First time puppy, German Shepherd, advice???

[MummyIsMagic79]

My husband and I have debated getting dog for years and now have finally decided to go ahead. We tho k we want a German Shepherd. Have been looking at litters due, on Champdogs. Have heard v bad things about Pets4Homes.
DH had owned dogs in the past, but I have never, even as a child. I need advice on what I need to buy, what to expect, how to behave with it, how to walk it andwhen. My kids are 8, 6 and 2.5. Are there

Well dogs can resource guard anything, so, I suppose it could be a thing...but if they've been consistently treated as if it is their space, why would they need to guard it?

My dog is 2 and I still have to lock him in if he's left alone (I am in most of the time) because he chews, it's not about looking after my possessions because firstly he doesn't chew furniture, but also I'm not precious enough over my stuff that that would bother me I suppose unless he was systematically demolishing the house, lol. It's that he's not safe loose alone, he tries to chew cables and is big enough to be able to shove furniture blocking it out of the way and he has a thing for small metal objects like coins or screws and clothes, which he rips up and chews...if he didn't electrocute himself the other things he likes are small enough to swallow.

So if I go somewhere I send him to bed and he runs there knowing he's about to get something good to chew on and then he sleeps when he's finished.

I like it.
The dog loves her crate and goes in there happily.

At the end of the day, if I didn't crate her when I went out and God forbid, she did one day decide to absolutely destroy my house; I would be out of a home as it is rented and I would not be able to afford new carpets, door, filler etc etc and she would be out of a home because I know that my husband would go beyond mental and insist that she leave.

I also have my cat to think about, I have a high prey drive dog.
Now that the cat has been here a while she knows I will go apeshit if she hurts her, they play nicely together, they sleep together, but every now and then she forgets herself and tries to nip a bit.
I will never leave them unattended and think if I did I could end up with a dead cat.

It is what it is, dog seems perfectly happy and I am not going to change my routine.

First of all, congratulations!

I absolutely love GSDs, I grew up with them and my parents currently have 2 beautiful beasts!

I would (like many others) say crate train and a couple of walks a day should be fine. I would squirt corners of cupboards and doorways with something that tastes bad- you can buy it but with my dogs (collie and rotty) I just used lemon juice and a chopped jalapeno ha.

I did child/puppy training the same way my parents apparently did to me and my siblings...When they get to learning manners stage and they know 'sit' I put the pup on a lead and as child approaches say 'sit', child strokes the dog and if he stays sat I give a treat and keep saying 'good boy' whilst he's sat. If he stands up to play with child I say 'no' and show palm of my hand, then start again- 'sit' child strokes and if child is a bit heavy handed I keep saying 'good boy' and give another treat. So my dogs have grown up with thinking 'yeah kids are a bit rough but they mean well' haha. My 2 year old 'strokes' the dogs and says 'good boy' and they don't knock her down- although haven't managed to stop them licking- eurgh.

Oh and first manners to chose with a GSD is 'down'- you really don't want them jumping up all over the place!

I'm excited for you! I'd love a GSD pup.

I would second everyone's advice here to think very carefully.

I have a GSD. He's the best dog in the world, calm, sensible, I never need to tell him what to do because he just knows. I love him completely and utterly.

However - I spent a hell of a lot of time and effort training and socialising him, and I have no doubt that if I hadn't he would have been quite different. GSDs are intelligent and innately sensible, switched on dogs. But without the right training / socialising they can develop issues and become a problem. Remember that puppy is going to grow into a big, powerful dog.

If you lack experience with dogs, a GSD could run rings around you. However, if you feel up for the challenge (and it is a challenge), then you could be rewarded with the best dog there ever was.

Another word of warning - they have health problems (hips, joints, allergies, digestive system) and can break your bank if not your heart (mine has done both)

p.s. I used a crate when mine was little. It was a lifesaver - meant I could go out and leave him knowing he was completely safe. It also toilet trained him almost overnight, as he wouldn't poo in his crate.

Also, as PP have said, it's a safe haven for him if the kids are annoying him.

We breed gsd's their temperament is as much to do with you the owner as the brewer.

Some breed working lines some show lines and some pet lines but there is no rule you could breed per lines and end up with a pup that has the high drive to work.

We breed for working lines but have had a few pups not up to that job that have gone to family homes. Some of our pups work aboard for airport security, some farms, some hunting, some specialist child assistant dogs a couple to pet only homes.

The breeder will be best to direct you, you might fall in love with puppy number 3 but puppy number 5 might be the best suited to you as owners also listen to the breeder when talking about what you want from a puppy and what they have.

Insurance wise we pay £60 per month for 3 on breeders insurance our food Differs every month as we do a raw diet but can be as cheap as £30 per month for one dog if you can find a good local supplier rather than a brand.

Ours we describe as "bomb proof" their raised with very young children witch our mothers allow in the whelping boxes straight away, we wouldn't breed from a bad tempered bitch. Look for the inbreeding scores, hip scores, elbows Ect gsds are very driven and easy to train if you put in the time and reward them

I grew up with a female GSD and she was amazing, loved anything that was young and vulnerable and was a gentle soul and apparently easy to train.

My mum then got a boy....and it was a whole different kettle of fish. He was 5 weeks old as he was a rescue and was a right pain. My mum worked so hard with him and to get dominance had to wrestle him to the floor. This training was started late and was very hard and time consuming. She had the time to do it and provide him with 3 hours walk a day.

He has also cost about 15,000 (thank god for insurance) in vet bills to have his cruciate ligaments in both back legs fixed.

She is currently fostering a police dog. He is again completely different and is bred to be a police dog. You can tell by his drive, personality and mannerisms. Would not make an ideal house pet for young children.

She is now currently walking for a minimum of 5 hours a day as the two have different needs and abilities due to the older ones injury.

It has made me realise that even if you pick a breed you need to look hard into the individuals parents and find out as much information as possible.

The police dog is crate trained and one thing we have to be very careful of is not using it as a punishment, it should be a sanctuary.

It is possible to have a GSD as a first time dog but there is so much you need to consider. However if I had a choice of dog to be around young children, to love and to be a great companion a specifically pet bred GSD is what I would choose.

I would not get a GSD with a child under 6. I think dogs see young children differently. We have had to put our GSD to sleep for biting our toddler in a totally unprovoked attack too.
My son fell next to her but not on to her and she went straight into fight mode with no warning. She didn't hurt him as my GSD just broke the skin Thankfully I was always next to my son when the dog was in the room & I was quick enough to grab the dog & pull her off.

GSDs are powerful dogs with a strong prey drive a toddlers movements may be all it takes to set this drive into motion. If you are not experienced with these dogs I would seriously think again.

Also it is not safe to walk a GSD with a toddler on your own that is completely irresponsible. If a fight broke out with another dog how would you separate them with a bloody toddler!

I thought if I stayed with my son at all times it would be ok to get a shepherd I'm just thankful that I took owning a GSD seriously.

Fan of Ed Frawley are you?
Can only imagine the anxiety your poor dog must have felt throughout its life :(

ANY dog could have reacted like this, It isn't a reaction I would have been happy with but it isn't specific to shepherds!

A newborn baby, rarely, might trigger prey drive.
A toddler?
I remain to be convinced.
Attacks on children by dogs due to prey drive are EXCEPTIONALLY rare, especially children older than a baby.

Took owning a gsd seriously?
It's not a savage wolf out to overthrow and kill everyone in it's way!

It's a dog. A large dog. Yes they have high prey drive, so do greyhounds and collies and huskys and virtually all terriers and millions of other dogs of many breeds.

Yes ANY dog but a Gsd can cause a lot more damage - that's why a few states in the US have banned them. There is a notable death rate in the US from GSDs and YES Huskies aren't great either.

BTW my dog wasn't stressed I just don't believe in leaving children alone with powerful dogs. Not sure what problem you have with that.

I tried to rehome her but the rescues wouldn't take her, sorry I would rather have a child safe than a dog.

I do like Sheps but you have to wary or quite frankly your a fool.

I think that it is absolutely ridiculous of America.
In the UK retrievers and spaniels are responsible for the bulk of bites requiring hospitalisation but you don't see calls to ban them.
If your banning based on size then really, dogs should be banned full stop seeing as yorkies and jack Russell's have killed babies before now.

I don't believe in leaving children alone with dogs either and for what it is worth, I would have had the dog put down aswell because I wouldn't trust a dog that bit BUT you spoke about toddlers triggering prey drive and I just don't think that it is true for the overwhelming majority of high prey drive dogs.

I think the bulk of my annoyance is the fact your name 'imwithleerburg' suggests you followed Ed Frawleys methods with your dog and the way you talk of the breed seems to reinforce that.

This is a man who advocates choking dogs until they pass out unconscious and repeating until they are too terrified to defend themselves.
A man who believes strangers should never touch your puppy, a supporter of choke chains, shock collars and prongs.
A man who believes in dominance theory (long disproven), suggests alpha rolling.
A man who believes in punishing a dog repeatedly until they by chance perform the behaviour you want.
My blood boils even thinking about the way he tells people to treat their dogs.

No I most certainly do not agree with all his methods but equally he does make people aware that if you are going to own more than one powerful dog then you should take that seriously. He has been involved in numerous trials some of which involve child deaths where the owners of the dog/dogs have been charged and sent to prison for many years(rightly so). He is taken seriously and is well thought of and has many years of experience with GSDs .

Look a dog bite from a Jack Russel, Spaniel etc is going to cause less damage ffs YES a Spaniel is more aggressive but it the statistics show a GSD dog bites more and causes more fatal or serious injuries there isn't an argument to be had about that.

I do love GSDs I love Boxers even more but the risk is too high for me.

Frawley isn't that respected, he is a very controversial figure. Rather like Milan.
Just because he has years of experience doesn't mean he knows what he is doing, I have friends who have many years dog experience who think it's olay to rub s dogs nose in mess!
Experience doesn't nfcessarily count for anything.

On an adult.
But a small dog could kill a child hence if your going to ban based on size, no dog should be safe.

I think it unwise to brand a whole breed as 'more aggressive' or 'unsuitable with children'
As long as it's well bred, well socialized, properly trained and has good experiences with children I see absolutely no reason why a family shouldnt have a gsd.
Although I can understand why you would never have another.

Any dog with a. Prey drive can do that however, sound of mind dogs can and do tell the difference between a baby/toddler and a cat/rabbit etc it's not just sight they use, it's smell as well.

I have two children under and 6 and 3 big gsds, they are not a problem as long as raised properly and given the correct supervision. No dog no matter the size should ever be left unattended with a child. I also beg to differ about walking a gsd with a toddler that you couldn't stop a fight, my dogs are trained to not even rough house with each other around the children and that is ingrained so strongly my oldest gsd was attacked on a walk and purely responded by submitting as my Ds was there.

It's the dead not the breed and a good 90% of the time bad dogs are a result of their owners lack of training and knowing dogs behaviours/clues

If you walk three GSDs with a toddler I believe you should be arrested sorry. I don't care how well trained your dogs are that is completely unacceptable. To say that there are signs cues in a dogs behaviour that is correct but if an aggressive dog ran up to your PACK are you seriously trying to say your sheps would remain calm and ignore it?

They are animals they can never be trusted. Cues come too late sometimes.

Dogs are an absolute joy and I have been around them for 40 years to know you have to respect them. You always have to put in measures to stop that 1% chance of an accident especially with children.

I would also say that if you walk two or more GSDs on your own that is really silly and completely unfair on the general public. Even a highly trained Poice dog handler doesn't walk around with two at a time. I think one GSD should be the maximum one could handle on a walk and no young children should be added to the mix.

I don't walk more than one at a time alone.. I never said I did, we take all three out as a couple and go on group dog walks.

We also have 4 acres of full fenced off land that the dogs are worked on. Which I understand not everyone has that to use. I don't 100% trust my dogs that would be stupid as I've said before they are never left unattended with the children, they are trained to do their jobs whilst also understanding the boundaries we put in place, the local chihuahua is more of a threat than most of the dogs who live round here.

You sound like you have things pretty sorted. You are obviously experienced around dogs sounds like a lovely set up.

To the op though, you are probably better suited to a Standard Poodle or a Giant Schnauzer. These are also great dogs with some guarding attributes, I suppose it depends what you want the dog for. If you have the energy an Australian Shepherd are also a good dog but you need time for them and they are also hard find.

Some years ago friends who owned a pub had a german shepherd. It spent a lot of time in the pub and was loved by all the regulars.

The husband's mother came to stay - she got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom - the dog attacked her - the husband woke to her screaming and being unable to pull the dog off, killed it by using a cheese wire round its neck and its jaws were still firmly embedded in her body.

I honestly don't think its the right dog to have with children.

One attack by one dog doesn't mean the whole breed are dangerous.... I grew up with my GSD and she was just perfect. I know of lots of attacks by labs but they never get reported because ' it's a lab'!! If it's a GSD, rottie or staffy it's headline material

A gsd in a working situation in a pub where no doubt it is to prevent break ins etc is a different to a gsd raised as a pet that gsd would of thought the mother was an intruder in the middle of the night in the dark.

You don't leave dogs and children unattended so the dog would not be able to attack a child in the dark, also gsds shouldn't really be going up and down stairs as they are known for hip and elbow problems so it's best to keep them "shut away" from the upstairs of any house.

The chihuahua that lives in my area has attacked my husband on three seperation occasions once as he was getting in his car twice on my own front garden, it's also attacked other local people.. I still don't blame the whole breed just the owners of this particular one.