First time dog owner - thinking of a German Shepherd

[VanGoSunflowers]

Hi all!
I’ve been researching the hell out of this and still undecided. I want to be absolutely certain before I take the plunge!

So, I want a dog that is loyal, doesn’t love absolutely everyone (like a lab) requires a lot of training (the training part interests me the most) I will be planning on going to training classes, as well as training each day. I work from home, so will be around most of the time. I love going for long walks but I want a dog that will be obedient when trained well and be able to walk off lead in the right places.

I prefer larger dogs. I have a garden but plan on doing long walks each day (I love walking)

I have a 7 year old son (the main reason why I deliberating) who lives with me for half of the time

I I keep reading that they do not make great first time dogs but I cannot find any other breed I would prefer. I don’t want to make a huge mistake!

Another point, not to sound crass but money isn’t really an issue either so regular visits to the groomers, dog walkers should I need them, insurance etc etc. I also have a few friends that have and love dogs and would be eager to house sit for e if I was to ever go away without them (although not sure I would)

Any thoughts please?

Again, thank you for the constructive advice

I was specially looking at show line GSD for temperament. I don’t want a dog I can treat like a baby (although everyone wants an affectionate dog) I want one that listens to commands, walks to heel, that is well trained enough for obedience to over take any other ‘drives’ it has if that makes sense but appreciate that reading about how to train and actually doing it are two different things.

Would there be another breed that would work better for me to gain some experience do you think? Perhaps a GSD crossed with another breed to dial down some of the tendencies that make it not an idea first pet?

doesn’t love absolutely everyone

What a strange thing to say!

The 'pack' myth was debunked long ago, if you do get a dog avoid any 'pack' advice like the plague.

Look at smooth collies

There are loads of dogs that fit your trainable but not OTT with everyone plan.

"I would advise a standard poodle for your situation for what it’s worth"

You should get the dog you want. But, fwiw, I agree with Stegochops. I have a standard poodle and they do tick a lot of your boxes.

Good with kids. About the size you're looking for. Enjoy training. Can handle a nice long walk. Very very intelligent as well. And full of character.

They don't have quite the personality you're looking for as can be a little goofy and maybe a bit too friendly. But that can be better than the reverse.
They can also be a bit prone to separation anxiety but it sounds like you'll be at home most of the time so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Boxer? I don’t love the short noses, but they fulfill the brief.

Greyhounds have great personalities, definitely not lacking in that respect. Most can’t be allowed off lead, but your local greyhound rescue would work with you to help find one that can.

I think as a first time dog owner it's very easy to think that just because you've decided that you're going to thoroughly and effectively train a dog from a potentially challenging breed (with no previous experience of training any dog) that you will be successful in doing so. It's a risk. And it's potentially a risk that could put your child (and his friends, who will not be 'pack') in danger. I find it quite worrying that you actively want a dog that actively can't be 'treated like a baby' and that wouldn't love everyone.

We had a GSD as children. It was the softest, loveliest family dog we’ve ever had. No difference whatsoever to the labs we’ve had - apart from the reaction he got from other people. People wouldn’t walk past the house if he was in the garden barking (we are rural and all dogs seem to be slightly more barky). I’d love to have another, but dogs just seem to happen to us, we rarely choose a dog, they just find us (abandoned or someone’s trying to rehome something. The latest dog came from a domestic abuse family on Mumsnet!). It was a long time ago, but I don’t remember the GSD needing any more training than other dogs. I remember sheep training took a while, he was very interested in them and we live in sheep country.

I have a gsd. She is my first dog as an adult, but I did have Gsd's growing up so did have background knowledge. I got her as a pup when ds was 9yo and dd was 7yo.

If getting a pup, I wouldn't be any more worried about getting a gsd more than any other large breed. All of our gsd's have been absolutely devoted to their pack. Yes she does guard the house (not trained to be) but it makes me feel safer leaving the kids here alone as intruders wouldn't get anywhere near them! They are 16yo and 14yo now BTW. They are very clever. Very trainable. Very loving. Very energetic. Our dog is great with any visitors who are invited in to the home.

They can also be very nervous. Our dog can get spooked by people coming around corners or opening doors close to us while walking for example, so she needs to be kept on a close lead when near people (she does have great recall when off lead in open spaces though). She cannot stand us being separated when we are out, so we can't ever do two things at once (e.g. one of us pop to the shops while on a walk). She has allergies and is constantly at the vets. She needs constant socialisation as she loses the skill quickly - after lockdown we had a huge task of getting her back to being well behaved with other dogs, same as when she had her first season.

I wouldn't advise having a gsd as a first dog, but equally you would manage I'm sure. Just be aware of their quirks and make sure you are all in for the duration of their life

I don’t think they are great dogs for first time owners. My best friend got a German Shepard and they have struggled no end with the dog, in both temperament and training. He is neurotic no end (was a covid dog so very little socialisation early on) and has only finally calmed down over three years on.

Its incredibly restrictive to their lives. And the training is constant.

The dog they have should also be a working dog. The whole situation for the dog and for them is incredibly sad.

I very rarely see one off lead. They are very intelligent dogs, handler focused, so it's not because they can be trained to recall. It's because they're guard dogs that very easily become reactive to other dogs. I've known two that were well socialised and developed the dog reactivity at maturity. I would honestly think long and hard about what life would be like if your large dog lunged and barked at all other dogs on walks. It's a possibility with any dog, but so much more likely with a gsd.

Which is why I am posting on a forum for advice rather than rushing out to get one

I don’t think dogs should be treated like humans. Most trainers I have seen have said the same. They need to be treated like dogs and not babied as that can also lead to bad behaviour.

And I also don’t think it’s strange that I don’t want a dog that’s all over any human it sees and doesn’t have much of a preference for its owners. As described, a breed that is aloof with others but still polite

I've known three GSDs. All of them had unpredictable behaviours. Two of them could be quite aggressive with men. One of them was a pub dog (and the biggest GSD I've ever seen). The other two were family pets belonging to experienced dog owners who'd previous had well-trained, well-behaved dogs of other breeds but were first-time GSD owners.

GSDs are not beginner dogs. I too would not have one around children as they are guard dog material for a reason. What about a working spaniel? You and your son can enjoy training and agility. I notice when I go out with my goofy lab, who wants to be besties with everyone, that working spaniels are usually too focused on their owners and perhaps a ball to be distracted.

I have German shepherd's, I also have GSD x Huskies, and pure bred Husky. GSD's are fantastic dogs. They have grown up with my children and their friends. They are really intelligent and talkative, but can also be dopy as hell. Please don't mistake them as shy - They are attention whores and will indeed love everyone. I have grown up around GSD's since I was 7. My Mum's client had two giant GSD's (Mum&Son) - I used to run around the owners garden with them (She was a Doctor!), always supervised mind. They love paté! Only the M&S kind, please do not fool them with Lidl 🤣...these are not just any dogs! These are M&S dogs 🐕.

That's my GSD x Husky in the picture - Clara-Darling. Kiss goodbye to your garden: Where there's a way, there's gonna be a crater of a hole. GSD'S looooove to dig holes. I would say you can train this out of them, if they want to listen 😁.

If you don't get a GSD - Check out 'Gerberian Shepskies' (I've probably triggered the peanut gallery of OmG iT's NoT a PurE Breeeed So iTs NoT a NaaaaME). She pulls like a train, they are easy train...sometimes when they decide and dain to listen to us peasants. I like to think of them as intelligent hooligans.

You could also check out Russian Ovcharka/Russian Bear dog, if you really want a giant of a dog. I've taken in a few rescue bears and fed them up, then placed them with livestock farms because they are live cattle guards. Not really built for domestic houses because they get so big, but they're lovely and sassy.

Honestly, I’d get a rescue and will be doing when my latest GSD is no more. My last one I rescued as a pup and she was really neurotic so I went to an excellent breeder this time, paid £3k. Nope, still neurotic. Our dog school is mainly GSDs, all reactive. My girl is 3 now but we still attend training every week. She’s VERY well trained but still has anxiety around other dogs. My dream of her running on a beach with me off lead will never be realised 😆
with a rescue you’ll get to decide the dog you want with the personality you’re looking for.

Thank you, this is very balanced and helpful

The reason that they’re not first-time dogs is that training any dog is a challenge when you’ve not done it before. All puppies are horrible bitey land sharks who piss everywhere, eat anything that they’re not supposed to and easily develop habits you don’t want them to have like jumping up at people or being silly when they see other dogs. You need to learn how to do that basic training which all dogs require, regardless of breed, without also throwing in a dog with huge intelligence and physical strength, prone to neurosis, which requires a whole other level of obedience training to be safe around people and dogs and which also runs the risk of nervous aggression due to the breeding concerns with the breed. It’s like wanting to buy an F1 car before you’ve learnt to drive. Start with the Corsa and work your way up.

Also, lots of people want “intelligent” dogs. You don’t, really. You want a biddable dog, and the two are not necessarily the same. A GSD will think carefully about what you’re asking it to do and if it decides it doesn’t fancy it or you don’t know what you’re doing, it’ll pass. And that’s when you’ve got a dangerous dog on your hands.

I’m also somewhat baffled as to why you specifically want an aloof dog. That implies you want a guard breed. Any dog will bark when the doorbell goes or alert you to visitors and any medium-large dog will sound intimidating from outside. That’s all you really need a pet dog to do. A breed which is inclined to be friendly will be trainable and that’s what you want.

Have a look at golden retrievers or flat-coats. You need to research a breeder who does genetic health testing but I think they’d be a better option.

Ok fair enough! Though dogs being friendly to other people does not mean they don't still have a strong preference for their owners. I have a pointer. He adores us and is generally friendly with other people but doesn't like to be stroked until he's decided you're ok and would not like anyone but other close family to get right in his face, play boisterously with him or e.g. rub his tummy. He's not really interested in approaching other people on walks. He's definitely less 'love everyone' than the golden retriever I had as a child.

It is very easy to find one that loves children, you go to the kennels with your DC and the right dog chooses you.

Do your friends think their dog has no character? I've never known a greyhound that isn't a totally odd character. Not for everyone though, they're not very fluffy and goofy AF. 😅

That’s a really interesting take, thank you.

Before I started researching breeds I wanted to get a rescue (hadn’t settled on breed yet) and would have done if I didn’t have a child. I thought it would be better to find a breeder where the dam and sire had good temperaments and I could raise the dog from a pup. I’d be worried that I wouldn’t know what I was getting in to with a rescue unless it’s a well known easy breed if that makes sense?

I’’ve had several dogs over my life, mostly rescues and big dogs. Had 2 staffies.
Currently have my old (14) rescue staffie and a 3 year old entire male German Shepherd. Had him at 8 weeks.
They are super intelligent and like a job.
He has been and is brilliant. Great with my dgc who are here a lot and loves the family’s visiting dogs including his litter brother. Often 5 dogs here and kids now 11-14.
We went through a period of reactivity but I trained him through that and he was always controllable.
He is super friendly and tbh I’ve had to work to stop him approaching other dogs. Lots of people admire him so he is very friendly with people.
Small dogs and entire males often bark at him - defence aggression, but he now doesn’t react due to training.
I am lucky that he is not anxious or dominant. I see a number that cannot be off lead but equally regularly see two bitches he plays with.
Nature and nurture are both important. You wfh so that’s good, not a breed to be left to go stir crazy.

I've never owned a dog but I do like them. A well trained GSD is a treat to have, I imagine. My best friend at school had one and she was awesome. But I couldn't have one myself because they need special handling and socialising. She could get very aggressive with strangers, and it took a long time for her to get to know me. But once we got past that we became friends too.

My exH had a collie as a kid, and says she was the most excellent dog that he ever had. Loved to play football (!), excellent companion, and fitted well in the family. She needed a shit-ton of exercise though. But they are very good to train. Very intelligent.

Me wanting an aloof dog is also about protection to a point. I don’t want a dog that attacks others, obviously but I am a single female who spends a lot of time outdoors on my own and would like a dog that would at least ward off any signs of danger if that makes sense

Absolutely not. Scarey horrible things.