Breed of the week: the good German Shepherd

SFGate.com ^ | 4/17/09 | Amelia Glynn

[the OlLine Rebel]

German Shepherds may be intimidating at first blush, but they have hearts of gold. I've always had a soft spot for this smart and cheerful breed, which is why this week's post is a shout out to the Alsatian.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Just ran across this, just for fun. I know it's a very liberal publication, but what the heck.

[the OlLine Rebel]

GERMAN SHEPHERD PING LIST

This is a low-volume list………so don’t worry!

(Please Freep-mail me if you’d like to be on or off the list.)

[bmwcyle]

ping

[Kozak]

Smart too.

[exist]

German shepherds are cutey pies.

[1010RD]

Until they bite you.

[avacado]

I have had 3 Shepherds. Excellent dogs and beyond intelligent.

[avacado]

"Until they bite you."

When did you get bitten by one?

[DollyCali]

oh PLEASE put me on your ping list?

Here is my Josy (a german mix)and her housemate Toby (a golden mix)- Both rescues

[1010RD]

You want the exact dates? All of them?

[DieHard the Hunter]

Great article. I swear by German Shepherd dogs: they are alot of fun to train and to be around.

The article mentions German Shepherd Rescue as being a good place to obtain Shepherds: this is true, but be cautious. Some rescues are only partially German Shepherd crossed with “something-else” The danger with that is that you do not know quite what you are purchasing, and what issues that dog is likely to have inherited. That said, most rescues are fine, and if all you want is a good pet they are usually a good place to obtain one from.

If you want more than just a pet I believe that you are always better to obtain your German Shepherd from a reputable breeder, one who knows the dog’s mum and dad and pedigrees, their temperaments and likely faults and attributes. You then know precisely what you are getting. Often, you are able to influence what you will be getting, as many breeders will try to accommodate your needs into their breeding program.

Spend lots of time with your German Shepherd, and be patient and always kind, never harsh. They don’t respond well to harsh treatment, but they reward firm, consistent, gentle treatment. They are very intelligent and perceptive dogs.

[SkyDancer]

Not to rain on your parade here but what about a thread on breeds people have on FR? My cop friend is in the K9 squad (has a Shepard who's a cutie) but his favorite dog is:

[pinkpanther111]

Me too! My 3rd one is now 8 months old and just the sweetest ever!

[Swanks]

Have a Border Collie. Like living with a 2 year old for 13 years...

[SkyDancer]

Great dogs ... my Roxie is the greatest .... good hiking dog too ...

[Ciexyz]

My family had three shepherds thruout my childhood and beyond. Each one lived between ten and thirteen years. The first was a shepherd-collie mix that guarded my crib when I was a baby. The other two were purebreds with papers.

[armymarinemom]

I wasn’t bitten by a German Shepard but the person next to me was. When I was a kid my next door neighbors dog suddenly turned mean. There were three of us outside playing tea and the dog started growling at us when we stood up to leave the back yard. The first one of us that moved got nailed.

[dynoman]

My favorite breed, our female died a year and a half ago. I don't know if she ever barked at a person except one time when a few people came riding by on horses, she had never seen horses before. One other time the school but backed into our mailbox and broke it over at a 45 degree angle. She noticed something was wrong barked and barked at the mailbox until I took her out there and she realised what it was. She would bark at wildlife, and howl with the coyotes - a couple octaves too low. Always wag her tail friendly with people even absolute strangers. I did wish a few times she would have been a bit more agressive but she wasn't. Never spayed, never had pups.

[1010RD]

Love dogs, but best friend is a bit over the top.

[avacado]

"You want the exact dates? All of them?"

Sure. I wouldn't mind hearing about it since you brought it up.