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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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#4 ·
I've always liked them. We had one when I was a child. My sister has owned several.

I'm not scared of any dogs. I am cautious around all dogs. My only concern was the dog playing to rough with my smaller dogs. My female dog used to be scared of larger dogs. Starting with a puppy helped and they all play together nicely.
 
#7 ·
You are the exact opposite of me. I've never had any experience with one as a kid and used to be so afraid of dogs that I wouldn't even cross one unless I really had to. The fact that my mum was also afraid of them did not help at all. But my fear slowly narrowed down from all dogs to large breeds to none as I grew. But I still fear those dogs with particularly loud barks.

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#5 ·
I remember as a kid this big female GSD named Lady....everybody claimed she was a police dog and all that...most likely she wasn't....just the typical hype. Lady would stay in her unfenced yard when there was no owner present...no such thing as "invisible fences" back then..anyway..every day after school, a few of us would dare each other to see who could run through the biggest portion of Lady's yard ...with Lady in hot pursuit of course. If she caught you, you got a fairly good nip on the butt but nothing which would break the skin. The thing I recall which amazed me..and still to this day....that Lady would break off the instant you hit the street or the boundary of the backyard ( which was even more impressive as there was no definitive demarcation line ). I'll never forget that shepherd...and this discipline she adhered to..without the old man owner out there...hopefully he watched through the window and had a good laugh at kids being kids and his Lady having fun.

I wish I could be as positive about suggesting others should get a GSD unless I really know their commitment and dedication in raising a GSD. They certainly are a bit of work and can try one's patience but all of this effort is so incredibly worth it....I'd just hate to see someone get a GSD on my recommendation and not have the discipline to raise the dog properly to be able to see how incredibly wonderful they can potentially be.

With all that said.....they are the only breed for me!

SuperG
 
#6 ·
I thought then as I do today The finest k9 ever made I was introduced to gsd by stories in 68 or so By a nam vet (canadian) who was a scout dog handler I listened to him hung out daily even got mail from nam from him Big deal for me then He was listed mia in 1970 He was great but in telling this part of him still lives with in me
 
#10 · (Edited)
GSD's were never on the radar for me. I am a Bully Breed/Boxer guy. GSD's have pointed face, pointy ears and to much fur...what's up with that??

Still we fostered a rescue and fell for him! WL OSD great for about 14 months then 'Rank Drive" issues and "people issues" none of which was apparent at 7 months,when we got him!

I over came the problems and learned alot..I also received the first stitches I got in my life! I love my guy he's a fantastic dog and yep I will have another when the day comes that Rocky is gone. :(

But I pretty much "never" recommend a GSD to anyone unless they have had one! I recommend a Shilo or King Shepherd, most folks want a dog that "looks" like a GSD but aren't prepared to deal with the real thing!
 
#11 ·
GSD's weren't even a consideration when I talked about breeds I loved. I grew up with 2 lab/BC mixes. They were ill mannered but had great temperament. I thought I would have a dog like that. The only thing I knew about GSDs were that they usually used a MWD and PD dogs. We walked the same route with my 2 mixes and always passed this house that had 2 GSDs. I didn't like the way the looked (that's all I thought about at 15, ha). They were intimidating and their fur was too straw like. I didn't like the color on them. I wanted a Puggle or a Shibi (cuz that made sense). I told myself when I lived in my own place, that was what I was going to get.

Years later when I joined the military, I was stationed in Germany. When they moved me off base into my own house, I decided it was time to get my dream dog! Well I had changed in my likes over the years and wanted a bigger dog than a puggle or Shibi. I came across an ad for GSD puppies and the pictures looked nothing like the GSDs I had seen in America. They were dark and red and looked much better (still a factor in the beginning, I'll be honest, but I was only 20) After some consideration and VERY LIGHT research I thought it would be cool to have one, I was single and living by myself in a small village and wanted a dog to protect me, keep me company, and run with me. I went and saw the puppies, picked one out right there and paid the deposit. THEN I did heavy research and became part of the forum. Been hooked ever since. :)
 
#12 ·
I was an Aussie person -- had 3 of them for over 10 years and was quite pleased with the breed. The little shepherd pup won my heart on petfinder and I had him in posession that night. Love that he is smarter than the Aussies and his learning curve is like one repitition. He is fearful of certain things but fine with other things. I imagine if I dedicated myself to working carefully through his area of fear we could do it. He would SO excel in rally. He has lovely form on evey station but not wanting to be around the commotion. He is the closest emotionally to us of any of the dogs and very in tune with his family members. I had NO idea they shed THIS much. WOW. I am, though, also enjoying the sheltie. Smart too, less shedding, easy to pick up. I wish there was a line of about 40 pound GSD's. I know, not a good idea, not exactly saying "toy" shepheds but just a bit lighter smaller, but I wish they came officially like the poodles or schnauzers with mini, standard, and giant (quit shuddering everyone! I would really like a 40-45 pound shepherd -- I am getting old!). VERY different than the aussies and sheltie though in personality. Really neat dog.
 
#13 ·
I always admired the breed but never met a good representative. Fearful, aggressive, untrained - these were the ones I met in real life and it made me leery

Finally I decided I was ready to take the leap and Delgado is even more amazing then I ever hoped for.
 
#14 ·
That I really wanted one!


Lee
 
#15 ·
My family ways always into fluffy dogs with upright ears and curly tails. I will always have a Siberian husky in my home. I fell in love with GSDs while fostering for a rescue during my college years. Now I have one of each and my home feels complete. :)
 
#16 ·
Well I was very young when my family had them. One did not pass the law enforcement test. Too playful. We had Labs and a Beagle and a Lrg Poodle and a Border collie and 2 Chihuahuas and several Great Danes. I had a husky mix. Loved her. She got cancer and she had to be put down. I waited awhile and then decided to adopt. I now have a "predominately" GSD. Weird wording from rescue. He is shorter haired and not overbred to the sloped back that causes so many hip problems. Has a curl to tail but holds it straight sometimes also. Smart as a whip and so easy and eager to learn. And he was just the one.
 
#17 ·
I always had dogs other than GSDs. Then when I got married my wife related a story about how her Dad had purchased a GSD for protection when they moved from Manhattan to Long Island and into the country. They're of Chinese descent and didn't like being threatened and hassled by the elitist whites out there.

When we opposed the Iraq war (no WMD's you know) we got threatened too. So, it was back to thinking protection. GSDs were the obvious choice.

Now, instead of being knows as the traitorous radicals who opposed the war (anyone still support that debacle?) we're known as the family with "THE DOG".

We're on our second one now. They take some getting used to for the first 18 months. But after that they settle down pretty well and become impressive companions. I don't think I'll ever own a different breed in the future.

LF



I wouldn't advise anyone I didn't know could take care of one and put up with one to own one. They're a challenging breed, at first.
 
#19 ·
They weren't on my radar at all at first. However my only "experience", which is none, was looking at picture in various dog books. They only featured American lines, and terrible representatives at that, as a result I was pretty turned off by their looks. At the time I also didn't care for the black and tan saddle back look, shallow I know, but I was just a kid. I also grew up with pit bull type dogs and Rotties, so I figured I'd get one of those. Fast forward a couple years and I happened upon a GSD forum, I learned of the various types and lines and found myself drawn to them.

I began looking up breed traits, and met a few from varying lines. It's funny because it was happenstance, I used to work at a pet store. I really liked what I saw across the board with regard to temperament and their interaction with their family and I was hooked. I looked at various websites, researched all I could, and met more dogs until I was ready to put down a deposit. I'm glad I finally have Bijuu, he's my first dog and has hooked me on the breed. I will always have one.
 
#20 ·
I have always loved GSD's. Since I can remember being interested in dogs. Even before my first one, we had a K-9 GSD as our close neighbor. While he was intimidating for a little kid, his lack of fear and intelligence impressed me as well as being the coolest looking dog ever. I've had Norwegian Elkhound to a Rottweiler and other GSD's and I keep coming back to GSD's time after time. I feel my life has been shaped around them. My wife feels the same.

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#24 ·
Have always loved them. My childhood best friend had a white male. Didn't know he was a GSD then *I was 5* and he was the best dog. Fell even harder for the breed after watching a K9 demo at Spring Spree back home in Colorado. Dog was vicious on the field. Off the field I was flattened by the same dog so he could slobber kisses all over my face and then rolled over for belly rubs. Recently learned that my grandfather who died well before I was born was actually a K9 handler in Vietnam so GSDs are basically in my blood lol.

I cant imagine not having a GSD in the house.
 
#25 ·
I never thought about GSD. My mom tells the story of Princess (GSD) who carried me around by my dungarees as a toddler. We had 15 dogs then, so I have no memory of her. 40 years later a friend of mine rescued a 6 month old GSD from being chained up outdoors alone all day. He had to out of town on business a few days later and asked me to stay with Ivan. I had gotten along with his pit bull and I assumed I could handle Ivan. I fell in love with him and the breed. We played for hours on end. He loved me because I later learned that Ivan was suppose to get 1/3 a can of dog food with his dry. For the week I was his momma, he got a whole can a day. I could not understand why he poop 3 to 4 times on a walk. That was in March and before I knew it God got the ball rolling and introduced me to a breeder/trainer. Fiona was born in May and I brought her home in August. Best gift ever! I went 40+ years without one. Torture.


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#26 ·
I loved them. My next door neighbor had 2 - a female and when she died a male. The female was so lovely, the male so stupid, but I felt if I owned him he'd be a much better dog. The neighbors basically left him in the yard and never walked him or interacted with him.

As a young teen, my father allowed the crew he worked with at a large lumber warehouse to adopt a stray GSD family. It was a bad neighborhood and eventually they were all shot, but the youngest acted as my guardian angel one time without even knowing me.
 
#27 ·
Owning GSDs was always something I wanted to do... despite parents that distrusted the breed due to many bad experiences like seeing my cousin get badly bitten in the face by one.

My good friend lived on a farm nearby and had a GSD named Rev - every time I went over to visit he met me at the border of their property and gave me a light nip on the leg or backside to let me know he was there... you'd think I'd be afraid of Rev? Nope, I thought he was the coolest dog ever. Those kids and the farm were something he loved and protected with all his heart, no one ever got on the property without Rev's watchful eye on them. Although I did finally get smart and ask my friend to meet me at the property line to let Rev know I was OK, never had an issue with him after that.

My best friend's family had 2 GSDs, they were the best kid dogs ever. They even fought off a pack of Huskies that attacked and tried to kill the family's poodle mix - it was 2 GSDs against 6 Huskies but guess who won and successfully defended their pack?:) One of their GSDs made such an impression that I named one of our current GSDs after him.

So yeah, GSDs were something I always knew I'd have, and I'm rewarded daily with 4 of them.
 
#28 ·
I was terrified of GSD for a good part of my young adult life. Having been "attacked" by 2 GSD on 3 occasions, I would literally hide when they can into the pet store I worked at.

Then I got a dog, pitx, from the pound and took her to a training class for dog aggression. The trainer had GSD. The most amazing well trained GSD. He did SchH. I fell in love. Wanted to do SchH. Decided I could only do that with a GSD.

So I bought one. Got her BH, then did SAR. Best dog ever. And made me love the breed. Started fostering. And it's all downhill from there.


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#30 ·
I grew up in farm country, and a lot of folks had farm dogs, most were GSDs. I was familiar, but no real contact until, as a kid, I was working at the Humane Society, and two sable GSDs came in and were pts because they were killing lambs. They were beautiful and I'll never forget that big old farmer crying when the animal control guy told him they were being destroyed. Never owned one, had a lot of other dogs, usually mutts, then huskies for years. Always said I could not tolerate a stupid breed, and then I finally got one and am completely floored by the intelligence and the bond between him and the family. Now I get why that old guy cried.
 
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