Is a German shepherd puppy a bad idea?

[Dannexe]

Dh is desperate for a dog. Our wonderful rough collie died unexpectedly last year and we’ve all taken a long time to get over it but I think we might be ready now to have another dog. I’m actually a little nervous around dogs that I don’t know very well so we would have another puppy.

Locally there is a litter of german shepherds. Dh doesn’t want a small dog. Are German shepherds very difficult dogs. We have two cats and also chickens (although they are in a large walk in coop).

Not a chance would I buy one from a random litter. You need the best of the best breeders who should be vetting YOU. You want hip certs etc. a GSD is a very different dog to a collie. Are you prepared for a guarding breed? I'd really think again OP.

This is an excellent thread, full of knowledge & wise advice, much of which has obviously been hard-earned.

I would suggest anyone thinking of taking on a GSD (and I use the phrase ‘taking on’ deliberately) read it very carefully & act accordingly.

I have a GSD. He's two now, and the most loving, loyal and protective dog I've ever had. But it took a lot of work to get him to this point.

I don't regret him for a second. He was the best decision I made, although I admit there were times through the raptor stage I wondered what I had done.

If you do it the hair is unreal. They only shed twice a year. For six months at a time. You'll never go to the toilet alone again. They are a very vocal breed and I don't mean barking (although they will do that) but I will have flown blown conversations with him 😂. Some of the grunts and groans he makes are hilarious.

They are intelligent too, he has worked out how to open all doors, knows what certain shoes mean, and I swear he can spell. He likes his own space and the freedom to take himself off when he wants so I recommend somewhere for that. The rule being if he's there, no one approaches him.

Do I think you're mad? Not in the slightest, but don't do it lightly and do your research. They take a lot of work and a lot of time and effort. You get out what you put in though. They are very very bitey as puppies and will push boundaries. You have to be hard with teaching them what is acceptable and what isn't.

I will say research the differences between working and show line. Mine is working line, which means he is straight backed and less likely to be susceptible to hip and elbow displacement (although we're having him scored in the next few weeks). However, the trade off for that is he is high energy and has has a high working drive all the time.

My gsd is 10 . I love him dearly but I doubt I'd ever get another like him , he's absolutely beautiful and is the soppiest sweetest boy . He weighs 50 kilos . He's massive . I feel so safe with him .

I'm a GSD owner many times over - including fostering crazy teenagers - and echo every word @Leonberger said.

Wouldn't touch one (or indeed any dog) that was backyard bred unless it was also a rescue.

The arrival of the White Swiss Shepherd has really underlined to me what a mess the GSD seems to be in - so much more balanced and seemingly steady, although I am not close enough to know whether that’s the truth ‘under the bonnet’ of the breed.

Are Swiss shepherds a completely different breed?

I will also say that see mom and dad before you commit and be prepared for the sheer size of the dog.

Ours is now weighing in at 55kg and over 6ft when on his back legs. He is absolutely a gentle giant but that's because he has been trained to be that. And no he's not overweight, he is technically a King Shepherd and is a rare Blue and Tan colour. Blues are being bred out and cannot be KC registered, which means they are not prone to over breeding.

Take your time with breeders, I knew ours was the right one when they made me sign a contract that he would be returned to them in the event we couldn't keep him and we have a WhatsApp group where all 8 puppies, plus mom and dad meet up every few months (by choice).

This dog has seen me through a relationship breakdown, a false social services investigation (created by the ex) and a job change and house move in the middle of it all.

Yes, the White Swiss is a different breed. (Not to be confused with white GSDs.) Very low numbers here yet though.

Yep, they are indeed.

I'm not as familiar but they tend to be white and look pretty similar 🙂

Are they an easier breed? I can see there are kc registered puppies available at the moment.

im struggling to know what breed to go for. Dh likes larger dogs (although our rough collie was large enough imo).

I think it depends on your definition of easy.

They are intelligent and quick to learn. And they calm a lot as they reach three years old and mature.

But they need plenty of exercise and entertainment (or mine does anyway). They get bored, they start looking for their own fun. As entertaining as that may be, it's not a great look when you're on a teams meeting with your CEO and he runs past with your bra in his mouth 🤦‍♀️. And it takes a lot of work to embed the training and make them bomb proof.

You will get comments from those who claim they are dangerous dogs, not helped they are utilised by police etc. which I why I was so conscious of having an obedient and bomb proof dog. Although it's rare I let him off lead, more because I don't want accusations if another dog approaches him.

What about a golden retriever? It would probably be my first choice of a family dog should I ever fancy something smaller.

We are very lucky in that we have a large enclosed woodland garden (5 acres) so plenty of run around and games space. We both work from home and have two older teenage boys (one now away at uni). If a Swiss shepherd is an easier breed than a German shepherd that might be a better option. Dh has always wanted a German shepherd since he had one as a child (funnily enough a white one but that was just an anomaly in the litter)

Could be an option. I’ll take a look

We have a GSD. She’s an old lady now and, actually I’m dreading her trip to the vets this afternoon because she’s been struggling with her back legs lately. She’s the softest, sweetest, most loving family dog I could imagine. She arrived when middle child was 6 months and was an absolute dream to train - although she can sometimes bark at other dogs when on lead and we have the DCs with us.

Despite this, and in spite of what DH thinks, I wouldn’t get another. I’m now working full time and don’t have the time and energy to devote to the puppy stages. Also, the hair!

We know people locally who have got GSDs in the last couple of years. One bites delivery people, the other has to be locked in another room when guests are there. They don’t seem anywhere near as ‘easy’ as ours was and I think we were just lucky.

They can be KC registered but are recorded as (NBS) (non breed standard colour) and anyone breeding for non standard colours or giant sizes is 'overbreeding', KC registered or not.

OP would you consider a smooth collie?

FWIW I have a meticulously researched and long awaited working line GSD puppy, carefully bred for health, temperament and performance, loads of support from breeder and friends in the breed and the sport, in a home with lots of experience of high drive dogs, which is putting me through the absolute wringer in terms of challenging adolescent behaviours. The payoff for me will be worth it but if this pup was in a 'pet' home it'd be an absolute liability.

I was reading through thinking the same. Biased because I have the best one in the world, but they're large, gentle, easy to train as long as you put the time in. Perhaps the only slight downside is a complete lack of loyalty - she loves absolutely everyone equally.

As with any breed, still need to make sure it's a decent breeder who socialises the pups and all health checks done.

Plus - our Golden retriever has perfect manners with cats and free roaming chickens.

@currahee he cannot be KC registered simply because of his blue and tan colour. Blue was seen as undesirable in shepherds and "not natural" and the intention was to breed it out. It's seen as a genetic flaw.

It created a lot of controversy because physiologically, there are actually benefits because it's so rare, it can't be overbred, plus it does not affect the characteristics of the dog. So the only reason is someone decided they didn't like the colour.

As for his size, it was our vet at a routine check up that mentioned King Shepherd. His lineage can be traced back, all of which were KC registered until his mum, all of which have been in the same weight category.

That being said, I wasn't interested in KC as I wanted a family dog not a show dog. It wasn't important to me, hip and elbow scores and a straight back were however. I mentioned it because it may be important to the OP and something to consider.

I would 100% get a GSD, but I have had dogs my entire life including a breed often described as "stubborn" and "a law unto himself" both of which are true! So I feel I could cope. For an inexperienced dog owner - I would say no. I would advise a medium sized dog that can be lifted away from trouble if necessary. Big dogs are harder work, I love big dogs but they are.

I know a Swiss Shepherd who is the nicest, jolliest, most laid back dog I have ever met. They're new-ish in popularity in the UK and I don't think the in-breeding and negative inherited traits are quite so prevalent. A LOT of work though and you'll need pretty much your whole life to revolve round them. One of my favourite breeds actually and I am seriously considering one for my next dog. But again I have lifelong experience with owning a dog. I just don't think huge dogs are suitable for the inexperienced.

I have a white German shepherd and she is the most beautiful dog and gets so many compliments when taken for walks. At home she’s very well behaved, loyal, obedient, affectionate and really intelligent. On walks she is barky, lunges and pulls on the lead at times and basically just a pain in the arse (and yes we have done a lot of training also with professional dog trainers but she is just a skittish reactive dog out and about). As she’s female she’s not too big compared to some GSDs so I can easily control her. A big 45kg male would probably be impossible for me to control if it was reactive on walks though as they can be so strong

Just to confirm we have had dogs before so not completely inexperienced

I have a rough collie, Smooth collies are lovely. You could are consider a Yorkshire Tofty, Wicani are breeding them. They are a mixture or rough collie and Welsh Sheepdog, the breeder is aiming for the look of a Rough collie but to bring back the herding ability and agileness.