's very friendly, loves kids! Mine is not very good with other dogs, but he's had some bad experiences. He's a great dog and I'd take another in a heartbeat. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 292
Location: Northeast Nebraska | I would stay away from ASL and GSL. Can't stand what they have done to my favorite breed. IMO, you are better off going to a dreaded "BYB" that tests than show people. Someone on a farm, that has a litter now and then. Someone involved in herding, agility, etc. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I loved our GSD (: My best friend's dad bred and showed them, and that's where our dog came from. I'm not sure of her exact bloodlines but they were German. She was a super cool dog, protective of our family but not vicious. Growing up she was magged by my brother and I and all of our friends. She never chased the cows or horses, and she got along with our other dogs as long as she wasn't locked in the kennel area with them (which was actually a really big area, but it made her territorial so when we had to lock the dogs up she had her completely separate area). |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I love my shepHerds. (See what I did there? LOL) I grew up with them, and have had one as a shadow my whole adult life. Definitely prefer the working lines, but the European show lines are better than ours--my current dog is a show/working mix, but all west German and her sire was Sch titled. She is a higher drive dog than what I've had in the past, but she is an awesome protector, and thinks my kids are hers, so I'm happy to deal with it. Health and temperament are sooooo important when picking a puppy--quite a few "breeders" have no idea what they're doing. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | I would stay away from show lines unless you are planning on showing. If you want a good farm dog and companion, look at working lines. I look for a nice straight back with not a lot of slope, Talk to breeders and ask them lots of questions. Do you want a long hair or a short hair GSD? A lot of GSD carry the Long Hair gene so there may be a few in the litter and if you do not want a long hair make sure you let your breeder know and they should be able to tell you which pup will be long. I look for puppies that are brave and curious when you walk up to them, try throwing your keys a few feet away and see who run up to the keys. You want strong nerves in your dog. After you get the pup see if he is more play driven or treat driven, that will help with the training process. I.E if they are treat driven, as a reward when training give them a little piece of raw meat, Or if they are play driven their favorite toy. I don’t believe in Over Vaccinating, I also believe that their kibble (good quality) should be supplemented with fruits and veg’s and raw meat. I also give my dogs ACV and coconut oil on their food. They are amazing dogs, but need a firm pack leader. With proper training, you will not be disappointed!!! |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | MC1993 - 2014-04-17 8:17 AM I would stay away from show lines unless you are planning on showing. If you want a good farm dog and companion, look at working lines. I look for a nice straight back with not a lot of slope, Talk to breeders and ask them lots of questions. Do you want a long hair or a short hair GSD? A lot of GSD carry the Long Hair gene so there may be a few in the litter and if you do not want a long hair make sure you let your breeder know and they should be able to tell you which pup will be long. I look for puppies that are brave and curious when you walk up to them, try throwing your keys a few feet away and see who run up to the keys. You want strong nerves in your dog. After you get the pup see if he is more play driven or treat driven, that will help with the training process. I.E if they are treat driven, as a reward when training give them a little piece of raw meat, Or if they are play driven their favorite toy. I don’t believe in Over Vaccinating, I also believe that their kibble (good quality) should be supplemented with fruits and veg’s and raw meat. I also give my dogs ACV and coconut oil on their food. They are amazing dogs, but need a firm pack leader. With proper training, you will not be disappointed!!!
My last girl was long haired and still double coated and OMG, the shedding! Dixie, the dog I have now, is my first plush coat. Very different, but still lots of hair in the floor. Oh well, it's probably a good thing my floors get cleaned more often. That's what I tell myself. |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | My husband got ours already trained (schutzhund flunk out, he did not like the bite work...he'd do it, but he'd verbally cry while doing it lol)
He was a very cool dog. Czech bred. lived to be 13. Very small and straight backed, almost no slope. I am not a fan of the slopes personally. We did not do much with him, he was a companion dog, but a good one. Had mild arthritis managed with NSAID's at the end. He was put down due to some sort of gastric issue (I'm thinking cancer, basically he stopped eating, retained water, diarrhea and vomitting, just old age). His breeder is still around if you are in the midwest. She's a nice lady. They do shed a LOT, and have lots of energy.
Here's Pike
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Cold hands and Warm Heart
Location: oklahoma | We'll never be without one. Loyal, protective, usually talkative and so intelligent that its sometimes scary. Ours house train in a few weeks, never look back. The only thing I don't like is the shedding but I'll put up with it to enjoy the breed. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 683
Location: Ohio | CurlyQ - 2014-04-16 10:05 AM
We'll never be without one. Loyal, protective, usually talkative and so intelligent that its sometimes scary. Ours house train in a few weeks, never look back. The only thing I don't like is the shedding but I'll put up with it to enjoy the breed.
Have you tried a shedding blade? I was amazed the first time I tried one on my dogs lol It looked like I have sheered a sheep on my porch! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 596
Location: Somewhere in the middle of nowhere | We have one that we found on the side of the road as a little puppy. He is around 6 months old now and HUGE! He is very talkative, funny and very goofy. He loves my boys and plays with them all the time. Please help me to understand how this breed is best trained. He does know his basic commands but when you take him off the leash he is not as mindful..... |
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  Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | I will get one again. I miss my Dew. He was the most loyal and easy to train dog I have ever had. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | nmeastplains - 2014-04-17 10:37 AM We have one that we found on the side of the road as a little puppy. He is around 6 months old now and HUGE! He is very talkative, funny and very goofy. He loves my boys and plays with them all the time. Please help me to understand how this breed is best trained. He does know his basic commands but when you take him off the leash he is not as mindful.....
They need a firm, calm leader, and do best if they're able to spend a lot of time with the family. Not good dogs to stick in the backyard and only interact with an hour a day. My puppies spend a lot of time on a leash, even in the house. If I'm working on the computer, I will put the leash handle on my ankle. If I'm working in the field, they go with me. If I go to the barn, they go on a leash and get tied up. With maturity comes more freedom, but they have to learn to be with me and follow first. And I do let them have freedom, but it's in a fence until they're reliable about minding and staying put. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 596
Location: Somewhere in the middle of nowhere | Three 4 Luck - 2014-04-17 10:42 AM nmeastplains - 2014-04-17 10:37 AM We have one that we found on the side of the road as a little puppy. He is around 6 months old now and HUGE! He is very talkative, funny and very goofy. He loves my boys and plays with them all the time. Please help me to understand how this breed is best trained. He does know his basic commands but when you take him off the leash he is not as mindful..... They need a firm, calm leader, and do best if they're able to spend a lot of time with the family. Not good dogs to stick in the backyard and only interact with an hour a day. My puppies spend a lot of time on a leash, even in the house. If I'm working on the computer, I will put the leash handle on my ankle. If I'm working in the field, they go with me. If I go to the barn, they go on a leash and get tied up. With maturity comes more freedom, but they have to learn to be with me and follow first. And I do let them have freedom, but it's in a fence until they're reliable about minding and staying put.
Thank you! This is exactly what I was needing to know. We are doing this right now and he is out with us as long as we are there. He leash trained very quickly. How long until they actually reach maturity? He is quite big for a youngster, like around 60 lbs.... |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 494
| Ive had 2. Both females that were raised from puppies. Both were super high strung but extremely SMART. One was a protective one that would keep people in check if she sensed a threat. She had cornered construction workers before, but I do not blame her as they seemed sketchy. She would chase the horses and bite at them sometime, and attacked another dog so we had her put down. I would probably not get one again. |
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Location: WI | wonder if that's a female shepherd thing. I have always had male shepherds and they have been awesome dogs. Smart, trainable, loving, travel with me everywhere, calm, friendly, etc. I adopted a female shepherd 2 years ago and she has anxiety issues like you wouldn't believe! She is a great dog also, smart, sweet, good with people and dogs but she had a lot of energy, nervous when traveling, bad with the horses, and a little neurotic (and she is 10 years old). If she would have been my first, she would have been my last :) My 4 yr old male shepherd is the mature one of the group.
I will always have shepherds but have decided only males from now on. :) |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 683
Location: Ohio | hmm89 - 2014-04-16 4:04 PM
wonder if that's a female shepherd thing. I have always had male shepherds and they have been awesome dogs. Smart, trainable, loving, travel with me everywhere, calm, friendly, etc. I adopted a female shepherd 2 years ago and she has anxiety issues like you wouldn't believe! She is a great dog also, smart, sweet, good with people and dogs but she had a lot of energy, nervous when traveling, bad with the horses, and a little neurotic (and she is 10 years old). If she would have been my first, she would have been my last :) My 4 yr old male shepherd is the mature one of the group.
I will always have shepherds but have decided only males from now on. :)
I have always had neutered males in the past and often wondered if there was a difference in attitudes. Friends that own a female said they saw changes after a litter of puppies. I guess aggressiveness and separation anxiety started to show more and more after the puppies were weaned and spaying her later on didn't help very much. No idea how the dog was bred though. Anyone else have issues with females? |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | hmm89 - 2014-04-17 3:04 PM wonder if that's a female shepherd thing. I have always had male shepherds and they have been awesome dogs. Smart, trainable, loving, travel with me everywhere, calm, friendly, etc. I adopted a female shepherd 2 years ago and she has anxiety issues like you wouldn't believe! She is a great dog also, smart, sweet, good with people and dogs but she had a lot of energy, nervous when traveling, bad with the horses, and a little neurotic (and she is 10 years old). If she would have been my first, she would have been my last :) My 4 yr old male shepherd is the mature one of the group. I will always have shepherds but have decided only males from now on. :)
That's bad breeding/temperament. I prefer girls, even though they do have more of a tendency for dog aggression, especially when they're juveniles. That's something that can be worked through with proper handling, IF you have a stable temperament to work with. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Three 4 Luck - 2014-04-17 3:54 PM hmm89 - 2014-04-17 3:04 PM wonder if that's a female shepherd thing. I have always had male shepherds and they have been awesome dogs. Smart, trainable, loving, travel with me everywhere, calm, friendly, etc. I adopted a female shepherd 2 years ago and she has anxiety issues like you wouldn't believe! She is a great dog also, smart, sweet, good with people and dogs but she had a lot of energy, nervous when traveling, bad with the horses, and a little neurotic (and she is 10 years old). If she would have been my first, she would have been my last :) My 4 yr old male shepherd is the mature one of the group. I will always have shepherds but have decided only males from now on. :) That's bad breeding/temperament. I prefer girls, even though they do have more of a tendency for dog aggression, especially when they're juveniles. That's something that can be worked through with proper handling, IF you have a stable temperament to work with.
Btw, anyone reading this who knew my Rena is probably laughing right now. But it really wasn't her fault, it was those danged terrorists picking at her that caused problems. LOL. She got along great with dogs everywhere else as long as they didn't try to pick a fight--she had every intention of finishing any conflict that was started. No tolerance for BS...  |
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Member
Posts: 36
| Best dogs I've ever had. Females are much more protective of their family. I have no doubt our male will protect our family but the female will stay with the children for hours outside just watching them. Our male would rather just go and play! AMAZING dogs with the right training! |
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Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | My 8 year old female has none of those issues. She is fine (well, she is actually quite perfect... ) |
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boon
Posts: 4
| I have a 2 year old neutered rescued male. I got him as a very young pup, his mother stopped letting the litter nurse at about 5 weeks. He is very smart, very social in public, and yet very protective of myself and my boyfriend. He is very much a two person dog. He loves horse shows, enjoys playing with children, and loves camping, all in a social setting, but would not hesitate to defend his home or myself. We completed one 6 week intensive training/puppy class when he was about 3 months old. I put him on a leash in crowded public places like the park or a big show, but at home and the barn he is always off leash. He was recently diagnosed with EPI, a pancreatic enzyme deficiency. It is more common in shepherds than in any other breed, is rather treatable once recognized, and can be pricey. He is now on a grain free diet, a B12 supplement, and an enzyme replacement powder with every meal.
All of this said, he is my absolute baby and I would never trade him for the world. I would not hesitate to get another shepherd. He is the most loyal, trust worthy, and honest dog out there. Always fun loving, and always up for an adventure. Quite honestly he is one of my best friends. :) |
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German sheperd owners???