German Shepherd Owners Advice Please

[janie1234]

I'd love to know more about owning a German Shepherd. I've read a bunch of stuff online so I know the basics. Our family is thinking of going to a meet and greet, . . .we're thinking of adopting. Thing is he has 3 legs. We don't have a back yard but I also just quit my job so I have plenty of time for walks and runs so he'll get plenty of exercise. I just want to know what to expect. Honestly I don't even know if they'd adopt him out to us because we don't have a fenced yard but I'm hoping to convince them that it is a 100% guarantee that we wouldn't dump him in the back yard to fend for himself. Thanks in advance.

 

[Kimenem]

I had one, Macy, from 6 weeks old until we had to have her put down at 11 years. She was a little hyper when she was younger and wold come to YOU when she wanted attention but I think that was just her personality. She was the best dog and when we got Mindy, a daschund, I had Macy and a Doberman. Mindy was definitely the boss of both of them even though either of them could've made a small snack out of her . German Shepherds are prone to hip problems and we had Macy on an arthritis type medication for a few years before she died (she had cancer in one of her legs). We never had any problem with her being aggressive but she'd bark at strange noises, which was fine with me. I don't have any kids so I can't say how she would've done around them but their were kids all over the neighborhood and she actually broke out of the yard twice to go for runs and we never had any complaints of her biting anyone. My b/f also had one as his K-9 dog and that one was his favorite. We had a large fenced backyard that she stayed in initially but after I got divorced and didn't have to deal with his "allergies" she stayed inside. I'd just let her out when she wanted to go until I got a doggie door. Hope some of this helps.

 

[andtckrtoo]

I love all of the herding dogs. They are very much people dogs and want to be around their family. They are protective, but just work with him intro'ing him to as many people as possible. You can have them give treats so he learns that people are good.

Tripods are great dogs, however, you have to be sure to keep him lean (extra weight is very hard on a tripod), and you have to keep him well exercised - which sounds like it won't be a problem. One of the fastest Aussies I know is a tripod.

I hope they see that you're a good family. I think you will make a wonderful dog owner.

 

[booboo39]

Hi,
Over the years we have had five shepherds. We had a male and female at one time. They were great with my kids, almost over protective! When the kids would go in the pool they became extremely nervous, running back and forth whimpering. If the kids went under water the dogs would jump in and push the kids over to the edge. The dogs never had a problem with guests who came over BUT the female was very very aggressive and would attack if she felt someone (a guest) made any sudden moves or gestures toward myself or a family member. We have a 4 year old male now and he is great. However it is very very important to have a dog that is socialized. Pups like in just about all breeds are rambunctious but they do mellow out fairly quickly compared to other breeds like Jack Russell terriers. They are not yappers either like my poodle or chihuahua.

I certainly agree with the other poster that it is important that the dog's weight be kept under control. I have always made sure that my males were a little more on the lean side as they seemed to gain weight fairly easy. None of my shepherds ever had hip issues except for the female and hers showed up more as arthritis around her thirteenth year, she lived until sixteen years and my male developed cancer in his thirteenth year.

How fortunate that this dog has a family such as yourself wanting to adopt him. Best of luck to you!
Booboo

 

[Timber99]

A few questions (I don't think I see this information above):

How old is the dog?
any idea of his size (pounds)?
What are his circumstances of adoption?
How many children do you have and what are their ages?
Did they mention if the dog requires any training, if he is already socialized, etc.?

 

[janie1234]

A few questions (I don't think I see this information above):

How old is the dog?
any idea of his size (pounds)?
What are his circumstances of adoption?
How many children do you have and what are their ages?
Did they mention if the dog requires any training, if he is already socialized, etc.?

He has a blog! Here it is.
http://travisray.tripawds.com/

Trust me we've thought long and hard about dog adoption. Christine (andtckrtoo), Cynthia, Beaves, Tricia, and others here (sorry can't remember everyone ) have been very helpful with advice with regards to dog adoption.
I've looked into doggie insurance and veterinary hospitals. I've done the usual research online and have checked out several books from the library. We've narrowed the search to 2 breeds the german shepherd and the border collie. Our application for a border collie was denied because we don't have a fenced back yard. Honestly I doubt our application will be approved for Caruso but we are hoping that the rescue decides to do a house visit and interview so that they can see that we are very serious and commited.
My MIL died 4 months ago and I quit my job recently. The last months of 2009 were very hard for me, . . .and my workouts have suffered. By the way if anyone wants to know how long it takes before you really start to see a decline in physical fitness, . . . 2-3 months (I was running 20-25 miles a week and lifting 4 days a week, . . now I'm lucky if I even get 5 miles in a week and I haven't lifted so much as a girlie pink 3 lb dumbell in months and pushups, . . I used to be able to do 50 in a row now I'm lucky if I survive 10) I need a friend to get me back on track and honestly some emotional therapy. Caruso just touched me. Of course you never know till you meet each other but something is pulling at my insides telling me this is one handsome guy who needs a family that will love him dispite his disability. BTW my son at the age of 2 was diagnoised with high functioning autism so I know what it is like to love someone who is just a little different from everyone else but just needs a chance.
Thanks everyone!!

 

[mesilla67]

Hi
We have had two german shepherds and they both have been wonderful dogs. Very loyal and protective. The one we currently have is a bit over-protective. He gets nervous when there a strangers in the house. He was a rescue and we had a bit of a rough start with him. He has learned a lot and become a great dog. They are a very intelligent breed and learn very quickly. They both have been good with kids. They do need a lot of exercise and it is best to keep them just a bit on the lean side. Our first one did have hip dysplasia as he aged. We gave him glucosamine every day which seemed to help. We have had very good experiences with both of our german shepherds.