German Shepherds Forum banner

Is this the perception of German Sheherds today?

103K views 83 replies 57 participants last post by  MineAreWorkingline 
#1 ·
I was walking Bear the other day and a boy about 8 or 9 years old said to me as I walked by " is that a German Shepherd?" I replied "yes" he then asked "Is he trained?" I said "yes, he is trained" he then says to me "Good, because if they're not trained German Shepherds will bite you.
I proceeded to politely tell the boy that any dog can bite if it's not trained, not just German Shepherds. I was kind of amazed that he specifically said this about Shepherds.
Has the breed gotten that bad of a rap?
What happened to the good old days where they were viewed as loyal family members and service dogs. Now a days I get more people that will cross over the street than to pass directly by me with my dog. It's all very sad.
 
#2 ·
I find that most younger kids associate GSD's with the police and as police dogs. I also find that unless they get to know them, some are afraid of them because they are "police dogs", even if they are not. My own nieces and nephews thought this way, that of course has changed, but those were there thoughts.
 
#4 ·
My regular vet complimented me heavily on both of mine and their behavior, she said sadly they aren't the norm anymore but a welcomed sight.
 
#6 ·
I was walking Bear the other day and a boy about 8 or 9 years old said to me as I walked by " is that a German Shepherd?" I replied "yes" he then asked "Is he trained?" I said "yes, he is trained" he then says to me "Good, because if they're not trained German Shepherds will bite you.
I proceeded to politely tell the boy that any dog can bite if it's not trained, not just German Shepherds. I was kind of amazed that he specifically said this about Shepherds.
Has the breed gotten that bad of a rap?
What happened to the good old days where they were viewed as loyal family members and service dogs. Now a days I get more people that will cross over the street than to pass directly by me with my dog. It's all very sad.
I think the breed has always had that rap. Growing up, we always called them police dogs because that's mainly what our PD had and not that many people had them as pets around where I lived. I think it's more outwardly spoken because of all the media, internet, youtube and television shows that are around now.
 
#8 ·
I frequently have kids asking me if Abby is a police dog, or recently a little boy asked if she was a "cop dog" I thought he said "hot dog" because it was a warm day and she was panting. So my answer of "well she is probably a little warm" confused the heck out of him. Thankfully my husband heard him correctly and said "no, she is not a cop dog". It surprises me that so many kids ask when my neighborhood has quite a few GSDs and GSD mixes. But this thread did remind me of when I was a kid and a neighbor had what I now know was a sable GSD (probably considered silver). His name was Bandit and he had a reputation for biting neighborhood kids (he was an outside only dog, but he did have free run of their fenced backyard which was large). I loved Bandit and often played with him through the fence and he never so much as growled at me, but he bit some of my friends on the hands/fingers as they would reach over or through the fence to touch him. I don't think the owners ever got in trouble, Bandit lived to a ripe old 12 or so, people just told their kids not to stick their hands through the fence if they didn't want to get bitten. Bandit's backyard backed up to mine, so I saw and played him almost everyday (he would bring tennis balls down to my side of the fence and leave them for me to come and throw for him :wub: ). Anyhow, sorry for that little trip down memory lane. I guess my point was that Bandit and his biting days were in the 80's and most people I knew had negative feelings about GSDs then. So I don't know how much has actually changed, at least in the last 30 years.
 
#9 · (Edited)
My coworkers hate GSDS because most are poorly bred, poor handled, poorly trained. This equals fearful and bitey. Before people on this board argue, keep in mind that the very fact someone is on this board makes them above the norm. I've met few shepherds in the public world I would call "stable" or "well trained". Most of them I wouldn't trust not to bite me.

my german shepherds are held in high regards in my work place, well above the expected norm.

GSDS are NOT top biters though. That would go to dachshunds, chihuahuas, Jack Russells, cocker spaniels, through a study done that questioned thousands of owners and people that work in the animal industry.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-3-most-aggressive-dog-breeds-may-surprise-you.html

Sent from Petguide.com Free App
 
  • Like
Reactions: wolfstraum
#12 ·
My coworkers hate GSDS because most are poorly bred, poor handled, poorly trained. This equals fearful and bitey. Before people on this board argue, keep in mind that the very fact someone is on this board makes them above the norm. I've met few shepherds in the public world I would call "stable" or "well trained". Most of them I wouldn't trust not to bite me.

my german shepherds are held in high regards in my work place, well above the expected norm.

GSDS are NOT top biters though. That would go to dachshunds, chihuahuas, Jack Russells, cocker spaniels, through a study done that questioned thousands of owners and people that work in the animal industry.

The 3 Most Aggressive Dog Breeds | Care2 Healthy Living

Sent from Petguide.com Free App
I have two nicely bred very stable GSDs. However, I always muzzle my male at the vet. I really don't care what the perception is. There is something about the fact that the vets office always insists on a thermometer being stuck up his butt every time we go there that makes him want to chew their faces off.
 
#11 ·
One of my first personal experiences with a pure bred GSD was when I worked at the vet and the vet owned one. He name was Mike and he was beautiful. My son would come to work with me and spend the whole shift in the back area playing ball with that dog. At the end of the shift the dog would bring my son back to me all tired out. That dog never left my sons side when he was there. It was a great experience for my son. My own dogs have that same personality and I often think of Mike.
 
#13 ·
Honestly, I don't know what I'd do if my GSDs couldn't be handled by other people. Or if I had to warn people to keep their distance because I was afraid they would bite. I've tried to stack that in my favor, by buying dogs with good temperaments. I'm lucky that I've personally known several of the dogs in my dogs' pedigrees.

I frequently take one of the dogs to Petsmart or Petco to get toys, and I almost always see a kid with their parent nervously staring at us. I always ask them if they want to pet my dog, and they usually say yes. If I have Carly with me, I warn them that she will probably lick them in the face because she absolutely loves kids.

A few years ago, I left with Sage to go get dog food. Carly apparently threw a fit when I left, and opened two gates and was waiting for me in the driveway when I pulled up. I almost had a heart attack when I saw her out (and now we have locks on the gates, so miss houdini can't open them). Two little neighbor kids were out front with her, with a frisbee full of food, trying to catch her. The little girl said "she's very nice, but she won't let us catch her". Then asked me if she was a police dog. Apparently she wasn't intimidated by the "nice police dog". ;)

I recently had Russell, who is a big, confident boy, at the local dog food store to get microchipped. They were running a clinic to raise money for rescue. I filled out the paperwork, and then handed him off to the people to be chipped (I know these people, Russell has never seen them before). They asked me if they could take him in the other room to do it, and then started walking off with him. He turned around to look at me, I told him it's okay, and he just trotted off with them. They were back in two minutes, Russell was all micro-chipped up, and they said "he's such a nice boy". Yes. He is.
 
#14 ·
I know people who were bit by GSDs. I had lady come in to my work recently for some xrays of her arm and she told me it was from a dog attack and when I asked her what kind of dog it was she said GSD.

My neighborhood associates GSDs with the police so they are afraid of my GSD and I PREFER it that way since I live in a bad neighborhood. Mostly though I hear great things about GSDs, people usually tell me about how they used to have one and it was the best dog ever. :)

The 3 Vets that have seen Sinister all compliment me on how well behaved he is, how smart he is and how in shape he is. My current Vet told me that they have a lot of GSDs that come in and they usually have to muzzle several of them, some have fear issues, some are just plain aggressive and most of them are overweight.
 
#18 ·
Children/kids are a product of their environment, just like our dogs and their dogs. I think the kid sounded intelligent enough to know, not to run up, startle the dog, trying to pet the dog, without dialog, so the kid should be commended for that > !

Run from a Rottie, they will chase you down. Look a Dobie in the eye hard, it could get upset. Have your mailman carry; "Beef Jerky" in his or her mailbag and it could save them a trip to the emergency room.

A treat for a dog owner is to find the best suited performance the dog can give to society, and play on that strong point. I spoke with a pro K-9 dog handler/trainer last night in detail. See, I am not having difficulty in the training > I wish to do the best for the dog and I feel I found where my dog does the best in a social situation. You can't change the minds of the masses, so you need to play on the animal's strengths.

My dog seems to light up the face of this 68 -75 year old man who walks in my neighborhood. I want my dog to help heal the people who are needy or needing some; "animal emotional support." The decision has pretty much been made for Isabella, she is going to be a; "Therapy Dog," the best I can do on my own, for she will bring happiness in to a; "somewhat empty" world where just a little extra attention, to a stranger on the street, to give that; "kindness needed" to bring a smile to someone's face, not to change the World, because nobody can. 25 years from now, Pit-Bulls may still carry a bad reputation as some dog's invoke fear in humans, I want to do the opposite.

My dog will protect her family, that's a given.
 

Attachments

#19 ·
My first experience with a GSD was when I was 2ish, I dont remember but I have all the pics of me and my sitters GSD, claire said he would wait for my mom by the door everyday to drop me off, then he would not leave my side all day. I have pics of me laying in claires bed for a nap with him right beside me. I would say he was very tolerant of me, I finger painted him at one point, He was black and tan and blue and yellow. Claire had told my mom that she planned to keep him away from me because he hadnt been around kids but he clung to me from day one. Maybe it was the constant trail of snacks I had lol

Sent from Petguide.com Free App
 
#20 ·
According to a friend of mine golden retrievers are responsible for more dog bites then GSDs because they have been so overbred. Jasira is friendly with people and I have no problems with her at the vet. Xerxes is a big softy. A little girl came up to pet him at the dog class and he practically rolled on his belly loving it so much. LOL Neither of my dogs have a shy bone in their body. They do tend to bark at people going by but that's just their guarding instinct. ( Xerxes even chased the robins out of HIS yard. LOL)
 
#22 ·
I live near Los angeles, too many people with Pit bulls and shepherds just thrown into the backyard all day with no socialization. No wonder these dogs are getting bad reps. I have a friend that lives in South central, I can drive down her street and easily count 5 pit bulls on chains. People are using them to protect their property and are glad they are aggressive, if it gets out and bites anyone. It is abandoned as they will deny its their dog.
 
#23 ·
GSDs have always had a bad reputation with vets. I blame backyard breeding and clueless ownership. You see enough badly-bred, untrained, unsocialized GSDs and you tend to lump them all into that category.

On the upside, if you have a well-bred, trained and socialized GSD the vets will praise you endlessly and say they wish all GSDs were like that.
 
#24 ·
GSDs have always gotten a bad rap. In the 50s and 60s GSDs had the reputation not unlike that of today's Pit Bull. In those earlier years Police Dogs, Rin Tin Tin, Bullet and the Littlest Hoby did a nice job of making the best GSD K9 heroes. Today's K9 awareness and education has certainly made terrific in roads and it continues for the people who want to know, but the dunderheads will never change.
 
#26 ·
A GSD is a formidable canine...as are certain other breeds.

The perception of GSDs by those who are not "dog people" or those who have not been exposed to the breed has merit. Since the GSD is such a popular dog and has the genetic "engineering" to be an intimidating creature it only makes sense that they represent one of the higher percentages to inflict injury to humans.

Most people who become nervous or scared around larger breed dogs most likely do not exhibit the same trepidation around smaller breed dogs....and even if some smaller breed dogs may be more prone to bite, there is still a difference. The difference is the lack of human fear/anxiety which I truly believe fuels the fire at many times which results in a dog bite.

It seems completely understandable to me, why many folks are frightened by large breed dogs such as a GSD.

Owners pounding their chests and proclaiming that they can put their GSD on you in 2 words, doesn't help matters either. Yes, I know this is not the norm but it screws things up for the rest of the GSD owners. Somebody telling a story about somebody they knew who was bitten by a GSD goes much further than the story about the gentle giants most of us own....however that does still not negate the fact that a GSD comes with a complete "set of tools" which can make it a very powerful and aggressive dog.

Imagine how the pit bull owners must feel....or the responsible ones I guess.

SuperG
 
#30 ·
I don't see GSD's to much when I'm out and about. We had one that used to come to the vet that was really aggressive. His name was Sarge. He had to be muzzled and one time the owner put the muzzle on wrong, it was not a good situation. The vet gave her tranquilizers for him. The next time they came and he was tranquillized and he still was putting up a fight. The vet had to go out to the car and give him his rabies shot through a window that was open enough for him to do so, the owner had to hold the front end of the dog. I have never seen a vet move that fast to give a shot . The dog was eventually put down due to aggressiveness, I don't think he ever bit anyone but if he did he would have killed them. He was just not right:(
 
#33 ·
I see all breeds of dogs in my grooming salon, and let me tell you, GSDs have not been the biggest biters... in fact, I've never been bitten by a GSD. Never been bitten by a Pit Bull either. Lhasa Apsos and Miniature Poodles have been the worst offenders. Anything with short legs (Dachshund, Basset, Corgi, short-legged Terriers) have a tendency to bite when their feet are handled. I won't even touch a Chow because of the propensity for biting.
 
#34 ·
Lhasa Apsos and Miniature Poodles have been the worst offenders. Anything with short legs (Dachshund, Basset, Corgi, short-legged Terriers) have a tendency to bite when their feet are handled. I won't even touch a Chow because of the propensity for biting.
Yeah this. The "little" guys are badly underestimated! To my mind a dog that has no fear ion getting in the face of dog 10 times or more says something about there "attitude" as well as there lack of common sense!

Train them like the Big Dawgs they think they are would be motto!

GSD and K9 bites would certainly skew the numbers,interesting point!
 
#35 · (Edited)
as i have experienced perceptions of GSDs in my neighborhood is kinda high. i rarely take my dogs for a walk without at least one "beautiful dogs" comment. i live in a neighborhood with almost all multifamily buildings/apartments. 80% of dogs here are small dogs and those people usually don't trust my dogs even though my dogs walk past keeping a good heel and their dogs are always barking and pulling towards us. i don't think anybody around here trains their little dogs. i also love hearing the comment made by people to their dogs "why can't you leave his dogs alone, his doge are being good". i'm also like larry david, i hate stop and chats. say nice dogs and let me keep walking. some people like to stop and ask about the dogs, tell you about their dead dogs and keep going. please stop!


here's a graph with all the reported dog bites, i'm sure ankle biters have bit more ankles but they prolly don't get reported.




i do have a problem with it. it should be in order by likelihood of being bit be each breed. looking at total dog population looks like you have a 100X better chance running into a GSD than a mastiff but they have the same amount of bites which in my eyes makes it 100X more likely of being bit if you come across a mastiff than a GSD..
 
#37 ·
...
i do have a problem with it. it should be in order by likelihood of being bit be each breed. looking at total dog population looks like you have a 100X better chance running into a GSD than a mastiff but they have the same amount of bites which in my eyes makes it 100X more likely of being bit if you come across a mastiff than a GSD..
Again, quoting the statistics collected by the insurance folks - these two breeds are on the opposite sides of the spectrum: the GSD is most likely to bite and the Golden Retriever is least likely to bite.
 
#38 ·
Hmm well not wanting to derail wherever this thread is going? I gotta say a Bull Mastiff and a Persa Canario are not even remotely the same dog??

And you can't argue with numbers but to have a Boxer doing damage to people?? You have to be a class A Moron!!

As a Bull/Mastiff/APBT/Lab and Boxer/Pit, Boxer owner.. dogs who never had people issues and countless people loving Boxers I know,. I'm comfortable with my statements in "this" regard! :)
 
#39 ·
Hmm well not wanting to derail wherever this thread is going? I gotta say a Bull Mastiff and a Persa Canario are not even remotely the same dog??

And you can't argue with numbers but to have a Boxer doing damage to people?? You have to be a class A Moron!!

[\QUOTE]


I agree. Bullmastiff and Presa are very different.

As for the boxer thing. They are one of the breeds I don't trust as a tech. We have more nasty than nice Boxers that come to my clinic. Serious bite inflicting boxers. Male boxers to be exact. The females are generally lovely. The males, it's a rare thing to have a nice one. At least in my experience.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App
 
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