Is a GSD right for me???

[Tmoores]

Basically I love the breed, I had one as a child but I am not too familiar with them and this will be my first dog as an adult. I am 22 and recently married, my wife and I are very active. Unfortunately I have been bitten by a GSD and have heard a lot of incidences of biting with the breed. I plan on giving the dog all the time it needs including socializing and obedience training as well as daily exercise. We are around people (friends and strangers) and there dogs daily, is it common with the right training the GSD will be gently to people and animals? Please share your experience!

[clearcreekranch]

All breeds of dogs can bite. Of course, a gsd can be gentle and social. Just do your research and find a very social dog without fear issues, etc.

[Good_Karma]

If you do your research and go with a good breeder with proven lines, then put in the time and effort needed to properly socialize your puppy, odds are that you will have a great dog and never have to worry about a bite.

But like Melinda said, all dogs can bite.

[doggiedad]

train and socialize. your dog can be whatever
kind of dog you want it to be. it's all about how you
train and socialize. it's all about what you do.

[sashadog]

I commend you for doing your research before you commit to a dog! I would encourage you to think about what kind of life and relationship you want to have with your dog before you get a GSD. While I love our girl and also love the breed, it has been a big shock to my system to adopt our first GSD. We have had to greatly adjust what we expect from our Sasha dog and the type of activities that do. We adopted Sasha when she was 2 years old and she is still very reactive, not aggressive but we definitely can't trust her to have polite doggie introductions without some mediation (we're working on this), is high strung, has an extremely high prey drive, and is VERY intelligent. All of these things can work against us sometimes so we have had to learn very fast how to handle her and give her what she needs.

Don't get me wrong, I ADORE her and wouldn't change anything but I would not suggest GSD ownership as something to jump into blind. They are wonderful but no good thing is easy Good luck in your dog search!!

Also, I believe that most breeds have some pretty deep rooted tendencies and while they can be managed and channeled effectively, you can only do so much to influence a dogs instincts. For example, it's a rare border collie that doesn't care about moving animals just like it's a rare shepherd that is perfectly happy without a job.

[Castlemaid]

A well-bred, balanced dog, of good temperament, high reactivity threshold, with proper socialization and a strong, confident leader is absolutely safe in public, and no worries of inappropriate bites. However, finding a breeder with the experience and knowledge of the lines and influences of the dogs being bred can be more difficult.

High threshold means that it takes a lot to trigger a reactive, aggressive response in a dog. This does not mean that the dog will not be protective. I know I'm bragging, but the dog I described above is my dog. We do Schutzhund, so we do bite-training, yet he is the sweetest, most stable, easy-going dog when out in public. Just today I had him out at an outdoor market, and dozens of people, including little kids were petting him and cuddling him. I had absolutely no worries or concerns, even when teens came up from behind unexpectedly to pet him. That was the temperament I was looking for in my dog, so I took a long time of finding a breeder who produced such dogs consistently, and haven't been disapointed.

My dog is also very loving with my cats, and politely sniffed noses with little dogs coming up to greet him. So to answer your question: yes, with proper training, exercise and socialization, your dog can be what you hope he will be, but you have to start out with a good dog with very strong genetics. Training and Socialization can help and improve some behaviours in an unstable reactive dog, but it will not take those issues away. So key is finding a good breeder with a great track record of producing well balanced dogs, or adopting an older dog whose temperament is already set and a known constant.

[codmaster]

Originally Posted by Tmoores

Basically I love the breed, I had one as a child but I am not too familiar with them and this will be my first dog as an adult. I am 22 and recently married, my wife and I are very active. Unfortunately I have been bitten by a GSD and have heard a lot of incidences of biting with the breed. I plan on giving the dog all the time it needs including socializing and obedience training as well as daily exercise. We are around people (friends and strangers) and there dogs daily, is it common with the right training the GSD will be gently to people and animals? Please share your experience!

Think about this - many GSD's are employed as seeing eye dogs as well as S&R dogs. These dogs CANNOT be aggressive either to animals or people. So if you find the right dog from a good breeder (or from a rescue for that matter) your GSD can be a very loving gentle dog, good wth people and all other animals (as long as you do your part and socialize him/her well).

Good luck!