The #1 Big Dog Breed a Vet Wouldn't Own and Why

Parade Pets ^ | Oct 18, 2025 • Updated 6mo ago | Dr. Mark dos Anjos

[libstripper]

Bringing a dog into your life is a big commitment, especially when it comes to large dog breeds. While they can be loyal, loving companions, they also come with unique challenges that aren’t always obvious at first glance. Size, strength, temperament and health needs all play a major role in whether a big dog is the right fit for your lifestyle. That's why for new or even experienced pet parents, it's important to think beyond a pet's appearances and popularity. Just because a giant dog is well-known or beautiful doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for your home.

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Although they have a great history and have been one of the most popular breeds of dogs over the years, most vets I know would not want to own a German Shepherd. This is a large dog breeds to avoid for a few reasons. One of those has to do with their behavior, with the most common trait being aggression, which is usually caused by them not being socialized at an early age.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: dogs; germanshepherd; germanshepherds; gsd; ownership; shepherd

[Semper Vigilantis]

My grandparents raised Siberian Huskys for show and sled (think Iditarod) so I grew up with them. I loved them , but they were always a bit aloof and tended to run off if not on a lead.
On my own I got mutts from here and there, usually large ones, but not giant ~60 lbs.
One day I went the local pound looking for a new friend (my Shepard/Collie mix had crossed the rainbow bridge) when a male Golden Retriever walked up and gently licked my hand. I swear he knew what I was feeling. He was with us for 8 years. (I get a tight throat just thinking about him.)
Ever since I have had (usually two) Goldens. People say that they are scatter brained, but I find them to be extremely smart and quick learners, They will, however, give my tools to the UPS man.
My 12 year old male and my 3 year old female have ESP with each other. When the little girl wants to go outside she looks at the male and he goes to the door and waits for me to open it.
We also have "Borador" Border Collie/Black lab mix. Our male Golden found her cowering under some bushes on our property during a March thunderstorm. The vet estimated her age at 5 months, we figure she was a Christmas puppy that didn't fit the family that got her so they dropped here off and she wandered onto our place. She's hyper, jumpy and FAST, smart as a whip. She watched me unlatch the gate twice before she started doing it herself. She's an incredible watch dog, very territorial, but so gentle once she decides you're okay.
There's nothing like a dog.

[The Duke]

My next dog will be a black mouth cur.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

I used to watch that show "Yorkshire Vet". Great show. I remember a show where they had to extract odd things from a lab's stomach. They can swallow some really weird stuff.

[aimhigh]

Loved my Boxers. They were silly, but loyal guard dogs.

I had a boxer/shepherd mix. Like a boxer she would get excited meeting new people. Then, once she sniffed them, she would conclude "they aren't family", and walk away like a shepherd.

[KC_for_Freedom]

Yeah, as a kid I was bit by a neighbor’s GS. But I had climbed a five foot fence to get my ball that I kicked over into their yard. I did not see the dog until I was in their yard. If I had two more seconds I would have made it back over the fence. I learned after that to go to the door and ask for the missing ball. It was not the dog’s fault, but it did bark at us from his side of the fence and probably would have defended the house from all commers.

My dogs were mixes and one mix was collie and GS. Wonderful pet. After that I had one of his pups (with a cocker spaniel, no I don’t know how that happened.) Then after that we went to a sheep ranch and came home with border collies. These get credit for being extremely smart.

[Colt1851Navy]

Nobody on here likes Goldies? Even 15 pounds overweight?

[Ancesthntr]

I have a German Shepherd, and she is extremely well behaved. It doesn’t mean that she’s perfect, and there are moments when she purposely decides not to listen to me in order to do whatever she wants, but she has never displayed any aggression toward anyone who came to visit our home. I cannot disagree more strongly with this article.

[Silentgypsy]

I remember Timber and Ranger, but don’t recall your mentioning the Dutch dog. What was his/her name?

[Joe 6-pack]

His name was Musket.

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

I usually get along fine with most any dog (or cat). When I was a kid one of our neighbors was robbed several times and got a German shepherd guard dog in response. They wanted the neighborhood kids to be known to the dog, so he wouldn’t kill us - so they would have us pet the dog with a tennis ball in his mouth. He growled around the ball, dropped it and tried to take my hand off - fortunately I was quick enough to evade. Have been leery of shepherds ever since. And they got robbed again a few weeks later - dog was asleep.

[Spacetrucker]

Yes, incredibly athletic dogs. We arent training her in that sense, she is a good family dog because we have been socializing her regularly and running her daily.