German Shepherds

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angellauren

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I made a topic a while ago about puppy suggestions and mentioned that we were considering a GSD and a few of you also suggested it and I think we've been swayed. I grew up with a couple as a kid but don't know all the ins and outs of them really.

We want a chunky/large type but I don't really want to just surf the net when I don't know what I'm looking for.

We would happily rescue but do ideally want a puppy so not sure how realistic that is.

Does anybody have any breeder recommendations? We're based in Shropshire but happy to travel wherever but any input would be brilliant.

We live in a small holding, plenty of stables, about 7 acres and have a cocker spaniel my OH uses for shooting which is the most annoying dog I've ever come across but wouldn't mind a friend I'm sure and I can't stand being alone at home so a bigger breed would be nice to have around the place.
 
What exercise level can you provide? I can recommend showline or workingline breeders but workinglines tend to be a bit more energetic/need more stimulation or their are breeders who do 'middle of the road'.

Please make sure pup's parents and grandparents and even great grandparents are from low hip and elbow scored parents. A good breeder should be tripping over themselves to show you certifications.
I would also only recommend breeders who (even lightly) show or work (pref both!!) their dogs as an indication of their quality.

I cannot recommend anyone who uses the sales pitch 'big boned/old fashioned' as the breed is not meant to be a giant breed and 'old fashioned' to me would mean grey, tight-coated, and wiry! Also anyone who deliberately breeds for off-colours like white, blue or liver.

I will PM you some recommendations shortly :)
 
I've had a quick check and none of the breeders I know and would recommend in Shropshire have pups at the moment. I suspect CC and I would recommend the same breeders, but again I suspect none of them are that local. One of the rescues had a lovely long coat pup aged about 4 months but I think he has been rehomed now, worth contacting them though and saying you are looking.
CC has suggested what you need to check when looking at litters, if you find any pups in the Shropshire area and want to pm details to me I am happy to tell you if I know of the breeding etc.
 
If you would consider an older dog I have a friend who has a lovely bear of a gsd looking for a home ... He bred a lovely litter ... and someone had 2 male puppies but has just returned them ... they are now nearly 2 ... I have homed one for him and he has been with me a week and has been as good as gold ... I have stables and he has been fab around the horses.. the breeder also has horses ... message me if you are interested
 
Please do consider a rescue, there are stunning dogs country wide in kennels through no fault of their own. I would adopt in a heartbeat but they are rarely 200% guaranteed with cats which they would need to be for my house cats safety. Good luck you won’t regret a GSD.
 
What about fail police dogs. Retired would be too old. Could ring up local police kennels to you
 
CC has been very helpful with her recommendations. I have here 12 week GSD of Mascani breeding (by Mascani dog, out of bitch of mostly Mascani/ German breeding). When my old girl died I was distraught. The house was so empty I left all her things around so I could pretend she was still alive. I had already started some internet searching earlier as I knew she was on borrowed time. I work at home, but a week later was away at a 2 day meeting. In the evening I resumed my search. There seemed to be very few litters around of quality, although lots of unregistered, bitch mated to local dog type of litter. I was beginning to wonder just how far I would have travel! I avoided adverts where they owned both parents (unlikely their own dog is most suitable for their bitch), any odd colours, cheap puppies (under £600), any mention of guarding. I looked for health cert. and hip elbow scores. There was in fact only one suitable litter, of which only one remained. But she was/is just what I was looking for. People say "Is she good?" Well when she's good she's very very good, and when she's bad she's just bad. But she's a puppy, what do they expect?
Sorry if I've bored you!
 
Well I totally agree with Mascani recommendations. I had a lovely litter br their dog last year (he was recommended by CC :)). Who is the sire of your pup Adina?
 
Thanks guys!!! Will speak to OH and probably get back to this thread to enquire.

We were looking at getting one around Christmas/New Year but in no hurry :)
 
I have a six year old boy, im his 4th owner :(

Hes also my first GSD. I am not going to fib, he is full on and hard work sometimes but he is a complete mummys boy and is now (not at first!!) good with my 4 cats and my ferret.

He isnt too keen on the horses but will stay away from them now as he was kicked by my horse a couple of years ago.

Rescue dogs are so rewarding - We have learnt together and i love him to death. Hes my boy :)
 
Mascani are looking promising, just done a little research. Shame that their website is down! Are they the ones based in Staffordshire? That's not far really.

I've not wanted another dog for years since my best friend got put down about 6 years ago. To date, it is still the worst day of my life and I still cry about it now.

Would anybody recommend a particular sex over another? If so, for what reason? My old dog was a bitch but my OH would have to have his dog castrated if we were to go in this direction. I'm a bit manned down at the moment, horses, dogs, boyfriend etc!
 
Yep, they are in Staffordshire. I know one of their dogs near me who is working in obedience as well as showing and his brother is working as a gundog, believe it or not!!
They also have a Facebook page if you want to try and contact them for a chat or there are full contact details via their Champdogs page :)

If it's your first GSD I would probably go for a female but it's up to you :)
 
Interesting, my 1st was a Mascani, looks to die for but completely neurotic - I don’t doubt he would have ended up in rescue with most unsuspecting owners as he was completely wired to the day he died. He obedience trained to advanced but it wasn’t enough for his mind; definitely the most intelligent and challenging of mine.
 
We had a Mascani gsd years ago, Mo was my mom's midwife! Our gsd was lovely. Lived to a good age too
 
Can anyone recommend a GSD rescue while we are on the subject?

My parents had several over the years and OH and I were thinking of getting one. Would prefer a rescue over a puppy although we have two terriers so would a rescue centre still let us rehome?
 
I agree with CC re the 2 rescues she has named, and would add German Shepherd Rescue Elite, http://gsrelite.co.uk/
They are a fairly new rescue, formed by people who were previously involved with another rescue and are, imo, more realistic in their rehoming policies.
 
Thanks for the links.

We have, I should confess, been turned down by a rescue centre already - at least we are thinking along those lines. The home check was 5 weeks ago, thought it went well, heard nothing, followed up with email, told that someone would ring, but no-one has, dog we wanted still on their website, although we did say we liked several and would welcome their input as to which was most suitable, so I am not sure if we have failed on something or just that they are too busy...

Should it take this long?
 
The rescues are often very busy, but personally I think it is very poor when they don't follow up on home checks etc. I used to home check for a rescue and got very frustrated when they didn't get back to people. On more than one occasion people who would have given a wonderful home got fed up waiting and went elsewhere. It is probably worth contacting them again and asking them what is happening.
 
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