German Shepherds

[upsydaisy]

Hi, we are looking at getting a dog in the very near future. We have a 2 year-old son who loves every dog he's ever seen and a good-szied house with 6 acres of space. My wife and son are at home pretty much all day, every day. We've also got 3 cats.

We've seen 5-month-old German Shepherd cross pups (crossed with what I don't know yet) advertised in the local paper. Can anyone give some advice on the suitability of the breed for our situation?

Many thanks,

Mr Upsydaisy

[Rtaxron]

I don't know about cross-bred German Shepherd dogs, but I have had 2 fully bred over the years and they are great pets with children and very protective with them.

I think you will have to check with what they were crossed with.

[bigboots]

I would reccomend a german shepard to anyone BUT at 5 months old they will be harder to train than if you got an 8 week old puppy, also why are they getting rid of a dog at 5 months?? no doubt it will be getting to be a decent size be hungry all the time and need lots of exercise, and if it has not been show any leadership within the family/household it will be trying to be dominant
I have had 6 shepards and all have been to training classes to socialise and train them, i got mine at 12 weeks and was easy to train she gets on well with my two cats my rottie and the loads of family who have young kid that come to visit, but i have that if a stranger was to come into my house uninvited them she would no longer be the cuddly friendly family pet
I am not an expert but i have leaned the hard way and have some experiance all dogs are like people they have charicter and some (not many) have charicter flaws
as they say on dog borstal there is no such thing as bad dogs only bad owners

[kita1]

This site is great for GSD's, they have lots of rescues of all ages and can give really good advice about the breed:

http://s10.zetaboards.com/biggsd/index/


Please, please do research into the breed before getting one. If the dogs you have seen are for sale then be very wary. I would want to know why a 5 month pup is for sale. They could have alot of problems either problem behaviour or medical problems. GSD's can have alot of hereditary problems, epilepsy, HD etc.

If you are first time dog owners then I would really urge you to join the above site and have a good read through it (including the training and behaviour section).

[tigwig]

Personally if it were me I would never consider getting a German Shepherd or any other dog that may be violent. The risk to my child would be too much. I know GSD's aren't as 'bad' as some other breeds but I would still class it as a possible dangerous dog. I do agree that most dogs are fine if they are well trained but you never can say what might happen. I would go for something much more family friendly like a labrador.
Before you all tell me I'm wrong I would like to state it is my personal opinion only everyone else can think what they like and upsydaisy is also free to make his choice!

[Sammc]

Hi Upsydaisy
My first dog as a child was an alisation and she was brilliant, us kids were draped over her all the time and she was so laid back, however we had her from a pup and my dad had her well trained.
As others have said i would want to know why someone is getting rid of a 5 month old pup, if he hasnt had any dicispline or training it may not be wise to bring him into your home with a small child,
Why not try a rescue centre where you can see a few breeds/mixes then make a decision.
By the way I deff agree it is brilliant for children to be brought up with animals.
Good luck

[upsydaisy]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer - we are going to see the puppy on saturday - the lady has 4 puppies (we will have to ask why she has kept them so long) and has cats and young kids too - so that seems quite positive. They are crossed with a goldendoodle (!). Tigwig - I agree all dogs have the potential to 'turn' which is why we want to make sure we have all the facts and will fully train/discipline any dog we bring anywhere near our precious boy. Cheers Upsy

[kita1]

Are they for sale?

The breeder may have kept them back because it is the holiday period and lots of people don't want to put a puppy into kennels.

Ask if the parents have been hip tested.

And don't take your son with you when you first view the pups - or you will be definately be coming home with one!

[lankeela]

I have had GSD's since 1978 and they are the best dog in the world - unless they are not well bred and brought up correctly.

Unfortunately being crossed will bring in some characteristics of the other breed so you will not know how they will turn out.

As for GSD's being 'dangerous' - there was a report a couple of weeks ago listing the most common breeds to bite, and Labradors was top!

I would honestly suggest you buy a puppy from a reputable breeder, all health checks done and well socialised, puppies seen with mum (and dad if possible) and breeders offering 'after sales service' and advice.

[kita1]

How did things turn out on Saturday?

Are you now a dog (puppy) owner?