Quote:GSDs are (on average anyway) exceptionally smart but I think what people are saying is that smart doesn't necessarily translate to well behaved or calm. In fact, I'd argue that the smarter the GSD puppy the more mischievous, energetic, and generally challenging it probably will be.
We are not trying to criticize you at all. What we are trying to say is that many of our GSD pups are much harder the first year than many other breeds. And NOT because of a lack of intelligence. It's cause of being too smart with the energy level of that crazy Energizer Bunny.
And I'm not saying you wouldn't ever be able to get one, I just would recommend waiting until your 1 year old child was a bit older. Really, if you asked your wife (and yourself) if you could adopt another human infant into your family right now, and then answer truly is that you both do have the time/energy right now, then THAT is the frame of mind I have to be in when I get a GSD puppy.
I have to have time, every day, to take the puppy out of the house for probably an hour. Away from the yard, spouse, kids and in the car. To socialize with new people in new places with new dogs. And I need to OFF LEASH, run that puppy, swim the puppy, exercise the puppy not in my yard, not around the block. And that's for about the first year, though I can fade to 3 to 4 times a week around 6 months, though I may have to be out with them longer.
So if your wife is willing to leave you with the 2 kids for an hour or so a day so she can work with the new puppy. Or if she's willing to have you come home from work, scoop that puppy up and leave for the next hour or so................ then you will be able to do this well.
Did you get a chance to look at the
Teaching Bite Inhibtion site? This is a really huge huge problem for many of us. And I'm really not kidding. These GSD's are somekind of nuts with the having to use their mouths when wanting to play with us. And it's extremely painful for me as an adult, and it's just my hands at their level. Kids faces are exactly the correct location as a fellow puppy that they would bite, only we don't seem to enjoy seeing our kids faces in our puppies mouths.
You can ask anyone that posted on the bite inhibition site how they worked thru this and ALL of them try everything. It's takes a ton of time to teach them a new way to play with toys, and just a pup getting older helps alot. But getting to that older age is very painful.
I like that people are recommending a bit older GSD. If you locate a great responsible breeder they may have the perfect dog for you, or know of one. That way you get a healthy dog, great temperment, and someone else worked thru all the biting issues!!!