German Shepherds Forum banner

Where does your love for dogs/GSDs come from?

24K views 128 replies 114 participants last post by  ADogCalledQuest 
#1 ·
Where does your love for dogs/GSDs come from? Does it stem from growing up with dogs? Your family/parents always owning a beloved pet? Or do you just love them because you feel it was somehow programmed into you?

What about your love for the sport you compete in? Is it a family tradition? Or something you've independently learned to enjoy?
 
#2 ·
I fell in love with the breeder form working with a breeder and her 12 GSD dogs. I have never been around such well manner and trained dogs and along the way fell in love. I have always loved GSD thinking they are gorgeous dogs, but getting to work with them everyday made me want one and now I have two. I think its contagious once you get one you can't have enough!!:hug:
 
#4 ·
I have always loved dogs since I knew what they were. Most of my childhood toys were dogs. It's definitely one of those "pre-programmed" feelings. We didn't get a family dog until I was eight. That was a long eight years for me lol. I kept trying to convince my parents how to take care of them because I was devouring every dog book I could find.

I didn't really become obsessed with GSDs until I decided to adopt one. Huskies and primitive breeds were always my favorite, but I knew they would be wrong for my personality type.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App
 
#36 ·
I have always loved dogs since I knew what they were. Most of my childhood toys were dogs. It's definitely one of those "pre-programmed" feelings... I kept trying to convince my parents how to take care of them because I was devouring every dog book I could find.
Ditto. Born this way! Neither of my parents had or even liked pets. I had no friends with dogs. I was innate and I loved dogs before I ever even met one in person.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Interesting question. it must have come from a previous life as I have craved a dog throughout my childhood for as long as I can remember but was never allowed to have one. It left a gaping hole in my life. But I made up for it big time when I moved out and on my own. Never do I want to be without dogs again. The love for GSDs must have come from my dear grandfather. They were his favorite dogs although he never had one, which was good as he would have made a lousy trainer and the dogs would have walked all over him.
 
#9 ·
From my early years in Police Work (1981 to 2009) (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). Would accompany Police Dog Handler/Team on Criminal Apprehension Tracks and knew then that the GSD was the Breed for me. Finally got my own GSD after I retired from Police Work.
 
#10 ·
Always wanted a dog as a child, but was never allowed one. In retrospect, it was a good thing because my mother would not have allowed a dog to live inside the house and I would have been devastated thinking of my pup outside in the cold. In her later years, my Mom became very attached to my sister's Yorkie, so I know she had an affinity for animals, but it never trumped her desire for a pristine house.

My love for the GSD came, I think, from a dog named Colonel, who was owned by my parent's friends. His claim to fame, aside from being just about perfect in every way, was that he rescued a child who fell into a lake and was drowning. This was a dog that was not raised with children. I remember burying my face in his fur and just wanting to stay there forever. Now, I'm blessed to have my wonderful girl with her incredibly soft, silky black coat to bury my face in all these years later. :)
 

Attachments

#11 ·
I really don't know where mine comes from.

It's not early childhood socialization. I grew up in what was basically a town that exists to serve the surrounding Reserves in Northern SK until I was 4. All the dogs running loose were basically feral (and dangerous). My parents didn't have any dogs, none of their friends had dogs. So really no positive exposure there.

At ages 8 and 10 I was bitten by my uncle's dog in the face. All the more reason to not like dogs.

We didn't get our first dog until I was 12. I have never felt more connected to another being in my entire life.

I don't know how it happened, but I'm glad it did.
 
#12 ·
I always had dogs growing up, we were never without them. The interesting thing is that I have 2 sisters and they are nothing like I am with dogs. They like them but they don't have any. They will both help out a stray, but that is about it. They aren't fond of fur either. My one sister has nice things and I think that is part of it. I have nice enough things, but nothing that would be an issue if they broke it. I prefer having them around, they are irreplaceable.
 
#13 ·
My mom grew up on a farm, my Dad always had german shepherds growing up..We are a family of animal lovers and have always had multiple animals, mostly dogs and cats..I have had gsd's in my life since I was a little kid, many many moons ago:)
 
#14 · (Edited)
I've always been a HUGE animal lover, am going to school to be a vet, and have had all types of animals while growing up.... we've always had a family dog too.

That being said, my love of dogs, specifically, German Shepherds, probably came from my love of wolves. They're one of my favorite animals, and I love that GSD's resemble them. Now so do huskies and malamutes, but I really was drawn to the nobleness, the beauty, the loyalty, and the versatility of this breed. They are the perfect canine. And I know I won't own any other breed.

Oh and the love of the sports we do...well. I have always been intrigued by schutzhund, I love the bond that a schH dog and a handler have, the bond just radiates outward. I think the training is awesome, and takes a lot of dedication.

Dock diving, i love that sport because ITS FUN! And Berlin absolutely lives for it. :) I love seeing him so happy.
 
#16 ·
I guess my love of dogs comes from the fact that my parents are dog lovers and so I grew up around dogs. My first dog was a Siberian Husky which we had to give up to a relative when we moved due to lack of space. Now we have Titan and plenty of space and hopefully we´ll never have to give him up.
 
#17 ·
I grew up with dogs from the time I was a baby. I'm one of four kids but the only one with an obsession for dogs. I love the look of Huskies/German Shepherds. Grew up with Huskies and realized it was the WRONG breed for us as a family. I need loyalty in my dogs and a dog who wants to be with me. So the German Shepherd won out. :)

I always say that if there is phone booth in the middle of a field and I'm in it, the Husky would take off and the German Shepherd would try to figure out how to get in it with me.
 
#18 ·
We always had dogs growing up, and the neighborhood dogs all belonged to everyone...kids and dogs went safely from house to house, never a locked door(we lived on a lake).

When my stepdad came into my life he ran a service station/towing business with the city police impound lot on his property. He had two GSD's as 'guard dogs' and they were all business at the station, but when they were home, they were family pets/companions. One was a white GSD which weren't very common back then. Misty, and the other was a b&t Stomper. Sadly my stepdads partner poisoned Misty and Stomper. He hated those dogs and then embezzled from my stepdad. Went to prison for his embezzlement, there was no judgement for the killing of the dogs.

When I moved on my own my fiance and I got a black GSD and named him Stomper in honor of my stepdads boy. When my own Stomper passed away at 11, I went for almost 10 yrs without a GSD and the dog I had at the time, Clover(border/golden x) was boring in comparison!
Onyx entered into the picture when Clover was almost 11. So, back to GSD's and fun times!
 
#19 ·
Where does your love for dogs/GSDs come from?
My grandfather had GSD's on his farm growing up who helped with the stock and acted as companions for the family (he was a foster kid) he lived with all through his young adult life. He passed that down to my father and all of us kids... I however, got the "obsessive gene" when it came to the breed. My grandfather was a big time supporter of the breed.

Does it stem from growing up with dogs?
We always had 1 or 2 GSD's growing up and we did foster whenever it was needed in our little town.

Your family/parents always owning a beloved pet?
Our GSD's were mostly companion dogs however, my Dad did train in obedience and agility with our last family GSD; Beau (RIP). He never competed, probably due to the time needed to do it as he worked full time, had his own business and was raising 3 very active girls.

Or do you just love them because you feel it was somehow programmed into you?
I love this breed for what they are suppose to be. A truly versatile breed who is capable of pretty much anything and everything that is asked of them.

What about your love for the sport you compete in?
Schutzhund - My GSD's growing up trained with a very well known importer/trainer of police K9's and after the obedience classes were completed there was always (every Sunday) a group of people (looking back now, probably a club or local K9 officers) who went onto the field to work on obedience (jumps, climbs, retrieves, etc.) and bite work. My Dad always let us watch (with permission from our trainer) if we behaved while he attended class with my dog prior. This stuck with me and still does... that first escape bite I saw... chills.... I knew I wanted to be more involved when I could.

Herding - My Gramps always talked about how the dogs would help with the stock when he was a kid. I sorta found the sport boring but that was because I never really gave it a chance or got more involved. Now I am working my youngest in the venue (with hopes of having my own livestock this summer!) and am loving it!!! Helps that she is a total natural and so talented.. lol.

Is it a family tradition?
Having a well trained animal is something my family values, no matter what you do with it, so I guess in that regard yes.

Or something you've independently learned to enjoy?
*See above. ;)
 
#30 ·
My grandfather had GSD's on his farm growing up who helped with the stock and acted as companions for the family (he was a foster kid) he lived with all through his young adult life. He passed that down to my father and all of us kids... I however, got the "obsessive gene" when it came to the breed. My grandfather was a big time supporter of the breed.



We always had 1 or 2 GSD's growing up and we did foster whenever it was needed in our little town.



Our GSD's were mostly companion dogs however, my Dad did train in obedience and agility with our last family GSD; Beau (RIP). He never competed, probably due to the time needed to do it as he worked full time, had his own business and was raising 3 very active girls.



I love this breed for what they are suppose to be. A truly versatile breed who is capable of pretty much anything and everything that is asked of them.



Schutzhund - My GSD's growing up trained with a very well known importer/trainer of police K9's and after the obedience classes were completed there was always (every Sunday) a group of people (looking back now, probably a club or local K9 officers) who went onto the field to work on obedience (jumps, climbs, retrieves, etc.) and bite work. My Dad always let us watch (with permission from our trainer) if we behaved while he attended class with my dog prior. This stuck with me and still does... that first escape bite I saw... chills.... I knew I wanted to be more involved when I could.

Herding - My Gramps always talked about how the dogs would help with the stock when he was a kid. I sorta found the sport boring but that was because I never really gave it a chance or got more involved. Now I am working my youngest in the venue (with hopes of having my own livestock this summer!) and am loving it!!! Helps that she is a total natural and so talented.. lol.



Having a well trained animal is something my family values, no matter what you do with it, so I guess in that regard yes.



*See above. ;)
This is a bad photo (it's a picture of a picture) but this was the training facility we went too every week for many years. My mother is front centre with our second GSD (a American/German cross). You can see the stadium lighting and wall in the background through the pathway in the trees... this place was paradise...
 

Attachments

#21 ·
I've grown up with the dogs! My mom and entire family has always loved dogs and we....well we have a housefull! My shepherd is our youngest and biggest yet. She's also my second dog, my first previously being a poodle but he took a liking to my great uncle so I decided to give him my 10year old baby.
Dog breed Dog Mammal Canidae German shepherd dog

Riley!
Dog Mammal Vertebrate Dog breed Canidae

One of five schnauzers, Duchess :)
Riley °ω°
 
#22 ·
I would guess I love dogs because my parents do and I have always had a minimum of one (rarely one, usually 2+). The first dog we had (as a family) was a GSD. I really only remember the day he died but he was supposedly a great dog. After that we had a shepherd mix, a miniature poodle, another german shepherd, and the dogs we currently have. So aside from the two poodles, all of our dogs have been either pure bred GSD or part GSD. (The alaskan husky is part GSD.)

Really, I love all dogs. I haven't heard of a breed that I wouldn't have. However, I really like the way the GSD looks and they are very easy to train. I do plan on having a variety of breeds in the future, but I will likely always have a GSD or GSD mix in the house.
 
#24 ·
When I was growing up, I didn't even like dogs. I have Asperger's - undiagnosed at the time. I didn't understand what I saw as the dogs' constant neediness, and their desperate attempt to elicit affection and attention from people. I found it intrusive, and even pathetic. My mental/emotional/social development was lagging behind, and I did not learn to open up my feelings and form attachments until I was in my mid twenties - after owning a dog for a few years. But that came about through horses.

In my mid twenties, I took up horse-back riding. I was fascinated by the psychology of the horse, and trying to understand the mysterious reasons as to why an animal 10 times stronger than us so willingly allows us to sit on their back, and tries so hard to please. The more I read about horses, the herd instinct, the social bonds and dynamics that allows a herd to function, survive, and which allows us to form relationships with them, then the more I understood dogs and their pack instinct. Plus, I enjoyed the company of my friends' dogs when we went on trail rides.

So my first dog, William, a Spaniel/Retriever/Afghan happy-go-lucky mix, came on trail rides with us, and in his spare time unlocked my emotions and taught me about love and bonding and set the stage for what I knew to be a new love of dogs. Keeta, my second dog, was a very different challenge, and my on-going efforts for appropriate training venues for her led me to Schutzhund. What Elisabeth said above about seeing an escape bite - the very first time I saw a hold and bark - chills!

GSDs weren't even on my Radar at the time - after all, they were just dogs, right? But I was dumbfounded by these dogs at the Schutzhund club, their connection with the handlers, their biddability, their drive, their joy of life, their quasi-human intelligence, their core mental strength, their courage when faced with a treat, their calm and social manner when at home - what else can I say? It wasn't long before I knew beyond a doubt that my next dog was going to be a working line GSD.
 
#25 ·
For as long as I can remember I always liked and wanted to be around dogs. I used to get in trouble as kid when I would go to a friend's house for a sleep-over/slumber party and spent more time interacting with their pets then with the other children. :blush:

I begged for a dog for years and years. Spent many birthday candles wishing for a dog. When my mother finally wore down we got an American Eskimo Dog. I can remember memorizing the poster of all the dog breeds in the vet's office. There was just something about the GSD and all its familial branches that really captured my interested. Later my family got involved with other northern breeds and worked with their respective rescues, but it wasn't until college that I got the chance to really live and work with GSDs.

After I moved outta the dorms I finally had the opportunity to foster GSDs. It was a game changer. My first foster was 30min away from being a foster fail when I got the call that he'd been adopted by a lovely family. It was sad to see him go, but I knew then that I would have a GSD of my own to keep someday.

Fast forward many fosters and 4 years later and Cafall came home with me. We've kinda been inseparable ever since. :wub:
 
#26 ·
I loved cats first, when I was five. But as I grew older I realized how dogs were so mucho te loving and what they give to you.
So I wanted to adopt a pitty from the pound and the pound said I wasn't qualified. Heart broken, my mom decided to then surprise me with a tiny female german shepherd, and the rest was history.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top