Anyone have one that can give me good feedback as a pet?


Always loved their appearance and intelligence. But now I have my own house and tend to work away from home on occasion, I would get one also for its protection purposes and to help my girlfriend feel safe while I'm not home.

Can they be unnecessarily violent towards owners, children, family or friends? We've always had Labradors and I consider myself a fairly good trainer of dogs, and whilst labs are an awesome dog, they only bark if a stranger enters the property then would likely walk up and lick them lol.

No

Train it right and it won't be violent

There's only bad owners etc etc. Don't teach it to attack people and it won't. As far as protection....Dogs take cues from their handlers. If someone breaks in your GF will likely be dripping fear pheromones. The dogs intuition will let it know it needs to protect her in that instance.

German Shepherds are extremely obedient if trained properly, make sure they have plenty of room to run around the yard to exhaust their excess energy. If you don't give it the proper attention it needs or the proper exercise, you could come home to ripped up furniture. If you want it to be good around children, find a way that actually works when you discipline it.

Also, if you have any new born, it's good to apply baby powder to yourself and your wife/husband for a month before the baby is born. This helps the dog identify the baby as a human being and a part of you, as opposed to a toy doll.

/Edit I almost forgot to mention, German Shepherds are prone to hip problems. So look into that and be sure to keep a balance on its exercise.

This post was edited by Fatallah on Feb 4 2017 11:42pm

They are exceptional dogs, but require a dedicated and prepared owner, willing to commit more time and effort than you probably expect!

If you're really willing to put that in, I highly doubt you'll ever own another breed of dog ever again. My GSD is 3.5 now, and absolutely attached at the hip, far and away the most loyal dog I've ever seen. They are typically very high drive, high energy and very intelligent, which means they will demand your time and attention every day; exercise, training, discipline and mental stimulation.

Many, mine included are by nature wary of other people, and pretty indifferent to other dogs. Not aggressive, but she'll keep an eye on guests in the house, bark when a car pulls up, that kind of thing. She had a phase as a puppy where she was afraid of people she hadn't seen much before (kids, people in wheelchairs, cross country skiers, minorities, that kind of thing). That's where the discipline, training and your dog trusting you to take the lead are critical. She's over that now, but that kind of thing is really important to handle, and requires a lot of patience and work to accomplish.

If you do get a GSD, I'd echo what fatallah said, they can be prone to hip displasyia and a nervous system issue I can't recall the name of. Both, esp. the hips are more common in American lines (sloped back), and a good breeder will be able to show you history on either from the dog's parents so you can minimize health risks and/or be prepared.


Tl; DR. German shepherds are incredible dogs, and absolutely worth the effort, but are not a good choice if they don't fit your lifestyle or level of commitment to them. You need to be willing to commit lots of time, effort, training, patience and love. They will repay it many times over.