Nervous about getting a new dog?

[Theponylady]

I recently lost my dog, he was sick and died from an illness but he was also incredibly difficult to own. He was dog and human aggressive despite all the love and training in the world from being a tiny puppy. He had never been mistreated and had only the best of everything. He is the second reactive rescue I've had so I'm not sure if it's the breed (GSD) or just bad luck.
I promise it's not anything I did to cause the problem- I had this confirmed by more than one behaviouralist as I was beating myself up about it.

I have decided not to rescue any more as it's too risky and would only consider a well bred puppy. I spoke to the breed rescue but they advised me to go to an experienced breeder who breeds for temperament.

My old dog is sad without a friend and I miss having a big silly dog to play with however I am really wary of replacing the dog who died because of the stress he brought me.

I am tempted to stick to one dog as it's a safe bet but it's sad to think I can't get over the behaviour of my last dog and love another again.

Has anyone gone from 2 dogs then stuck to 1? Will my other dog get over it?
At the moment he seems bored and is stressed about being left alone.

If I was to go back up to 2 how do I make sure the puppy won't end up reactive other than socialisation or is it just pot luck?
If I view a litter will I be able to tell if they have potential to be what I don't want even at that young age?

Genetics plays an absolutely huge role in temperament and behaviour, despite what many people say it's absolutely not "all in how you raise them". Obviously how a puppy is raised and socialisation are very important as well but neither can fundamentally change what/who a dog is. You might find this blog post helpful, it's written by a veterinary behaviourist and is well worth a read.

There are never any guarantees when it comes to dogs and either future health or temperament. It's all about stacking the odds as far in your favour (and the dog's) as you possible can. Dogs with excellent temperaments are more likely to produce puppies who are the same. A decent breeder will be giving sound, breed appropriate temperament equal consideration along with health, good conformation and low levels of inbreeding. A good breeder will also be very keen to match you to the puppy who is most suitable for you rather than just letting prospective buyers pick whichever one they want for whatever reason they want.

I'd recommend getting in touch with breed clubs and asking for advice as well as going along to shows or other breed events and talking to owners/breeders/breed enthusiasts. There's a lot of variation between the differing breed types and also a lot of unscrupulous/naïve people producing GSDs of unsound temperament. You want to look for a breeder who is consistently breeding exactly the sort of dog you want.