German Shepherd questions

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bushie12

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 16, 2009
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Illinois
Hey guys,

My family and I are looking into a GS as a pet. And also to keep some punks away from our grandsmas house who lives in a bad neighborhood. It will stay with grandma and my aunt who will be very capable of taking good care of it. But i was wondering if it was posible to teach a friendly GS to bark or bluf at things to make them go away? Any tips on training a GS? We want him to be completley trained. And if possible only to be nice to us. When we get him he will also be an adult.

Thanks in advance.
 
if your wanting a dog to bluff then dogs like gsd will only need basic obedience training as they have a natural guarding instinct which will come out should a stranger come by. gsd's need a firm hand in training as, like most naturally guarding breeds, they can be beligerant at times. more so if they do not have a firm hand guiding them through training. training should be reward based with these breeds as you dont want a scared dog. scared dogs are lawsuits waiting to happen. patience is key and never get angry directly at the dog.
be warned though that for as soft as most dogs may appear to their owners and people they know, they will attack if someone comes into their home or troubles their owner.
most dogs will bark without training but some, such as gsd, rotties, staffies and mastiffs, will bark and growl and its far from a bluff with those breeds, more a warning.
 
I want to point you to:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm

German shepherds are not one to bluff. They need good firm training from the beginning and they need to be part of the family, not something living out in the yard.

Is you grandmother (and aunt) able to afford some of the vet care that comes with a GSD? If you go to a good breeder to avoid most health issues prices can be from $900-$2500
If you go to a crappy breeder health concerns are HD, eye problems, heart problems, many, even form good breeders, have skin allergies, and other joint related issues.

Go to a bad breeder and you might end up with a dog who has weak nerves or genetic flaws that cause serious problems.

GSDs are very destructive if bored.

And of course, the many lines to look into, Show, german, working, Czech, ect.

GSDs need to have a job, it can't be sitting at home with one or two walks a day, they need to WORK or you will have a large, powerful, SMART dog who is out of control.

MY 12 week old working boy gets HOURS of exercise, mental work, and play a day and he is still into everything, I won't even start to rack of the price for how much he's destroyed, and yet he is very well behaved for a dog his age.

There is no such thing as a completely trained GSD, even the police dogs who have gone through YEARS of training daily since puppyhood still make mistakes, they are thinking, living things and are going to do what they want occasionally.

But if you want a VERY well trained dog, look into a GOOD breeder, start obedience the second the pup is home, thought most should be made fun and play until the pup is 6 months, go though the OB classes and stay in them. Get a GCC certificate, and keep working, training is FOREVER, every day.

Go to the forum I showed you, there are thousands of people VERY knowledgeable with these dogs.
 
you also need to decide if a gsd is what your aunt/grandma can handle. gsd's are extremely powerful dogs when they have a mission in their heads.
if both your relatives who are going to be handling the dog are only small then a smaller breed may be more suited. its not just about finding a dog fit for the intended purpose, they have to fit the owners too.

i didnt find my gsd particularly destructive throughout puppyhood. i dont think destructive is a breed specific problem, im of the opinion that destructive behaviour is a general puppy thing. but everyone has their own experiences.
 
EDIT*
Some breeders offer home protection trained GSDs as adults, go to the forum I suggested, they can help you find one in your area.

I HIGHLY suggest you go to some training evens for GSDs before you get one and speak with the trainer(s) and handlers.

You may want to look into a different breed if you are just wanting a dog to dissuade people from entering your grandmothers home, even a smallish dog could do it.

Hate to ask, but how much heavy exercise could your aunt and Gma give a dog? I could suggest some breeds better fitting, but they also need some good exercising.
 
well we were going to set up the backyard with a few tire swings and lots of toys. he can go on as many walks a day because i will be there during the day. excersize isnt a problem. but ive never heard of a dog needing hours of excersice... mabey im just a novice to dogs.
 
Okay, here's the thing, a dog could have all of the items in the world and it won't be happy. They need their pack, these are pack animals who do very poorly if left in a yard for large amounts of time, all these dogs want is to be with you.
GSDs are commonly called "Velcro dogs" because you can't walk 5ft without having him on your feet. They are extremely attached to their owners and don't fare good if left out a lot. Is this going to be an indoor dog? Or do your relatives spend 90% of the time outside?

Honestly it depends on the lines and the dog, but my boy, who should be easy to tire at this age takes a lot to make him calm with good exercise.


I think a good security system would be best, I protect my dogs, not the other way around. They can give a bark to let me know there is someone on my property, but that is where their work ends. If someone wants to rob your Gma or aunt all they need to do is open your gate and let the dog out, kill the dog, or beat it enough that he will submit and give up.

If she wants a living alarm system, a small indoor dog would be better.
 
Man, I want a GSD.
Too busy for a dog like that though.
:(
 
i understand what you are saying. thanks for the info. but if i saw a barking GS and i wanted to rob somebodys house i would find another haha.
 
I've had people come in the yard with my two GSDs, one time (they were inside, thankfully) someone opened the gates to let them out, the other they just walked in and went for the shed, and that night the dogs wanted to sleep outside so we let them, they never woke up and the person(s) managed to break into our shed and get a dirt bike out.

For security I'd prefer an alarm system, I do like my dogs as a deterrent when I am out walking, I'm a small female and people do think twice about jumping someone who has two babies who want to protect momma and happen to have big teeth, but again, if anyone was serious dogs are nothing but a deterrent.

My monster is the little booger in my avatar, I also have a 15 year old, I have had GSDs all of my life and still do for a reason, they are amazing dogs but turn out very badly when they don't have the proper mental and physical exercise and training, and socializing. There is one just two houses over that fits that title, she never leaves her yard -it's a huge yard- for walks, she doesn't go for rides in the car, she rarely has guests over, and quite obviously is neither trained nor socialized and is quite scary to walk by, their invisible fence could go down at any time.

I wish you and your family luck, I did a quick search for breeds who match your preference in giving warning barks but not usually following in a bite:
http://dogbreedinfo.com/cgi-bin/dbi-search.cgi
 
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