[Loneforce]

My best friend when I was young, was a German shepherd. I used to hang with him all the time. I would run home from school and there he was sitting there waiting for me. We had a lot of good times together. I believe that is where it all started. The rest is history.

 

[David Winners]

I was born into a kennels that raised and trained working dogs. My mother was a trainer and handler. We had mals, GSDs and Saint Bernard Dogs that competed in weight pull and conformation.

I have a deep love of dogs in general. I spent my youth training and handling several GSDs, and my personal SBD Charlie. I also used to work with my mother training clients dogs and shelter rescues. After moving out on my own, I continued working with shelter dogs and the local rescue groups. Bring an avid hunter, most of my personal dogs were field labs. We also always had a Mastiff around as a pet for the kids.

Through my early adulthood, I got away from working dogs and concentrated on behavioral modification, aggressive dogs, problem children if you will. I also started pet training, which taught me to train people. I got involved in a club, teaching obedience, and stayed involved until I joined the army.

I got back into working dogs as a handler in the army and quickly progressed into training. My working dog was a GSD, and I got to train a couple hundred dogs over the next few years. This enabled me to form an opinion of what I really like in a dog. I appreciate all working dogs, and enjoy training any dog, but for me the GSD is my breed of choice.

I like an active thinking dog. I like a dog of solid nerves and balanced drives that is neither of low thresholds or handler soft. I like a dog that is built to work and has the proper conformation to work well into it's senior years. I like a dog that is motivated by working with me, not just by the toy I carry. I like a dog who would rather be with me than anywhere else. You can find dogs that meet this description in any working breed, but I find them most prevalent in the well bred GSD.

Secondary to all that stuff, I just love the look of a WL GSD.

David Winners

 

[gsdsar]

Fun thread!!!

I blame my mom. I grew up with dogs, Springers. Was a typical annoying child. My mom sided with the dog usually. " moooooom, Maggie growled at me!!!!!" " what were you doing to her?" Was he usual response. Not the way things are done now, but it taught me to think about how my actions were seen by the dog. But she was the woman who found my cat attacking a bunny nest and tried to save them, who told me not to capture firefly and keep them in jars because the "queen would seek me out", who fed the squirrels and picked up strays. A basic respect and love for all life.

But my mom is not actually a good dog owner. LOL. They get fed off the plate, would not get any vaccines if not for me, would eat Gaines Burgers and be obese. But ****, all her dogs live forever.

We adopted a wonder pit/lab mix from the pound when I was just about to go to college. Casey. Best dog. With some DA issues. So I took her to training. And the trainer has GSD that he did SchH with. Having been "attacked" by 2GSD in the past, I was floored by these dogs. And decided I wanted one. So I got one. She was so amazing I started working with rescue dogs, met some amazing people just getting into the breed as well. Rehabbed lots of dogs(before I knew when to be scared of a dog) just immersed myself into the breed and the culture.

Tried SchH , got a BH, then realized I did not have the competitive spirit. ( and I did not like being yelled at and called names , bad club, nuff said) At SchH training one day 2 SAR handlers came out to look at some dogs for SAR. We sat and talked and I thought it sounded like fun.

Long story short, SAR is an illness. It's infects everything you do. I was addicted. Stopped SchH, started SAR, got certified, got another GSD, certified that one, then wanted more and moved to USAR. And here I am. Full circle. New puppy, doing SchH but also SAR.




Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[LARHAGE]

:wub: That proves the Rainbow Bridge is for real!

That's exactly how I felt at the time, it made me extremely happy as she was also seeing dear departed loved ones. It's going to be a happy reunions some day.

 

[Zeeva]

My mother was the German Shepherd lover, when she was 11 her parents were tragically killed and she was shipped to live with an Uncle she didn't even know, he had a broom factory on the property and they had a big white GSD chained up to the building and he would be set free at night, he was so mean he had to be hazed into a pen to catch and chain him, even her uncle couldn't touch him. My Mom was warned to never go near him but everyday she would sit near him and just daydream as she had no friends as she had not spoken since her parents death, one day her Uncle found her sitting with the big dog laying on her lap as she stroked his head, he ran to her and the dog threatened to attack him, that dog became my Moms best friend, he brought her out of her grief and accompanied her on daily jaunts in the hills, he cemented her love for the breed and we always had German Shepherds because of that dog.

The day before my Mother passed away from cancer she was in and out of consciousness , me and my sisters were sitting bedside when she reached her hand out and said "Baron" in a very happy tone, we all looked at each other and smiled, Baron was her favorite German Shepherd who had died at 15 years of age 23 years prior.

The way you told this story, I feel like it is movie worthy.

Thank you C:

 

[Shaolin]

The first dog I had was a GSD mix. Part of me thinks he was a Bi-Colored GSD, but that's not the point. Anywho, my parents' house caught on fire and he was in the basement. He somehow made it outside and instead of bolting out of fear, he stood outside, barked for a while, then went up the street to my Aunts' house and began barking on her porch/scratching at the door until she came out. He took off back down the street, barking the whole way and my Aunt watched as he went back into the now smoke filled basement and continued to bark his head off. My mother said what woke her up was not the smoke detectors, but the incessant barking of the dog.

He ended up having burned paws and due to smoke inhalation and burns on his face, he had some sight/smell/hearing problems for the rest of his life, but he was a fantastic dog. I also loved the show Rin Tin Tin and I just absolutely loved any GSD I saw on the street. I think I've always loved GSDs. There was just something so majestic about them and I can't quit loving them. I don't think I'll ever not have a GSD.

 

[LaRen616]

Where does your love for dogs/GSDs come from

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved dogs and other animals. I played with The Littlest Pet Shop and My Little Pony instead of barbie dolls and make up. When I went to family parties I was more excited to see their pets than I was to see my family. Everyone thought I'd grow up to be a Vet or a Vet tech but I always said I wanted to be a dog breeder so that I could have several different breeds and lots of them. (I was little and didn't know that's actually called a puppy mill)

I knew many GSDs growing up but they were either white or black/tan and I was not attracted to them. 5 years ago my ex boyfriend's best friend got a sable GSD and I thought he was so handsome and such a good dog that I started looking up the breed and discovered that they came in solid black and that is what made me want one. They were just gorgeous, intimidating and such a strong looking dog that I decided right then and there that I had to have one. :wub:

Does it stem from growing up with dogs? Your family/parents always owning a beloved pet?

I guess it does, my mom got a male Lhapso Apso/Cocker Spaniel/Poodle mix puppy 2 months before I was born so I grew up with him. We also had a Yorkie but it was aggressive with children so my mom gave him away. When I was 11 we got a female GSD/Husky mix. I've never not had a dog in my life and I hope that there will always be at least one in my life.

Or do you just love them because you feel it was somehow programmed into you?

I think it is programmed into me but I also think it's because dogs don't judge you. They give you loyalty, love and attention. They accept you for who you are, they love you no matter what and they show you that they care. They make you feel better when you are sad, they make you feel safe when they are around and they make you feel like you are not alone. :wub:

 

[SusiQ]

We always had dogs growing up - just can't imagine life without them. I made sure my kids grew up with dogs as well - it teaches them about compassion and unconditional love!

 

[mego]

I never had a gsd growing up but always fantasized about having one. I really admired their devotion to their families. There was this terrifying GSD named Bear that lived down the street. Their front yard had no fence and if anyone walked by he would be right at the edge of the property barking his fool head off to warn everyone that they shouldn't touch his yard. My bike crashed one time and I fell into their yard and I was terrified that he'd tear me apart, but he just stood about five feet away and gave me some warning barks and I went on my way. He was always really nice to his family too, super obedient and happy. Just a crazy dog that stuck in my memory. (I know barking at everyone doesn't sound like obedient and happy but he just really took his job too seriously lol)

Flash forward a few years. I'm alone at school for the most part. Have an apartment, I wanted a dog that could be my best friend and gsds are like glue. I love that they are aloof toward other people outside their circle. I know it's kinda lame, but I'm kind of like that too. I can be social but I prefer just a few select people, so the breed is similar to me in that aspect. I just love the characteristics of the breed. I joke all the time that my dog is basically me. She whines all the time but gets what she wants, she's smart, a little devious, etc.

 

[BellaLuna]

When I was younger my close family friends had a gsd named Gerry Lee I just always adored him. So I couldn't wait till I got older to get one..

 

[pyratemom]

I grew up on a rural farm and had animals all my life. Raina is my fourth GSD. I love the breed but have had several other dogs along the way, Dobies, Pits, mixed breeds, etc, not to mention horses, ponies, ducks, chickens, rabbits, iguanas, and cats. I learned to love animals when I was young and never stopped. When an animal comes into my life, they are there for the rest of their life. I never give up on them.

 

[sarah1366]

I was lucky my mum kept gsds from me been 2 but when she split up from my dad and was forced to live with my step dad she got more gsds and she bred them and established herself as a kennels and I lived in a place I hated stepfather I couldnt accept but I would spend my life sitting down the kennels with the shepherds they became my best friends and whenever I was upset they would huddle around me and put there heads on my shoulders they was the only thing that kept me going then bought my first shepherd when I was 17 paid for him with my cleaning job I was so proud to own my own gsd I went on to show him and he made championship level but he was the apple of my eye he'd sleep on my bed and went through every walk of life I went through went
every where with me and now 30 years on I still love this breed and still own gsds can't imagine my life without them and thats where I developed the love of this breed

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[FrankRSalatino]

I think that it started when I was a boy and when I used to watch Rin Tin Tin. That was a very long time ago, but I remember always wanting a GSD since Childhood.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[Kejasa]

My great-grandmother raised German Shepherds and so did one of my uncles. I never met their dogs, but I did bring home a stray shepherd as a kid. She was the best dog I have ever had. I have my second German shepherd now and love her to pieces.

 

[xtramile]

I really believe there is a genetic predisposition to being a "dog person". I know just being around any dogs immediately improves my mood.

 

[redandgold]

I have these memories of giant black GSDlike guard dogs. They're false, but do have some basis in reality. When I was a toddler, my mom owned two small dogs, but they looked huge and wolfish to me because of how tiny I was.

I've always wanted dogs that looked like the images from my fuzzy early memories.

 

[David Taggart]

Naturally, humans must fear wolf-like dogs. It is fear, not love that is programmed in our brains. For the same reason we are scared of bees, snakes and rats, not because our mothers told us they are dangerous, but our instinct of self-preservation. This prehistoric fear is a corner stone for our love to dogs which comes through the culture to love all living beings, and, being selective, we chose dogs. The majority of small children under 2 years are scared of dogs like GSD absolutely instinctively, not because they are big dogs, but because of their wolvish shape programmed in our brain. We grow older and overcome our fear supported by pleasant experience, this time we love ourselves in our bravado, I still watch it sometimes when scared children, who had never touched a dog in their life leave me and my dog with truly happy faces. When we understand, that the beast we feared is vulnerable- we start to admire him. People in general wouldn't like dogs if we consider humans lesser than dogs. People love that fact that they managed to overcome that ancient fear, they love dogs as our "younger brothers".
Conserning dog owners, the main instinct which is at work in us - that is parentual. We are foster parents, and our puppy is our foster child, not less, we exercise the same love to our puppy as we do to our own children.
Those, like me, who grew up with dogs, have a hodge-podge in our brain. From my birth I had dogs as my best companions, they were true members of the family, i was a memmber of their pack ( it would never happen in nature), thus comes an equation for human and dog creatures. So, I'm a pure pagan in this sense, beside many of you. But ... Many people told me, that they mourned the death of their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters not so deeply, as the death of their dog.

 

[xtramile]

Many people told me, that they mourned the death of their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters not so deeply, as the death of their dog.

My childhood dog, a small terrier mix, passed away recently and I felt a much deeper loss than any family member that has ever passed. since I was 8 years old she was with me everyday and that is something no one else can say. We went through a lot together.

 

[3dognite]

I grew up on a farm in central Montana. My parents had GSD's since before I was born. Diamond was their dog when I was little...they have pictures of my sister and I sharing leftover pancakes with her when we were still crawling.

Then it was Sasha, who had a litter of puppies that I cared for until they sold. Duke from that litter was my brother's dog. I had Gemini when I was in college and then Rebel after Gemini.

I've grown up with them...there's no other dog like them. I still cry about Duke, Gemini and Rebel...

 

[jafo220]

Wow, great question. I'm on my fifth GSD.

I think my first stray pick up did it for me. Bo. He was like 90% GSD. Dog was the most gentle big dog I'd ever seen but could also be the scariest. He tipped the scales at around between 100 and 110 pounds. Black and tan. He followed me home one day and we just clicked. This dog with out a doubt would die for me or my family without hesitation. He stayed in our basement and or one car garage while we were away. I came home from school one day to find blood all over the garage floor. My dad who is of the mindset of not getting too close to animals freaked out and we got him to the vet. It seems the mailman would cut between our car and the garage door going to the next house. The door had small pane windows. He went through two of them and scared the heck out of the mailman. He never again cut between the car and garage door. We never dreamed he would do something like that. We replaced the windows with wood panels and Bo was fine. He was just such a smart impressive dog. We lived in a moderate crime area meaning we had our house broke into several times until Bo was here. After that, no more break in's.

Every GSD after Bo was more experience and the breed just consumed my thoughts when it came to dogs. To me, the GSD is the ultimate dog.

Now I currently have Cruz. He drives us nuts most of the time. He has West German workinglines and shows every bit of it 100% of the time. It's our first WL GSD. We are making good progress as we learn from him and we take more classes. Our instructor has two WL GSD's. He is working with us on some small issues, but our goal has now been set. We along with Cruz want to break into SAR. It should help with his energy level and give us all something to do. We are also looking into Agility with the same trainer. He is just lacking focus right now. But as I said he's improving daily. Even though this dog tests us daily, we would never let him go. He's one of us to the end.