German Shepards

mehuk

mehuk

mehuk

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Nope not Fritz on a hill with a bunch of lambs, but the dog breed...

I want one, the Mrs says no as we have kids and the dog will eat them or possibly kidnap them to form a wild pack in the woods.

Anyway I know from experience that they are soft (obviously in a well kept environment) but at the same time, they have a mean streak toward strangers if not introduced ie man in black and white hooped t-shirt with black hat on, enters building.

So if anyone wants to share their experiences of these dogs to offer some reassurance/caution then fire away.

Ive seen a 4 y/o in a rescue home that has lived with young children, is currently in a foster home with children as well, so he obviously can cope with them... although he needs his nuts crimping.
 
I'm also very interested in this. I love German Shepards, but the wife has heard they aren't good with kids? We have a 7 month old baby, so actually I would also like a dog that will protect the wife/child while they're out and about.
 
Not sure if slight troll but meh...

My nan's brother had 2 German Sheperds before they died of old age a few months ago. They've always been really friendly but bark a lot when they first see you or if they can't see you as you're coming in. 1 was more aggressive than the other but both were harmless. If you get it young then you can pretty much raise it to be more docile.
 
German Shepherds have a generally good reputation with kids. We had a Belgian shepherd and he was a great dog with the kids. Daft as a brush but also able to open doors, zips, and loved apples.
 
Get puppy dog, bring it up well, have its balls off and you are 99.99999999% gaurenteed to have the perfect family pet :)

That said, there is always a danger (with any dog), my mal bitch is soft as anything, but I'ld never leave her alone with a small child, she is a big dog after all. So are the sheps.



Daft as a brush
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Which can be dangerous, not intentional but a dog can accidentally send a child flying, or bump heads etc.
 
Had german shepards all my life ranging from normal tan and blacks to the white muppet i have the misfortune of having to take out in public.

Like with anybred of dog, its more about how the dog is raised than how it is treated, we had a rescue dog before and it was abused to say the least, wouldn't let strangers near the house and orginally never could get more than 10 feet from the hosue before it started trembling.
I wouldn't recomend any dog near a new born baby or toddler as they can be vicious if they get out of hand, but with young kids german shepards are awesome, mine pulls my neices slay at christmas, i should change that to tries to normally ends up with the sleigh in the lead with him chasing it and my nieces on there backs in the snow.
The main thing with dogs and children is teaching the dog to know its place, but most dogs i've had have never had this issue, once introduced to the child they normally turn into super gaurdian and seem to love exploring.
 
Shepherd bitches are finakey things, far less aproachable than the males! Males tend to be far more chilled back to. They really are great dogs, had 3 through my life time and they do make great pets, all three were bigger wimps than the labs we had at the same times!

Not sure on a rescue with kids though, you can never really be sure of what sort of dog your getting, any behaviour issues can go unoticed quite easily! At least with a pupppy they become a product of the enviroment. :)

Just make sure its been hip scored :)
 
Thanks for the replies, some interesting reading.

As I mentioned my best mate had one and we pretty much grew up together kipping at each others house, and his dog was amazing... just so calm and friendly, but at the same time if some danger was around he'd be infront of you to be the first in the action (if that makes sense).

Maybe I should reign in my 'want' for a couple of years to let all the kids hit school age first.
 
They are a great breed and SuperDrive with kids, very easy to train hence their use with the army and police...very protective of their family. I've been around at least a dozen and never had a problem with any of them. Please look into the history of the breeders and the dog and bitch parents as if you get a bad one it will cost you (could be said for anything breed really). Good luck with persuading your wife.
 
They are excellent dogs given the right owners and looking after. My family had two for the first 14 years of my life as my parents had them before I was born.

The one that was around when I was brought home for the first time became a guardian and used to sleep between my room and my parents room and come and nudge my mum when I used to stir. It also used to lay under my pram/cot and when visitors used to come over if anyone but my parents went to pick me up they got told exactly where to go.

Having said that, not a bad bone in them and I loved growing up with them. Ours were daft as a brush as said above. Ideally you don't want one to have any form of "mean streak" but they are a big deterrant - which is all you need.

Great dogs!
 
A good point about a puppy first as well, probably the route to go as he will grow up with the kids and us.

hmm some strategic puppy pictures about the house may help :D
 
Sheps are lovely dogs. As with any dog I wouldn't leave him alone in the room with the children if they are very young (the children, duh :p ). Bigger dogs do have more chance of knocking a kid over accidentally but they are less likely to bite at being pulled about just because they don't feel it as much.

It's really good you're looking at a rescue dog. I think if he lives with children already he already knows where his place is so less chance of him being freaked by the child. I think you should get him :)
 
We have a had 2, our current one is 9 this September and we got her at a year old, she did lack discipline but as she's got older she has calmed down.

Our first one we got as a puppy and grew up with a lovely temperament and good with kids.

Oh, and they are brilliant at nicking your chair and changing the TV channel when you need the loo:

img0078qg.jpg
 
Great dogs. They do get bored easily though so tend to bark and howl more than other dogs. We've had 2 german sheperds and 3 rottweilers in my time and the german sheperds are definitely more loyal and less controlling.
 
I've lived with 5 of them, at separate times, bought one up from a puppy. IMO they are quite a common dog, wouldn't have one unless I had lived with then previously (they were my ex mrs's dads dogs).

IMO they are one, if not the best dog a person could have. Very good with people and kids, as long as they are bought up correctly. They are very loving, very loyal and will protect you until death. They can bark a lot at strangers and any noise they may hear, I see this as a plus point though.

They can suffer from weak hips, which can leave their back legs useless. At which point they cannot walk and will drag them along just using their front legs.

And they do shed a lot too, hairs go everywhere. One thing I didn't say is that they are very intelligent too, they just seem to want to please you.
 
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