I'm thinking about getting a german shepherd

[slacker77]

I'm looking for a family pet that is smart, protective, and good with kids. I've heard mostly good things about them. Any advice would be appreciated.

[T Park]

Well my basset hound is smart and very very good with kids.

Protective?

Eh, hell bark alot ot get your attention :lol

[TDMVPDPOY]

GET a pittbull and become a statistic one day

[slacker77]

Well my basset hound is smart and very very good with kids.

Protective?

Eh, hell bark alot ot get your attention :lol
My cousin has a basset. Good dog, but he barks constantly.

[NASpurs]

Hip Dysplasia is something that is common in German Sheperds (well maybe not just them). Maybe it's not just them but yeah... it's something you have to think about. I had a German Shepherd a few years ago and she had that later in her life :(

[slacker77]

GET a pittbull and become a statistic one day
No thanks. Their temper is about as predictable as texas weather

[slacker77]

Hip Dysplasia is something that is common in German Sheperds (well maybe not just them). Maybe it's not just them but yeah... it's something you have to think about. I had a German Shepherd a few years ago and she had that later in her life :(
Other than that, how was she?

[kingsfan]

I've got a German Shepherd and he's super sweet. He loves to play with cats and is very protective of me. He hates anyone but me though (I live alone) so I can't give advice on the kids part. Very smart dogs too ( mine's not but I've had others that were).

[NASpurs]

Other than that, how was she?Great dog! Loved her to death. The only thing I really don't know about is how they're around with kids. I was already a teenager and so were my sisters and there really wasn't any kids around her so I couldn't tell you. But she was really protective of us and the whole family. Hope you have a big backyard if you're planning to get one :)

[NASpurs]

I've got a German Shepherd and he's super sweet. He loves to play with cats and is very protective of me. He hates anyone but me though (I live alone) so I can't give advice on the kids part. Very smart dogs too ( mine's not but I've had others that were).Exactly, same thing with me. If anyone who wasn't a regular part of the family came to our house, we had to lock our dog in the back. My German Shepherd hated everyone else and protected our family like I said before.

[slacker77]

Great dog! Loved her to death. The only thing I really don't know about is how they're around with kids. I was already a teenager and so were my sisters and there really wasn't any kids around her so I couldn't tell you. But she was really protective of us and the whole family. Hope you have a big backyard if you're planning to get one :)
I have two kids. One is 13 and the other is 4. It's the 4yr old I'm more concerned with. As far as a backyard goes, it's fairly large.

[slacker77]

I've got a German Shepherd and he's super sweet. He loves to play with cats and is very protective of me. He hates anyone but me though (I live alone) so I can't give advice on the kids part. Very smart dogs too ( mine's not but I've had others that were).
Did you get him when he was a pup?

[kingsfan]

Did you get him when he was a pup?Yes I had his mother when she was a pup and he's been with me 9 years now, she passed away almost 2 years ago :cry
Mine haven't had any hip problems but I heard that is common.

[marini martini]

We had a male lab/shep. mix. Kids were 7,8,& 9. Best dog in the world. Super smart, protective, & great gaurd dog. Lived to be l7 years old. Mix is the way to go, IMO. Don't muchtrust full breeds, too much in breading = :dizzy

Full bread German Shep will bite your 4 year old's face off!

[slacker77]

We had a male lab/shep. mix. Kids were 7,8,& 9. Best dog in the world. Super smart, protective, & great gaurd dog. Lived to be l7 years old. Mix is the way to go, IMO. Don't much

trust full breads, too much in breading = :dizzy

Full bread German Shep will bite your 4 year old's face off!
Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.

[kingsfan]

Mine is part lab also. I also prefer mutts, they make better pets.

[mrsmaalox]

I always wanted a shepherd but I heard too many hip dysplasia stories; my friend has a young (3yrs) female that already has it. Hers is pure shepherd, I don't know if that is a factor. So I ended up with a Doberman and he's precious. LOVES kids, adults, dogs, cats, etc. Very protective of me and the kids--if I get a little too "emphatic" when dealing with the kids, he will jump in the middle and bark. He was an absolute livewire when he was a pup, and now he is 5, but still has a real playful, pup personality. Smart as can be and really easy to train!

[marini martini]

I always wanted a shepherd but I heard too many hip dysplasia stories; my friend has a young (3yrs) female that already has it. Hers is pure shepherd, I don't know if that is a factor. So I ended up with a Doberman and he's precious. LOVES kids, adults, dogs, cats, etc. Very protective of me and the kids--if I get a little too "emphatic" when dealing with the kids, he will jump in the middle and bark. He was an absolute livewire when he was a pup, and now he is 5, but still has a real playful, pup personality. Smart as can be and really easy to train!

Too bad you can't train him to bring in your garbage cans on a windy day, instead of your 85 year old neighbor :lmao :lmao :lmao

[mrsmaalox]

Too bad you can't train him to bring in your garbage cans on a windy day, instead of your 85 year old neighbor :lmao :lmao :lmao

Now that you mentioned it the old dude WAS a little easier to train! :lol

[marini martini]

Now that you mentioned it the old dude WAS a little easier to train! :lol


Flash a little cleavage, and they will follow you anywhere, ,................................................. .................or take in your cans :toast

[HighLowLobForBig-50]

Wiemeriner . Very loyal , protective but not unsocialable , great with kids , easily trained and downright beautiful dogs. I recomend a male. The one draw back when it comes to wiemeriners is that they're kinda nutty. And from my experience the males are more even tempered. Plus they can get just as big as a GS, mine is 130 and not overweight at all . He's a fine specimen, gentle giant and i love wrestling with him knowing i cant really hurt him. Noah is his name

[blizz]

Get a boxer...they are GREAT with kids.

[MajicMan]

Get a Caucasian Ovcharka Mountain Dog. This thing will kill just about anything other than you and your kids.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/CaucasianOvcharka-Julius.jpg

[TheSanityAnnex]

No thanks. Their temper is about as predictable as texas weatherThat's why they score highest on the standardized tempermant test.....................http://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smirolleyes.gif

[TheSanityAnnex]

I love German Shepards, but if I had small kids, I would not trust them.

[anakha]

My family used to have a German Shepherd before, when my youngest brother was just a baby. And she was always very protective of the family.

I remember several occasions when my baby brother was playing on the floor, and our dog would posture herself such that she was always lying on the floor close behind him. Whenever he would crawl or toddle to a different area of the house, she would always follow behind and take up the same position lying behind him whenever he would tire out and sit down on the floor.

And even to her old age she would always accompany my mom out on her morning or evening jogs.

My mom is in no way a pet person at all. And even she was sad when our dog finally passed away.

[Fillmoe]

i had a feeling this thread would turn into something about pitbulls

[peewee's lovechild]

I once new a German Shepherd.

He was a nice guy and he looked funny wearing his lederhosen.

But, I couldn't stand the smell of the sheep crap and his constant yodeling.

[IceColdBrewski]

German Shepherd's tend to develope hip problems later on in life. I'd pass if I were you unless you're willing to pay the expensive vet bills.

3 words. Jack Russell Terrier.

They're great with kids and protective as hell. Almost protective to a fault. I've had to pull mine off door-to-door salemen on more than one occasion. I think it's safe to say that the AT&T salesman won't be back any time soon. Lucky for him he was wearing long pants.

About a week ago, I accidently left the gate open to my back yard. Some big black mutt wandered into my yard and squated down to drop a duece. I let my Terrier out and he chased that mutt all the way down the street, chewing on his ass the whole way. The neighbors who witnessed it got a good laugh out of it.

He's so protective of my kids, he sleeps with them in their room. And I always know when someone is approaching my front door, because he starts growling.


http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/jackrussellterrier.htm

[TDMVPDPOY]

hey if you dont need your dog....


dumplings anyone?

[Shelly]

I say go to the pound or animal shelter and adopt a poor dog that's in need of a good home!

[PM5K]

My .02

As for the hip thing, checking out their parents, and getting a full bread dog is the most you can do.

As for their temperament, I'd be hesitant with a four year old, someone once posted a list in a pitbull thread that showed how often each type of dog attacked people and how, the German Shepherd was a lot higher than I thought it would be as far as attacks.

I did have one when I was a kid however, I'd say about eight years old.

It's kind of a toss up...

[LuvBones]

If you get a german shepherd you have to train them or they will control you. And most of them come in because of hip problems. We see a lot of german shepherds at the clinic. Those and dachshunds!

[blizz]

My .02

As for the hip thing, checking out their parents, and getting a full bread dog is the most you can do.

That's not true....infact buying pure bred dogs increases the chances that you'll get a dog predisposed for hip displaysia. Checking their parents is good along with no history of it in the blood lines, but even then you're still at risk.

[greywheel]

My parents had a German Shepherd, great dog. No need to reiterate the same praises.

But wanted to relay a story about my neighbor's shepherd. When I was about 7 or 8, we had a neighbor with a shepherd. We lived on a military base, so noone had a fence, it was just one big backyard play area. I used to play with it all the time. We moved to a new house and several months later I came back to visit my friend, who was about my age. We were playing in the back and I went to go pet the dog and he came after me. Luckily they hadn't bought him a longer chain. He must have forgotten who I was and was just trying to protect my friend. I wasn't angry but it did scare the hell out of me. I just left the dog alone after that.

[boutons_]

I'm always been fascinated by Border collies (sheepdog) performing on BBC herding competitions. Absolutely amazing animals, and not too big, either. Bigger dogs have bigger $appetites and bigger excrement.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bordercollie.htm

[Shelly]

If you get a german shepherd you have to train them or they will control you. And most of them come in because of hip problems. We see a lot of german shepherds at the clinic. Those and dachshunds!


Hey! How's your job going?

[slacker77]

Thanks to all for the insight. My family and I are gonna start looking around this weekend. Everyone keeps saying the same thing with german shepherds, they are prone to hip problems. Hey IceColdBrewski, how hard was it to train your Jack Russell?

[slacker77]

Gotta go for now, I'm late for the game. Thanks again to all.

[MajicMan]

How the fuck did you go from a German Shepperd to a Jack Russell Terrier? Anyhow, I would adopt one from the local pound. Save an animal and have a loving family pet. Unless you're a breeder or really want a specific breed there are millions of dogs out there without homes.

[LuvBones]

Hey! How's your job going?It's going great thanks! I love it there!! :D

[IceColdBrewski]

Thanks to all for the insight. My family and I are gonna start looking around this weekend. Everyone keeps saying the same thing with german shepherds, they are prone to hip problems. Hey IceColdBrewski, how hard was it to train your Jack Russell?

Not hard at all for me. He was about a year old when I got him. The first thing I did when I got him home was to take him out for a walk to let him know who was boss. He attempted to establish dominance right away by trying to run every which direction he wanted. Every time he tried, I gave a firm tug on the leash. After getting choked about 20 times, he finally gave up and just walked calmly beside me.

My advice. Find someone who's trying to get rid off several Jack Russell puppies. Get all the puppies grouped up, or in a line if you can. Ask the seller to step out of view for a few moments so the attention is focused on you alone. When you have their undivided attention, move quickly towards them in a threatening manner while clapping your hands and making as much noise as possible. The puppies that take off running or cower in fear should be ruled out right away. The ones that stand their ground and bark should be the only ones you even consider buying. You might not get the smartest dog in the group, but at least you'll know you're getting a dog that won't go hide under the bed if someone tries to break into your house.

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

Not sure about it, but i've heard that Belgian shepherds have less problems with hip dysplacia

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Belgian_Shepherd_Malinois_grass.jpg/800px-Belgian_Shepherd_Malinois_grass.jpg

[TheSanityAnnex]

Cool looking dog.

[koopa]

i'd get a doberman, i have a 8 month old dobie and he's awesome, very smart, and they are very loyal and he loves kids, and he's already alerting me when ppl he don't know come around out of nowhere

[blizz]

Not sure about it, but i've heard that Belgian shepherds have less problems with hip dysplacia

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Belgian_Shepherd_Malinois_grass.jpg/800px-Belgian_Shepherd_Malinois_grass.jpg
belgian malinois (malinwah) are great dogs. more often than not, they're the dogs used in the military and for police work. beautiful dogs.

[blizz]

you could get one of these
http://www.geocities.com/kenjalarrs/Head5.jpg
This is a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Actually...if I didn't have boxers, THIS would be the dog I'd get...I was looking around but couldn't find a breeder that had puppies in TX at the time so I went with a boxer. Boxers are great dogs, I'm on #'s 2 and 3 right now.

[2Blonde]

Here's my killer...
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/2783/008lm4.jpg

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/8853/mahinaonguard4vj2.jpg

She is 11 years old and still going strong. Full blood German Shepherd and no hip dysplasia. We bought her when my daughter was 5 and have never had a moments trouble with her. We call her "The Love Sponge". She is truly the sweetest dog on this earth. In fact somewhere I have a picture of her dressed up in a tutu. My daughter used her as a barbie doll when she was little. I think it just depends on the particular dog. Our other Shepherd was much more protective. We called her "the criminal".

[marini martini]

Beautiful dog, 2 Blonde! How does she love the country life?

[2Blonde]

Beautiful dog, 2 Blonde! How does she love the country life?
Thank you, we think so too! She is loving it out here although she spends a lot of time indoors. We say she has the world's largest doghouse ( our home). She is spoiled rotten.

[marini martini]

So does she lay on the deck and watch the deer?

[slacker77]

Thank you, we think so too! She is loving it out here although she spends a lot of time indoors. We say she has the world's largest doghouse ( our home). She is spoiled rotten.
That is a beautiful dog. Did you get her when she was a pup?

[2Blonde]

So does she lay on the deck and watch the deer?
yeah, and the rabbits other wildlife

[slacker77]

Tomorrow my family and I are gonna check out the local pounds. Can anyone suggest anywhere else? Friends, breeders, etc..(for shepherds)

[slacker77]

Hey 2blonde, scroll down to the last post on the second page.

[blizz]

Here are my killer Bs...both boxers...Bella on the left and Bailey on the right.
http://home.satx.rr.com/dartman/killerBs.jpg

[T Park]

I still vote for a nice, pure bred, Basset Hound.

I love mine to death :)

[blizz]

I still vote for a nice, pure bred, Basset Hound.

I love mine to death :)
A buddy of mine has one, good ol' John Wayne....cool doggie.

[Sapphire]

We had a German shepherd when I was a kid. Rocky was very protective, but also snapped at us kids. We were all sort of scared of him.

[Flea]

If you want a smart very protective dog look into heelers. We have a blue heeler and she is fantastic. They love being with their family and are very territorial. They will even run after your child and gently nip their heels if they think they are running away.
We had a male blue heeler many years ago and he was pretty stubborn. The female we now have was really easy to train. The kids sleep upstairs and she will wait downstairs until all of them have gone to bed and then move to the landing.

[Shelly]

Here are my killer Bs...both boxers...Bella on the left and Bailey on the right.
http://home.satx.rr.com/dartman/killerBs.jpg


What a great picture!!!!

[2Blonde]

That is a beautiful dog. Did you get her when she was a pup?
Sorry, I just saw the post. We got her when she was 4 months old. We bought her from a breeder in Oklahoma when we lived there. The lady had about 20 german shepherds but my husband and I knew instantly she was the one. She had this gentle look in her eyes.

[MajicMan]

Get a Bulldog. Great with kids but not really great watch dogs. I breed and show them.

[ashbeeigh]

go to Pawmatch.org and check out their puppies. They're an Austin area non-profit that rescues puppies that is expanding to the San Antonio area. They were at the Petsmart on De Zavala and 10 on President's day and had this adorable mastiff/great Dane mis (they actually weren't sure exactly what kind of dog she was). I don't know if they still have her ornot, but she looked like a perfect family dog. They go to PetsMarts Thursdays through mondays to do adoptions. Ask for Virginia or Andy.