Shedding

Personally, I don't seem to have much trouble keeping the hair under control with our dog, Kodee, and I'm a total neat freak. Kodee is a black/tan long stock-coated GSD, and although he sheds, it doesn't seem that bad to me. The main thing to do is brush them a lot. And I would not get them bathed every month, but that is just me. GSD's tend to get dry skin/coat if bathed a lot. Kodee just had his first bath in about 4-5 months a couple days ago, and that's because he stunk really bad (anal glands - ugh!) Kodee is a housedog, almost 9 mos old, and I brush him at least every other day - not a total brushing out, but I do go over his body with a slicker brush fairly often, and he gets the total treatment (combed all over thoroughly and then brushed, about once a week, nail trim every other week.) His bedding gets washed twice a week, which keeps both him and the house from smelling "doggy". I noticed that he smells clean all the time unless I let the bedding stay in his crate for a week or so. I guess the bedding absorbs whatever "dog odor" he has, and as long as I take the bedding out every 3-4 days, it doesn't build up enough to notice.

I do have to clean the carpet around his crate (which is in the living room), pretty thoroughly about 1x/week. This is the only place in the house where I can actually see dog hair, normally. The best way to get pet hair out of carpet (I learned this while working at a vet clinic), is to take a slicker brush and go lightly over the surface of the carpet to pick up the hair. This works WAY better than just vacuuming or using those lint roller things. Then I vacuum. Pretty much no pet hair (at least that I can notice) in our house. He sleeps in my room, sometimes on his bed, sometimes on my cream colored carpet - still not much problem w/dog hair. GSD's do blow coat (read: shed a ton of the undercoat) in the spring and fall. I noticed that Kodee doesn't shed as much as our dogs did as kids, but they were outdoors (had thicker coats, probably), and we never brushed them.

Another thing I've noticed is that Kodee sheds a lot more after a bath than any other time. I guess bathing loosens the hair maybe? I bathed him 2 days ago, and I'm still getting hair out of him when I just run my hand over his body. A few more days and that will stop happening.

IMO - I said I would never have a housedog, b/c i'm a freak about keeping my house clean, and I didn't want to deal w/dog hair. Then, I changed my mind, got a GSD, and I am so glad I did. He is worth every moment of cleaning up dog hair that I do (which really isn't all that much).

P.S. I just re-read your post, and meant to tell you - you probably will never need to take a GSD to a groomer, if you are brushing him yourself at home 3x/week. Unless you just want to... Mine is long coated, and I still don't take him to a groomer. If you get a short-coated dog, you'll need a groomer even less than I do.

Well, Gabby is also a black/tan long stock-coated GSD and I have to say that I see a lot less shedding with her than the standard coated dogs that I come in contact with quite frequently. She is on a fish oil suppliment (4 capsules) every day and I brush her every other day or so, but she doesn't have the under coat that other dogs do and she sheds no more than my cats do. I have to say that I bathe her weekly...I know, not recommended but she has severe allergies and the vet actually prescribed a weekly shampoo to keep environmental allergens off. It's followed by a special conditioner and her food also contains high amount of Omega-3 fatty acids, which combined with the fish oil give her the most beautiful sheen, if I do say so myself!
I've never had more than a couple of hairs come off in my hand after rubbing her, so maybe the long coat would be a good option for you...

I don't find it unmanageable. My dog spends a lot of time in his crate, so most of the hair stays localized to that area. He has a carpet under his crate which collects much of the hair he sheds and the rest becomes tumbleweeds on the tile floor. A good pass with the swiffer every couple of days keeps it pretty hair free.

They DEFINITELY shed more after a bath and they do dry out with frequent bathing. Most people I know bathe maybe 2 times a year when the weather turns warm and before it gets cold again (or especially with puppies, when they get into something).

There are different kinds of coats in German Shepherds from long to quite close, and I would bet they probably shed about equally, but I think sometimes the difference you see is in the actual length of the hair. We had a GSD-Husky mix who had this really fine soft hair, not very long...but oh man it was like lint in the air and it stuck to EVERYTHING. I find my coarser haired GSD easier on the shedding.

A good 10-15 minute brushing every other day, a run by with the vacuum every 3 days and I think you should be good. The trick is to not let it build up, then you can have a major de-hairing on your hands. Of course puppies don't shed much until they're older and by then...everyone is willing to deal with the hair!