OT: German Shepherd dogs

CNY rider · #1 07-19-2019, 10:16 AM

We lost our old lady a few months ago, just before her 16th birthday.
She had the best life a golden retriever ever had, with a family that loved her, kids to watch over, lots of exercise, and a lake to swim in.
We are looking for puppy this fall and while a golden still checks all the boxes we are also interested in a German Shepherd.

A couple pf specific questions for those familiar with the breed, if you would:

We love to hike and cross country ski with our dogs. The skiing would be anywhere from 1-5 miles, temperatures from 10F up to freezing, on rolling hilly terrain. During good conditions 4 or 5 days a week. The dog needs to behave itself off leash. We will encounter few other skiers on our local trails but if we do they may also have a dog with them.
Can they handle that much exercise? If well trained can they be trusted in encounters with other dogs and humans out in the woods?

Ozz · #2 07-19-2019, 10:32 AM

Good dogs but needs lots of training and attention....emphasis on training. They are smart and protective...may not get along with other dogs if not well trained and socialized.

Check these guys out (Monks who train German Shepherds): https://newskete.org/our-dogs

More info also: https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/german-shepherd-dog/

They are herding dogs, so they can handle exercise...

You might check out the Belgian Malinois and Belgian Tevuren as well...

AngryScientist · #3 07-19-2019, 10:36 AM

one of my best friends had german sheps growing up, and her mom, later in life got a puppy out of nostalgia. she was too old and feeble at the time to properly train or exercise the dog, and that dog grew to be an absolute nightmare. terribly behaved, never fully housebroken and dangerously overprotective/unsocialized.

they can be great dogs, but definitely need serious training to be trustworthy.

also, they are absolutely the cutest puppies ever!

shamsixnine · #4 07-19-2019, 10:37 AM

I am sure you are going to have a bunch of interesting responses to your post.
But as a quick answer to your question, a yes to all. A german shepherd could handle just about anything thrown at it.
Now for some details: Theres' show blood lines, there's working bloodlines, there's American bloodlines, European bloodlines.
I prefer to check out both sire and bitch to get a good idea of how your dog will turn out. My first Shepherd was a mix of German show, and Czech working bloodline. A spectacular dog. My second was a German show bloodline-a little flaky and dangerous to strangers-eventually found another home for her-too much of a liability.
Another great option, is to rescue a dog from an animal shelter. They usually turn out to be the best dogs!

pdmtong · #5 07-19-2019, 11:35 AM

Rescue GS - YMMV. Ours was 2yo and Slovakian descent. Did not consistently obey commands and could not be trusted off leash. I did train her to pace with my single speed flat bar so she ran three miles a day - again on leash. She did not do well around other dogs. Vocally aggressive but when by herself not that way at all. Sometimes aloof. Would rather sleep under the dining room table than sit next to me while watching a movie. Unknown is traits were unique to her to the breed or to the rescue.

Luna was my daughters first dog. She passed last year from a tumor. Giant attenuating ears and super long tongue. Definitely miss her.

Mzilliox · #6 07-19-2019, 11:49 AM

they are stunning animals who will give back proportionate to the amount of training given them. they are not the lab style family dog, they need more work. they like to run.

if you train them well, you will have one of the most loyal dogs out there

Ken Robb · #7 07-19-2019, 11:50 AM

Years ago I thought i wanted a Doberman. My vet advised against that on the grounds that dogs like that, including German shepherds, Rottweilers, etc. have two strikes against them before they do ANYTHING. If they sniff a child to get acquainted many people will assume it's an attack. His advice was to get a Golden or a Labrador because everybody thinks they are cute, sweet, and harmless so they are cut a lot of slack around strangers. Then some insurance companies won't write homeowner or personal liability coverage for owners of some dogs with reputations of aggressive behavior. FWIW I can assure you most labs LOVE to run even in the snow.

GonaSovereign · #8 07-19-2019, 12:05 PM

I've had three, all rescues. One was a poorly behaved adult from an abusive home. One was a geriatric who needed a retirement, and one was eight months old when we got her. That last one is close to perfectly behaved in all situations. She gets most of the credit, but we took care of all the fundamentals.

If you're willing to put in the time and effort, they're the single best breed. Smart, agile, loyal, tons of endurance, etc. As friendly as your golden.

Keep in mind, they are smarter than you, and shiftless when idle. Do not get one if you aren't willing to put in the time to make them excellent. If you are, you'll have an amazing dog.

If you're in:

Lots of love and clear rules make the dog. Don't hesitate to get pro help if you don't know what you're doing. I'm sure I still have tons to learn.
Do not take puppies on extended walks/hikes/skis until their bodies are full grown. Once the dog is full sized, trained and used to hikes, skiing, etc, they'll wear you out.

I fully support getting a rescue dog. If you go that route, go for one who is in a foster home so the fosters can tell you about real-world temperament and behaviour with kids, dogs, cats, big men wearing hats, etc.

When you have your shep, intro him/her to everyone in your hood. It's good for the dog and good shepherd PR. I am currently lucky enough to have a perfectly behaved shep who loves everyone, every pup, every cat and she does a ton of shep PR around town here.

GScot · #9 07-19-2019, 12:12 PM

Sure they can do all of that. We had several Rottweilers growing up and my parents got a GSD just as I was leaving home. I also had a German Shorthair at that time and hunted pheasant with her. The GSD learned to tag along and help out, she could not find birds like the Shorthair but would take directions if I wanted her to block and would race to pick up downed birds. Worked out fine because the Shorthair was quite happy to move on looking for the next bird and didn't mind competition in fetching.

I have a neighbor now with a 3 year old male GSD who exhibits perfect manners and a new female now a few months old. Since I'm out with my dogs every morning we've become the daily training aid for that new pup to learn how to act with visiting or passing dogs. I believe he has done a few long hikes with the older dog, as in multi-day carry your supplies hikes.

Unsolicited comment on Airedales. Seldom thought about or mentioned but they could meet your job description if you happen to like them. A bit more independent than the lab or retriever but a less dominant than a GSD.

dancinkozmo · #10 07-19-2019, 12:20 PM

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eippo1 · #11 07-19-2019, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CNY rider

We lost our old lady a few months ago, just before her 16th birthday.

She had the best life a golden retriever ever had, with a family that loved her, kids to watch over, lots of exercise, and a lake to swim in.

We are looking for puppy this fall and while a golden still checks all the boxes we are also interested in a German Shepherd.

A couple pf specific questions for those familiar with the breed, if you would:

We love to hike and cross country ski with our dogs. The skiing would be anywhere from 1-5 miles, temperatures from 10F up to freezing, on rolling hilly terrain. During good conditions 4 or 5 days a week. The dog needs to behave itself off leash. We will encounter few other skiers on our local trails but if we do they may also have a dog with them.

Can they handle that much exercise? If well trained can they be trusted in encounters with other dogs and humans out in the woods?

As others have said, a GSD will be great for all you discuss, but they will take some work. If you put in that work, they will be amazing. Sort of like how I was partially raised by my collie growing up. My parents told her where I needed to be and she'd make sure I'd be there or stay there.

We have a rescue GSD (and maybe golden) mix now that was a mess when we got her. Bite marks, ground down teeth from living on a chain, and she'd been **** with bird shot. So as you can imagine, it took some extra work since she was afraid of other dogs and became way protective of us since we showed her love.

We spent a lot of time training (mostly because of the dog reactivity) and she has been a fantastic dog. Such a strong bond forms when you work toward goals with smart working dogs. Whatever task that she is lax on, such as recall, is mostly due to us being lax. So the main thing is to be consistent and train yourself as well as your dog and you'll have a companion that will do all you all above and more.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

benb · #12 07-19-2019, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

Years ago I thought i wanted a Doberman. My vet advised against that on the grounds that dogs like that, including German shepherds, Rottweilers, etc. have two strikes against them before they do ANYTHING. If they sniff a child to get acquainted many people will assume it's an attack. His advice was to get a Golden or a Labrador because everybody thinks they are cute, sweet, and harmless so they are cut a lot of slack around strangers. Then some insurance companies won't write homeowner or personal liability coverage for owners of some dogs with reputations of aggressive behavior. FWIW I can assure you most labs LOVE to run even in the snow.

German Shepherds are terrifying dogs for me in the hands of bad owners.. I have a family member who had a GS that they never socialized, it was the scariest dog I've seen as an adult. That GS would have tried to kill anyone outside of the immediate family if it had ever gotten loose, it was that bad. The owners thought it was cute and just claimed it was just protective which wasn't amusing. If they had a cookout the dog would get put in a pen and it would bark nonstop at the fence almost foaming at the mouth the entire time, very scary.

mcteague · #13 07-19-2019, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozz

Good dogs but needs lots of training and attention....emphasis on training. They are smart and protective...may not get along with other dogs if not well trained and socialized.

Check these guys out (Monks who train German Shepherds): https://newskete.org/our-dogs

More info also: https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/german-shepherd-dog/

They are herding dogs, so they can handle exercise...

You might check out the Belgian Malinois and Belgian Tevuren as well...

It used to be really difficult to get a well bred GSD when I considered them long ago. I had Siberians for many years, not good off leash though. Similar to the GSD are the Belgians mentioned above. The Groenendael, known as the Belgian Sheepdog, is a good choice. They are generally more friendly than the Malinois that law enforcement seems to favor. My Belgian, Kodi, is the best dog I have ever owned.

Tim

itsflantastic · #14 07-19-2019, 01:16 PM

I raised 2 as Seeing Eye dogs. And let me tell you- there is a reason they are one of Seeing Eye's preferred breeds. They are brilliant, athletic, loving, etc. I think a German Shepherd would be a great dog for you

Can they handle that much exercise? YES If well trained can they be trusted in encounters with other dogs and humans out in the woods? YES

May also wish to consider Australian Shepherds. More athletic, but also might require more exercise. Equally brilliant. Lovely dogs.

I worked as a vet tech for 10 years and have known a lot of breeds.. I think either German Shepherds or Australian Shepherds would be a good bet.

Dan

eippo1 · #15 07-19-2019, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benb

German Shepherds are terrifying dogs for me in the hands of bad owners.. I have a family member who had a GS that they never socialized, it was the scariest dog I've seen as an adult. That GS would have tried to kill anyone outside of the immediate family if it had ever gotten loose, it was that bad. The owners thought it was cute and just claimed it was just protective which wasn't amusing. If they had a cookout the dog would get put in a pen and it would bark nonstop at the fence almost foaming at the mouth the entire time, very scary.

Any dog is scary in the hands of bad owners. I am just as frustrated with owners of small dogs who are just like "whatever, they're small and don't need training." Truth is that all dogs need socialization, training, and consistency in accordance with their temperament.