Ok when I first wanted a GSD I wanted a BIG DOG. Oversized, intimidating and all that. Not aggressive, just intimidating by looks alone. I was a dumb dumb about shepherds.
I still see on this board many who do not care for the "smaller standard size" shepherds. I have a 24" 68-70 lb. female and a 23" 55 lb. female (whom if wasn't sick would probably be between 60-65 lbs.). I absolultely love their size. I wouldn't want anything above the standard and love when I see a female that is the appropriate size.
Now when someone comments on their small size I don't even bother with the gsd standard lesson, I just say "ya, and I like em that way".
So what's your opinions...........How many of you actually prefer a standard size shepherd despite people negative opinions of them because they are not big, mean and bad. Tell us why you prefer that as well.
Size is way down the list of things I'm concerned about. Temperment & health are primary, then drives I suppose. I have color preference (sort of) but it's much more the right dog in the first three catagories than color, pattern or size. Most people here are going to consider a GSD a "big ol' dawg" anyway. A big dog in proportion would be fine as would a small dog in proportion.
You mean my 85lb Jessie girl and her 90lb (and still growing) Rocky brother are oversized? I had no idea. I don't care, size had nothing to do with why I wanted a GSD. Of course, I do love my 'dire wolves' and their huge, gleaming teeth, massive paws and their wolfy lope, but I wanted the GSD that I grew up thinking was the most intellectual dog, and also one who had the faculties of perception like Strongheart the first dog star, whom I'd read so much about and thought 'gotta get me one o' them GSDs' (ok so two...)
My kids' big size was just a bonus. I like a dog I can wrap my arms around and squeeze and have a good, furry armful. My Schipperke is a huge Schipperke too, 22lbs and not chubby, just oversized (ego to match).
Guess I like 'em big. Funny cuz I see a lot of sheps listed as mixes on sites because they are 'small' LOL!
Yes I get that all the time with mine. At first it use to offend me, but now I couldn't careless what they say. I've gotten use to it.
I guess I just wonder what the deal is to have a HUGE shepherd. Why some people seem to be so proud. I know I wanted one at some point but when I see how agile my girls are (well the smaller one anyways), I just can't see a 90 lb. dog doing the things she does.
I guess I'm referring to many comments on how small my babies are, how I should have taken one back to the rescue when she stopped growing at 70 lbs., how they are mixes, and my all time favorite......."well I have a shepherd too, but she's MUCH larger than yours" (almost said with a boasting tone). I just respond with.........."that's nice" and then wonder what it is exactly they are trying to prove.
My first gsd was huge. I rescued at her 10 weeks from an animal shelter and at full size she was a lean 90 pounds. It was very difficult to lift her in and out of my truck after her hip and knee surgeries. Basu was 77 pounds and people were constantly commenting on how small he was for a gsd.
But I did have to carry him when he got sick too and it was hard for me.
So Rafi here is going to grow to be somewhere between 65 and 70 pounds, I figure, and I am very pleased. Easier on his joints and easier on my back when he gets older or has surgery or something!
I think there are MANY people in the world who think of a GSD as a "Large" dog. Before we got Meeka, my boyfriend had no idea what size she would be. I've often wondered, is it because many people have memories of meeting their first GSD when they were kids? To a young kid I'm sure that a german shepherd still seems like a big dog. I remember meeting my first Great Dane. I was in second grade, and small at that. Boy did that Great Dane seem like a pony! LOL (They still might, I'm only 5'1') haha
LOL -My last girl was unusually large4- I like big dogs but didn't choose her because of the size alone. I have to admit I got a laugh off everyone that would walk up "Wow! BIG DOG!" .... you think I don't KNOW that?? you think I don't pay hr food bill or clean up her poop??
My current girl is about 80 lbs and I think she looks thin but our breeder/trainer for our club thinks she is perfect.
I always liked big dogs..... Ozzy is 85lbs and to be honest, he's a bit large for me. Now he's a shepX of some sort. My collie is 45lbs and if I have to pick her up or carry her, it's much easier. I made the realization dh has a good use
*L* last year when Ozzy cut his paw and was sedated. He was so doped up he couldn't move on his own, he needed to be carried. I couldn't do it. Ozzy isn't overly lean, he's solid muscle. I think however that I wouldn't want bigger than him, infact I would like my next dogs to be around the 50lb mark.
Well size has nothing to do with agility either. I cannot believe the incredible acrobatic antics of my 90lb Rocky. He can leap 12 feet in the air and do a double twist coming down. Jessie can sail over the fence without touching it. Rocky skates across the dirt (he killed all the grass) like he's on ice and can leap from one end of the yard to the other in .03 seconds. They are both amazing although Rocky is definitely the most amazing. Now that he is 'filling out' he is slowing down just a wee bit.
Regardless of the fact that my boy is oversized for a shepherd, he is 29" at the shoulder and 100 lbs, I still think the standard is the way to go. I love my dog and would never trade him for any standard size shepherd, but I am also happy to know that our new puppy will be a standard size puppy
I just think there will be more health problems, since GSDs are not supposed to be HUGE dogs.
I am hoping that my boy won't be huge. He was 38 pounds at 19 weeks, and already he is a handful. These dogs are so strong! He is 23 weeks and I'm sure at least 45 pounds. He is german bloodlines, so I hope he doesn't get to be too big.
Well Rocky is up to 95lbs now. He does not have any health problems. He did when we first got him but that was related to a crappy diet he'd been on. Now he gets the best of everything and has filled out from 70lbs to 95lbs. He had been anorexic (they fed him Alpo!!! yech!)
I happen to prefer *slightly* bigger dogs. But, at the top of the standard is also perfect for my tastes, as it is still 'a big dog.' I selected a workinglines male this time that would be slightly bigger than standard. He has no size-related health concerns nor loss of agility. My last GSD was at the very top of the standard-- not one inch above-- and everyone commented on what a 'big' dog he was... sometimes, it is all about the dog's PRESENCE.. not his altitude. In my view, there is a job out there for GSDs at both ends of the spectrum within standard, and also a bit beyond.
I used to have a brother and sister from two different litters. Yukon was 30" at the shoulder, 115 lbs was a good weight for him (I kept him thin - around 95 to 100 because of his hips). Too was a petite 62 pounds at her heaviest.
Their sire, Pancho, weighed 65 lbs dripping wet, I believe their dam was around 70 to 75 lbs. In the 3 litters they produced, all the males were huge, Yukon was the largest, but all the boys were between 28 to 29-1/2" and all the bitches were petite like Too.
A lot of the dogs from the three litters were used for SAR. Too was supposed to follow in the footsteps of her brothers and sisters but had a bad heart and Yukon had HD so they were just spoiled pets.
<span style='font-size: 11pt'>i thought Rin Tin Tin was the first GSD dog star. Rin Tin Tin, never liked the name. Rinny is ok. i like standard to a not so standard size Shep. i lke the larger ones. our boy is 25" at the shoulder and he weighs 75lbs. at 7 months old. he's a German import. when people come up to him for a pat they're amazed when i tell them he's 7 months old. they think he's really big. i'm thinking he'll fill out more. if he got an inch taller i wouldn't mind. </span>
Blitz is my first GSD - he is always between 93-95 lbs. I did not get him because he was going to be large but because I knew the breeder and that his parents and grandparents had not had health issues or problems with hips, etc. and that he came from a working background.
Breda is a longhair GSD and will be much more in line with the standard. She is 11-12 months (not sure as she's a rescue) old and weighs 62 lbs.
I love them both but prefer the larger end of the scale. I do worry however, that in an emergency, I could not pick Blitz up alone. Fortunately, my neighbors adore him but since I live solo, that's always in the back of my mind. My next male will likely be a bit smaller for that reason.
oh yeah, i get this all the time with my DDR female, she might go between 55-60 pounds. i don't know how many times people have said "oh you got a new puppy" or "what is she about 5-6 months old?
i really don't care, and will not bother to explain the difference to most of the people who comment, because most of them are the kind of people who either have "huge" gsd's or are ignorant to the different lines, and standards. its actually amazing how many people own a gsd that have no clue about what lines they own or other lines of the breed. i have had many convesations with people like this, and usually when i ask them what they have for lines and they comment "just a regular big gsd" i don't bother to say much more.
debbie
Just wondering. Seems a bit over the top. I have never brushed a dogs teeth. If they are ever anesthetized for any reason I would have their teeth scaled if needed. There are also cleaning chews.
Just curious. Currently my dogs are in their crates from 7AM to 12PM, then from 1PM to 3PM. But we are going to have to switch and leave them for 9hours straight. So just curious of how long other people leave their dogs.
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