[Bex93]

Looking to get a German Shepherd at some point this year & trying to do as much research as I can before getting one. I’ve previously owned a smaller dog.
I grew up with a very loyal, friendly, loveable & obedient German Shepherd some years ago.

im looking for the same kind of character. I have a toddler and saw a lot of threads on here about them being bitey. Unsure if this means like a normal teething type/pushing boundaries thing or are they more aggressive when they are younger? Don’t remember previous GSD being bitey when I was younger.

We will be taking the dog to training classes & crating. I will also not be one of them people who allows the child off with murder ie being rough or going near them when they’ve got food or a bone etc

just hoping for a loyal, sociable but obedient companion for the family. I also will be living alone a lot of the time so also want a dog who’s protective/alert but again is able to listen to instruction to be calm again.

so my question is what kind fits that description. Are pure bred/ KC reg the best way to go to ensure no health problems?

hope this post is in the right place!

Thanks

 

[JunoVonNarnia]

They are a lot of work, super smart, and loyal and loving to their owners.

Juno is my first GSD 13 months. I would not call her friendly. She's aloof, and curious. For example, when the neighbours are out, she will do a run-by just to to check on them, but she will not stop for cuddles. She will stop for a game with her ball, mostly keepaway, because she does not release the ball for just anyone.

GSDs are landsharks when they are teething (search for "landshark" on this forum), so anything that moves pretty much. I have a COVID puppy, her socialization around kids was impacted with schools closed etc. but I am glad that she is mostly indifferent to kids. My rescue is amazing with children. I can let strange kids pet him and he is as sweet as pie with kids. Dogs are another problem.

I bought from a reputable breeder with a bunch of guarantees re: hips and elbows. But I was more interested in temperament than in health, which to me is always a bit of a gamble. I wanted no inbreeding and good care taken of both dam and sire. I also wanted my puppy to have a good first 8 weeks. My rescue has a bunch of problems, which I attribute to being removed from his mother and siblings too early. I have no evidence. When I see him around other dogs, I think he did not spend time learning to play nice with others. I met Juno's mother and father, who were friendly. I also have the runt of the litter, so that means 11 weeks with her pack rather than the usual 8.

Juno is a joy, but she alone probably gets 2 hours of my focused attention per day in spurts.