Dog help German Sheppard

area51_for_psx

area51_for_psx

area51_for_psx

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Hi guys anyone got a german sheppard.

Me and the girl are looking one for new house. I have a dog at the moment but it is tiny compared to a german sheppard. Its a Miniature schnauzer.

Anyone know what the going rate is for a pup and are they hard to train. Will I need to bring it to specialist training due to it growing into shuch a big powerful dog?


Gareth
 
Only experience I have with them is my nan's old one, it was army trained, and it was the perfect dog, so frikkin awesome and I miss him :(
 
Great dogs, can be very will full at times so if you dont have or much training experience you will need help :)
Make sure you see the hip scores before you buy!
oh and they dont particular like small dogs, but as your getting a pup this may not be a problem.
 
Absolutely fantastic dogs- quite easy to train as long as you're not too soft with them and you catch them when they are young- they are also extremely clever.

No need for specialist training; they're not aggressive or unruly at all- very faithful to their owners and usually OK around other humans (They're not too keen on other dogs though)

Just some advice.... you do need a nice big garden for it, and they love their excercise. They hate being left alone for long periods, so it's good if someone is around a lot of the time.

As someone else said, make sure you get their hip scores, and also be aware that there are a lot of irresponsible breeders out there, who allow deformities to be bread into bloodlines/ pups- so the poor things can often develop heart/ digestion problems later in life- please do not buy from such breeders; I believe there are approved/ certified breeders who are more careful about such things, so it is worth looking for one of those.
 
aslong as you do train them and treat them right theyll be very well behaved. german sheps are magnificent creatures :) i think its also because its still quite akin to the wolf. if you want to understand the doggy mind watch some "dog whisperer", caesar is a god in the canine world :D
 
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A Miniature schnauzer to a German Shep' is one hell of a jump.

Be firm but fair to the Dog and it will die for you in return.

Be weak & abuse it at your peril. ;)
 
My gf has one, they are extremely clever. They’ll take to one owner and they are known for being one owner dogs, they are very loyal, very protective and they need a lot of stimulate in their life. Reason my gf got one was to excercise, you'll have no idea how many walks these dogs need.... Three hours min.!!

They do not like sitting around for long periods of time, they are like Border Collies, and they need tasks. Walking them, and giving them sticks means they see this as work, and they love it. They’ll walk with a lead if you train them correctly, and if you let them off the lead, they’ll mostly never run too far from you, in fact they tend to figure eight you, as in run in front, and then run behind you. It’s a protection thing, they will bark at the door, garden fences and if they feel threaten will defend…

You’ll know this, as they stand firm, and their back hair stands right up. They can also be very protective of their food, and they eat very well, and are not picky on the food they receive.

If you can, try and get you and your gf to feed a germen shep pup, otherwise they’ll see the one that feeds as the one who is master. They are very alert and know exactly what time it is. If you forget to feed they tend to nudge you at the times they tend to be fed. Sometimes even bringing the food bowl to you.

Teach the pup to NOT jump on the bed, or sofa, trust me… These are big dogs, you’ll be thankful in years to come…Give them PLENTY of toys, and a big water bowl, they love water, and love to swim as well. The toys are for chewing, or they’ll wreck your home – trust me on this… give them large bones if you can get them. Vets do not say this is a good idea, but they are such big dogs, they love to chew on them.

Be firm, do not show any weakness with the pup, they love orders and a firm voice. They respect this, show weakness and it’ll just walk all over you.

As said, clever, loyal, protective working dogs that need lots of exercise but are wonderful dogs.

I’d say you’ll be fine, and yes take your pup to puppy parties etc… Local vets can organise these, great way to get them to interact, might save behavioural issues in the future. They also do not like other dogs, its just in their make up. They’ll bark and if anything like my gf’s will stand by your side as to say to other dogs “get away, this master is mine” type of thing…..

They are also VERY quick runners, so if they do bolt, you’ll stand next to no chance of catching up, so do not let of the lead until you are 100% sure it’ll come back to you….. My gf did this, and we spent the whole night looking for her, thankfully some kind gentleman found her and brought her home, as she had a dog tag with the address on her….
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. Am going to have to contact the KC as over here (N.Ireland) the prices for them are varying wildly.

Yeah the house has a good size gardern and he will also have access to fields. Was looking to get a giant schnauzer or an Irish wolfhound but they are both hard to get. And the fiancee shot me down on the wolfhound due o its size :)
 
The pups can go for £150 - £600... they do vary. gf paid £100 for hers though, as it was from a home that had two german sheps and one had pups.

To be honest, it was a steal. Fantastic dog, the access to fields will be a big help to you. Just start the training from the day you get the pup.
 
area51_for_psx said:
Hi guys anyone got a german sheppard.

Me and the girl are looking one for new house. I have a dog at the moment but it is tiny compared to a german sheppard. Its a Miniature schnauzer.

Anyone know what the going rate is for a pup and are they hard to train. Will I need to bring it to specialist training due to it growing into such a big powerful dog?


Gareth
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Make sure you only buy them if there from working stock and are not show bred, otherwise you'll end up with a very ill dog, with very bad birth defects (examples are the sloping down back and hunched over back legs)

I would hazzard a guess at around £500-£900 per pup from a respectable breeder.
 
As has been suggested, make sure you pick the breeder wisely and don't underestimate the amount of exercise they need - if you both work full time and are unable to get back at lunch time then it's probably a poor choice of dog.
 
Just make sure you train him/her and make sure he knows who is boss. We had to give up are German Shepard as she needed more attention than we had time for both working full time. She is happy now though and lives with two other Germans on a farm and we still get pics and updates even though she must be nearly 10 now and i still miss her.
 
Have you considered a Malinois instead? They have a lot of the benefits of a german shepard and none of the traits(poor hips etc.)
 
If you are thinking of a German Shepherd please research research research into the breeders, there are some incredibly bad ones about and you could end up with a very sick dog in a short space or time or one with social issues such as aggression or anxiety, these idiots give the breed a bad reputation and should be put out of business for the sake of the animals welfare.

I read a very interesting, and rather scathing article in this magazine the other day, from the woman who showed up the inbreeding of dogs for Crufts etc.

I would highly recommend you read it before buying, it's the current issue.

German Shepherd puppies are expensive - hundreds of pounds, if you buy cheap the chances are you are buying from a puppy farm or as a previous poster has mentioned, one with a bad hip score which will mean they will have severe problems later in life.

German Shepherds are working dogs, not show dogs or lap dogs - if they have a severe sloping back they will suffer problems later in life (far better to find the 'Anglicised' Alsation version which shouldn't have as much of a slope and is bred for working and not the show ring.

You generally find two types of Shepherd...the lazy I'll do it later variety (such as my first one) and the mad up for absolutely anything constantly variety (the two I have now), both types are wonderful in their way and will be loyal and playful to the last.

They are incredibly intelligent and do need things to do, it's no use just leaving them a ball and going out for hours, you need to be able to commit to them, give them interesting games - finding treats, puzzle games, agility games, hours of playing tug etc.

Could I also suggest a rescue German Shepherd? We have one puppy from a breeder and one rescue now and he's the most loving dog, we had to travel a way to get him but it was completely worth it, I suggest these sites to try:

BIG GSD - very helpful site

Lancashire GSD Rescue

German Shepherd Rescue - a site run by a rather 'passionate' person, their heart is in the right place if you can get past the strong wording.

Dogs Blog - a fantastic site, where you can search by all sorts of variables from type of dog to the area it comes from.


*edit* if you are taking it to structured training the dog should do brilliantly, it's great that you are thinking of doing that! :D

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned, you need to get your current dog to meet the new potential several times on neutral ground (neither dogs territory) before choosing one, otherwise you may end up with two stressed dogs, a wrecked house and miserable owners!
 
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I would stick with Mini Schnauzers.

Schnauzers don't know there so small and have very big hearts anyway.

Ours bullies a Rhodesian Ridgeback next door to us - that's a biggish hound! :eek:
 
I have to say I'm not keen on German Shepherds as pets at all, from my limited experience they are extremely noisy and aggressive and they will tear a largish lawn to shreds. I'm sure they can be fine but I personally think they are much more suited to farms, military and police than household pets.
 
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