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?

This is excellent advice, thank you. I guess if they’re a rescue centre worth their salt they will match you with the right dog. I was worried that sometimes the opposite is true, I’ve read about rescues offloading problem dogs on to people.
It does appeal to skip the puppy phase 😂

Where did I say I wanted a dog that would kill someone?
I don’t want a dangerous dog - otherwise I would try an illegal XL Bully and I wouldn’t go anywhere near one of those

I've always had and trained dogs and I've found it better to have them as puppies, to start training ASAP. If you want to be a dog handler/trainer as opposed to a dog owner then maybe you should wait until your son is a bit older and can be more of an active participant.

"You're talking about me, aren't you?"

Sasha aka Splasha Von Shlop Shlop

How about a rough collie? Intelligent, trainable, active, less love everyone than a lab but sweet natured and very good with children, very focused on their owner. And the grooming shouldn’t be an issue - at the same time, we only had hair around the house twice a year, it was remarkable how little shedding or hair there was the rest of the time. I had no problem with black clothes, unlike say, a golden retriever.

She’s a beauty 😍😍😍

we had a german shepherd as a child, just dm, ds and me, but i think it was my dm's second time of having a gsd.
she was lovely. long haired, beautiful dog
but she was quite young, 10, when her back legs went.
very sad.

I was going to say all of this too.

I owned one many years ago , she was very loyal but not particularly affectionate.
You say you love long walks which is good but you need to be constantly engaged with your dog .
Yes allow them to sniff and mooch about for some of the walk but also get them doing stuff that used there brain .
Play hide and seek ( obviously only once they are very well trained )
Hide objects for them to find
Practice sit , wait , down left and right etc.

They are very powerful dogs and a handful if they are not trained correctly right from day one.

It may be cute to have him / her jump up at you when you come in or sit on the sofa when they are a 2 month old pup . It's not at all cute when they are a 5 stone 2 year old barrel of energy and muscle

I didn’t actually say that. I read that the breed is more ‘aloof’ with people it doesn’t know, not that it is unfriendly to them

I had two childhood experiences with GSDs...one that I didn't know who decided to hang on to my ankle by his teeth, the other I'd known and seen regularly for about 3 years before it randomly went for my stomach...were it not for a chunky belt and the owners reflexes I dread to think how that might I've turned out. I'm nearly 50 now and would still cross the road to avoid one.

Obviously that's just unfortunate personal experience but I think taking one on as a first time dog owner with a young child would be absolute lunacy.

I’d say bad idea.
They’re not advised for first-time dogs because you need an extensive knowledge on dog behaviour and how to handle a dog.
GSDs are strong, powerful dogs. They’re also guard dogs.

Have you considered a spaniel or a collie?
They need extensive training, love long walks/hikes, they’re great with children, great personalities etc.
They’re a medium sized dog so would be a good start for you in terms of training and handling a dog.

Not sure how a PP went to Corgi from GSD. I’m a working spaniel fan, springers mainly but now have a stupid sausage dog 🤣 so no advice here

About 30 years ago I was matched with the perfect dog for me ... but a lot has changed since then.

I am currently not in a position to have another dog, but my last one came to me as a rescue/ project through a friend. (A cookerpoo, say no more!!)
There are many 6-18 monthsold dogs out there that are looking for a home due to morons wanting a cute puppy. Get to know the people from your local dog training club they are often also involved in local rescue, you might be able to find a suitable match through them.
(I already have 3 and do competition Agility & Obedience with them, DH would sell the house and move us to a tiny 1 bedroom flat in a city centre If I get another dog !!)

Absolutely not. You will not have the skill to handle such a dog. A dogs obedience is not intrinsic, it's to do with the handler which is why you see so many poorly trained dogs around.

Another advantage of a rescue is choosing the age. We rescued a 6yo, which is probably a maximum of a 6 to 8 year commitment. I WFH and our dog was mostly already trained, but it is still so time consuming.

I would also recommend you a do a holiday and any theme park trips with DS before the dog arrives, as holidays and days out are another level of faff, once the dog arrives.

Please don’t get a powerful dog from a rescue.
We did. My daughter paid the price for that.
We were matched with a 2 year-old Akita.
We spent almost 2 months visiting the dog, twice a week.
We went through with the adoption (me, DP and 6 year-old DD) and within 24 hours of the dog being “home”, she bit my daughter on the face.
We had a camera in the living room recording (bought solely for the dog so we could keep an eye on her when we went to bed).
Me, DP and DD were sat on the sofa, the dog was on the floor. DD kissed me on the cheek and the dog lunged for DD and bit her face.
We showed the footage to the dogs home (very well-known dogs home) and they were so shocked.

I would never rescue a dog again with young children in the house.
I’ll regret that for the rest of my life.

I have a white German shepherd and she is my first dog. She is an amazing companion and incredibly obedient inside the house. Outside is a different kettle of fish though. We did lots of training with her with a professional and classes and we also socialised her from an early age but she is still reactive around dogs and will lunge and bark her head off at them. I find it stressful walking her anywhere where dogs off the lead might randomly come running over to her.
she is the most loving, affectionate dog with me and my husband but when she met my young (hyperactive) niece she didn’t like her body language and was barking in her face. I don’t have her around young children anymore. Apparently her siblings are all the same with being loving and obedient at home but very skittish and reactive on walks. The white ones are known for being extra anxious.

Since you asked me...
As a PP suggested, some of the gundog breeds might work better for you. I have one of the hunt-point-retrieve breeds (like German pointers, Weimaraners etc). They're not OTT people-pleasers like so many labs, and if you train them and build a solid bond with them, you will be No.1 top human by a large margin.

They are almost all excellent with children, even if they're not used to them, and are very trainable if you go at it in the right way.

BUT (there's always a but!) they need
A decent amount of exercise (off-lead)
Lots of training around prey driven (to have them off-lead safely, that needs to be under control)
A mental outlet for their instinctive drives. This is really, really important. They are bred to hunt, point, and retrieve and they need the chance to do these things on a pretty much daily basis (though you. An have a few weeks off here and there). I combine it with exercising them.

I'd suggest you join a few FB pages to see the challenges owners face with them, and perhaps go along to an HPR specific gundog club to talk to owners and see what these dogs can do.

Mine are a joy, but they are hard work. PM if you like - I'm always happy to wang on about them.

And I'd normally say, not a breed type for first-timers, but with the right advice and guidance and a trainer with extensive gundog experience, you should be fine. Perhaps avoid trialling lines for your first, though, because they're on acid (I have one!)

I got my first dog 4 years ago. I knew that I was interested in doing lots of training and would have loved to get a larger dog like a GSD, lab or golden retriever. However, because I had zero experience of dogs, I decided to get a terrier. Whilst I know that the training required is similar for all dogs, I felt that the consequences of not getting the training right would be easier to manage with a smaller dog.

Four years on I have learnt so much. I didn't do anything wrong with him as a puppy, but I now have more confidence in reading dog body language, understanding dog behaviours and working out the best ways to train and motivate. I didn't grow up with dogs so these were all things I had to learn as an adult.

Looking back, I think I would probably have done OK with a biddable breed - terriers present their own challenges in training - but having a smaller dog made me feel 100% confident that I could handle him in any situation. We did some training classes with people who had dobermans and standard poodles and I could see the stress that the owners felt when their dogs weren't behaving well.

I think that volunteering at a rescue before getting a dog would be a brilliant thing to do. I did walk a neighbour's dogs for a few months prior to getting mine (in order to get some experience) but a rescue centre would have been better.

i grew up with GSD’s. They were all thoughtful, intuitive, fantastic dogs. Like you, my family doesn’t believe in anthropomorphising dogs, but they were very valued members of my family. As for them having a reputation for being fierce, they were trendy for a while with the same kinds of people that now have XL Bullies. In that time, there was a lot of inbreeding and health & physical problems as well as temperamental ones. My mum had post natal psychosis and was very violent. The feral GSD that my uncle found in the forsest in Tasmania appointed himself my guardian. He stood over me when mum was bonkers and kept me entertained so I didn’t need anything from her. Without him I would never have walked. He pushed me up off the ground and let me pull myself up with his fur when I was four and the HV noticed this and realised I had hip problems. I have had one GSD kelpie cross who was an entertaining ragbag, another GSD who was my soul dog - the gentlest, sweetest girl ever. Also a Shiloh Shepherd (who passed away just before Christmas.) whose temperament was nothing at all like the breed standard. (Giant but terrified of everything.)

You want a dog that’s ’aloof’ and doesn’t like people.

I never said you wanted a dog that can kill someone - only that GsDs in the wrong hands, which yours would be, can kill - but you DO want the intimidation factor, that’s clear from your posts. And no one who wants a dog for their intimidation factor should have a dog - because those sort of arseholes do not train them properly, they encourage bad behaviour and they inevitably end up with an aggressive animal

Haven't read the full thread, you'll be told 'not for first time owners' but if you're genuinely willing to put in the time with a good trainer from before you get the puppy, you'll be fine.

GSDs I know though are in horrible health, not sure if it's the breeding line now?

Rhodesian Ridgeback is another option to research, absolutely fabulous family dog that has many of the traits you've mentioned

A long haired dasch hound that is female. Amazing with kids and sleeps under your arm.

GSDs are fantastic family pets and extremely loyal. A female will be easier for you to manage as they're lighter than males and less likely to challenge as adolescents. Both sexes are excellent with the children in the family. GSDs are very bright and will enjoy the training as much as you will, be sure to start with puppy socialisation classes. Enjoy!

I have experience of GSD and I love them. When properly trained they are fantastic dogs. But as a first dog they are not a good idea. You have to know how to train, and be willing to spend a lot of time and effort doing it. They also need a lot of exercise.

I was going to ask you if this was the case so I’m glad you’ve clarified. getting a dog for protection is never a good idea. What are you hoping to be protected from? How is a dog supposed to know who is a threat and who isn’t? As an aside, all my dogs (retrievers/spaniel/collies/sight hounds & terriers) have always taken it upon themselves to walk between me and a person walking past with absolutely no protection training, I think it’s just what dogs do. They’ve all been very friendly to other people perhaps with the exception of the collie who was 100% a one person dog.

I don’t know anything about GSD’s really so couldn’t comment on them as a breed but I know I couldn’t cope with the fur and the ones you see being paraded around the show ring look utterly deformed