I want to have a whinge!!! German Shepherds..

[minmax]

Why do people think they are killers???
My GSD's have ALL been well behaved around other people, yet today I was asked what I would do if ever I got pregnent. As it wouldn't be 'safe' to have 2 GSD's around!
FFS!!!
I ever so slighty got a little pizzed off!
I was brought up with them, just because someone else has been bitten by them thats nothing to do with mine. I, as a 3 yr old got bitten in Germany by a poodle, had rabies jabs etc, doesn't mean I'm terrifed of poodles!

 

[Booboos]

It's a bit of thing with GSDs in the UK I am afraid. Wasn't at all the case in Greece when I was growing up, they were considered loyal and safe family dogs.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Yep, something you have to get used to, I'm afraid!!!

You could show them some pics like this (sorry for spamming AAD tonight )

Did you get your pup yet?

 

[ridebumble]

Why do people think they are killers???
My GSD's have ALL been well behaved around other people, yet today I was asked what I would do if ever I got pregnent. As it wouldn't be 'safe' to have 2 GSD's around!
FFS!!!
I ever so slighty got a little pizzed off!
I was brought up with them, just because someone else has been bitten by them thats nothing to do with mine. I, as a 3 yr old got bitten in Germany by a poodle, had rabies jabs etc, doesn't mean I'm terrifed of poodles!

Maybe partly because people see them as police dogs, army dogs or doing schutzhund ? As you know anyone who owns a gsd or has a friend with them generally loves them ... its lack of experience and knowledge ... well thats what I think

 

[kirstyhen]

CC, I'm not sure what a picture of GSD pups attacking en masse shows, apart from the fact they are vicious from an early age

 

[Booboos]

That poor child cornered by the GSD pups! Did he survive?

 

[minmax]

Haven't got one yet but think other half has found some tho, its his one to replace so he gets the choice, lol. I chose Paddy
Thats what the lady was getting at, when I have 2 full grown dogs then it would be dangerous for any child. I used to swing off one when I was little, she was called Sheba. When my mom went into the shops she would leave her sat next to my pram. You couldn't do that nowadays! Someone would call NSPCC or RSPCA, depending which camp your in lol

 

[CorvusCorax]

Mugging me, more like!!!

BB that was ME!!!!!

 

[JoG]

But GSD's can be really vicious

Take this example from florida - can't think of any other breed which is savage and bold enough to attack a predator animal but this pic shows 3 GSD type dogs attacking and maiming an alligator in a team attack, one holding the muzzle to prevent breathing, the second prevents thrashing and the third has gone for the kill by aiming for the soft under belly....

How would your baby be safe??!!

 

[MurphysMinder]

My ex MIL came out with a similar gem when I became pregnant, we had 4 GSDs and she just assumed I was going to get rid of them. She would have had a fit if she had seen her baby grandaughter aged 7 months, lying in a moses basket in the whelping kennel while I whelped one of the bitches.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Embarrassing picture time, at least its not in sepia.

A special sable for CC.

 

[CorvusCorax]

AW! I'm putting some ones for you on the other thread, hang on! >>>>

 

[minmax]

Embarrassing picture time, at least its not in sepia.

A special sable for CC.

Bless, that could easily be me! Inc the duffle coat and always had Clarks shoes too!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Least nobody thought MM was a wee boy, damn my Nan cutting my hair.....

 

[minmax]

lol, you wouldn't have mistaken me, I had awful pigtails!!!

 

[Apercrumbie]

But GSD's can be really vicious

Take this example from florida - can't think of any other breed which is savage and bold enough to attack a predator animal but this pic shows 3 GSD type dogs attacking and maiming an alligator in a team attack, one holding the muzzle to prevent breathing, the second prevents thrashing and the third has gone for the kill by aiming for the soft under belly....

How would your baby be safe??!!

hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha that has made my day!! Thank you!

In defence of German Shepherd skeptics: Like any dog, if brought up incorrectly they can be extremely dangerous. Their build completely exacerbates this bad bringin-upness (good word eh?) and because of their size and their teeth, understandably people can be scared of them. Obviously this goes for every single dog, but there have been a few too many aggressive GSD's for comfort.

In defence of the lady who originally asked about children + GSD: Remember that babies with any dogs can be worrying and should never be left alone together. Obviously this woman had an unfair view of GSD, but if she had applied that to dogs in general she would have been quite justified.

In defence of my comments: I love GSD's!! They are very sweet and although I wouldn't have one, I have no issue with them and certainly don't see them as automatically dangerous. They have been unlucky with bad press, and like any dog, in the right hands can be gorgeous!

 

[Jake10]

Why do people think they are killers???
My GSD's have ALL been well behaved around other people, yet today I was asked what I would do if ever I got pregnent. As it wouldn't be 'safe' to have 2 GSD's around!
FFS!!!
I ever so slighty got a little pizzed off!
I was brought up with them, just because someone else has been bitten by them thats nothing to do with mine. I, as a 3 yr old got bitten in Germany by a poodle, had rabies jabs etc, doesn't mean I'm terrifed of poodles!

Surely in a toss up between kids and your dogs you'd get rid of the kid coz really who wants a kid there loud, messy and occassionaly smelly

But I do have it admit if my Grandma had ever seen the pics of me sitting on my Nans rotti when I was a few months old she'd have thrown a fit (even worse I was left alone on the floor with said rotti and the vicious creature laid down next to me - obviously examining me for weaknesses)

 

[Fii]

When i was expecting my daughter, the midwife said to me, i expect that you will be getting rid of the dog then. Me; um no, why? Her, well you are going to have a baby ( no sh!t sherlock!) and the dogs an alsation.
Well i did'nt get rid of the dog, she was three when i had my daughter, and i did'nt treat her any differently after the baby than i did before, she was brilliant with her, she was a very mothering bitch ( used to let the kittens try to suckle her) and would cry if my daughter went out of her sight, when on a walk. They were lifelong friends.
There was absoluty (sp) no jealousy with the dog, once when my daughter was a toddler, she got hold of Bianca's squeaky hedghog, but bianca could'nt get it back because of small hands in the way, so she waited until my daughter moved her hands, and very, very gently took hold of the toy and pulled it out of the way

 

[CAYLA]

I rarely hear of any Gsd bashing at this end, but you will always get breed bashing where ever you go, and the amount of people that have also said to me "when you two eventually have kids, the dogs will have to go" Erm where, where the feck will the dogs go it's a bug bear of mine this, I need to get shot of the dog cos im having a sprog (without a hint of any issues to come), I wonder if these people used the dog as a sprog fill in, then simply got way excited at the real thing and felt no need to have the imitation sprog
The amountof folk that phone for a rescue and say "anything aslong as it's not a rotti" then they meet the other rotts in the rescue and mine and have actually proceeded to leave with one

 

[CAYLA]

Just to add, I do remember people asking if my mam had a screw lose having 2 small kids and 17 Gsd's, she di obs have a screw lose, but nowt to d with the dogs

 

[Ranyhyn]

Because too many people get them and are "over dogged" don't know when to call it a day and let someone else take-over and subsequently ruin them.

 

[Booboos]

Mugging me, more like!!!

BB that was ME!!!!!

Well clearly you have been scared for life!

Now that it has come up I realise that when Dizzy was licking all the children in the face at our BBQ on Sunday he was merely trying to decide which one tasted like starters, which one was to be main course and which one to keep for desert!

 

[MurphysMinder]

Of course he was! Strangely when my children were toddlers they never had the grubby, food smeared faces and hands others did, I wonder why

 

[Minxie]

I had the strangest experience with my first GSD (she's a white so apologies to those anti-whites).

She wasn't great with people coming into our house but would settle when she realised we were happy with them being there. But did like my neighbour who used to bring her two newfoundlands to play. My neighbour was pregnant and when her baby was born brought it round to our house for the first time (he would be about 10 days old) and my shepherd was instantly utterly besotted by the baby.

I don't mean to 'humanise' her but I honestly don't know of another word. She'd lie beside him in the room and would not move. If he cried she'd lick his hand and he'd stop. If my neighbour picked him up she'd sit right with her head on my neighbours knee licking the baby's feet. (I should add she was always closely supervised). When they'd go home she would mope around for ages and I'd know the second they were coming down the road cause she's start squeeling with excitement.

I know it sounds ridiculous but its absolutely true. She adored that boy till the day she died. I've never seen anything like it before or since.

 

[MurphysMinder]

What a lovely story, and doesn't sound ridiculous at all to me. My bitch was 6 when my daughter was born and she adored her. It actually was a slight problem when she was a tiny baby as the dog didn't like anyone else picking her up, so had to be out of the room when we had visitors.
I am not anti- white, just anti people who breed them and sell at hugely inflated prices because they are "rare". When I was a little girl I was desperate for a white shepherd, didn't go down very well with my mum who was a championship show (including Crufts) judge of the breed.

 

[Booboos]

I had the strangest experience with my first GSD (she's a white so apologies to those anti-whites).

She wasn't great with people coming into our house but would settle when she realised we were happy with them being there. But did like my neighbour who used to bring her two newfoundlands to play. My neighbour was pregnant and when her baby was born brought it round to our house for the first time (he would be about 10 days old) and my shepherd was instantly utterly besotted by the baby.

I don't mean to 'humanise' her but I honestly don't know of another word. She'd lie beside him in the room and would not move. If he cried she'd lick his hand and he'd stop. If my neighbour picked him up she'd sit right with her head on my neighbours knee licking the baby's feet. (I should add she was always closely supervised). When they'd go home she would mope around for ages and I'd know the second they were coming down the road cause she's start squeeling with excitement.

I know it sounds ridiculous but its absolutely true. She adored that boy till the day she died. I've never seen anything like it before or since.

I can quite believe that. Dizzy has enormous mothering tendencies. We don't have children but when friends visit he always follows them around and makes sure they are safe.

We had a friend visit with her 2 year old and husband. Her husband was scared of the dogs so we kept them at a distance. D was desperate to interact with the child, but did as he was told. On the second day, D couldn't take it any longer...the husband and child were playing at the end of the lawn so D crawled on all fours, making himself as small as possible, crying all the way, until the allowed him near. Within half an hour the little boy and D were running around the house and the husband had really relaxed and was leaving them to it!

Another time we had a 14 year old friend over whose mum had terminal cancer. The TV was on and this advert from Cancer Research came on about how people beat cancer, full of happy families, etc....OH and I were silent, we really did not know what to do or say, it was really terrible, when we heard D running down the stairs, straight into the room, up on the sofa and straight onto the biggest hug with the 14 year old. Sweetest thing ever!

(apologies for the endless D stories!!)

 

[Kellys Heroes]

I hear too much GSD bashing!!
Most of the time I think it's the owners of the GSD's who are dangerous...not the dog itself.

I was brought up around GSD's, my dad was brought up around GSD's and no harm ever came to us.
In fact my parents would leave me in my baby walker in one room with our GSD and our Goldie and I have pictures of them following me around and have been told, when I stopped, they would lie down next to me until I decided to go for my next adventure!

Its true there is a lot of stories about children getting bitten by dogs - but half the time, kids are curious they want to know what a tail is or what are those huge (in Tara's case) funny furry things that come off either side of the dog's head? However I do think a lot of that can be avoided, I was always taught, pulling, pushing, poking etc was NOT allowed, end of story - even now my dad won't stand his grandson going to poke and prod. Every dog is an animal at the end of the day, capable of turning and capable of damage and I think as long as people bear that in mind, things would be fine. For every bad experience between kids and dogs, I think there's probably 30 more good stories.

I think the moral of the story probably is no breed bashing until you've experienced the breed for yourself and not just listened to the bad side of hearsay!

 

[Bossdog]

I love this thread, just had to post some pics of my scary child eating gsd!

He is very protective of my youngest, wherever james is, boss is nearby!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Hello stranger

 

[Pix]

Since getting Loki I've been really surprised at the number of people who assume he's going to be a guard dog. Even a few who are happy to cuddle him as a pup then walk away saying 'I won't be able to that when he's bigger/ he'll be a mean dog when he's older'!! Pretty offensive really!

One thing I have noticed is that it's mostly people who are 50+ who feel this way. My mum is insisting that this is because GSDs were over bred in the 70's (they were roaming the streets in vicious packs to hear her talk ) and a lot of snappy, aggressive types were churned out. Any experts know if this accurate?

The majority of people around my age (mid 20's) I talk to tend to focus on their intelligence and loyalty, maybe 'cause they were always portrayed that way in films etc? (K9 springs to mind, we had that on tape when we were little, amongst others. Tapes! The ones you had to rewind to watch again! Them was the days).