[David Winners]

If you spend most of the time with the dog you should get what you want, if your wife is doing all the work you should get what she wants in my opinion. Labs are usually super nice and cuddly but often not very bright especially in comparison to German Shepherds. Our German Shepherd doesn't like to cuddle unfortunately on the other hand he doesn't go to every freaking person that comes along for cuddles and attention, I love that. We live in the city and we have to go to dog parks to let him loose. In the dog park or on the way there we see a lot of other dogs and when the dogs don't get along the German Shepherd is a lot to handle and if the other dogs owner fails to react you may have to handle 2 dogs going at each other. I've got nipped at and bitten quite a bit by our own and other dogs when they got mad at each other. Your wife and 6 year old would not be able to handle those situations. But if you live in a house with a big yard and you can get him running and exercise there you don't have the issues I'm dealing with. I grew up with a German Shepherd and it's the only breed I ever want.

Labs are incredibly intelligent in general. The very best bomb dog I've ever seen was a lab. He was also the easiest bomb dog to train I've ever seen. He was also the only single purpose (not bite trained) dog in Special Operations at one point because he was such an amazing dog.

Most service dogs are labs.

Here's a pic of Marshall, the most amazing bomb dog I've known. I could run him with a radio on his harness, a laser, hand signals at 150m away, and with pulses on a vibration collar (as in 1 for go out, 2 for right, 3 for left, 4 for back and long press for recall).

 

[Plt726]

Labs are incredibly intelligent in general. The very best bomb dog I've ever seen was a lab. He was also the easiest bomb dog to train I've ever seen. He was also the only single purpose (not bite trained) dog in Special Operations at one point because he was such an amazing dog.

Most service dogs are labs.

Here's a pic of Marshall, the most amazing bomb dog I've known. I could run him with a radio on his harness, a laser, hand signals at 150m away, and with pulses on a vibration collar (as in 1 for go out, 2 for right, 3 for left, 4 for back and long press for recall).
View attachment 578380

Agreed...I owned a chocolate lab, and lived him dearly. We both got hit by a car, and he took the brunt of the impact. Unfortunately, he wasn't the same afterwards and needed a different environment than I could provide. Yes, they're smart, loyal, great family dogs.

 

[ausdland]

Field Lab may be my next trailing dog. Much less to manage around other off leash dogs in Tahoe, less health issues than GSDs and my girl loves 'em.

 

[Sunflowers]

Wonder what OP chose.

 

[Soupie08]

Wonder what OP chose.

I've had several discussions with my wife on what we should do. She did open up that she is still totally devastated with the loss of our last dog and still cries over him often and that she's been back and forth on whether or not she's even ready for a dog regardless of breed. He died unexpectedly and she blames herself and wonders if she could have done more. However, she realizes at night when it's all quiet or if we go to sleep before her and she's alone she totally misses a buddy being around. She also admitted that she was concerned that if she didn't choose a Shepherd I would hold a grudge and constantly be mad. I explained she shouldn't worry about that and my focus was on the best choice for the family and I'd love any dog regardless, plus I feel like I'll eventually someday get a Shepherd so no huge deal.

I also asked her again if she would be scared of a Shepherd or would be worried about handling one, and she kind of changed her stance on that and said she'd never be scared of her own dog. Plus our lab was 80lbs and very difficult to handle, he wasn't an aggressive dog but was just excited about life and was always in a hurry to go nowhere.

The breeder that we have been in contact with is actually looking to let go of some of her adult dogs to the right homes, so that is something we are considering as well. We are actually going to visit again on Friday (in laws included) to talk and take two of her adults for a walk. The one is a younger male and gorgeous, but he's rather pricey. Another stipulation to getting that male is that since we are local, the breeder wouldn't want us to neuter him so that she can use him to stud. The other is a female that the breeder thinks would be a good fit for us. I don't know if any stipulations would come along with her. I know some people here thought this might be a good idea for us while some others didn't. It's just something we're exploring.

I even shared some of the information that @David Winners and @K9SHOUSE told me about the mentality of dogs during stressful combat situations with my wife to relay to her father and he was thankful for it.

Man, this has been some deep marriage counseling stuff on here....good thing we're mostly anonymous 🙂. Anyway, right now it looks like my wife is perfectly ok with getting a Shepherd and seems to think that my in laws will warm to it as well.

I know most comments seemed to indicate that getting a lab first, then a Shepherd was ideal, but I'm hoping that if we do go Shepherd first and still decided on another dog eventually he/she would be ok.

Nothing is concrete in plans yet, but I'm glad we've discussed it more and this thread turned out to be a lot more positive and informative than I expected. I'll let everyone know what's decided when we finally do make a decision/ do come to an agreement. I haven't even began to look into lab breeders in my area, so it might be a little while off.

 

[Sabis mom]

The breeder that we have been in contact with is actually looking to let go of some of her adult dogs to the right homes, so that is something we are considering as well. We are actually going to visit again on Friday (in laws included) to talk and take two of her adults for a walk. The one is a younger male and gorgeous, but he's rather pricey. Another stipulation to getting that male is that since we are local, the breeder wouldn't want us to neuter him so that she can use him to stud. The other is a female that the breeder thinks would be a good fit for us. I don't know if any stipulations would come along with her. I know some people here thought this might be a good idea for us while some others didn't. It's just something we're exploring.

I think this may be a fabulous idea! All dogs deserve great homes and with an adult you see what you get immediately.

 

[CEMC]

Typically the Lab and the GSD are very different dogs with different purposes and probably suited for different people. However it appears that the decision is based on fear by the wife of GSD's. In my opinion unless the person is extremely impacted or traumatized by some past experience fear of any breed including the GSD is quickly overcome when the person meets the dog as a puppy.
I got my first Doberman as soon as I graduated from college and my parents were horrified when they found out. They even told me to not bring the dog with me wen I visited. Then they saw some pictures I sent them of the puppy (he was 8 weeks at the time) and their attitude changed immediately. This would not have been the case if I had gotten a full grown dog even if he was the sweetest dog in the world (which by the way he really was).

 

[Sunsilver]

Just wanted to remind the OP that Marley the lab was a real dog. Okay, the owners had no clue how to train him, but still, he was very far from being a laid back dog!

If you do go with a lab, make sure the breeder is knowledgeable enough to pick the pup with the right temperament for you.

 

[Rolling Ragu]

Well, apparently, I've completely blocked from my memory everything about the puppy phase from the last go-round. It's brutal. At least once each day I think about giving her back to the breeder (some days, that's all I think about). The teeth, the nipping, the chewing, the nonstop energy, etc. Having a GSD puppy is no joke and if you had them growing up or earlier in your life, you might very well be forgetting some of this or maybe you were shielded from some of it.

When I read this comment from earlier, it sounded like something I had typed myself. Our last GSD was a low demand sort of dog that passed 4 years ago. Right now,"Journey" is 13 weeks. No one in the family remembers things being like they are right now. At about 10 weeks, we regularly had family melt downs over the Journey being a bad decision. A night or two, I would retire to our bedroom to be alone and escape the stress. I think being 52 instead of 35 is making a difference for me.

Today, we are seeing things change for the better. But...as this other poster stated, it is BRUTAL sometimes. If you don't have the fortitude to keep moving forward, it can be too much. Go in prepared.

 

[wolfy dog]

That's why they make them look cute

 

[WNGD]

I'm really going to think about that ..... when I get my last GSD and I'm around 80 years old

 

[dogfaeries]

Nora is 13 months old now, and I pretty much want to murder her on a daily basis. She’s gorgeous, and sweet, but holy moly she’s a lot of dog.

I haven’t had a puppy in 5 years (Scarlet), and I’m pretty sure that Nora is the last puppy I’ll have, lol. I’ll be 66 next month. If at some point we decide to breed Nora, I’m not taking a puppy (remind me of this if there is a black puppy). I would take an adult dog at least 3 years old though.

 

[David Winners]

Nora is 13 months old now, and I pretty much want to murder her on a daily basis. She’s gorgeous, and sweet, but holy moly she’s a lot of dog.

I haven’t had a puppy in 5 years (Scarlet), and I’m pretty sure that Nora is the last puppy I’ll have, lol. I’ll be 66 next month. If at some point we decide to breed Nora, I’m not taking a puppy (remind me of this if there is a black puppy). I would take an adult dog at least 3 years old though.

The nerd refused a recall this morning to go play with the neighbor dog who was barking at him. 17 months. Good times

ETA: he jumped a 4' fence, in the neighbors yard, into their dog run, to play with the dog. Then jumped out, raced over to me all proud and went inside.

 

[dogfaeries]

Puppies are wonderful and terrible. My son’s girlfriend frequently says “Nora is… A LOT”. Even Russell avoids her, lol. She does everything with such abandon. How that moose of a girl can move so fast and be so agile is a mystery.

Back to the OP, I went with my GSD breeder looking for a lab for her daughter-in-law who had always wanted one. We talked with show breeders, and visited a few. She ended up with a lovely lab. Not my breed of choice by any means, but they were happy with her. They had lots of kids, and she fit right in. The rest of the kids in my breeder’s family all have GSDs (and kids). Now they’ve added a border collie into the mix!

 

[dogfaeries]

ETA: he jumped a 4' fence, in the neighbors yard, into their dog run, to play with the dog. Then jumped out, raced over to me all proud and went inside.

Dogs are just very bouncy toddlers, haha

 

[Soupie08]

I figured I would give it some time before posting again. A GSD breeder that I had several conversations with as well as several visits had mentioned that she was willing to part with some of her adults to the right homes. She said she had one or two in particular that she thought would really suit our family. After another visit and some discussion with my wife we decided to go for it. We now have a 5 yr old male named Ando.
He was 100% an outside dog and for breeding so the house breaking took some work, but aside from that I'm happy to report that things have gone excellent! The interesting part is that his bonding transferred completely to my wife. Despite the fact that I initially did all of the walking and feeding, he just seemed to gravitate towards her. Now, the two of them are pretty incredible; he follows her around the house, lays at her feet and cries when she gets home from work. She can say his name or make a small whistle and he just appears. His recall with her is great. You would think we've spent thousands training the two of them together, she just became his owner somehow. I'm a tad jealous, but very happy with the outcome and pleased when Ando graces me with his presence. It's as if they were meant for one another.
As far as the rest of my family; he has won them all over, including my father in law. He is great around all of the kids and enjoys attention from everyone. Similar to me, they just wish they could get more attention from him. He is perhaps a bit "soft" and eager to please if that makes sense, but it works for us. We take him everywhere with us and he's such a breeze in public and just a joy to be around. I woke up last Saturday morning and my wife was reading on her computer and Ando was laying at her feet while my son was right next to him playing with his toys. She said "I guess he's my shepherd, thanks for getting me a dog.". I'd be curious to see why some of you feel that his bond transferred to my wife so strongly.
Here are some pictures of him. He really is a handsome guy.

 

[peachygeorgia]

I figured I would give it some time before posting again. A GSD breeder that I had several conversations with as well as several visits had mentioned that she was willing to part with some of her adults to the right homes. She said she had one or two in particular that she thought would really suit our family. After another visit and some discussion with my wife we decided to go for it. We now have a 5 yr old male named Ando.
He was 100% an outside dog and for breeding so the house breaking took some work, but aside from that I'm happy to report that things have gone excellent! The interesting part is that his bonding transferred completely to my wife. Despite the fact that I initially did all of the walking and feeding, he just seemed to gravitate towards her. Now, the two of them are pretty incredible; he follows her around the house, lays at her feet and cries when she gets home from work. She can say his name or make a small whistle and he just appears. His recall with her is great. You would think we've spent thousands training the two of them together, she just became his owner somehow. I'm a tad jealous, but very happy with the outcome and pleased when Ando graces me with his presence. It's as if they were meant for one another.
As far as the rest of my family; he has won them all over, including my father in law. He is great around all of the kids and enjoys attention from everyone. Similar to me, they just wish they could get more attention from him. He is perhaps a bit "soft" and eager to please if that makes sense, but it works for us. We take him everywhere with us and he's such a breeze in public and just a joy to be around. I woke up last Saturday morning and my wife was reading on her computer and Ando was laying at her feet while my son was right next to him playing with his toys. She said "I guess he's my shepherd, thanks for getting me a dog.". I'd be curious to see why some of you feel that his bond transferred to my wife so strongly.
Here are some pictures of him. He really is a handsome guy. View attachment 581148 View attachment 581150

He is beautiful! holy cow! super happy for you, it sounds like everything worked out as for the bonding, I swear dogs always gravitate towards hesitant people 🙄 my 11 year old niece doesn't like big dogs, or dogs in general, but when we go to my sisters Charlie wants to interact with her so bad, giving kisses, bringing her his toys, sitting and staring at her constantly (almost as tall as her AND he weighs more bahahah) paying attention to no one else, finally, after a few months, she'll kiss him back and throw his toys for him (also hug him when she thinks no one is watching), I can see a very strong bond beginning to form and I cant say im not a bit jealous, but still very proud lol

 

[tim_s_adams]

They always pick a person! Doesn't mean you aren't accepted or cool, just means you're not THE one.

They are what they are! Enjoy that beautiful boy!

 

[drparker151]

Congrats on the new addition to the pack. Stunning dog. Maybe he's just a momma's boy

 

[Galathiel]

Sometimes (not always), males prefer females and females prefer males. My current male dog loves the ladies and is quite the ladies' man eye roll. My males have always been 'my' dog as opposed to my husband's or son's.