Lets Talk Gsd

[BlueWolf]

Out of nowhere I've been obsessively reading about the German Shepard breed and I think I have to admit I found my new favourite breed. Not that the husky isn't... But I think I found something that really fits with me. And it's only taken me 10 years to figure that one out.

 

As a child I always loved the GSD breed. But upon reading about them I discovered they are not easy dogs nor dogs for people with no experience with dogs (which I was at that time). So I left it with that, thinking GSDs weren't suitable for me. But than I accidentally stumbled upon the Siberian Husky breed and have been involved with them for quite some time now. They were my first introduction to the big world of dogs and I love everything that this breed has to offer. I love putting all my energy into dogs and love being active with them. I actually tend to out-walk Wodak, Glala and Dana these days, lol.

 

But then I went on to work in the animal shelter were I met lots of other breeds. All of them I liked, but none of them I would see myself owning them. Except for the couple of GSDs we had come in and go at times. You need to understand them to love them and I have no problems with that. I loved having some one to one interaction with them. I loved how focused they got. To top it all of I met Gijs, a GSD cross which was everything I wanted. Sadly it wasn't the right time yet but that swept away my final doubt and I reopened my GSD research. I haven't stopped reading since. I've been reading everything that I could find on the web and the more I learn, the more fall in love with them once again.

 

I grew up thinking GSDs would be too hard to handle for me. Little did I realise that husky's are exactly the same in that sense and that, since they were the first breed I grew up with, it is something that I've grown used to. Lots of walking to burn of energy? No problem. Need lots of mental stimulation otherwise they become bored? Don't even need to think twice. Need lot of socialisation during the early years? Did nothing else at the shelter. I discovered that GSDs aren't that far off from husky's (which I noticed as a bunch of members on here have GSDs as well!), except that they are more focussed on their owner. In short, everything that I could ever wish for a dog.

 

I can't get my mind of it. Not that I want to of course, it's giving me something to focus on. I want to know everything about them. I want nothing but talk about them.

 

Excuse the rambling. Lets at least end this long post with a question: GSDs owners that are on this forum, how have you experienced the German Shepard breed compared to your husky? Just curious

[NOBELHOWLUC49]

I Love GSD's, they are the most loving loyal, beautiful woof ever.  I love Huskies I love Malamutes but I Love Love GSD's.  Prob cause I have had a few.

 

Not a dog for the in experienced I agree, but there is one thing they do that you cannot do with the other two and that is there recall.  Once trained a GSD will have a recall of an angel.  Now the down side is they do like a bark, bark bark bark.  2am bark, 3am bark. 4 am bark bark. and so on.  Also they are extremly protective and socialization is a must from an early age.

[robke]

I just love them...and if you, like huskies, keep them busy they will just about do anything and everything for you apart from making tea as they do not like tea LOLOLOL....

 

if you go for the Old black Gsd then health issues will be less as well the biggest problem with gds's is their hind legs due to overbreeding...

[Andy]

Jos you've met my girly Echo.

She's protective of her pack.

 Unlike Kati's Bella, Echo only barks if there is someone approaching the house or to warn people off when we're walking.

As Kati said recall is a dream. if her socialisation wasn't such a nightmare I could have her off lead all the time.

They are fantastic companions, too much sometimes, I can't go anywhere in the house without Echo by my side. (yeah even the toilet !!!)

They are a fantastic breed. Echo is the second White GSD we've had Bear,(RIP big boy) was our first.

[NOBELHOWLUC49]

Bella has a nice back, good and straight and a long line to her hind legs.  Even so we do not let her up on her back legs, which is what she wants to do when you come home.  I agree with Rob be very aware of this if thinking of getting a GSD whether new pup or rescue.  

[Andy]

 they will just about do anything and everything for you apart from making tea as they do not like tea LOLOLOL....

 

 

My Echo must be broken then She loves Tea

[NOBELHOWLUC49]

de sensitising

Jos you've met my girly Echo.

She's protective of her pack.

 Unlike Kati's Bella, Echo only barks if there is someone approaching the house or to warn people off when we're walking.

As Kati said recall is a dream. if her socialisation wasn't such a nightmare I could have her off lead all the time.

They are fantastic companions, too much sometimes, I can't go anywhere in the house without Echo by my side. (yeah even the toilet !!!)

They are a fantastic breed. Echo is the second White GSD we've had Bear,(RIP big boy) was our first.

Bella we think barks more because of her blindness.  She is getting better, but she can hear another bark from Australia I believe.  Also key words like hello.  Drives her into a barking fit.  We have tried de senitising her to the word.  Ignoring her, letting her bark twice then saying in. (either in from the garden or into another room.) this works the best.

 

She is generally ok with people and will avoid them when off lead. Have to be careful with people who insist they want to maul her with out asking first.

 

Yes she does like to stalk to. toilet, shower, bed etc she is there.

[Asslinn]

I love our girl, shes 11 now. Shes  has a gentle soul very protective of my son will walk right beside him, well behaved only barks when someone knocks on the door but takes her a while to stop barking lol, again follows us everywhere. its really bad with my step dad he literally gets followed every where. 

[BlueWolf]

I Love GSD's, they are the most loving loyal, beautiful woof ever.  I love Huskies I love Malamutes but I Love Love GSD's.  Prob cause I have had a few.

 

Not a dog for the in experienced I agree, but there is one thing they do that you cannot do with the other two and that is there recall.  Once trained a GSD will have a recall of an angel.  Now the down side is they do like a bark, bark bark bark.  2am bark, 3am bark. 4 am bark bark. and so on.  Also they are extremly protective and socialization is a must from an early age.

 

I know they bark, lol. Though with the few I met it wasn't really too bad. I've socialised many dogs in the shelter and I love doing that but they were all older dogs. I'd love to do it with a younger one, from the very beginning.

 

I just love them...and if you, like huskies, keep them busy they will just about do anything and everything for you apart from making tea as they do not like tea LOLOLOL....

 

if you go for the Old black Gsd then health issues will be less as well the biggest problem with gds's is their hind legs due to overbreeding...

Mmh, that's gonna get used to... Wodak likes tea for some reason    

 

Jos you've met my girly Echo.

She's protective of her pack.

 Unlike Kati's Bella, Echo only barks if there is someone approaching the house or to warn people off when we're walking.

As Kati said recall is a dream. if her socialisation wasn't such a nightmare I could have her off lead all the time.

They are fantastic companions, too much sometimes, I can't go anywhere in the house without Echo by my side. (yeah even the toilet !!!)

They are a fantastic breed. Echo is the second White GSD we've had Bear,(RIP big boy) was our first.

Like I said earlier, huskies were my first introduction with dogs so I'm not used to having dogs offlead. It terrifies me thinking of leaving a dog I own off lead. Not saying I won't, but I guess it'll be a thing that I have to have trust in between me and the dog first.

Wodak is quite the same actually. Glala and Dana couldn't care less what I'm doing inside the house but Wodak has to know everything. He'll open the toilet door from the outside if I don't lock it properly. If I'm not in his direct view he'll come looking for me   I don't mind it, in fact, I love it   

 

Bella has a nice back, good and straight and a long line to her hind legs.  Even so we do not let her up on her back legs, which is what she wants to do when you come home.  I agree with Rob be very aware of this if thinking of getting a GSD whether new pup or rescue.

I'd love to experience it from the very beginning as pup at least ones. But I want to do that regardless of any breed I take. Though if something does pop up in the shelter that suits me in the mean time I can't say I won't consider that an option as well.

[Jay]

After Huskies/Mals, GSD has always been my next favorite breed.  After having huskies I can also say, if I ever got another dog after these, it would probably be a GSD.  I love my dogs with all my heart, but I would like to have a dog that I could trust not to run out the door, and to be more loyal and obedient than huskies.  Nikko is my most trained dog, but when he gets in his moods there is no controlling him, I just have to either let it pass, or bribe him lol

[goingsolo]

Our first girl was a gsd/collie cross, she was protective, loyal, loving and a great family dog. She came 7 months before 1st baby (I was very broody lol) and stayed 15 years. She is still missed and loved 14 years after passing x

[mydiamond]

I was really, really, really surprised when I found out that GSDs are in most apartment's banned breeds list. I thought everyone loves GSDs honestly that's the only reason why my second dog is not going to be a GSD. If one day people lift the breed from their banned list before my junior year, my second dog would undoubtedly be a GSD. My third may or may not be a GSD too then my fourth can be a Husky

[Clare70]

We had GSDs in the past, I was brought up with them so I know alot about them.  They are selfless, affectionate animals that have fantastic recall.  My hubby and I would cycle to work and our GSD Leia would run along side us for 2 miles, our route was next to a busy dual carriage way and she would never deviate from the route.

 

Snowy is a GSD x husky and I have to say we have the worst of both worlds Constant barking, zero recall, destructivness, need I go on?  But he is the most affectionate dog you could wish for  Out of the three dogs we have he is the most responsive to training, for example he will always sit when asked, give paw, leave etc.  Though when I call him to 'come' he is a typical husky  I'm having a few issues with him right now but hoping to get over it soon

 

GSDs are wonderful

[BlueWolf]

Reading all of this is definitely confirming for me this might be the right breed for me. But it's also really making me impatient   But I'll try and postpone the decision for now as it's better for me in the long term. I'm focussed on travelling through Norway this summer for many reasons including looking around for jobs. When I come back it's time for me to live on my own (either in Norway already if I manage to find a job or still in the Netherlands for the moment) and that, I think, would be the best time for me to take on a dog.

 

In the mean time I'll just have to keep it with reading more about the breed. I don't actually know any one else nearby that owns GSDs because that would be a great way to get some hands-on experience myself.

[Jase]

While you are looking at GSDs check out East European Shepherds, they are bigger and totally awesome. Sometimes called Russian Shepherds or Russian German Shepherds.

 

http://www.russiandog.net/russian-german-shepherd.html

 

Regarding the hind leg 'hock' that you see in many GSDs these days - the sloped hindquarters are the trend favoured in show dogs  , the square back end most of us older people are familiar with are still around but you need to focus on looking at "working lines" 

[Dan]

I love GSD's too. Never owned one myself but their loyalty can be amazing, and I love their looks too (obviously). My next dog I think would be a toss up between a husky, GSD and maybe a mal, or even better, all of them  I've met a few husky/GSD mixes too and they were all great dogs.

 

It does seem like most husky owners also love GSD's, not sure if it works the other way around too.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Dan

[Elyse]

Ever since I was a kid I wanted a GSD. And I almost had one; before I got Suka I was looking at a white GSD named Charlie. When we came back a few days later, Charlie was gone (later found out he was adopted!) and Suka was in the same kennel he was.

The ONLY thing that concerns me about the GSD is their numerous health problems: everything from hip dysplasia (from their badly bred sloped hips now favoured in show lines) to heart problems. I assume you'd have to get a GSD from working lines to get the best chance at a healthy dog, but, around here the closest one that looks reputable is over 24 hours away.

If my lifestyle changes to the point I can no longer own a husky, I think I'll move over to the GSD. Its just incredibly difficult to find reputable breeders around here, and the GSD forums I have visited seem to be very...erm...snobbish. 

Edited December 13, 2014 by SolitaryHowl

[Dan]

I've seen a few pics of those show GSD's and it's a total mess. I'm not really sure what people see in it - real shame

[robke]

Heart problems are indeed a great problem Jake had an enlarged heart for which he needed a tablet everyday and in the end that is what killed him as the meds just stopped working after a while...

[NOBELHOWLUC49]

Ever since I was a kid I wanted a GSD. And I almost had one; before I got Suka I was looking at a white GSD named Charlie. When we came back a few days later, Charlie was gone (later found out he was adopted!) and Suka was in the same kennel he was.

The ONLY thing that concerns me about the GSD is their numerous health problems: everything from hip dysplasia (from their badly bred sloped hips now favoured in show lines) to heart problems. I assume you'd have to get a GSD from working lines to get the best chance at a healthy dog, but, around here the closest one that looks reputable is over 24 hours away.

If my lifestyle changes to the point I can no longer own a husky, I think I'll move over to the GSD. Its just incredibly difficult to find reputable breeders around here, and the GSD forums I have visited seem to be very...erm...snobbish. 

I joined a GSD forum at the same time as this, and they seemed really nice and helpful, but I had to make a choice between this one and theres, and well here I am. 

 

This forum is so easy to navigate, I liked the layout, and the colours, but most of all, the people on here are just plain crazy, well some, mention no names.  Advice on here is really good and its not just for huskies you can talk about lots of things, Like here we are talking about GSD's. 

 

I did not get Bella from a breeder and I have no papers for her.  The first thing we did was book her in for an appointment at the vets as we did Noah to have a good old health check.  They were totally up front that Bella was blind when I said "I want that one" honestly I did not bat an eye lid she was coming home with me.    I am well prepared for the future (she says) and am always on the look out for any signs of health problems.   But saying all this maybe I should of been a little more responsible and brought from a reputable breeder, thing is though I would not change any of them. 

 

Bellas fur is the softest and silkiest fur in the world, prob cause I keep on smoothing her and cuddling her. She loves being snuggled where as Noah can be a bit, you "touched me why would you think your allowed to do that with out permission".   Then he goes all dopey and needs loads of snuggles to. As for the pups, they just love a snuggly. 

 

any way end of random post. 

[Dan]

I think you have to be a bit crazy to tolerate living with huskies. I think my nose has become totally numb to hairs hanging off it, I remember they used to irritate me to no end at the start. Oh and the vacuuming every 2nd day, and the being ignored if you're not worth listening to, and hair as a condiment on most of your meals .. but it's worth it

 

When you picked up Bella did you get to see the parents too? While it only gives you an idea of genetics over a very short timespan I think it'd make it easier to notice major problems?

[BlueWolf]

Health is definitely something I have to look into! Wasn't thoroughly mentioned in the places I found on the web, but then again, I rarely see shepherds with sloped backs around here anyway. Thought it was more of a thing from the past?

What I've heard is that the ones from the working line tend to require more attention and more work (obviously) and that's it's best to look for ones that do a healthy mix of both worlds if you want a family dog. As long as they don't focus just on show dogs.

Think that makes sense though. Huskies from a 100% work line don't always make great pets either so it's better if they've been on both sides.

[robke]

have you looked into white swiss shepherds...

 

or even a finnish shepherd  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapponian_Herder

[Elyse]

Jos, maybe its a North American show thing with the sloped backs. I'm not sure, but I know its really sad how they 'ruined' the breed over here with that nonsense. I don't see how that has any appeal, as certainly the breed loses its function with those hips? But I agree, it would be best if you could find one that is a mix of both show and work lines, and maybe that's possible in your area. Let's hope so!

I looked into the Belgian Malinois breed for awhile, as I read they are similar in temperament and looks to the GSD, but then I learned breeders are very rare over here and they are very selective of the homes their puppies go to. 

Edited December 13, 2014 by SolitaryHowl

[Rachael_Astro]

I grew up with a GSD called Gypsy (she was my grandad's dog in the police and then my nan and grandad had her when he retired). She was very protective over me, even warned my mum away me sometimes! There's pictures of me walking her on a lead when I was about 5, she was so gentle.

There's a white GSD on the park called Casper, he's absolutely beautiful and very playful, him and Astro are very similar personality wise