[Cliff R]

The best dogs you will ever have are the ones you get as pups and train from a younge age.

Some good advice above from YVEYANT. Dogs are pack animals, and you MUST be the leader of the pack, IF you want your dog(s) to be a happy and loving member of your family.

Even with that said, dogs are like people, there are fantastic dogs, good dogs, and POS. The POS wil take up all your time, and never attain the goals that you want from them. The fantastic dogs will train quickly, and be the best friend you will ever have right to the end. They will defend your family and property to the death, and provide an entire life of undevoted love and loyalty.

I have 4 dogs here, one 87 lb male Golden Retriever, and 3 Min-Pins. They are all fantastic dogs, attentive, loyal and they do exactly what they are told.

Kind of neat story, we had an intruder here about 5 months ago, tried to break into my walk out thru some double French doors. I turned the big dog loose on him, then the three Min-Pins. Joe Joe (the big Golden Retriever) was pulling pieces off this guy as he ran down thru the yard to make his escape, with the three Min Pins in hot pursuit. He's probably still running! Ya, I know, probably would have got sued if they tore the guy all up, which I could give a crap about. If he would have made it into the house, I would have had a bloody mess to clean up while waiting an hour for the Sheriff's Deputy to show up...They did EXACTY as they were supposed to, protect our lives and property without hesitation.......Cliff

[RAIVJUMB]

My dog is half GS and half pit bull. He is good sized at around 80 lbs. A friend who needed a guard dog for his shop had him as a pup and said he was too mello so i took him. He is 11 now and still acts like a puppy. Very intelligent and loyal dog sho is incredibly protective of my wife, scared the crap out of two teenagers who were messing with her while she was walking him. He is great with my kids and always has been, never had an issue with him. He got loose one time and ran into a car, dented the door and ran over his foot other than a raw spot on his foot he was ok, good thing he has a hard head. GS in my opinion are great dogs. Mark

[ponjohn]

Sorry I didn't see the thread sooner.

We have 4 German Shepherds.

Lightest is 70lbs the male is 100.

They are the most loyal, protective, territorial ( in a good way) pet you will have.
They are smart beyond words.

Yes some do have displastic hip issues. Our breeder has not had any issues in 5 generations.

At 8 months old he is still trainable. I would not shy away because he is not 8 weeks old. He'll be forever grateful and loyal.

Go for it.

[Mr Twister]

I'm still looking for the right one. I appreciate all of the input so far.

[Mr Twister]

This is "Dutch" a 7 week old AKC Black and Tan. I asked him at the peoples (breeders) house "Do you like me," and he ran over and licked my face. I took that as a yes...

[ponjohn]

Here is 3 of 4.

[mechanickeith]

Glad to see you have a new friend!!!! That is a great looking pup!!!! Now the fun begins!!! training, chewed shoes, chairs, etc, etc. Stay on top of the checkups & shots & he will be with you for many years to come!!!!!

[3X24SPD]

Originally Posted by Mr Twister

This is "Dutch" a 7 week old AKC Black and Tan. I asked him at the peoples (breeders) house "Do you like me," and he ran over and licked my face. I took that as a yes...

Hey- I have one of those too!
This is Baron.

[3X24SPD]

This is his brother, Wolfstraum.

[SRR]

Originally Posted by SRR

I'm a sucker when it comes to animals being mistreated. "Dolly" was found tied to a pole on the side of the street and had been there for a couple of days. A co-worker of mine rescued her and up until someone told on him he was keeping her in his apartment with wife kids and two huskys. The apartment has a no pit bull policy. I offered to take her for a while until we can find a home for her. She is a sweetheart, very playful, loves people but is a little to hyper around other dogs. My Dobie is 9 and just doesn't want anything to do with her. She is fixed and is about a year old. She knows basic tricks and is very healthy so someone must have cared for her.

A nice couple responded to my CL ad for Dolly so she has a new home with a big yard and a playmate male dog who she instantly submitted to. I'm sad and glad at the same time. I got attached to her.

[Me Notyou]

Originally Posted by Mr Twister

This is "Dutch" a 7 week old AKC Black and Tan. I asked him at the peoples (breeders) house "Do you like me," and he ran over and licked my face. I took that as a yes...

What a sweet looking dog! Congrats man!!!!

[Bjorn]

Originally Posted by Mr Twister

This is "Dutch" a 7 week old AKC Black and Tan. I asked him at the peoples (breeders) house "Do you like me," and he ran over and licked my face. I took that as a yes...

aaawww....I would have fallen for that right away too!

[steve]

Originally Posted by lust4speed

We raised GS in the 70's until we burned out dealing with buyers and trying to educate them. What carcrazy says is right on the money. I disagree only slightly with the statement about American show lines and problems. You are still better buying from a breeder that maintains champion line breeding stock than a backyard breeder that has pups because they thought it would be easy money. That being said, I fully agree that working dogs have the best chance of being athletic and problem free into their golden years.

Hip dysplasia is a genetic problem with no fool proof eradication, but breeding OFA certified stock sure helps. It takes the problem from 9 out of 10 GS pups having inferior hips to less than 1 out of 10. With good breeders the parents will have been x-rayed and evaluated prior to even being considered for breeding. Unless you want to buy a pup at least a year old, x-raying the puppy is a waste of time. hip dysplasia is a time related disease that slowly sneaks up. Also good stock will only show slight signs after 8 years old if they do have it, while puppy farm or backyard stock will show signs at less than 2 years old. Last comment on hip dysplasia is that since it comes on slowly over time, dogs usually compensate for it and still lead a normal life - they just won't be doing the 100 yard dash in record time or vaulting over any obstacles. Here is a good explanation of HD: http://www.peteducation.com/article....2+1569&aid=444

My main complaint with American show lines is that they were bred for conformation and not the mental soundness of the line. I can put up with a dog that has a very high prey drive, but I can't stand a high strung flighty shepherd, and that's what many of the U.S. show dogs exhibit. My dream shepherd would be from the East German lines - I love their blend of conformation and mental stability.

We lost our male last year and are now shopping for a replacement. I'm just starting to adjust to the sticker shock. One thing I have noticed is everyone is asking big money, and the few really great breeders are not really that much higher in price.

The pics of the blacks were in the early 70's. My daughters in the photo are now 46 and 44. We were also doing training back then for protection. The last pic is only a few years old and shows our female which we still have, and Bear that we recently lost. The female is 78 pounds and 25-1/2 at the withers. The male is a "little" bigger. At his prime he weighed 132 pounds.

lust4speed,

would you agree that even tho a pit bull or shepherd or doberman breed dog can be a very mellow and docile animal you need to be sure its the right breed for a potential owner ? i know they can be trained to be a family dog easily but they WERE bred for quite a long time for a very specific reason and contain many qualities that might not suit a specific owner or family lifestyle. i think a hunting breed dog is a better choice for novice owners or owners who just want a "big dog". something like a lab or pointer.
these were bred for centuries to get along with multiple "masters" and the ability to get along with other animals as well as easy companionship. IMO its an easier place to start when training a family pet. cant tell you how many owners of GS i have seen having trouble with the dog and i am sure they are not ALL doing everything wrong. not trying to be a jerk.....just something to think about. dogs have very strong instincts that i think can often be repressed or controlled but not eliminated.

[SRR]

Don't lump a Dobie in with a Pit and a Shepard.

[Mr Twister]

Tommorrow he (Dutch) will be 11 weeks and about 25 pounds. I will say this dog is "spirited", I think he is pretty cool though. I will post a new picture later...

[beemergary]

I hate the words gaurd dog. The biggest problem is the owners that reward there pet for being bad. Dogs need to socialize with people and other dogs. Just because you make them mind doesn't mean they hold a grudge like people. You got to remember your responsible for your pet just like your kid. Most of the time it seems the bigger the dog - the bigger the baby he is. Had good luck with labs, beagles, golden retrivers and my latest a newfoundland who thinks ever creature on this planet is his buddy.

[My442]

I have owned many German Shepards, but I have now an Akita man.....

With any of the working dog breeds, you have to pay close attention to the inherited behaviors that are bred into these dogs.

GS dogs are very protective of their property and families. They do not like small animals or other dogs.

You need to train and socialize them from an early age. Other dogs, cats, kids, people all need to be in the dog's life.

And, breeding plays a major role in temperment and health.

Do yourself a favor an do your homework on the breeder. Having any type of working dog is a major commitment.

[lust4speed]

Originally Posted by SRR

Don't lump a Dobie in with a Pit and a Shepard.

Too funny - I was thinking the same thing about including shepherds with the Dobies, Pit Bulls, and Rottweilers.

I do have reservations about Pit Bulls; but my daughter and son-in-law have always had Pit Bulls, and I guess no one ever told the dogs what they were because they act more like Golden Retrievers. Environment is a major factor, and many dogs are ruined by their owners.

We usually ended up adding a small mutt that were dragged home by my daughters, and these small POS always were accepted by our GS's. If our big dogs had attitudes like the little shrimps, animal control would be knocking down my door to remove the dogs. With a little dog, it's "cute". You see the stupid things all the time on America's Funnies Videos with the little turd protecting the guys wife while he fakes an attack. Have a family member try to fool a big dog - they just give you a pathetic look that says "give it up, you aren't fooling anyone".

Steve, I would agree with you - for that matter some people shouldn't be allowed to have children. One of the meanest, most vicious, and probably the most trained dog I ever came across belonged to a friend of mine -- Irish Setter. That dog would rip you apart if his master told him to attack. I hated to be around that dog. If you forgot and looked him in the eye he was coming after you, and the friend had better be there to call him off.

[steve]

Originally Posted by SRR

Don't lump a Dobie in with a Pit and a Shepard.

im not trying to be a prick. just trying to understand. werent those breeds (among others) selected and bred for many generations because of their natural instincts as attack dogs ? wouldnt a mis-handled "bully breed" dog be a much higher risk than lets say a beagle or another less aggressive breed ?

[lust4speed]

German Shepherds were originally herding dogs - or more generally working dogs. It takes a high degree of intelligence for a breed to do certain tasks, and these tasks can be anything from protection dogs to seeing eye dogs (never saw a Beagle as a seeing eye dog). No question that there are big lovable dogs around that are very low key and playful, and some are very intelligent. These are also the ones that are not only harmless, but will want to play ball with the bad guys.

Which brings up a story I have to tell. I had a customer that had a beautiful house up in the hills. He was robbed twice while he and his wife worked at their family business down in the city. He purchased two fully trained adult Dobermans and installed a 6' high security fence around the perimeter. One night a couple of months later they returned home and the gate was open, the front door of their house was open -- and every stick of furniture and clothing and wall coverings were gone - including the two dogs. So he was also out $10,000 worth of doggy protection. Locks and dogs only keep honest (or slightly dishonest) people away.