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Does this look like a true GSD?

6K views 56 replies 23 participants last post by  AlphaHunter 
#1 ·
Take a look. You tell me. Does that look like a true GSD?
The dog evidently has GSD there. It's obvious but I'm not quite sure if this one is likely all GSD, or a mix, if so, with what?

The dog is 9 months old. Currently 66 pounds (I'm told). Male. Good temperament. Good with kids + other dogs. The owner says that the dog is a GSD and both parents were SD's but not registered. The dog owner is not the breeder.

I just haven't seen the dog in person yet. I could probably tell if the dog is a full GSD in person. From pics at this stage, I'm not quite sure.

If this dog is full GSD, what sort of lines do you think are in there? Those feet and legs are substantial. Nice through the back. I like the confident look. Seems like potentially a good temperament may be there.

What do you all think?
 

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#2 ·
Why are you questioning? The dog is a GSD. I don't see anything else there. Dogs are the most diverse of species, from 4 pounds to 260+ pounds and every color and shape. GSDs are also very divers. The above dog can be some type of working line dog, but it can also be a mixture of lines, and the outcomes are infinite, in shape, in size, in temperament. 66 pounds for a 9 month old GSD is not outside the ball park.
 
#3 · (Edited)
The variations in structure between the different lines of GSD are so great that they could almost be considered different breeds.

He looks full GSD to me. Given his colour and what I can see of his structure, I'd guess he's more working lines than anything else. But then, most BYB dogs don't have the extremes that showline breeders tend to go for.

I've had some BYB rescues that were VERY nice dogs in terms of temperament, so I wouldn't hold that against him. My first hearing ear service dog was from a backyard breeder, and I couldn't have asked for a better dog, though I certainly didn't get his as a potential service dog! I just wanted to rescue him from life on the end of an 8 foot chain!
 
#4 ·
He looks like a gsd. Perhaps a mix of lines. The structures in lines and even within each line vary. All lines are capable of balanced dogs and extremes. He looks like a bicolor as I assume that is what’s throwing you off - the color. Gsds not only come in Black and Tan.


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#7 ·
He is a looker! Without knowing his pedigree you will never know for sure. He looks nice though. You'll have to see his temperament in person.

Are you thinking of getting him? Why is the owner selling or rehoming in? What are your expectations for this dog? If both of his parents were SDs what tasks were they trained to do? Can you meet either or both parents?

Sorry for the questions but if you are asking because you want this dog for a SD or something, there is a lot more to whether or not they look full GSD, an important question is do they act full GSD :)
 
#9 · (Edited)
Thanks! Just wanted educated feedback.

I'm only on the surface familiar with various GSD lines like East German, Czech, on and on but my knowledge is not experienced enough with this breed to know how various GSD puppies are supposed to look at 9 months. I can eye an adult GSD. It doesn't matter but in my case, I want to have a better idea in case the owner that's seeking a rehome decides to ask for some sort of inflated price. If that happens, no matter how much I like the dog, I will walk away. Seems awful of me but the numbers of GSD's (and all dogs!) being essentially mass produced is staggering. it's horribly sad. There's (unfortunately) plenty of GSD's at actual GSD rescues here. I've seen three fly in and out of a local shelter in Knoxville in the past two weeks. I couldn't even get there in time to look at any of the dogs. I can wait to get a dog from a reputable breeder. Reputable doesn't mean someone only touting AKC reg. on their dogs. Ha, nope (pedigrees are merely a tool for the breeder to analyze traits in lineage + keep record). I want those OFA clearances on hips and elbows at the least. Eye clearances too. I want to know the lifespans of their dogs, on and on. They better be doing something to test their dogs like schutzhund work, or whatever the breeder's interests may be. What traits are they aiming to preserve? That matters.

I will say that my dogs? I've always got them as adults. With GSD's I really have no idea what they're supposed to look like as they go through their puppy phase. I do know a bit about temperament testing of puppies in general. Feeding is something of importance too, but that's for another forum thread.

There's a TON of GSD's in need of rehoming because people realize they're a lot of work (exercise needs at the least). I've had to pass up on several already that had aggression issues. I could deal with it, but I'd rather not. I just happened to see this dog thinking oh, he's got a good look overall which may indicate he's relatively healthy + he's got a good look in the eye (relaxed, confident expression). Since he seems to have a good temperament to boot, that's tempting me.

I will say my huge worries are the lack of health clearances on hips, elbows, eyes, and all that usual stuff. I know of hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, pannus, degenerative myelopathy, and GSD's higher risk of cardiac issues. Of course this isn't a dog from a reputable breeder. It's just a chance/all risk. Yikes! I hope he's healthy. I'd really enjoy a breather for a year or so here without having to pay thousands of dollars on vet bills, which I went through recently having lost my GSD of 13+ years this past May, then losing my nearly 17 year old Lab in July. I had two incredibly good dogs. Both were just my destiny. Neither one was scrutinized when I got them but wow, they were super healthy up until the very end for both of them. I have years of blood work to prove they were healthy over each one's lifetime. I have all of their diagnostic imaging of joints. Both had to be put to sleep due to advancing arthritis. Laser therapy, fish oil, glucosamine/chondroitin, probiotics, good food, NSAID's, gabapentin/tramadol, Adequan injections, and acupuncture + swimming/massage were not working anymore. We really need greater research focused on eliminating arthritis! It's as negative a diagnosis as cancer. But, I realize dogs, like us, can't live forever, and my dogs lived a LONG time in good health. Strange that they went over the Rainbow Bridge at the same time. You know, your house becomes bizarrely quiet.

Not looking for a show dog, nope. But, I sure as heck want functional conformation + a healthy dog. In fact let's skip the American show lines. That extreme angulation look = quirky/greater joint stress. I prefer the working line GSD's. That's what my last (and only) GSD happened to be. She had a build like this one in the pictures except she was more of a sable color. She weighed approximately 90 pounds. She had a great temperament.

I think that's ample info from me here. I'm not a newbie by any means with dogs. I know a good bit about GSD's, but I wouldn't call myself highly experienced with this breed just because I had one for 13+ years. I am more experienced with Retrievers. Really, horses are my game. I can select/train Thoroughbreds off the track for eventing. I know pedigrees in that realm very well. It's either that or your variety of sport horse warmbloods. I know a good one when I see one. With GSD's, I prefer second and third opinions here.

That was probably too much information, but I thought I'd just spit it all out here so you have an idea of my background and thoughts here.

I so so so appreciate the feedback here. Thanks!
 
#11 · (Edited)
Pet insurance could be an option if you like the dog's temperment but are worried about health issues arising later. I've never used pet insurance for any of my dogs, and don't know what the process of getting approval would look like for an adult dog, but if he has no pre-existing conditions, it might be a possibility. Others would likely offer you better advice than me on pet insurance. Sorry about the loss of your previous GSD and Lab. That is never easy, especially losing them around the same time. I hope you find the perfect new dog or puppy for your family. The dog pictured sure looks like a GSD to me. Keep us updated.
 
#12 ·
Owner is pregnant. She says she simply can't keep the dog. I should ask where she got him. Maybe I can find the original people that had the parents of this dog. She said there were six siblings. He has no registration. I have no idea if the parents are registered either. The owner is about an hour away from my location so, I haven't seen the dog in person yet.

I just want to be prepared in case the owner decides to swing a silly inflated "rehoming" fee. Nope, won't do that at all. I know I can easily support a GSD rescue by giving them $300 - 500 for a dog which really barely covers expenses the rescue pays for vaccines, spay/neuter, and their efforts. Rescues are often more honest to get the dog into a proper home. Also, I actually have four other options as far as finding GSD rehomes in my area that I might like.

If the owner is serious about a high quality forever home, I am certainly it. I have a nearly 3 acre fenced property for dogs. I've got vet references too.
 
#17 ·
I'm not entirely against a rehoming fee, just not an inflated price that is often a breeder that's an imposter rehome case. Like if the price is $600? Nope. $150 sure. Really if I was rehoming (never have done that in my life!), I would prefer the person taking the dog put the money towards the dog's future care like a vet visit. I would require updates for awhile without getting too nosy.

Thanks for all this feedback.
 
#19 ·
I’m assuming you are browsing via something like craigslist? If so, I also would not pay anywhere near $600. Expenses or not, they’re the ones needing to rehome their dog for one reason or another. Why would someone pay $600 (or abouts) for a 9 month old unregistered, albeit handsome dog, when for the same price they could buy a BYB registered puppy? Not saying that you would, but the majority browsing the ads just may. At nine months is when pups start exiting the cute phase into trying teenagers and the market so to speak isn’t there. If you are concerned about a fee, I would ask in advance before making the trip to save yourself some potential wasted effort.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Atomic, exactly!
Believe it or not, I've just recently learned that my area is FLOODED with German Shepherd rehomes. They're actually rehomes, not breeders just getting rid of puppies (sadly I'm seeing tons of ads like that on Craigslist for BYB GSD's --- yikes!). I have about seven dogs I could potentially take right now. That's overwhelming, no?

The dogs I've found are either a rehome by owner situation or at a rescue.

Okay here's my wordy descriptions of FOUR dogs I can get:

Dog 1:
I've just been offered (for FREE) one neutered 4 yr old GSD that's registered (so we know his history). He's in good health. The owner is seeking a rehome because he lives in a subdivision with obnoxious neighbor kids bugging his dogs over their fence (their parents won't put a stop to it). He's got two GSD's, and wants to keep his female at home. She's not any trouble. His male GSD is a bit domineering but I've seen him at a dog park. This dog was fine with every dog there, even the little toy-size ones. Kids were in the dog park, and this male GSD interacted with them perfectly fine. Geez, this guy must have some horrible neighbor kids! I like this dog. My only issue is that when I saw the dog with the owner, this dog appears very bonded to his owner + the girl dog that's there. He's not that interested in people. This dog is evidently healthy and GORGEOUS! Really, truly. But he's really aloof-like with people. He doesn't really care to interact with any people other than his owner and his buddy, the girl GSD that he's known since he was born. I wonder if this dog would easily rehome or not? I've had dogs that are strays, and they bond easily to a new home. Puppies are always easy to move to a new home. I've never done a rehome with a dog that is coming from an IDEAL situation. This dog LOVES his home. I highly doubt he wants to leave it. The dog's owner is EXCELLENT too. Top notch. There's no rehoming fee. I live 15 minutes away from this guy. I'm just worried this guy might honestly give his dog to me, then 6 months later want him back. Just a feeling here, not sure. Still, this dog's owner is EXCELLENT. He asked for references, does a home check, the whole deal.

I now have PLENTY of options.......

Dog 2:
I just checked out another dog that's being rehomed because the owner literally cannot exercise his dog. It's a couple here. The man said he has bad arthritis in his knees. They do not have a fence. This dog is 15 months old. They did a ton of work with the dog as a puppy since she fell out of a car window during rush hour on a parkway, breaking her pelvis. They paid to have it fixed, and the dog even went through post-op physical therapy. That's pretty good of them! They had to do all that crate rest. That's tough! This dog has an excellent temperament. She's already had some formal training. I'd say this girl would be a great family dog. IMO, good with older kids. She is jumpy and mouthy, but she's safe/friendly as can be. They're asking $400 for her. She has been spayed. Honestly in their case, given all the bills they've had here, I think that's fair. From what I saw of the dog, she has likely recovered. She's hyper- high energy. But after a good run, she does chill out. She has a potentially happy velcro temperament. She loves to chase a ball. German Shepherd Retriever???? Ha ha. Loves people! I loved this one's temperament. She's a love bug. She will be an EASY rehome. She's not that attached to these people. In fact, she kept following me around the entire place.

Dog 3 (this is the one with that's black with brown points):
I went to see the 9 month old dog that launched my original question. Honestly, I cannot tell if he's 100% GSD, or if he's got a bit of a mix of who knows what tossed into his genetics. He's owned by someone that's maybe 20 yrs old that became accidentally pregnant. The place reeked of cigarette smoke. It's clear as day that they cannot afford this dog. I hope they listened to me when I said please don't let him play with cat toys. If he swallows them, omg, that's a huge risk! There's no way they can afford a surgery to remove an object from their dog's intestines! They got him from who the heck knows where, last year. However, the dog is ADORABLE and yeah, handsome as is. He's got massive legs/feet. He's pretty big right now. He looks like most adult size GSD's and oh he's 9 months. It's true, the owner has the info of the day he was born. Well I'll believe what they tell me, it's not in writing. He's got kind of short ears to me. Again, trust me he's handsome as is, but they want $400 firm for this dog. I'm like, you must be kidding? This is their first ever GSD. The poor dog was using the bathroom toilet bowl as a water dish. I wouldn't say they're abusing him, but let me just say they're broke. Honestly, I wouldn't mind nabbing the dog, handing them $400 (because they need it), and high tailing it outta there so this dog can get the good life. He is rather uncivilized at the moment but I can work on this easily. He surely scratched my arms up. Super mouthy, and jumps all over people. No big deal. I can fix that. Great recall outside. They have no fence/next to busy road. He doesn't run off, nor chase neighbor's chickens which he can clearly see. Huge stride. He will, lol, run right AT you, lol. I'm like ummm, I should be wearing a BITE SLEEVE, lol. This guy needs an EXPERIENCED HOME. He's friendly, but he does exhibit a bit of a dominant side, nothing negative. He's like a small horse with teeth, lol. He has some white/brown on the front chest (yeah that's normal). Some straggly longish hair on his neck area is present (He's still handsome!!!). His nose is a bit shorter than I'm use to seeing on GSD's. I'm mentioning this because I think okay, these clueless people are wanting someone to buy a dog from them? Noooooo. I can go to a rescue, pay $300 for a spayed/neutered GSD. I can easily find AKC registered puppies from a byb situation for $350 right now (not that I'll ever contact people that sell dogs like this). This poor dog is going to end up in a bad home if I don't get him. Apparently, someone called the owner to use this GSD as a potential service dog. He's NOT got that sort of temperament. He's all out working dog. I mean, he wants to be on the K9 unit. He's got traits that in the wrong hands might develop an aggressive dog. This dog NEEDS an EXPERIENCED HOME. Right now, he's all friendly and malleable. Give him good socialization in an experienced home, and he'll do fine. Very humorous character! From what I'm told, he's really good in the house, as in he's not always hyper-energized. He does level down after a run outside. It's evident he will so so so BOND with someone very well. He loves people. He'll be no trouble to rehome either. He would have jumped in my vehicle that day. He was just so happy friendly, having a good time. He's not attached to anybody yet. He's a goofball at the moment. I feel sad for this dog. He's in a crappy home.



Dog 4:
I've got another one that's a 7-8 month old male that I can check out too. This one is in fact a GSD. It's clear as daylight. This one is with someone that works long hours. I haven't seen the dog in person yet. I do like him in the picture. He may have a shy temperament. Not sure, until I see him but the owner has indicated that this dog is shy about going to new places. This one did in fact from from two non-registered GSD's. The owner has pictures of the parents, and has one of the parents on his property. I bet this guy is the breeder. He told me he has a $100 rehoming fee set just to weed out potentially bad homes. Really, this guy isn't that picky about a future home. He never questioned me about anything.



I can upload pics of all of them. Just wait....
 
#22 · (Edited)
Pictures here...

Dog 1 This one is registered so I know his history. Great owner! 4 yrs old, neutered.
Dog 2 This is the 9 month old black one I originally posted here
Dog 3 This is an 8 month old male GSD.
Dog 4 This is the 15 month old female GSD. She is spayed. She has a wonderful temperament.
 

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#23 ·
You are using Craigslist and hoping to not find a BYB dog? Reputable breeders don't use Craigslist. Most of what you are looking at I am sure are BYB or rehomed BYB dogs.
Like I have said before though there is nothing wrong with a BYB dog that is already here and you are trying to get it out of the home it is not wanted in and into a home where it can be loved and cared for.

I just think you are to focused on details that don't matter.
Just focus on getting a dog you bond with and can train. The rest is up to fate...
 
#24 · (Edited)
Options? Holy cow! This is just a few of them! There are too many GSD's out there!!!!! It's actually depressing to me. I can just go to a breeder. I made a mistake of finding dogs already here. Craigslist is Pandora's Box.
This is not all of them.
I've found 7 that I want to look at. There's maybe 12 total. I can likely find even more of them. These are usually rehome cases, not directly from BYB's but the dogs likely came from a BYB situation originally.


Honestly, I like the black one AS IS. He really shouldn't be rehomed to an inexperienced person. Right now he's friendly and malleable, but there's a bit of dominance that in the wrong home could be very bad. At the moment, he's in a bad home already. This dog has access to a creek. I'm just thinking, okay does he have a leptospirosis vaccine? He's able to chew on all sorts of small objects in the house. I'm thinking oh yay, this dog is high potential for an intestinal obstruction if he swallows one of those objects. These people have no idea that surgery for such an incident averages $1,300.00. I highly doubt they could afford even one vet visit. I admit I just want to save him from that dump! The pregnant lady's druggie looking boyfriend wants $400 firm. They're willing to sell him to anyone that has the cash. I could pass on this one, just because I'm reasonable. Sadly, I can't save them all, and I am aware of it. These people that have him are IDIOTS! This is their first GSD. They know zilch nothing. For all I know they need to sell the dog to support a druggie habit. It was that creepy at their house. This one would be a true rescue. I am not kidding.

The first one is gorgeous! He's a bit aloof. If you want a pretty dog, he's the one. Easy too. He's not for an inexperienced home, no. He is dominant, but for an experienced GSD person, he's a piece of cake. Actually, I do want to take him. I just wanted to rule out a few others I was looking at just in case he's more of a one to two dog type home situation. With him, I could get the girl GSD I found. The one that had the broken pelvis as a puppy. She's like a Golden Retriever temperament.


There's too many GSD's being bred! Too few experienced homes. It's so sad.
I shouldn't have looked.


Oh for the record, one dog on here from a super good home was never on Craigslist. That owner is someone I met local by chance. He would never place his dog on Craigslist. Never. Again, I'm probably going to take this one for certain. I'm the ideal home. He just wants his dog in a safer home with an experienced GSD person. It's dog #1 in the pics. He's pretty gorgeous looking in person. Just aloof, and I'm used to the velcro dogs. Hey, I could go with it, and see what happens. If anything he'd be groomed to perfection at my home.

The black one needs to get out of that crappy home!!!!


I wasn't looking through Craigslist to find reputable breeders. Nope, lol. It was a curious error in judgement to take a look there. I know a Craigslist found dog is my risk. I just don't want to pay stupid people money for a dog when I know too much about what's out there. I mean in my area, if I was an idiot, I could get a BYB GSD puppy AKC registered for $350 average. Rescues charge $300 in my area for a GSD that's spayed/neutered, UTD on vaccines, on and on. If I put word out at my local animal shelters, I can get a GSD (sadly they get several!) for an adoption fee of $40-250 Sadly, there are tons of GSD's here.

I know that a reputable breeder would run $1,000-2,000 and they're well worth it for the health clearances alone. It doesn't eliminate risk. Dogs are mortal. But, it surely does reduce risk on certain genetic disorders.

I just know I found a cute dog here (the black one) that is in a crappy home and the idiots want $400 which is kind of dumb. If I give them $400 what's to say these people won't start collecting dogs to sell them like this? It was that bad at that house I visited. I just wanted to get outta there (and take the dog!).
 
#25 · (Edited)
See, here's yet another Craigslist rehome for a GSD I just found this a second ago.

This one is AKC registered. Registration is just a tool. It helps you know the history/confirms it is a GSD for most people.
Note the price is $300 I'd say that's fair.

Disregard that they can't spell Shepherd??? Many posts will list GSD's as Shepard Uhhhh? Really at least spell it correctly, please.

Here's the posting -->
https://knoxville.craigslist.org/pet/d/dandridge-akc-black-german-shepard/6964715458.html


My oh my I could start my own freaking rescue! This is astonishing how many are out there. Actually, this black one is gorgeous to look at, isn't she? Yes.
 

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#47 ·
It's not always the lister if you are looking in the paper. You can make your ad correctly, and they will "correct" it for you. By the time you see it in print, the whole world thinks you cannot spell your breed.
 
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