German Shepherd

[wisewomen]

My boyfriend has always wanted a German Shepherd ever since having one as a child. What size house and garden would idea for this size of dog?

[paddywak]

I live in a 2 bedroom bungalow, with a medium sized front and back gardens, both of which are fenced so Max can play, patrol or just lie about as he likes. I'm also not working so I'm able to take him with me when ever I go out. I know GSD's are great dogs but please remember they are BIG and they sometimes need there own space, which usually turns out to be the space that you want.

[jules77]

as paddywak says, it is not necessarily the size of the house, you need a decent size garden, ie: something bigger than a postage stamp, and to be prepared to keep the dog mentally stimulated and exercised, otherwise the dog will get bored and this could result in aggressive behaviour or the dog destroying your house.

A friend of mine had one many years ago, then another to keep it company, same scenario, always wanted one since a child, and unfortunately although they took them a walk, albeit only once a day as they were at work, the dogs absolutely wrecked the garden, and the house, one tore apart a chair in the lounge. Because the dogs were not getting enough exercise they were very very boistrous in the house, and after running around the mud pie they turned the garden into, they would come in the house do the same there and the walls turned from magnolia to black. Nice dogs with the right owners.

[lankeela]

Easy answer is large and large, but as has already been said it depends more on the amount of physical and mental exercise you are planning to give it. Training classes are a must, for socialising and getting it used to other people and dogs, and who knows, you may want to go on and do obedience or agility. The beauty of a GSD is that they can do anything you want them to.

Please take care to only get one from a reputable breeder, make sure parents are Kennel Club registered, hip scored and the father is haemophilia tested. It is fine to say you only want a 'pet' but you have no comeback if there are any problems, which can happen even from the best of kennels, as one of our ABers has recently found out.

Good luck if you wish to go ahead, they are the best breed in the world!

[mountainboo]

We have a doby and GSD, we have a 3 bed house and fairly good sized garden which is fenced either side, but my partner works from home and I only work 2 days a week which I think is more important as they have human interaction all the time and they both get big walks daily. In the night the GSD gets the kitchen and conservatory to himself and has a toy to play with. Thankfully he's not a chewer so the kitchen units are fine. And the doby sleeps on the landing outside our room, because otherwise he gets a little chilly at night. As everyone has said, most important thing is the human contact and exercise, they are great dogs and you will have years of fun.

[kita1]

I live in a terraced house with no garden (just a yard). I also worked full time and I had two GSD's and a BSD. I used to come home at dinnertime and my whole dinner break was spent walking them (eating dinner on the hoof!). When I finished at night I spent all the time with them - didn't have a 'social' life!

As lankeela says it depends on how much time you are prepared to spend (and also how houseproud you are) training them and working them mentally.

You might find this site interesting to read through - it is a rescue site for GSD's:

http://s10.invisionfree.com/biggsd/index.php?a ct=idx

they usually give a good idea of the type of dog you are getting - sadly they have dogs of all ages.

Some GSD's are from 'working' lines and are much more hyper than other lines, so if you decide to buy a pup you need to research the kennel type.

[wisewomen]

Thanks for all your answers. We have a 3 bed house with reasonable size garden but we do both work full time. I think its the working that it going to be the deciding factor.

Thanks for all your help.

[GypsyGSD]

As all other posts have said its not the size of your garden or house that matters it is what you can give in time , exercise, training and commitment to any dog that matters. gsds do need a lot of this as they are a intelligent breed , and of course they love and need to work , both physically and mentally, I would strongly recommend you do your homework before buying a gsd . and if you buy from a breeder make sure you have there full support through out the dogs life , good breeders will have no problem giving you this garantee GypsyX

[lankeela]

Sorry to say this, but I would not sell a puppy people who were out at work a lot. It is not fair to leave a puppy alone for long periods on a regular basis, they need companionship and regular exercise, this breed more than most.