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German Shepherd as a first dog?

4K views 55 replies 19 participants last post by  C2M 
#1 ·
I'm considering getting a puppy next year and I've always wanted to get a GSD.
I grew up with a neighbor who owned a German Shepherd and a Doberman. Fell in love with the former breed ever since.

Is this breed manageable for a first time dog owner?

Thanks
 
#3 ·
If you get it as a 8 week old puppy and spend a LOT of time working with it as a puppy, yes. If you plan on playing with the puppy and not much spending time training and disciplining it, no.

Other things to consider:

GS are usually big, therefore they shit big. If you have to clean shit up on walks, consider that. GS also tend to piss alot. If you're letting it piss in your yard, be prepared for dead spots. Dog pee kills grass.

GS are strong. If you're gonna be the only one walking it, maybe. If your girl (or kids) is going to be walking it, no.

GS are determined and easily bored. Be prepared to have stuff for them to do throughout the day or they'll destroy your house.

Generally, they're not a good dog for a first dog.
 
#7 ·
Most in #3 will apply to any full size dog. Dogs are alot of work, but people tend to over dramaticize it.

Whatever dog you endup getting, if you do not put in the work in the beginning, the dog will be rulling your house like mine does. LOL
 
#11 ·
I would try to make a min of 3 walks a day whatever breed you get - how would you handle only being able to piss and or shit only twice a day and not on your schedule?

Also as a puppy you might want to up that number to 10 walks a day for a while - slowly tapering back over a period of months.

Also.
Adopt Adopt Adopt.
It might actually work better for you, dogs are like kids - you might not be able to take care of an infant and their around the clock care req's now - as a 1-3 year old.. think of that like a crazy teen.. After that they mellow out, they are usually potty trained, and they generally want little more than to kick back with you and watch tv or hang out.. Still enough energy to wear you out but content just chilling and relaxing.

Also
Don't get one unless you can dedicate a proper amount of time to it AND most importantly realize what a long term commitment you are making. People who get dogs as puppies and then take them back when they are no longer cute little puppies (and thus much more likely to die in a gas chamber or by lethal injection) make me want to kill people. I try to be a nice people, and in person I think you are a nice people.. but I just wanted to publicly state that "those" people should all die in a fucking fire. (again i am not saying you are one of these people - just to be clear)
 
#13 · (Edited)
Labs are great dogs. Mine is an inside dog, and as long as I keep him busy he's fine. When he gets bored I can't keep him off my lap, so we play games everyday. He has never layed a tooth to something that wasn't his. I spent a great deal of time training him though. The only reason he needs a leash is because he's big enough that people get scared when they see him loose. He's disciplined enough to not even chase a squirrel though. He knows his yard and won't leave it. Don't be fooled though, even with rigorous training, he still took a couple ass whippings.

His favorite game is "Find the piece of cheese".

He can sniff out cheese like a drug dog finds dope. It's pretty cool.

With the right training and exercise any dog can be a good house dog.

They need LOTS of attention though. Being home enough to let him out won't cut it. Two walks a day and playtime somewhere in there sounds about right. Even with all the walking and playing, my dog follows me around the house like he's expecting me to suck his dick.

I know everybody wants pets to come from rescues, but I wasn't exactly impressed with the rescue dogs. I don't have time for a two hour journey to 'their' vet. I didn't want some stranger in my house making sure I didn't have cats, or 1.5 fenced acres or any of the sometimes rediculous requirements they had. Most of all, I didn't want some fucked up dog with mental issues from being beaten or ignored or whatever other number of things that happen to those poor dogs. I knew getting a dog was going to be a ton of work, I didn't want to add correcting some assholes mistakes into the fold.
 
#17 ·
I would look at a spaniel, preferably springer :). Or a small munsterlander. All hunting or working dogs require a ton of time. Think 30 minutes in the morning and 1.5 hrs at night for training and exercise, minimum. You could run most working dogs hours at night and just start to wear them out, and this is once their older. Puppies require even more work.
 
#18 ·
All hunting or working dogs require a ton of time. Think 30 minutes in the morning and 1.5 hrs at night for training and exercise, minimum. You could run most working dogs hours at night and just start to wear them out, and this is once their older. Puppies require even more work.
+1 on everything else in it.
 
#19 ·
I love my spaniel, he's a huge lovable furball. We also have a Boston Terrier, but she's crazy. Last but not least we have an English Toy Spaniel, he's the lover. All are amazing dogs, but they do require work, time and money. Check out www.tlcanimalshelter.org they are reasonable, and don't make you just through a ton of hoops to adopt. They update their site every friday.
 
#21 ·
We've had our german shepherd for just under a year now, they're great dogs and we love her to death, but you do have to be prepared to work with it a lot. We walk her 4+ times a day, train for half hour a day, and give her lots of little jobs to do (carry things, tell us when her water bowl is getting low, keep an eye on the yard, put her toys away etc), they need something to occupy that big old brain or they'll get bored and come up with their own entertainment, and trust me, you don't want that lol.... As for the shedding, you pretty much have to vaccuum atleast once a week or you'll be knee deep in fur.

That said, she's worth the work and a great member of the family.
 
#24 ·
A puppy is a puppy. Be prepared for puke and shit (both of which you will become immune to) and lay down the law early on.

Get what you want, screw all the other crap. If you want a shepherd get one, they're fantastic dogs. Smart as heck and very trainable. Lab puppies are probably the biggest handful, they stay a puppy until they're like 4:laughing

DO IT!
 
#35 · (Edited)
Not that we are your bosses or anything... but it seems everyone is missing the fundamental point. Do you have time in your life for A dog, not a specific dog. All dogs require attention. Some more than others but in general they all require much more than a cat. Perhaps you should start there?

I personally think I could handle having Izzy without a wife as most of the day to day I do myself - I handle walks and feedings - I also probably am the one who spends 75% or more of the time with her. So I do believe a single person can have a god, but you have to be able to take them out before work, work a sensible amount of time (imagine being trapped at home while someone was away with the keys to the bathroom for 13+ hours) - take them out after work and take them out again before bed.

Being a young single guy I can see how that amount of responsibility every day could cramp your style a bit - it definitely adds a lot of required structure to your day. If you go away for the weekend you need to bring them with or find a place for them to go.. Boarding is.. IMHO anyway often a bad option and almost always an expensive one.

Realize a dog means life is wake - dog - go to work - go home - dog - play with dog at home - then walk dog - then go to bed.. rinse repeat - every day.. for maybe 20 years. In the beginning and the end it is going to be much more than that.


BTW - I thought you were moving?

It's also very expensive.. or at least it can be.. and few things in life have made me as happy and as sad as having a dog - the time you are with them can be the best times in your life but losing them after that is definitely one of the worst things anyone could ever go through. I honestly do not think I was ever as sad as the day my childhood dog died. Nothing ever came close to that. She was my best friend from before kindergarten till after high school..


how's that go again?
TL; DR It's not whether you are in a place in your life for a specific dog, it's whether or not you are in that place for *any* dog.
 
#36 ·
Good point Greg.

As far as adopting, as I see it as a great thing to do, it is not always run perfectly. The rules in place at most of these places keep alot of people from giving great love and attention to alot of dogs.

Also, I do not believe any rescue will give you a young or puppy german sheppard as you never had a dog/puppy before.
 
#37 ·
My doggy plans are for next year. Greg, I see your point about having enough time to take on the responsibility. Even in a couple of years, if my schedule doesn't settle down, I'll wait until it does, to adopt/buy one.

My concern at the moment is about selecting the right breed rather than the adjustment to my life style. I'll definitely get the pup when the time is right.

This is all good stuff. Thanks everyone. Please feel free to keep adding.
 
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