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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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#59 ·
I never really thought of ownership. I knew they needed training and were versatile working dogs. I had a good view of them generally.
I grew up around chows and wolf hybrids. And hunting packs, normally beagles and walker hounds.

As a pre-teen I wanted to show Goldens or Samoyeds.
Though I have seen bad owners use them for ill, a big white shepherd with call name of "Spike" I grew up with was the bar for the breed.

After years of owning /showing animals requiring extensive grooming (and me allergic to dander no less..) I decided NO MO FUZZIES. Was fostering Mastiff, Pits, Vizlas..animals with easily bathed and slickered coats with easy to pick up hair.

And now.... I have a shepherd. From very plush wool lines, especially half Czech patrol Shepherd mum. She wears an apron, skirt and bib.
She is smart.. too smart. headstrong, testing . Strong, with a bite like a pit and athletic. Can I mold her to perfection? I do not know. But she is family now.
 
#60 ·
on the farm my grandpa got my grandma 2 for protection while he would be out in the fields...my grandma loved those dogs. ( that was before my time but my moms stories of them)
My mom always wanted a german shepherd because of that and my dad was holding out for a collie so we ended up with a houseful of cats. Neither of them would bend so we didn't get either.
I've always sided with my mom and wanted a german shepherd and now at age 51 finally got one. My mom is now 92 and loves Roxy ...she has more pictures of her than she does any of us kids.
 
#63 ·
Always liked the breed since I was a child mostly because of the ears for one thing, and because of their jaw dropping intelligence, loyalty. Etc. My favorite breed use to be the Siberian Husky, but as I got older, many reasons changed that.. The main reason why, was because of my family friend who owned 3 GSD's and a Shiloh Shepherd, 2 of the GSD's were all black, the last one was a rich bi-color which I absolutely loved... The rich bi-color one named Zain was a big teddy bear, a big gentlemen... Absolutely amazing with kids and people, he never barked, he never growled, he never did any of that. He was friendly to everyone (very quiet), and approached everyone so kindly, strangers included... Unless his owner (our family friend) was suspicious of someone he would be very suspicious and protecting.

Years back, we were allowed to take care of Zain.. and my mom's friend (who's also a family friend) took care of the other two GSD's and Shiloh Shepherd... Because our family friend was hospitalized because of breast cancer, originally.. She was planning on leaving her dogs in the house by themselves... Until she got out, but I had begged my mom to allow us to take care of them, which she agreed to, so they came home with us.. That's when I truly fell in love with the Shepherd breed. As I got older I got Leo (seen in my profile picture), because I loved Zain so much.. Leo is also the same colour and coat as Zain.

That's what happen, always a lover from a start. Now, a proud owner, also a breeder.. I love shepherds so much, that I'll breed once in a while as a hobby, not for profits, and to improve the breed.

Honestly, amazing dogs.
 
#65 ·
To be honest, I didn't have any personal experience with them. I got one based on their physical and behavioral characteristics. I didn't have a particular affection for the breed. It was kind of like an arranged marriage!

Basically I have always been interested in big dogs, but giant breeds were out because of lifespan. I have always been interested in a dog who could help protect me, but because I have a family and live in neighborhood that has kids, I certainly wanted one who could integrate into that situation. I also appreciate intelligence (in both animals and people) and was attracted to their reputation in that department.

The weirdest thing, maybe, is that I did have a slight negative perception of them in terms of their aggression and power, from all the media and the association with military and police applications. With Jupie being five months old, this is still a factor in my feelings about him. If he bites or acts aggressively, that idea is still in my mind. If your Chihuahua decides to take you on, that's comedy, if your GSD decides to do so, it's tragedy. It's ironic, of course, because this is the other side of wanting a dog who could conceivably help out in a pinch.

But what we got is a velcro dog, very smart, incredibly strong great at training, stubborn and independent, but he seems to be getting a bit more snuggly and affectionate. He's my buddy.
 
#66 ·
I grew up around dogs. My parents had pugs and we had a neighbor who had a GSD. I never had any fear of him and loved playing with him.

In the third grade I got 3 A's and 2 B's on a report card and my dad said I could have anything I wanted. At first I wanted a dog like Snoopy because I always thought Snoopy was pretty cool.

I settled on a GSD/Huskey mix.

In the first pic our neighbors had a pool and they (2 brothers) were pretty handy and created a gate in the fence where we could go through with mom to go swimming during the hot Texas summers. Champ was watching us swim and play.

Because I was young I think it was more I was his boy than he was my dog. One time I remember we walked to a 7-11 about 1.5 miles away and I let him stay outside the store while I went in and bought baseball cards and a slurpy. I didn't tie him up or anything he just waited for me and then we walked home.

Lots of good memories with him. :)
 

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