Advice on getting a German Shepherd please

[GSDinfo]

Hello, thanks for reading.
For as long as I can remember I have wanted a GSD
My lovely border collie recently died and I can’t bear the empty house so am starting my research.
I have read up about hip and elbow scoring, I know they can be a bit neurotic, and they need loads of training and attention.
myself and my husband both work part time from home so feel we would have the time to put into it. Also with having a border collie we are used to a highly intelligent, slightly obsessive dog who needed a lot of training and attention.
my dilemma is picking a breeder as it seems to be a minefield. Also any general advice on what else I should consider.
we have late teens and a cat (who adored our dog)
many thanks for any answers I may receive.

In my opinion a GSD is a walk in the park after a BC (I've had both).

Have you considered a rescue rather than a pup from a breeder. My last 2 have been rescues. My current one had severe separation anxiety when we got her due to being abandoned and starved before she was rescued but she's settled down now.

The one before her was one of the best dogs you could have, good natured and pretty laid back, fine with other dogs and kids.

Have a look at:
https://www.germanshepherdrescue.co.uk/

We got our current one from GSRUK, they are brilliant.

@Mochudubh thanks for your reply. I had a look at the link and the dogs I liked in my area, but it looks like having a cat may
be an issue.
I think I am inclined to go for a puppy, but I’m so pleased you were able to offer a lovely home to your rescues.
I am also heartened to hear your GSD was a walk in the park compared to the BC. Our boy was the perfect family pet while the children were growing up, but it did take a lot of work on our part (especially to stop him bearding anyone who ran off!). Thanks again for your reply

• hearding

Lovely dogs. Highly intelligent and very trainable. Happy to ‘be with you’ when you are working in the garden. Need exercise. Lovely lovely dogs!

Do your research. And I mean really do your research. A well-bred German Shepherd is a joy but a badly bred one is the complete opposite.

As well as exercise they need lots of mental stimulation and company - they can be prone to being anxious, destructive and neurotic if they're not given what they need.

Unfortunately the vast majority of the ones I see are reactive, neurotic and badly bred. It's such a shame.

They are one breed I’d really not consider from a rescue (and all my dogs I’ve had as an adult have been rescues). You need to do you research to a T especially on what line you want, it’s not just show and working line, there are lines within that. I see so many that are anxious, reactive nervous wrecks with bite histories. I’d want to be able to meet the breeder, meet not only mum but other adult dogs from that line and ensure I was getting a dog that wasn’t crippled and had a stable temperament.

I know good training will always help but genetics don’t count for nothing.

Thank you all. Is anyone able to recommend a breeder to me. I’m in the south west but willing to travel.
I’ve been Googling but obviously every breeder says they are reputable. I really want to get his right. For the dog as much as for us.
thanks

Have you had a look on Champ Dogs ? I'd avoid Gumtree etc.

Try eagleriver dogs

I’ll have a look at both. Thank you :)

There are two I see regularly and they are both nice dogs temperament-wise. The older one though is only about 8 (maybe 9) and his back end is going, which is a huge risk with the show-line dogs. The owner says it's because he was shown as a puppy (before he came to current home) and was stretched out into the classic GSD stance, but TBH the poor dog just looks really badly put together.

I'd look for one where the parents are both much more rectangular when viewed from the side than most of the show line dogs, who drop down towards the hips.

I agree with the above re getting a straighter backed dog rather than the "slopey" kind. All 3 of mine have been more or less parallel to the ground.
Only the first rescue had any problems at the back end and that was only when she was 10+ when she got a bit wobbly on her hind legs..

Do you use Facebook?
I have a gsd and am on a couple of lovely groups.
German shepherds UK and German shepherds family.

I was looking at the photos of a local breeder and all of the photos of the adult dogs show them with really slanted back ends. Thanks both for confirming that I should probably avoid these.
i will join the fb groups thank you!

Definitely avoid the sloping back ends - it's a recipe for hip dysplasia and arthritis, as well as a shortened life span.

Seems unlikely reason as way more show dogs would have problems and similar stacking type exercises are used for fitness bit like yoga. The breed like many are prone to hip issues and also degenerative myelopathy

Make sure you research your breeder carefully.

You need to think about working / show lines. If going for show lines be very careful about hips. Don't just rely on hip scores as oddly some of the parents have reasonable hip scores but still have horrific backs. You want a straight backed one. Then within the show / working lines are sub sets of lines which focus on different traits.

You need to be really sensible about the mental stimulation you can provide as well as physical exercise as the line you get does make a huge difference to that. Our working line boy for example comes from a German Import and although I've always had GSDs he was a shock. He's an amazing dog and he learnt / picked up stuff amazingly but he is more on that the ones we bred ourselves.

Any decent breeder will not talk about things like your pup choosing you. They will ask you a million questions and their aim will to be match you, your family and your lifestyle to the right pup from their litter. They should want to meet your whole family. They should offer backup for the rest of the dogs life. Meet mum for certain and ideally even if they used a stud dog try and meet dad as well.

A well bred / well trained GSD is a delight and I will die on the hill of them being the best dog ever (they better be as I have 7!) but a bad one .. honestly they make life hell.

Herding!

Yeah that will be why auto correct didn’t know what I was trying to say 😂

Lots of great advice here thank you. I didn’t know much about all of the different lines so will definitely look into this more.
when we got our collie I just saw an ad stuck on a post office pin board. I was so lucky that he had a brilliant temperament and had no health issues in his 14 years. I really miss him and don’t want to rush into anything

@Qantaqa please can you expand on how “a bad one” makes life hell? Serious question. 😊

If you are on Facebook there is a GSD group with recommended breeders and it's useful for general knowledge stuff too. Breeders I spoke with asked loads of questions to make sure we were a suitable household.

However- if you think you won't be dealing with herding anymore, my GSD herds the kids if they've gone too far 🤣

Lifetime shepherd owner here.
Beautiful dogs, i wouldnt consider another breed, if you end up buying a pup please check they are DM clear, degenerative Melyopathy is an awful disease which we lost our 6yr female shepherd to.
Also as others have said avoid the sloping backs , best of luck 😊

@sparkypupp would you know the name of the fb group please. I think my main aim now is to find a good breeder who will be honest with the dog being a good fit for us.
im expecting the herding again! Our poor cat could barely walk anywhere without the dog constantly circling him. That was a hard habit to try and break!

Physical health issues are obvious - they can develop HD as early as 2 years old which (if you have got a good insurance policy) can be treated it leads to early onset arthritis and although not fully studied there does seem to be a link to a shorter lifespan. Degenerative myelopathy is an absolute horror and I wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy.

But they pale into insignificance of a GSD who has behavioural issues. Now some of them will be down to a lack of training but genetics also play a part in the behaviour / personality of the dog (again studies vary on how much). Mums nature and the environment they are raised in is another factor, puppies are like sponges they soak up so much in such a small time - the information they learn regarding behaviour from their mum and siblings is huge. A decent breeder will be socialising their pups (and that does not mean exposing the pup to everything and anything as some people seem to think - over socialisation can also be a problem).

Aggression (whether aggression aggression, fear, protection etc), separation anxiety and destructive behaviour are all real issues with GSDs and there is no easy fix with them. Living with these issues is really difficult. Taking your dog out, leaving your dog to go anywhere can become a logistical nightmare.

I am working with a woman with a 2 year old at the moment - she cannot leave the dog else it destroys everything, its ripped up lino, eaten sofas, pulled the door frame off. In the crate it chews bedding. For her to go out she has to put this dog who she adores (and clearly adores her) into a crate with nothing she cant even put water in as it gets tipped everywhere so she hardly ever goes out. The dog is hugely fearful of people - she cant have visitors easily, and shutting the dog behind a door / gate etc pushes it back into anxiety / destruction mode. She walks it at 4am and 11:30pm. Lets it out to toilet in the garden in the middle of the day. She is working with her and determined to make her life better. The small bits of progress we make can be reversed by a bad experience. Its literally a millimetre forwards sometimes. I admire her commitment but she has no life beyond the dog.