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Just out of curiosity, what did you think about gsds before owning one?

69K views 65 replies 56 participants last post by  Arathorn II 
#1 · (Edited)
I used to think they were scary. I would just admire them from a distance and avoid going anywhere near them. I remember when my neighbour's old dog (deceased) barked into my face while we were having a conversation over the fence, I backed away and did not bother concealing my shock and fear. I have no idea how I mustered the courage to own one, but I did. Well what could I do anyway? It was the word of the whole family against mine. But now that Alice is a part of my family, I love her to bits and can't see myself being afraid of her ever. I can't even imagine another dog in Alice's place? Right now, if anyone were to ask me if they should get a gsd, I would definitely say yes. So were you always a gsd lover or did you discover that love somewhere in between like me?

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#31 ·
I thought they only came in black/tan or white and I am not a fan of either color so I really didn't care for them much. I heard great things about the breed and I knew that they were smart, easy to train, large, intimidating and powerful but I didn't like the looks of them.

Then I saw a black GSD on tv and that was it, I had to have one.

Now I love blacks, bicolors and sables but I appreciate a nice dark red/black GSD.
 
#32 ·
"Just out of curiosity, what did you think about gsds before owning one?"
My father brought a GSD pup home that was born on the exact same day as me. So I do not have any memories prior to owning one. My grandparents had them, my parents had them, and now I've already had a few of them myself. Since early childhood they have always been my favorite.
 
#33 ·
I was afraid of them and didn't really want to get close to one.

As a kid, we had a next door neighbor who had two huge males. They jumped the fence and chased my sister and I across our yard barking and snarling and nipping at us. My sister was bit, I got away ok. (not sure how, my memory is fuzzy. I do remember a lot of slobber though...)

They ended up having the dogs put down after that incident.

It wasn't until I met my husband that I turned around and now love them. My husband had a 10 year old GSD when I met him. He was the most gentle and loving dog I've ever met. RIP C-Zar.
 
#36 ·
Always heard stories about how unpredictable and aggressive they were. A gsd was the last type of dog that i ever thought id own and was very happy with my little toy breeds. Now, I can't imagine not owning one.
 
#37 ·
I always thought they were smart and majestic looking. However, I was nervous about owning a big dog! Our pup is not grown yet, but I am enjoying him very much. And I was right, he is a smart and majestic animal! :)
I've enjoyed the tv show "Saving Private K-9" about heroic military and police dogs. Often, they are GSD's. It makes me like the breed even more.
 
#38 ·
Well, I never viewed them as being viscous beasts. I had family members with GSDs, and they were all very athletic, intelligent, and friendly. Young children could play with them.
I've always admired their appearance and elegant movements.
 
#39 ·
After having my daughter, I was a bit put off by any dog that had the propensity to bite. It's just the parental/mom thing. My priority was not taking any chances.

Then I researched a little and I feel differently now.

EDA- by propensity to bite, I mean do serious damage like a large dog. however, I would have had no problem whatsoever killing any dog that snapped at my kid. I've lightened up a little since she was an infant :)
 
#40 ·
I used to think they werent really a pet. Where I grew up, they weren't very common as a pet. Occasionally I would see one as a guard dog. And of course Their reputation as a police dog certainly made me think they were more dog than i could handle. I just wanted a pet. Just a normal average pet owner, not one to put a dog in the yard, but I'm not into revolving my life around a dog either. So I didn't really think about it much.
Then years later I wanted my own dog and looked into different breeds and saw people like me keeping them as pets. I just kept trying to learn more, but wasnt sure since I had no intention of showing or joining a training club. Tried to meet a few and just really was impressed by everything about them. Haven't looked back!
 
#48 ·
I was born into a house that had a GSD mix that was adopted from the SPCA. When she passed away (RIP Trudy), my uncle bought us a GSD puppy.... I was in kindergarten or 1st grade at the time. So I've always had a GSD in the house. It's just natural to me I guess.
My boyfriend on the other hand had only one dog before he met me, a husky/ chow chow mix. He had a fear of dogs growing up. So when he met me and found out I had a GSD he was intimidated. Elsa was 12 at the time and very laid back so when they met it went well. Now we have the two of them and he will mention from time to time that he is glad they are on his side. The same went for my brother's dog that he left with us, a lab/ rottie mix. We were lucky he was a sweet dog, he was large enough to do damage if he wanted to.
 
#51 ·
Grew up w/ GSDs as dogs on a chain. At five I got to pick the GSD puppy we would keep my uncle's dog Taffy's litter. Jumper was GSD and lived for 16 years passing away when I was a senior in college. Grew up w/ Rex ,Prince ,Jumper(all outside on a chain) and finally Heinrich a stray that my adoptive parents found along the railroad track . He looked like a light sable and lived inside and went on car rides. So when you say dog I picture a German Shepherd.Enter Daisy in 2000. She was a rude awakening and a dream come true. I now have three at home all rescues. There is just something about a GSD that I cant imagine life w/out them.BTW all my shepherds live like Heinrich true princes and princesses.
 
#52 ·
I always wanted a GSD but the closest I got was a Rottweiler/Golden retriever mix. He was a big happy stupid dog. Lol. Used to chase rocks and got crotchety in old age but he was the dog I grew up with. After he passed away at 14, I decided to start doing research on breeders. I learned over a two year period what to say and what questions to ask and then my husband and I decided to save up money for a puppy. We only got to the $400 mark when some friends of ours told us there were German Shepherd puppies for sale near them in Portland. We made a call and went to see them. It was an oops litter from a couple with five children and year old dogs who were just thrown in the back together. "oops" my butt. But we found a puppy and took him home at seven weeks. Although I regret giving them any money for him, he is my heart dog. We are very bonded and do everything together. After he hits 18 months, we're going to start weight pulling to see if he likes it. If not, maybe another fun sport. He's a very dark black and tan saddle back and a very handsome boy. I feel very lucky to have him. So in short, I've always loved GSDs!
 

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#53 ·
i always hated dogs before february of 2013 when wife and i got our first dog. solely based on the number of times i had to walk past little dogs barking and nipping at my ankles while walking the neighborhood. wife begged me for years to get a dog, i always had a good excuse. first we rented part of my brother's house and his wife was anti-dog. then we got our own place that was like a japan sized apartment and the landlords almost didn't OK a cat. then we moved into a 2 family house where we have access to the backyard from our bedroom, have an extra bedroom and it's pretty spacious from what we were ever used to. my excuses were running few and all i had left was to say the landords wouldn't go for it. she called them and offered a $500 pet deposit to get one and they said yes. i thought my life was going to be miserable from then on out. i had to finally give in.

now 2 GSDs and i love dog especially. i have a fullfillment in my life i didn't have before. my wife was right all along.
 
#54 ·
Hi Alice13!

Well, first off, in general, I remember when I was young, I used to be afraid of dogs; especially stray dogs (yes, there are stray dogs on roads in many countries). Once, I watched several stray dogs chasing my brother (don't know what he did) which eventually ended up with my brother running to the top of the family car with the dogs barking furiously at him. I don't remember what happened next, I was probably about 7 years old.

But ever since we've had our family dog, I've learnt so much about dogs and I guess the process of owning and caring for a dog led me to start liking dogs. Soon after, that "like" became more like "love" which can be described as whenever I see any dogs, I would think to myself, "Wouldn't it be nice to own that dog :)?"

As for German Shepherds, I think they are awesome (most notably, I have always associated them to be law enforcement dogs)! They are just so bright and intelligent! I've been curious about the whereabouts of the GS breed and have spent some time reading and writing about the history. It is actually quite interesting!

Cheers!
 
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