Do German Shepherds make good family pets?

[Sillyspuddy]

Thinking of getting a German Shepherd puppy. We have 4 cats and a Cavapoo aged 10. My 16 year old daughter would look after it most days. Is this safe? Do they get along well with other animals? If anyone has experience with this breed, would they make a good family pet?

Thanks in advance

I don’t know how to see posters threads but if that is true I don’t think you should be getting ANY dog tbh

@Wolfiefan She doesn't live here anymore.

She did last month.
Seriously. You seem to have no idea of what this breed of dog requires. Your plan to have a child who’s moving out and going to uni have a big part in exercising a dog that’s not really suited to the activity you say she wants to do.
Choose a breed that suits your family. The exercise and grooming and socialisation abs training you can provide. A GSD doesn’t sound like it’s the right fit at all.

@Wolfiefan We took people's advise and handled that situation. However, that topic has nothing to do with the original question I asked.

Don't mean to be harsh but doesn't sound like a great fit OP.

It does. It suggests a chaotic, unstable, volatile and potentially violent household. Completely and utterly the wrong place for a GSD.

OR any dog...
I hope it is all sorted and calm now OP but I’m in agreement, I really don’t think a GSD sounds like a good fit either

I nearly added that doggy but OP already has a dog and 4 cats.

Thankyou for all the comments, we've decided to get a hamster

Please dont' go for a GSD cross. It doesn't bode well. Go to a reputable breeder and make sure you see their dogs in order to judge temperament. I have had GSD's for many, many years and they are hard to beat for intelligence and loyalty. Also, please be sure that, as with any puppy, you teach it good manners from the start. It is supposed to do what you say and not the other way around. If your pup is taught to walk to heel from an early age it will not pull. One more thing, a GSD is not a Husky and they are the only dogs who ought to wear harnesses! If you want to pm me I can put you in touch with a renowned breeder and trainer. Her dogs have rock solid temperaments. Good Luck.

In all seriousness OP, going from a cavapoo to a gsd is a huge step. The difference in size, intelligence, ability, strength, temperament, behaviour, exercise needs etc is enormous.

Pretty much any breed will be loyal if you treat it right, and you obviously have a very chilled dog as most will bark at intruders (or the postman or even a sketchy looking leaf blowing in the garden)

Nothing wrong with gsd crosses!
As long as you have time to run 10miles a day, have locks on all the doors and cupboards to stop him opening them, don’t mind hair everywhere, don’t leave anything on tables or sideboards and accept your fate if he sees a squirrel whilst you are holding the lead..

I am shocked at some of the comments on here about German shepherds!!!

We can offer it lots of physical and mental stimulation, as well as time and care

But you can’t, OP.
You have 4 cats and a 16 yr old who’s going to be looking after it most days. They won’t be 16 forever they’re gunna get older and want to be more independent. Do you think in two years time when they’re off out most weekends and come home drunk, they’re gunna be getting up at 7am to walk the dog for 90 minutes? And do the same later on in the day? Nope.

Why do you want a German shepherd ??? You seem to be so intent on getting this breed despite doing no research what so ever - proven by the fact you’ve asked if they make great family pets. Just like any breed, some do, some don’t.

I'm attracted to this breed as I like how loyal it is to its owners. However, on the other hand, it makes an excellent guard dog

Most dogs are loyal to its owners regardless of breed. And Jesus Christ do not get a dog purely for its image

My German shepherd is suspicious of strangers when we are out walking. She’s also very loyal, follows me everywhere, does anything I ask her to, is super friendly and will be anybody’s friend, has never barked once at somebody coming into the house. Do I trust her to “guard” me should I be attacked? No I don’t. I wouldn’t know that unless I was put in that situation. Despite her being loyal and sticking to me like glue, she wants to be everybody’s friend, so I’m not confident enough to say she’d 100% protect me.

You do realise if you’re getting any dog for guarding purposes then you won’t be able to get pet insurance? They ask you this.

They aren’t “guard dogs” anyway - I have no idea where you’ve got that from? The reason why they’re used in the police and military is because of their intelligence NOT because they’re vicious. Infact gsd’s are originally a herding dog - Did you know that?

Would maybe a GSD cross be better?

No. Stay away from this breed as you clearly know nothing about them.

They are emotional. Needy. There’s a reason why they’re called Velcro dogs. They’re highly sensitive and high maintenance. I work 48 hours a week on nights - I get home from my shift absolutely shattered and still walk her for 90 minutes over the field. I then do the same later on in the evening. I also play with her and do training games - she is very time consuming. She cannot be left for very long - she hasn’t got separation anxiety, she just isn’t a breed that should be left for very long. If I want to go on a day out I either have to pay for doggy day care or drop her at my parents.

They’re known for being land sharks as puppies. My girl repeatedly drew blood as a pup.

Are you prepared to spend lots of money on a decent diet for them? None of this kibble crap. Do you have the funds to insure them? They aren’t a cheap breed to insure because of their health problems.
Are you prepared to hoover 100 times a day? They usually need lots of grooming.

However, not a guard dog that attacks everyone who comes to my house, but one that can sense a burglary is there

My god..
Do you think only German shepherds can do this? Read above - despite her loyalty I still wouldn’t trust mine 100% to defend me.

We are looking for around an 8 week old puppy instead of a young dog, as we'd like to train it around our cats and dog

That’s what I said. All the training in the world and my dog still despises our cat. I can not describe how difficult things can be having to keep them separated!

Get an absolute grip of yourself OP. This post alone shows how ridiculous, irresponsible and naive you are when it comes to owning a gsd. Your previous posts proves that even more so - you shouldn’t have any dog let alone a breed such as a German shepherd !

Also, most dogs are ‘loyal'

My whippet (possibly) cross rescue would die for us. He doesn't bark when we're out but when we're home he thinks the world is ending if anyone comes near the house.

Why bother with a guard breed when an average mongrel will do the same job with minimal needs? And require two small walks a day. I mean we run him more than that but he'd live with two walks around the park.

We have one. He's 6 months old. Weighs 35 kg already. He's hard bloody work. It's like having a baby all over again. Except dogs are not always socially acceptable and you can't always take them with you. Ours needs lots of exercise. We usually take him to the beach for over an hour a day just so he can run and swim. Our older dog finds him a pain in the neck. He's a lovely dog, but I can't wait for him to be older so he chills out a bit.

@KennyCalmIt First of all my partner had a GSD who was a guard dog as well as a family dog. And second of all to call us ridiculous, irresponsible and naive' shows how judgemental and childish you are. I didn't put out this post to be personally attacked.

I agree with all of ^kennycalmit*s post, except this bit:

‘They aren’t “guard dogs” anyway - I have no idea where you’ve got that from? The reason why they’re used in the police and military is because of their intelligence NOT because they’re vicious. Infact gsd’s are originally a herding dog - Did you know that?’

While they were indeed a sheepdog originally, the reason the police use them is Von Stephenitz (maybe spelt wrong..) created them as dual purpose sheepdogs who could herd/drove AND were capable of guarding.

Their super high prey drive (in common with all herding breeds) combined with solid nerve and fairly high fight/defence drive (which other herders like collies for example tend to lack) is why they make such great police dogs.

It is also why the original working bred type make such challenging pets, and why the pets can also be challenging because in losing the guardyness, presumably to make them easier pets, their nerve has been inadvertently affected too.

sillyspuddy Was your partners family/guard GSD a working bred, professionally security trained dog?

And if so, why are you asking all these questions that your partner should be able to tell you?

Or was it, as I suspect, a pet GSD that barked when unknown people were about (like most dogs..)
Not guarding necessarily, just run of the mill doggy alerting behaviour.

Or, a pet GSD that was aggressive when unknown people were about, which is fearful behaviour, not protective behaviour and extremely common in GSDs.

Ah, slightly off topic but I see what you mean by prey drive now doggy. I think we were talking at cross purposes on the other thread.

All herders do indeed have strong instincts to follow the first sections of the prey sequence: see, turn towards, stalk, chase. In the case of heelers also to catch a little bit, in the way of nipping at heels. They have much lower instinct to follow the latter parts: catch, kill, dissect and eat. They'd be pretty rubbish herders if they did :)

In fact, almost al working dogs have strong instincts for part of the sequence - which parts depends on their jobs. Pointers see and turn towards but don't have strong insitincts to go beyond that. Terriers have strong instinct to chase, catch, kill and dissect. Gun dogs have strong instincts to stalk and catch. All we've done as humans is emphasise different bits of the sequence in different breeds.

OP, if you want a dog that barks when someone is near the house, there are much better choices than a GSD. A Jack Russell, for a start (only they are also HARD work). In all honesty, I agree with others that I wouldn't add a dog in your situation. Definately not a GSD.

And second of all to call us ridiculous, irresponsible and naive' shows how judgemental and childish you are. I didn't put out this post to be personally attacked

But what do you expect when you ask such ridiculous questions and answer with such silly statements? Of all your questions none them tell me you’d be an ideal gas owner. I don’t live far from a gsd rescue - I can’t begin to tell you how often people like yourself get a cute fluffy little gsd only to be knocking on the gsd rescues doors a few months down the line because that cute fluffy little dog has turned into an actual German shepherd.

Of all the traits you want in a dog - none of them are specifically German shepherd like. The fact you have to ask such simple questions shows you’ve done zero research.

I’m not childish. But I am judgemental when I see people wanting to take on a breed they know nothing about!

My partner has a lab. You know who ‘guards’ best? The lab. You know which breed I’d be more scared of pissing off? The lab

Stay away from the breed.

@KennyCalmIt First of all I have done research. Yes it might seem like a silly question but I wanted to hear peoples opinions on the original question.

@sillyspuddy you are ignoring what everyone is saying. your posts clearly demonstrate you don't know what you are talking about (exactly what research have you done?) and shouldn't get a GSD. I am the breeds biggest fan, wouldn't have anything else, but only for the right type of person. But you're not listening anyway.

@bobbypinseverywhere It's frustrating when people try and act like they know what your living situation is like. I asked for advice.

It isn’t just the living situation.

It is the fact that you asked if they were safe and if they made good family pets.
If you had done adequate research you would know the answer to both those questions.

It’s the fact you think loyal is a breed trait when virtually all dogs are loyal.

It’s the fact you think they make great guard dogs but if you had done your research you would know that the overwhelming majority of GSD are terrible guard dogs and the minority of working bred GSDs that are good guards are a real handful of a dog, too much dog for most people to handle with huge potential for dangerous behaviour.

It’s the fact you think they are good agility candidates.
Hell no!
A working bred one yes, but have you seen the backs on most pet GSDs?!?!
Not to mention the hip issues.

It’s the fact that you think they’ll cope with huge periods of being left alone and cope with your daughter leaving shortly.
If you had done your research you’d know that in common with almost all herding breeds they typically bond very closely to one person and are very sensitive, not good candidates for being left alone.

The thing is leaving aside the breed.

What you want from a dog doesn’t work, to do agility you want energetic and intelligent, you want it to be alert to warn you if there are people about and you want it to be “loyal” by which I’m assuming you mean to seek your company.

So you want a very handler dependant, alert, energetic and intelligent dog.... then you also want it to be ok left to it’s own devices while it’s left home alone - they don’t go together.