Labrador vs. German Shepherd with children

[Quootiepie]

DH has decided he wants a dog and origionally we were going to get a labrador, but, DH has always had German SHepherds and has put his foot down and says he IS getting one of those now. Apart from not liking them, will they be safe enough with kids? DS is 17 months old and I guess we might have another one within a year. I have been onto the kennel club site and found an accredited breeder who breeds for health and temperment and the puppies are used to kids (DH won't consider these though because he wants black and tan not black and gold ) but at least I know there are good breeders about... am I being too paranoid about having one or should I try and stick to my guns about getting a labrador?

Abroller - i have owned two rotweillers, one from a pup (DD1 was about four when we got him) and one we took on about four years ago as a rescue from battersea. Both of them have sadly passed away. I have to be entirely honest here, i would not recommend a rotweiller to anyone without a lot of dog experience as they can be extremely unpredictable if not trained properly. They dont tend to give warning growls or barks as they are basically scared of nothing and no body. If they are going to bite you, they just bite. With gentle but assertive training they can be lovely family pets but the sheer strength of the dog can be overwhelming. I love rotties, they are my favourite breed, handsome, intelligent and of steady temprement as apposed to the GSD which IME can be a bit flighty. Rotties are pretty lazy and forgiving about exercise, but they do need stimulation. They are very dominant dogs so you have to be the boss. They dont tend to bark much, in fact yazz (my battersea boy) never barked at the door but would just stand there staring. The rotweiller stare is quite intimidating, and if a rottie is staring at you he means business. My yazz used to sometimes stare at me as i walked up the garden path to where he was sitting at the back door. If i were feeling brave i would stare back, he would run at me baring his teeth and growling, jump up and lick my face. Not so sure a lick is what an intruder might have got mind. But he was, well, very, um, special! We wasn't expecting to have more children otherwise we wouldnt have taken him on, he was a real handful at first and it cost us a fortune in doggy shrinks (all a waste of money if you ask me) and traning classes (very useful). We knew what we were taking on and with patience he became a lovely lovely dog. Sadly he developed bone cancer and we lost him. This was very sad actually as we had come to the heartbreaking decision to rehome him because i couldnt risk him with DD2 once she was up and walking because DD1 had accidently trod on his leg one day, he bit her and she had to go to hospital (she is 17 btw). It turned out that poor sod had bone cancer in that leg so the pain must have been awful for him, poor bastard, so i will always feel guilty for wanting to rehome him considering the awful start he had in life, but i had to put DD2 first as she is only two and as i said to my DP, if the dog bites her, im not physically strong enough to stop him (he weighed nine stone and was STRONG). Sadly that decision was taken out of our hands, but thank god i kept him until he passed away, i would have felt awful to have rehomed him and then found out he had that

I personally think that Rotties are great with older children but not too young as all the jumping around children naturally do gets them excited and you end up with nine stones of hairyness jumping around. Training is paramount too.

ABroller, if you already have GSDs though then i would have thought you quite an experienced owner, but rotties are really quite different. As i have said, i would find a GSD too challenging as i think they are far more intelligent than the rottie and some of them can be nervy. A nervous dog IMHO is a dangerous dog, so GSD pups need lots of socialising and gentle training at an early age.

Hi Lucy, thanks so much for getting back

So sorry for your losses. It is heartbreaking to loose a family pet.

We don't have GSD's but are considering getting one next summer. We have staffies already and they are fantastic but the bitch will be staying with my mother when we move so we want to get another dog for company and play with our staffie and a bigger family for us - asking for trouble some might say but we love animals especially dogs so the more the merrier. There is also a security issue for me as I had a terrifying experience in Australia a few years ago and I fret horribly when I'm on my own.

We would have good experience with dogs infact I love the training. I find working breeds thrive on the challenge and reward and I love to have a reliable and loyal new friend.

I'm a big girl but I doubt even 10 of me would stop a determined rottie however much an Alpha I represent to it so I would take your advice re the little ones and wait until the dc's are much older. My apprehension in the first place probably spells disaster and as I firmly believe in responsible ownership I think it would be unfair to our existing family and the dog if I wasn't able to control him/her. I certainly think they are a magnificent and beautiful dog so maybe one day we'll have one (we will if dp has anything to do with it!)

Thank you again for the wonderful advice and the time you took to give it. It is very much appreciated.

Take care
Abs

I always hated GSD as sister was bitten by one years ago. A couple of years ago DP was despatched to collect a collie cross puppy and came back with a GSD because "it wanted to come home with me" I was furious but he has truned out be a brilliant family pet and is very gentle with the dcs.

I think it's very important to train any dog but especially a GS because people are frightened of them and with good reason because they do look scary.

I should add that I've since separated from DP and sometimes think I miss the dog more

Abroller, if you can control a staff, you should have no problem with a rottie, staffs are after all, mad arent they How would your boy be with another dog in the house though??? Maybe you should consider taking a rescue dog on instead of a puppy, one used to other dogs, i always think there are so many lovely dogs needing good homes. We didnt this time as having a 2yr old the rescue charities, sensibly, wouldnt consider us (even though ive had dogs all my life and have worked as a vet nurse). We have a lovely little border terrier cross who is more destructive and naughty than both my rotties put together

also ab, sorry to go on, i would chose a rottie over a GSD, i think they are easier to train. but that is just my personal opinion.

Lucy, lol at staffies being mad - your not far wrong. A right handful they can be

Our boy is a big softie with us and dd (however would still never leave him alone with her - safe than sorry moto in this house)and the bitch is definately dominant over him too. We got him as a rescue dog and he was fantastic with her when she was a puppy but she soon had him scarpering to the other end of the garden! She's a right little madam and as we are planning another baby at the moment I feel she would be better off staying with Mam who adores her. They'll love eachother silly as Mam spoils her so at least I know she'll be going to a good home.

The lovable guy we have I'm 100% sure would be brilliant with our new pup and he's a lover not a fighter really so I can't imagine him putting it up to a rottie however I would be afraid the rottie would fancy him for dinner!

We plan on getting the puppy very soon after the baby is born, if we're blessed with one so that I can train it whilst on maternity leave. That way both baby and puppy would 'know' eachother from a very young age and we hope that would help with all round bonding - maybe a rottie could be considered I'm so torn.

We have considered another rescue dog but sometimes those poor animals have had horrible starts in life and I would be too nervous to take one on sadly. We didn't realise the one we have now had foodbowl aggression until I put my hand in his bowl one day He didn't bite thank god and he's fine with it now but it wasn't a nice surprise.

I tend to believe that any dog has great potential (with the exception of a pitbull because of years of fighting bred into their bloodline unfortunately)to be a great pet given the right training and firm but kind direction however it's the sheer mass, strength and bite force of a rottie that put us (well me more than dp) off getting one.

Dp will be thrilled I chatted to you. I can see the grin on his face already.

Lucy you've certainly given us food for thought and we'll be sure to concider everything under the sun before commiting to anything.

Thanks a mill
Abs

ab, im not saying get one - lol im saying think very carefully before you do, i would go for the rott before the GSD every time though. I think if you are going to go down the rottie route then get a puppy. My yazz came with so many issues, he was food possesive (had to leave the room when he was fed!!) and he bit me when we got him (literally was shaking my arm - i had to punch him in the face to stop him, and he was only playing!!) and he was generally mad, would run in circles snarling and growling. By the time he settled down, i forgot about the food issues, one day i was loading the washing machine next to him eating, and something fell in his bowl, i just fetched it out from under his mouth - then i thought, shit, a year ago he would have taken my arm off, so it is a matter of building trust really.

Get a puppy make sure you go for a home bred dog from a reputable breeder, be prepared to pay more money for this, but you want a dog that is used to the home environment. Lots of breeders breed in kennels which is ok but i prefer a dog bred in the house as they are already ok with the home environment. A good breeder should offer you some sort of insurance package and information pack, be willing to take the pup back and actually question you as to whether they think you are a suitable owner, if they cant wait to take your money, move on.

We will get another rottie one day im sure but will wait til DD is older i think. It was funny when we still had yazz though, as DD has speech delay and our HV was quite concerned that all she could do was bark!!! I said, well that is because her brother is a dog, she wasnt impressed lol

Hi, thought I better pop back in and apologise profusely to the OP for the very long hijack.....

Quootiepie I am very sorry. I hope you're having lots of fun and cuddles with the newest member of your family.

Abs

um sorry, i do waffle on rather alot, but rotties are my pet subject

What does a german shepherd say to me?

It says "avoid these people, they have an aggressive dog".

Rightly or wrongly, that's what it says to me.

A labrador, on the other hand, says

"These people are nice and open and friendly, they like children and dogs and they have a large quantity of arran jumpers at home."

ROFL at the hv

wouldn't have thought about the home bred part but it makes a lot of sense. Do you know Lucy you're a very knowledgable and helpful lady. Thank you for all the time you've taken. I've read your other thread so I know you've been concerned about something else yet you still replied to me. I really appreciate that

Lucy I hope you didn't think I was implying you 'went on' I just felt bad that I took up all your time on QP's thread. Please don't think anything else of it.

If I wanted a guard dog for patrolling the grounds or something, I might consider a German shepherd but not as a family dog. Bascially they give me the creeps, fairly or not I don't know , wouldn't have one around my dc though, that's for sure. Just think there are nicer dogs out there.

Definitely prefer the labrador but then we had a golden labrador when I was very small so good memories I suppose.

Oh too late! I see now you already havethe German shephered! Well, good luck with everything, hope you're all happy with the new addition to the family.

Erm what I really meant to say - having read the thread now - is that a German Shepherd is a lovely cuddly dog that does not strike fear into my heart at all. No way. Lovely choice. Well done.

lol and PMSL Hurly

I got very badly attacked by a German Shepherd when I was about 10. The bloody thing yanked me off a swing from behind and fully went for me. My clothes were ripped and I was bitten on my shoulders and legs. Passers-by heard my screams but did nothing. Guess who was in charge of the bloody beast? A young girl of around 8. She was shouting for it to get off me, but it wouldn't.

The dog had attacked before. The police went round, owners said it was a placid family pet. They were advised to buy a muzzle. That's all.

I don't hate dogs. I got over that attack, my whole family kept dogs, my brother still breeds and shows Weinmariners. I've looked after them for him. I worked in a Kennel when I was 16. But I exercise caution at all times and would not get a dog whilst my children are young. Never. I've had more bites than hot dinners, most of them from "placid" family pets.

Don't trust them around young children.

Dobermans anyone ,while we're at it?

Never been bitten by a dobermann actually.

they were on the list too!

Cannot find a breeder in Ireland, only pincer breeders and we don't like them as they're too skinny and have a tendency to overguard apparently. Having said that I'm now in the process of disussing, yet again, the pros and cons of getting a rottie with dp so I guess by the time next summer comes around we could end up with a pack of anything!!!

Wasn't directed at your comment Rhub.

But Dobermans and German shepherds are my two big hates in the dog world. So interesting to read how many people like GSDs IYSWIM

SSandy, it's ok.

But what gets my goat is when dog owners say they know their dog, they "know" their dog would never attack kids or do anything silly like that. Bollocks!

Dog owners annoy the fuck out of me because they really are naive as to the psychology of dogs. Yes they have been domesticated for many years but they still show signs of their origins (turning round and round before bedding for example) and after a few weeks of being abandoned, most dogs revert back to that wild state.

Still, lots of parents choose to get ridiculously large and potentially violent dogs to act as family pets for them and their very young children. Because after all, they obviously know better than all of us.

I agree Rhubarb with exception to the last paragraph.

Lots of people take outrageous risks not only with their own family but the general public - you or I walking down the street to be met by an unleashed dog because the owner thinks "ah he wouldn't do ABC". Infact I made that same comment on another thread last night.

However I consider myself a responsible owner, always mindful of the ancestry and origins of my dogs and their 'pack mentality' and I would never take a risk with my family or anyone elses. I agree that you 'just never know' but to be conscious of the risk and confident in your ability to handle or overt danger for yourself or another person is the key for happy dog ownership IMO otherwise not many people would have dogs.

Even the littlest of dogs have the potential to bite and have aggression problems so the bigger the dog, I feel, is not the point, it is responsible ownership and you are right - some people are not good at that.

I grew up with GSD's and I love them however I was attacked by a labrador at age 8. Now most would say that's strange, a GSD is far more likely to bite but the dog that bit me had been abused as a pup and had never been used to children - the point?....

That the dogs upbringing, training and socialising combined with responsible ownership(sorry to repeat that again) has as much to do with an attack as the breed, size or origin IMHO.

I don't say any of this in expectation of you changing your mind and assume we'll end up agreeing to disagree just wanted to clear up the 'I know better than anyone else' assumption just because I have big dogs. I would never be so pretentious.

Fair enough, but I suspect owners like you are a dying breed. I know I can handle a dog who tried to bite my kids too, but I wouldn't want to have to do that. Besides, I might not be there.

tbh, most dog owners are completely oblivious to the upset their pet can cause. My dd used to be very very nervous around dogs, when I tried to explain this to dog owners they replied "oh my dog is perfectly ok! Come and stoke Fluffies" and they would proceed to let "Fluffies" jump up and lick my dd who was screaming her head off.

I've been sworn at by dog owners as I have kicked their pets bloody hard, deservedly so as they jump up onto my screaming child without a leash.

I know there are responsible dog owners out there, but I rarely come across them now.