Is a German Shepherd right for my family?

[shilohsmom]

Is that you dog Carole? He/She's soooo cute! And thats him/her working??? Ekks. I never would have guessed. Such a sweet face.

But I tend to agree with those that suggested staying away from the working lines. All dogs are different but I'm thinking your more apt to get a higher drive in a working dog than say one where the breeder is trying more for family pets.

Either way, adding a dog into your life is a huge decision. I'm glad to see your researching your options. Everyone win's when the fit is right.

Good luck!

[jenedge24]

You came to the RIGHT place! the wonderful people on this site know what they're talking about! I'm a 3rd generation GSD owner. I knew if I was goingto get a dog Gsd was the only dog I was in love with enough to go through the training and all the other "dog issues" with! I still reseached the breed for about 2 years and prepared my family for a new member. My advice Buy a good vacuum, Get a good vet, prepare yourhome and family... Let the family especially your wife have a say so on the specific dog in mind. My friends husband brought a dog home she didn't like and she is the one taking care of the dog while he is at work...which means the dog is outside with no attention because they have never bonded.

[BlackPuppy]

Originally Posted by shilohsmom

Is that your dog Carole? He/She's soooo cute! And thats him/her working???

No, not mine. Though I love my friend's dogs they are very nice dogs. Not Golden Retriever friendly, but they like a good scritch and will take what they can get.

My friend told me one day she and her family, including the Airedale, were out of the house on an outing. When they got home and openned the door, immediately the dog raised it's hackles, growled and started running around the house looking for someone. Turns out somebody had broken in, but was already gone.

I have always been impressed with the breed, but wanted a GSD. Of course, I ended up with something else entirely.

[TxRider]

I'll dogpile on the shedding statements...

I have 2 and all hard floors and leather furniture. Lack of carpet and cloth upholstery helps tons but you do have to sweep and vacuum the hair up constantly. Hair tumble weeds are no overstatement. The area rugs are hair magnets.

Both my GSD's are adult rescue dogs. One of my girls is more a working line, lots of drive, she gets about a 3-4 mile walk in the morning, and again in the evening and it's enough for her to be satisfied, though she would do much more and we often do. Friendly to everyone and every dog and pretty fearless, not much shakes her.

If I miss a walk I know about it, she demands it on time and is quite vocal about getting me up and out the door.

The other not so much, she's badly bred or a mix and more show line I think and would survive just fine as a couch potato, though she is much more aloof protective and territorial and nervy and reactive to strange things.

If you want to do advanced obedience it's going to take a lot of time daily for any dog, but a good GSD is plenty intelligent enough to go as far as you want to go. And the whole family will have to be involved in training as as well if you want the best family dog.

Most importantly what kind of dog you end up with will depend more on the individual dog, and how you train and handle the dog than anything else.

I'm a herding breed guy for life, the devotion and loyalty, protective nature and high intelligence of most herding breeds just can't be beat for a companion dog.

[Tbarrios333]

Mine are on a raw diet and they still shed a ton!!
Just something to consider. I really don't mind all the hair, I can just use a lint roller and I'm good as new.
Sometimes, I'll find a stray hair in my food, drink, cookie.. everywhere.

As puppies, they're a nightmare! They're really cute, but PATIENCE is the key word here. Socialization and training is extremely important at this stage. You have to be prepared to take the puppy out to a mall, store, park etc. just for the socialization benefits.
I would take my pup out at least 4 times a week. If I missed a day, I would feel really bad and take her somewhere that night. It's just that important.

You really have to be a consistent and fair leader in this stage. Do look up NILIF as this is the absolute best way to establish your position without breaking the trust.

Believe it or not, mine don't need that much exercise. A walk and a frisbee game or two frisbee games is enough for them. They do go everywhere with me though.
Give them a bully stick or toss their ball in the house and they're dandy.
Teach them to hold things in their mouth and they have a job! My pups job is to bring all the toys in we just used for the fetch game and drop them at the door before coming in.

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by Tbarrios333

As puppies, they're a nightmare! They're really cute, but PATIENCE is the key word here.

So true. God made puppies so cute so we wouldn't kill them.

[shilohsmom]

Originally Posted by BlackPuppy

No, not mine. Though I love my friend's dogs they are very nice dogs. Not Golden Retriever friendly, but they like a good scritch and will take what they can get.

My friend told me one day she and her family, including the Airedale, were out of the house on an outing. When they got home and openned the door, immediately the dog raised it's hackles, growled and started running around the house looking for someone. Turns out somebody had broken in, but was already gone.

I have always been impressed with the breed, but wanted a GSD. Of course, I ended up with something else entirely.

Thats a great story about the Airedale.