trying to choose the right GSD pup?

[lcht2]

its been a while since i have been on the boards and its been even longer since i've been on a training field. BUT, that doesnt mean i've lost my whits. i see so many people looking or are interested in GSD puppies. this really bugs me because this is a breed of animal that i dont think i could live without. i currently own 2 gsd's. one a czech bitch and the other a genetic cess pool of a GSD...

there is one thing that i push people to consider when looking for a GSD pup or any pup for that matter. DO YOU KNOW PROPER DOG MANAGEMENT AND DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT SOURCES??? if you have any question as to if you do or dont have the skills or resources that back off and research research research!! even some of the most dog savy people i have met have gotten a GSD pup and become very frustrated when that pup turns into an adolescent dog that is 70lbs, full of energy, and smarter than they are. so it is very important to be sure you KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO!! i dont care if so and so's grandma's cousin's aunt's sister's brother has one and he's perfect.

another thing that really bugs me is over breeding and bad breeding at that. so really check into your breeders. check for health screens, pedigrees, liveing situation, whether or not the breeder is involved in any kind of show or work with the dogs. trust me, a good breeder will probably be somebody who will want to know as much from you as a foster parent would be adopting out children. although i STRONGLY urge folks looking for a potential GSD pet to look into rescue as you will be more likely to find a dog that fits perfectly within your family rather than haveing to go through the trouble of finding a breeder, signing puppy contracts, paying traveling fees, 100's of dollars in puppy vet bills, haveing to replace furniture, carpet, and other house hold items while your house training the puppy....i could go on and on and on. to the experienced dog/GSD owner, these are things we are expecting and we know how to cure the issues and train proper behavior.

[GSD Fan]

Good post!

[jeffseele]

Both are fantastic breeds, and I have been exposed to both, although I am not a professional by any means.
I had a GSD for 11 years and currently have a new puppy. GSD's are fantastic and have the capacity to learn amazing skills. They are very loyal, protective, intelligent and once their loyalty is given. It is yours for life. However, they are also strong minded dogs and require a firm hand and plenty of obedience training. Socialization is HUGE. Our first was great with us, and people he knew, but we dropped the ball on socializing him, and we couldn't bring him too many places and we had to maintain a distance from children. They can be very aggressive if not trained properly and some are VERY high energy. Ours was very destructive when left alone (again. We dropped the ball on crating him, once he was housed broken. We stopped). GDS's are working at dogs, and they need something to do. Agility, doggie socialization classes, etc. will help as well 3 long walks a day but from my experience you really have to be committed.

Golden is less aggressive in general. I've never had one but the vet I worked for had a beautiful female that was in the clinic every day and was very friendly, social and gentle. They can also be high energy though and will require plenty of exercise and training is must with any breed. I've seen Golden that a mellow to the point of boring and hyper to the point of being intolerable. However, like the GSD they are a wonderful breed and would thrive "doing" something. You tend to see Golden's (at least in my experience) with families that have small children, less than a GSD, although again, the properly socialized GSD is wonderful with a child and will defend it with its life.

If you can, try to spend time with both breeds and do lots of research. Contact breeders or breed clubs and ask about personality traits as it relates to your situation. Puppies are a tremendous amount of work, which I am finding out with my new little guy--more than I remember! It's not just walking them--there's housed breaking, obedience classes, socialization, feeding, cleaning up after them.

I'm sure you will get some better answers than mine, but I hope this helps!!