GSD considerations as family pets

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Ranyhyn

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Further to my earlier post regarding getting another dog I have fallen upon the GSD. I would like a dog who I would FEEL would act as a deterrant for burglars etc (currently JRTs not filling this position) so ideally want a large dog. I have experience of working dogs but not working in this genre (ie guarding/police etc) I am aware of hip scores etc but as I am going to try and rescue - will this come into it?

Can anyone who is a GSD owner or fan please help with a few points I need to consider before going down the route of GSD?
 
My GSD absolutely loves chilldren she adores my nephews and niece and my best friends daughter and will play with them for hours. She doesn't leave their side.

She does her job she herds and protects whether that it be the children and my horse who she loves with a passion ( he hates her and has picked her up and chucked her across the yard
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) if I'm in the school she just runs round and round and round the outside- you get the picture.
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She is trained within an inch of her life and a little sensitive and I do wonder if she could be a little over protective if even the chance.

I Love her to bits and feel very safe with her around
 
I had a rescue GSD. She lived with me for 7 years; after 2 years of ownership I bought a JRT puppy. They lived happily together for 5 years and then the GSD killed the JRT. JRT had the most gentle temperament so she definitely would not have goaded the GSD. My mother had a GSD from a puppy - she bought it when her JRT was a couple of years old. They lived together for at least a couple of years and then GSD killed JRT. My mother has had a number of GSDs over the years, all from reputable breeders, and all were very nippy with small children - would grab their arms for instance.
 
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I had a rescue GSD. She lived with me for 7 years; after 2 years of ownership I bought a JRT puppy. They lived happily together for 5 years and then the GSD killed the JRT. JRT had the most gentle temperament so she definitely would not have goaded the GSD. My mother had a GSD from a puppy - she bought it when her JRT was a couple of years old. They lived together for at least a couple of years and then GSD killed JRT. My mother has had a number of GSDs over the years, all from reputable breeders, and all were very nippy with small children - would grab their arms for instance.

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What? So you reckong both you and your mother both had GSD's and JRT's and both GSDs killed both JRTs?

LOL I think I am writing your post off as a freak situation!
 
wait for CaveCanem reply. She owns GSD's
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my YO has a GSD, she is the sweetest dog, if in need of a little training but wouldn't hurt a fly. She is currently teaching the new 2 month old collie rescue the ropes!
 
You called?

I have had them all my life, will probably never have another breed and would highly recommend them. I know several that live with other breeds including JRTs and toy breeds and are about as far down the pecking order as you can get
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All of ours have been fantastic with children.
They are loyal, yet also independent and can think for themselves, they are innate protectors.

I will not lie, my current male was not great with other dogs to begin with, but he was unsocialised, I was underconfident in my handling but I put the work in and he is tonnes better and in November passed his German companion dog qualification.
(Perhaps Colleen Miss Tom could post some nice pics of him with her JRT cross and her little boy?)

As regards hip/elbow scoring, if you don't want to breed it is not so important, but it is also good to know to avoid misery down the line. There is no way to tell definitively except for x-raying and scoring the plates, although dogs which have bad HD can show a 'wiggle' in the hindquarters.
Best not to do any agility or strenuous exercise before a year old to minimise the risk.

Please try and go for show or pet lines as specific working lines are like different dogs in terms of their needs and personality and have very high game/prey drives. A lot of the working lines are quite easily identifiable in that they are likely to be sable or dark sable (that two-tone grey colour) or bi-colour (mostly black with brown feet, paws are striped and hocks have 'tar heels') and black.

As with any large working breed, you will need to keep on top of him or her and set boundaries. As I recall from your other posts you are already quite realistic with your dogs already.

As with any undesireable behaviour, if dogs jump and nip arms, especially in children you stop it.
It is quite a common trait in herding breeds but is easily remedied.

A man I know who bred GSDs had one killed by his own Akita.

GSD rescue have some lovely animals in at the minute but if you want recommendations of breeders in your area (Wales?) then PM me
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I'm sure my mum and CaveCanem can give you more details, but thought I'd add that I grew up around GSDs (my Mum bred them) and although I am maybe biased, I think they are great family pets. As for being nippy - the only time I have ever been bitten by one of our dogs was by my lancashire heeler, and TBH I would always trust a shepherd more than something small and yappy. Of our current 3, all look and sound imposing, and I have seen delivery men frantically clamber back into their vans when Buffy came out of the house, despite her being the softest dog I have ever met.

As for the killing little dogs - my Mums old GSD Chaka didn't like my lancashire heeler Abigail, but that was all the heelers fault. The first time they fought, it was the heeler who started it, and the heeler we had to drag from around the shepherds throat. Unfortunately, Chaka's size meant she could have easily hurt Abi so we kept them seperate from then, simply because Abi had no qualms about picking a fight at every opportunity. I don't think i can remember any of our other shepherds ever having a go at smaller dogs either.
 
Thanks all.

Ideally looking for a longhaired GSD and ideally a pup, so that my little Roly has plenty of time to get used to the little dog becoming a large dog
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My mum isn't keen on a GSD, she is worried it will lead to heartache on account of their hips etc ...
 
Kitsune, I have had them all my life as has my mother and we have never had one with HD.
Responsible breeders in the UK have subscribed to the hip scoring scheme since it was implemented decades ago and it really is not as bad as it used to be.

Also a lot of people confuse HD with CDRM which is a condition where the brain functions do not reach the muscles properly and the back legs, then the front, begin to fail. This is a condition seen in quite a few large breeds and is not muscular.

Additionally, if you go for a long coat (I love them
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) try to find one with an undercoat. The reason they are not permissable to show is that longcoats do not usually have an undercoat and therefore are not waterproof.
The dog that B worked with on the day of his test was a coatie with no undercoat and the poor thing was soaked through - B was wet on top but totally dry underneath.


ETA see links for pics of my animals and some working dogs - hips not an issue!!!
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/5000459/page/0/vc/1

 
I have also had 2 GSD's in the past, I absolutely adore the breed and if and when we get our garden sorted, I am really tempted into getting another .

Bodo is fab with my boys and as you can see from the pics, hes very gentle with him even if he is the size of a lion
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My old boy shane was fantastic with my boys ..... Just trying to find the photo I had of shane and T .

GSD's are loyal dogs who give back what you have put in . They are super smart and not only have they brains but they are gorgeous
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Love the pics of C and B
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Col x
 
I've had GSDs all my life and I think they make wonderful pets.

As with any dog you need to speak to the breeder, explain you want a pet, look into their breeding programme, see the mum and dad, and finally pick the right puppy!

Our GSD is very good with other dogs, he adores our JRT, he is in love with the cat and will put up with anything from children. He does not nip at all, and will not jump up. He does pull on the lead but is fine with a halter.

We bought him from this lady and I would recommend her:
http://www.nixtev.co.uk/index.php


And gratuitous pics of Dizzy!


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Lovely pics everyone, my GSD also lives with cats chickens and 2 very bolshy JRT's who think the rule the roost .... they dont I do and I get to dress them up as people on here are aware
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Kitsune - I can recommend them too! We are a country sports family and whole family always had gundogs but my parents lived in Kenya at the time I was born and everyone had guard dogs. We had a GSD who obviously came back to England with us. I was raised with him and he was the most wonderful family dog - completely devoted to us but a marvellous deterrent to any unwelcome visitors! We never had any trouble with temperament and he was thoroughly trustworthy. Happily accepted other dogs into the household and the most loving dog - very sadly missed!
 
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Booboos you have the dog of my dreams! He is gorgeous
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Thank you!!! He is pretty sweet!

If you're looking for a GSD do give his breeder a call. When we picked him out it was the first time ever I said to OH pick whichever puppy you want, they all seem really nice! (normally I have strong views on which one seems dominant, etc!!!!)
 
As you know, Puppy was a GSD. She was without a doubt the most perfect dog you could ask for. She was beautiful, gentle, loyal, protective, loving, sensitive, friendly, patient. She was faultless with other dogs, children, horses. I miss her so much
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In the future I will certainly have another GSD
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I had the most gorgeous GSD, Zak. He was very tall and really looked the part as a guard dog at the isolated farm where I lived at the time. However, when my boyfriend's 10 year old daughter came to stay she would use him as a pillow as she watched telly, he wouldn't move a muscle although he would look at me sometimes as if to say ' I'm desperate for the loo, can you ask her to get off me!'
He really was softer than my pocket.
Puppy, I think you have summed up GSD beautifully in your description of your beloved Puppy.
 
Well, we have a GSD x Collie (we assume - rescue). She is V V soft BUT does the jof of looking aggressive (the postie's scared anyway! Lol)


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Her and her collie x terrier pal

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My 2yo bitch (black and gold in sig) is knee high too, she is just small! She might be an outcross/incross if you know what I mean, she certainly has a lot of breed characteristics.


Sorry to hijack Kitty. If you are tempted by those puppy pics, I can tell you what a fab dog Solo (the sire) is
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She's lovely i have to say - we've never gone down the GSD route before but now I think i would recommend them or a x of a GSD. I know they are renowned for being one man dogs butit's all a case of taring as with any dog - they maybe are just a bit more loyal!

We opted for GSD type to get my mum away from looney labs as our last rescue sadly got knocked down due to her tendency to just run and run and there was nothing we could do - she was a rescue and I 100% blame the person who had her and locked her in a shed all day every day. We didn't want a repeat of that though.
 
That's a thing a lot of people say about the one-person-dog but my current female and my last one are and were total tarts for company
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and we could, and did, hand over the lead to anyone (trusted individuals, of course) to take for walks.
When I was doing intensive training with B last year his sister went for wonderful four hour adventures with our visitors and many people asked if they could take her home
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.

Lots of people in the UK and plenty of people I know send their dogs to Germany for training with professionals, if they were such one-person-dogs, then not very many would ever come home with any qualifications.
 
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