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.

@Qantaqa thats all certainly food for thought.

@HappenstanceMarmite I’ve had many GSD (I think 10 ish) as I used to take them as rescues/fosters. I had one that honestly was hell to own. I am experienced but she was a nightmare to walk, neurotic, stranger and dog aggressive. No visitors, nobody could touch her, if a dog ran towards her she would have bitten it. Just a very stressful life. There are so many of them like this.

The majority of them aren’t this bad but they are a breed with neurotic tendencies. They need lots of mental stimulation, to be with their person and a job to do. They also aren’t the type of dog that loves everyone and everything and that’s fine if that’s the type of dog your okay with owning but so many people think they can turn them into a Labrador and they really couldn’t be further apart. My current (and last ever) one is a sweetheart but even she is a little on the neurotic side. She’s from a straight backed long coat line which I have found to be less ‘drivey’

I would start with health testing. Rule out anyone without hip/elbow scores and testing for DM. Then visit parents, at the first sign of nervousness run away as fast as you possibly can! If you find a line you like research it within an inch of its life, view and meet as many relatives as you can to get the best idea of what your pup might turn out like. Have you any local GSD groups, it might be worth heading along to see if you can find any with a temperament and look you like?

@Leonberger lots of good advice and I am getting more of a first hand insight into the breed.
my collie loved everyone, although my husband was his favourite. He didn’t have an aggressive bone in his body, he had no interest in other dogs but just ignored them. He needed to be kept occupied when the mood took him but was fine to be left if we went shopping or something.
he was clever, obsessive about toys and stuff, and I mentioned the herding that drove us all nuts sometimes.
i have a lot of time to devote so that’s not s problem. I just want to stand a good chance of getting a dog that won’t have a host of problems (or eat my cat or house!)
il going to look hard into breeders now.
thanks

(When I say obsessive about toys I didn’t mean aggressive, if you threw the wrong teddy he would let them hit him on the head and only catch the one he wanted!)

It's so sad to hear how the GSD breed has changed over the years. My parents always had GSDs and they were absolutely bomb proof. Whined in the car, hairy and slobbery, but otherwise amazing.

Our current dog is a GSDXRetriever. He's wonderful but definitely didn't inherit the GSD smarts and he's a soft thing - if he sees a mouse he picks his feet up to avoid it. A big teddy bear really.

@GSDinfo I absolutely don't want to put you off them. GSDs are THE best dog but its absolutely worth researching to the point you really don't want to research anymore lol.

GSDR used to run group walks for GSDs and it might be worth tagging along if they run one in your area.

I tend to say to my people, go and meet problematic GSDs - not quite to the level of the one i described above lol - but most GSDs have some element of a neurotic behaviour and you can get an idea of what its like. Sadly I am a million miles from you otherwise I'd say come meet my gang and if they don't put you off a GSD you are safe.

4 of them are full siblings (albeit from 3 different litters) and given they have the same parents (which we have) and they have all been raised in the same environment its quite interesting how different they all are in terms of drive and focus and their motivators e.g ball, toys, food, play, attention etc

I have had 3 GSDs. Lovely dogs. Health obviously important. Also make sure you see both the mum and dad of the litter to assess both their temperaments - don't rush into anything.
When your pup is old enough - socialise, socialise and socialise some more, you don't want a reactive GSD, people will forgive a doodle for barking at other dogs but not your lovely GSD.

@Qantaqa completely agree. I got my girl from still a pup but with a bad start in life mixed with clearly shocking breeding. She’s a handful to say the least and with anyone else would have been put to sleep, she’s a massive bite risk, no1 at all can stroke her… unless she knows you. Once she knows you and loves you then she’s bombproof, until then she’s a bite risk, have worked with behaviourist, trainers etc and they all say she just needs to be managed, not easy with a young family. Muzzle training helps massively.

We have a GSD x Mali - honestly wouldn't change him.
You need to put the work in as a puppy as they thrive of training and routine. We crate trained ours and followed a particular puppy training guide of sleep, straight to garden for toilet, 10-15 mins of training picking something different to teach him in that time continuously, equal time then as play and back in his crate for sleep. At first he'd whimper like any puppy at the nap time but DP said it's no different than a baby/toddler needing naps and as a result we didn't get any of the biting or destroying house phases which can be caused by over tiredness and no boundaries set. They need to know where they are in the pecking order but are the most loyal dogs ever.

Ours is now 2.5 and came out of his crate at 6 months old. He is so chilled around the house, can be walked by us or our 9 year old, won't leave the front door unless a command is given even if it's wide open & other dogs/people on the doorstep and frequently comes to dog friendly cafes where you wouldn't even know he's there unless he goes from a down to a sit for a cuddle even if other dogs are barking etc. Our neighbour brought the sibling, done absolutely no training and it's a completely different dog to the point they don't even use their front door.

Hip issues as they get older are common. We take ours to hydrotherapy since he was about 11 months old once a month as a 'fun' preventative session. I'm glad we did as turned out he was petrified of the water and I wouldn't have liked to coax him in pain when older into the pool. We also attend weekly a German shepherd local training group on a weekend and have done since he was little too - it's great for him as he has to be in a space listening to us even when he wants to play but if he did ever react, which can happen, you don't feel alone as others have moments too. As he's got older, we aren't as strict with the whole routine thing because he's such a great dog the hard work then paid off but we know he thrives of being mentally tried so will do some scent work or agility training from time to time. Whatever we do though, we always make sure each of us parttake - DP, DD9 and myself - so he doesn't just behave for one of us. I'm currently heavily pregnant and he's so protective but equally so affectionate I honestly wouldn't change him but I'm very glad we got him as a puppy compared to a rescue (which we did look at) because I think one they've been badly treated, they need a lot more work to reassure them you're a safe space + with children I wouldn't take the risk.

I have used same breeder for 20 years and have had some fantastic dogs from her
Margaret at Nyrvana kennels has been awesome she also has rescues occasionally
wouldn’t be without one the most loyal dog ever

Thanks everyone for your detailed and thought out responses, I really appreciate the time you have taken to reply to me.
i will sit and read through them again over the weekend and make some notes, and then start my search for a breeder. I just really want to make sure we get the right dog for us, and that we are right for the dog.
thanks again

We had one when I was a child
Dad brought her home (he was out with the rescue and they rescued her from in a lorry drinking rain water to survive, she was a tiny puppy)
I remember clearly them yelling over it as I was 5 or so, and mum being "bringing home a bloody dog that'll be aggressive when we have a child.."
After they stopped yelling they found the puppy curled up at the foot of my bed fast asleep. She slept there every night and protected me fiercely (but was so soft if I wasn't in trouble!)
Amazing amazing dog

@GSDinfo my current one loves everyone. She’s the type to run up to people which is unlike the majority who only have eyes for family but she will not tolerate strange dogs running up into her space which is pretty standard from what I’ve found. A ‘typical’ GSD is more of an aloof character IMO, happy enough to walk past and ignore when required as it’s more about the human than anything else. I’ve done allsorts with mine, agility obedience and rally as well as a the school run and camping. My GSD, despite being much older, tends to be found running rings around the Leo’s. She’s always wanting to go and do something else wheras they have much more of an off switch. If you want a dog that wants to do things a GSD is your best friend, a bit like a watered down collie but with a bit more inbuilt stranger danger 😄 It’s not that they can’t do any job but it’s much harder to socialise a breed that isn’t designed to be necessarily everyone’s best friend. As long as you remember socialisation isn’t about being able to play with everyone and rather be neutral then your fine!

Another thing to mention is the reputation. Depending on where you live prepare for people to dislike your dog, cross the road or even just be point blank rude. Some camp sites for example don’t allow them. It doesn’t bother me one bit but some people seem to be offended when people don’t like their dogs.

I was just about to mention Margaret from Nyrvana. Some of them look to be a lot of dog but she does have a pet line and the few I’ve met have been stable and sane.

@GSDinfo it's called "German Shepherd Puppies UK (KC & health tested only)"

We have a German shepherd x Belgian Mali. (Dad was full GSD, Mum was half GSD half Mali so 3/4 GSD 1/4 Mali) He's been hard work at times, but a great dog. The Mali in him shows in his posture he's no tilted back at all which I really like as the hip situation always worried me! If you do go for a full GSD make sure they are health tested parents and hip scored.

Be wary that people will treat you a little different on walks and be naturally more fearful. My lad is great off lead and bothers no one but we still occasionally get 'that dog should be on a lead!' Speech as some people just don't like them unfortunately.

Very loyal, very much a pack animal and is happiest when together with the family. Can be wary of strangers which is why it's really important to get that socialisation in from an early age. My gets on great with my cat they are friendly together. We got him as a pup which I'd advise if you have a cat, did chase the cat when a pup but quickly trained out of it and I provided lots of high spaces in the home for the cat to get space when he was a pup. Always on guard in the window 😂 you'll certainly feel safe with a GSD. You'll also probably never get privacy as they will follow you everywhere 😂

Some great posts and advice here. My input - please introduce and socialise your new dog properly with your cat.

Thanks again everyone. Some very positive and heartwarming stories and I’ve joined all of the Facebook groups that have been recommended
I spent about 2 hours this morning looking at all of the lovely photos. Although someone had posted about the rainbow bridge poem which I then read. It made me sob my heart out as I miss my collie so much.
now I feel kind of ‘unfaithful’ wanting another dog. Has anyone else felt like this?

Glebevonwood, excellent breeders of straight backs. Check out her website.