Advice on getting a German Shepard

D13exile

Hi

I have two male collie cross dogs at present aged 6 and 2. I'd love to get a German Shepard but my Vet advises against this as she said they present with so many issues. In fact she said that they are the most prone to diseases of all pedigree dogs. She also said that pet insurance would be very high. However she then said that she has one and loves him.

So to any Geeman Shepard owners out there, should I follow my Vets advice and steer clear or is it not as bad as she makes out? I live in the countryside and have plenty of land around me for exercising the dogs. I also have five kids so the dog would have to have the temperament for kids and two other dogs for that matter.

Any advice appreciated

flutered

i have shepards since 74, i always get a rescue bitch, there are two here at the moment, all the ones we have had would die for you

VonVix

Oooh, so much I could say, but I'm half asleep and won't be able to remember or include everything...

I have a German Shepherd, he's a year and a half and the first one I have ever owned, but not the first one I have worked with. It's very common for GSDs to have a sensitive stomach, my own just had a bout of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis there at the end of December. No other issues, however.

A huge problem with GSDs in this country is that they are being bred willynilly. They are being so overbred by people who either see Euro symbols or want "just one litter" with little to no regard for health and/or temperament. As I work with dogs, I see more GSDs with temperament issues (reactivity and nervousness being two of the big ones) than health issues personally, but that's only my experience having worked with a pool of 50 GSDs over the last 3 years very roughly speaking. I'd say some others have had different experiences.

Choc Chip

VonVix wrote: »

A huge problem with GSDs in this country is that they are being bred willynilly. They are being so overbred by people who either see Euro symbols or want "just one litter" with little to no regard for health and/or temperament.

Purely out of interest - would you consider going abroad if you were getting another one VonVix? (I think you said on another thread that you were thinking about a different breed next time mind you!)

VonVix

Choc Chip wrote: »

Purely out of interest - would you consider going abroad if you were getting another one VonVix? (I think you said on another thread that you were thinking about a different breed next time mind you!)

I would, more so if I was looking for a GSD with a "pet" temperament. Too many backyard breeders in Ireland sadly. Edit: I probably would sooner rescue an adult GSD if I was looking for more of a "pet" though.

The West German Showline type GSD I commonly see in Ireland I have found to be quite intense and prone to issues with nerves, I wonder if a lot of people seem to get them thinking they are a GSD-lite being "show type" and all... which they aren't really. They can be very driven, yet one of the most bored/'paranoid' dogs I have ever come across in all honesty, a good majority of them I have met have temperament issues and huge chunk of them have the wrong owner which I don't think helps at all.

You have a better chance of getting a well bred working line GSD in Ireland, but that is probably also largely a needle in a haystack really. I have found one breeder that ticks a fair few boxes for me from what I have seen, though I haven't contacted him. But I think a lot of breeders do not know how to help place a correct puppy with the correct family, nor does an average person seeking a puppy know how to pick a puppy that may be right for them. Chances are you could find an average family home end up taking home the most drivey, energetic puppy out of the litter, which could be a disaster!

Narsil

We wanted to adopt a rescue white GSD, but were advised by the rescue to get a puppy as we have 2 disabled indoor only cats and finding a cat friendly one was difficult (we had been looking over a year).

So we decided if we had to get a puppy we would get the best one we could. That basically entailed going to England as they are a lot more healthy over there (straight backed, hip scored etc).

If we hadn't the cats, we would 100% have gone for a pound rescue as there are so many looking for loving homes.

They are a fab breed, good luck!

Ms Doubtfire1

There is a page on facebook that focuses only on rescue sheppies and they are usually well able to tell you about the temperament of the dogs they feature. If you go to a breeder avoid sloped back sheppies - more issues. But please considder a rescue one ...

D13exile

Thanks to all for the replies. My two collies are rescue dogs and after some initial TLC, they have become great pets and part of the family.

I'd have no objection to getting a rescue Shepard if I could be sure of his temperament. I thought I'd have to go the puppy route to get a pedigree Shepard but if I can get a dog from a rescue centre, I'd certainly consider going this route.

Would you please advise of the FB page that caters to Shepards

Thanks

Dubs1990

Owner of a working line Shepherd here, I would stay clear of show lines with there temperament can be hit and miss as they are bred for there looks, only issue I can see with rescuing is that I would want to see the parents. You can tell alot by meeting the sire and dam.

They do have iffy stomachs and can be sensitive,

Working line can be healthier then show lines especially with the hips, but then again with any large breed you can get trouble with this.

DBB

I just want to speak up for a 3rd "line" of GSDs that is available in Ireland, and that is a pet line!
These are extracted from working lines, so they have the good conformation, but they're bred from dogs that just aren't drivey enough to make it professionally or competitively... they make absolutely class pet dogs.
I have 2 of them, one of which is a working dog but not with a job that requires her to be strongly driven... she'd be useless at that because she's soooo laid back The other is still a pup, and is destined to contribute to the world of therapy/assistance dogs.
That said, they will bark if there's someone about.

D13exile

I don't want a show dog and I'd never be breeding him. I just want another member of the family to go with my two collies and five kids - yes I'm a glutton for punishment!

So I'll look for a rescue if there's a suitable one available. As requested earlier, if anyone knows of website that seeks new homes for Shepards, please let me know. Thanks

Dubs1990

DBB wrote: »

I just want to speak up for a 3rd "line" of GSDs that is available in Ireland, and that is a pet line!
These are extracted from working lines, so they have the good conformation, but they're bred from dogs that just aren't drivey enough to make it professionally or competitively... they make absolutely class pet dogs.
I have 2 of them, one of which is a working dog but not with a job that requires her to be strongly driven... she'd be useless at that because she's soooo laid back The other is still a pup, and is destined to contribute to the world of therapy/assistance dogs.
That said, they will bark if there's someone about.

Sounds like the best of both worlds, I did not want a dog that had a very high drive, and to be honest the breeder I got him off had refused to give me a pup from another litter as he said they were purely for working, and now my lad as much as he loves obedience etc once in the house he's so chilled, wouldn't change him for the world, and to be honest I'd love a second, could you pm me where you got your lads?

deadlybuzzman

D13exile wrote: »

I don't want a show dog and I'd never be breeding him. I just want another member of the family to go with my two collies and five kids - yes I'm a glutton for punishment!

So I'll look for a rescue if there's a suitable one available. As requested earlier, if anyone knows of website that seeks new homes for Shepards, please let me know. Thanks

It's probably a good idea to contact a bunch of rescues directly. I did when looking for our dog and two of them had bull breeds that they didn't show online as they didn't want attention off the wrong kind of people. It's possible some places might do this with GSDs too

Ms Doubtfire1

Dubs1990 wrote: »

DBB wrote: »

I just want to speak up for a 3rd "line" of GSDs that is available in Ireland, and that is a pet line!
These are extracted from working lines, so they have the good conformation, but they're bred from dogs that just aren't drivey enough to make it professionally or competitively... they make absolutely class pet dogs.
I have 2 of them, one of which is a working dog but not with a job that requires her to be strongly driven... she'd be useless at that because she's soooo laid back The other is still a pup, and is destined to contribute to the world of therapy/assistance dogs.
That said, they will bark if there's someone about.

Sounds like the best of both worlds,  I did not want a dog that had a very high drive,  and to be honest the breeder I got him off had refused to give me a pup from another litter as he said they were purely for working,  and now my lad as much as he loves obedience etc once in the house he's so chilled, wouldn't change him for the world,  and to be honest I'd love a second,  could you pm me where you got your lads?

will pm you.