If youre planning on getting a pup now and kids down the road I think youll be alright with any dog, just make sure you socialize it well to children of all ages so its not afraid/agressive towards them. As soon as Reugar was old enough, we started going to petsmart/petco once a week and to the local park and I would let the kids pet him or give him a treat and now he loves kids!
Planning on adopting
- Thread starter flpanther75
- Start date
Hi FlPanther, first let me say I think it's great that you are taking the time to research before getting a dog, far too many people just jump into pet ownership, it's refreshing to see someone taking their time to ensure they make the right breed choice for their life and their family.
I wanted to give you some insight to the GSD...
As you may or may not know GSD's can be very active and intense breed, the fact that you mentioned you lead an active life is a good thing to hear if you are considering this breed. GSD's are "to do dogs", they need a job to do and they need an owner/family that wants a dog that wants to do things with them..
Grooming...the fact you mentioned you don't mind grooming is another plus if you are considering this breed. Those of us in the breed affectionately refer to them as "German Shedders" and with good reason..
Judging from your posts you sound like you are dedicated to learning how to be a wonderful pet owner however I do notice you mention having zero experiences in training dogs...this could be a problem, and if you are interested in a GSD you will have to learn not only training but how to be a pack leader.
Before I go further I am going to touch on your fiance having GSD mixes in the past, this experience should not be discounted because any experience with canine ownership is going to be an asset to you both right now, however the thing to remember is each mix is different, there are no guarantees on temperament and a mix is not a purebred GSD...
GSD's require a ton of training and a ton of socialization...you mentioned I believe getting adopting an older dog that has already been trained..That may work, but to be honest more likely it will not...GSD's do not obey just because they are given a command, rather they obey because they trust and respect their owner/handler...To get a GSD to listen to you, this breed must first view you as being worthy of being listened to...They need to respect you, you cannot force or demand the breed to respect you, rather it is earned by demonstrating that you are worthy of being pack leader..Please trust me when I say if a GSD has any doubts about your leadership abilities s/he will not hesitate to step in and attempt to fill the role of alpha...
GSD's also require a ton of training, exercise, and socialization to keep them from becomming bored and destructive...GSD's are highly intelligent..they need both mental and physical stimulation..if they don't get these things they will nto hesitate to find ways to amuse themselves by tearing up your house or developing compulsive behaviors..both of which will need to modified.
GSD's and children? The first thing I am going to say is that children and dogs should always be supervised together. Of course you will be spending a lot of time socializing your dog, and allowing him to meet a ton of different people, so a baby is not a new sight to him that he doesn't understand what to make of..the benefits of socialization can never be ignored and the more socialized your dog is the more well adjusted he will be, this is not just true of GSD's but it can apply to any breed....
GSD's are excellent family dogs, but there are a few things to take in mind..GSD's can have a tendency to dominant, since you are planning on having children later on down the line it will be up to you to ensure that if you choose a GSD he accepts that the baby is higher up than him in the pack...In personal experience I have found the breed to be very loving with children, protective of them and extremely faithful...but again regardless of the breed, dogs and children should always be supervised.
Like any other breed GSD's have their bad points but if you can see their needs and demands and meet them, if you can prove yourself of being of sharing your life with this breed then you are in for something special...A GSD will make you laugh, cry, smile, they will touch your heart and soul in ways you didn't imagine possible and they will make you wonder out loud why any other breed was created...
If you are interested in the breed, learn all you can...Get books (as I believe you have already-good job!), Talk with other GSD people, visit shows and other canine sporting events, Make contacts in your local breed club, maybe even volunteering at a breed rescue to gain personal experience with the breed..Learn as much as you can first, find out if the breed really suits you and your lifestyle.
The GSD is very special to me, it is my heart breed and I am very protective over it...Thank you for taking the time to research and learn before getting one...Whatever breed you choose I am sure you will make an excellent pet owner.
I wanted to give you some insight to the GSD...
As you may or may not know GSD's can be very active and intense breed, the fact that you mentioned you lead an active life is a good thing to hear if you are considering this breed. GSD's are "to do dogs", they need a job to do and they need an owner/family that wants a dog that wants to do things with them..
Grooming...the fact you mentioned you don't mind grooming is another plus if you are considering this breed. Those of us in the breed affectionately refer to them as "German Shedders" and with good reason..
Judging from your posts you sound like you are dedicated to learning how to be a wonderful pet owner however I do notice you mention having zero experiences in training dogs...this could be a problem, and if you are interested in a GSD you will have to learn not only training but how to be a pack leader.
Before I go further I am going to touch on your fiance having GSD mixes in the past, this experience should not be discounted because any experience with canine ownership is going to be an asset to you both right now, however the thing to remember is each mix is different, there are no guarantees on temperament and a mix is not a purebred GSD...
GSD's require a ton of training and a ton of socialization...you mentioned I believe getting adopting an older dog that has already been trained..That may work, but to be honest more likely it will not...GSD's do not obey just because they are given a command, rather they obey because they trust and respect their owner/handler...To get a GSD to listen to you, this breed must first view you as being worthy of being listened to...They need to respect you, you cannot force or demand the breed to respect you, rather it is earned by demonstrating that you are worthy of being pack leader..Please trust me when I say if a GSD has any doubts about your leadership abilities s/he will not hesitate to step in and attempt to fill the role of alpha...
GSD's also require a ton of training, exercise, and socialization to keep them from becomming bored and destructive...GSD's are highly intelligent..they need both mental and physical stimulation..if they don't get these things they will nto hesitate to find ways to amuse themselves by tearing up your house or developing compulsive behaviors..both of which will need to modified.
GSD's and children? The first thing I am going to say is that children and dogs should always be supervised together. Of course you will be spending a lot of time socializing your dog, and allowing him to meet a ton of different people, so a baby is not a new sight to him that he doesn't understand what to make of..the benefits of socialization can never be ignored and the more socialized your dog is the more well adjusted he will be, this is not just true of GSD's but it can apply to any breed....
GSD's are excellent family dogs, but there are a few things to take in mind..GSD's can have a tendency to dominant, since you are planning on having children later on down the line it will be up to you to ensure that if you choose a GSD he accepts that the baby is higher up than him in the pack...In personal experience I have found the breed to be very loving with children, protective of them and extremely faithful...but again regardless of the breed, dogs and children should always be supervised.
Like any other breed GSD's have their bad points but if you can see their needs and demands and meet them, if you can prove yourself of being of sharing your life with this breed then you are in for something special...A GSD will make you laugh, cry, smile, they will touch your heart and soul in ways you didn't imagine possible and they will make you wonder out loud why any other breed was created...
If you are interested in the breed, learn all you can...Get books (as I believe you have already-good job!), Talk with other GSD people, visit shows and other canine sporting events, Make contacts in your local breed club, maybe even volunteering at a breed rescue to gain personal experience with the breed..Learn as much as you can first, find out if the breed really suits you and your lifestyle.
The GSD is very special to me, it is my heart breed and I am very protective over it...Thank you for taking the time to research and learn before getting one...Whatever breed you choose I am sure you will make an excellent pet owner.
Serena has summed up the GSD pretty well. I have lived with GSD's my entire life, had them as a kid, have them now, always will..I've never had kids, but have neices/nephews/friends with kids. Even tho my GSD's were not around kids daily, or sometimes weekly/monthly, every single one of them have always liked kids and were respectful of their size.
I'm certainly not saying all gsd's will fall into that category. But I just wanted to show you that gsd's not really exposed to kids , sometimes have just a natural response of being fine with them .
Diane
I'm certainly not saying all gsd's will fall into that category. But I just wanted to show you that gsd's not really exposed to kids , sometimes have just a natural response of being fine with them .
Diane