Mans best friend!

[Highlander]

(30 April 2013, 17:32)Shaysdad99 Wrote:

Intelligent Protective Can Hunt Defend Track And Attack

when not sleeping

I agree...

[Shaysdad99]

impressive pack am going to say the one in middle is youngest ?

[Jack]

Iv got two dogs.
A husky-Akita cross that's been a great family dog so far (only a year old) and although naughty, obedient.
And a black lab - greyhound cross (looks pedigree lab though!) that I have trained to be my gun dog. He is the best around the kids and others, protective but understands when he doesn't need to be. submissive to me the wife and kids without challenge. retrieves on command from a default 'stay' position which is very useful when shooting from a hide. Quick to be house trained and though it may sound daft... Has a wicked cool personality!

But a dogs natural or 'breed' temperament only goes so far. Before getting a dog I would recommend anyone thinking about adding a dog to the family to really gem up on training methods.

[Highlander]

All dogs are different, its really no good just finding a pretty one and saying `that one will do`,...I help run the `German Shepherd Rescue Scotland`,.. and we get dogs in all the time, who simple do not work out, because they are not what a family thought they wanted,.. the family simply picked a pretty one without the slightest bit of research

Three things I would like to say, [like Bigpaul has already said ] take a trip around the rescue centers, this country has thousands of dogs in rescue, many of them without a single problem other than they are there because their owner died, moved abroad, bought a flat,... dont assume all rescue dogs have major issues

.... please research your chosen breed, find out about its habits, its possible health issues if any, think about insurance too,..I have just lost a dog through a very rare disease, I would have had money problems if I hadn't had insurance

...... and never buy from a puppy farm or pet shop,...please, you will very likely regret it

[Jonas]

I grew up with Airedales, as did our kids. We have a Blue-Tick Coon Hound now - very alert, large teeth, doesn't play well with strangers lurking on the property after dark... just what we wanted!

[HideandSeek]

Thanks for the response fellas its been great, I can honestly say a dog at the moment is a bad idea!

I think it isn't relevant at the moment seeing as my daughter is way too young to have a german shepherd trotting around the house, Thats definatly the dog of my choice after reading about them online and seeing what a few of you fellas posted.

cheers

[Highlander]

(3 May 2013, 20:12)HideandSeek Wrote: Thanks for the response fellas its been great, I can honestly say a dog at the moment is a bad idea!

I think it isn't relevant at the moment seeing as my daughter is way too young to have a german shepherd trotting around the house, Thats definatly the dog of my choice after reading about them online and seeing what a few of you fellas posted.

cheers

German Shepherds are great with children, they can form a very good bond and will look after the child,... of course I would never advocate leaving any dog alone with a child though

[Steve]

I have two Dobermanns, lovely dogs although the male is a bit headstrong. I would absolutely recommend a female Dobie as a pet and SHTF asset, they were bred as personal protection dogs ( Herr Dobermann was a tax collector who got fed up with being robbed and bred a dog to defend him ).

It's basically a terrier on steroids, the name used to be Doberman Pinscher Terrier, but the "terrier" bit was dropped ( probably because they are so big - mine are 45 and 55Kg ).

Having said all this, and trusting my dogs as I do, I would never have a powerful dog in the same house as young children. I know loads of people will say their dogs are good as gold and wouldn't hurt the kids but you never know for sure, dogs have bad days too and the consequences can be awful. My kids were full grown before I got the dogs.

[Highlander]

German Shepherds used to be called `Alsatian Wolf dogs`,.. no wonder they have such a bad [ un deserved ] reputaion

[Scythe13]

To be fair mate, look at what dog is best for your lifestyle and which you can best accommodate.

The wife and I recently got 2 whippets. Crazy animals and run around as much as possible, for an hour or 2 a day. Turns out whippets sleep for 15+ hours a day! Ideal if you work away from home. But in that respect, go with 2. One alone would get lonely. Two entertain each other when you're not there. Thus they're ideal for urban living.

Best thing to do, hang out at pets at home (yes, I mean the shop) and talk to pet owners.
German shepherds are super intelligent and need a lot of attention and stimulation.

I've never had a dog before, but these whippets are awesome! They run, eat, sleep, and poo. Same as most dogs. But because they sleep so much, they're very little effort. Not great in a fight situation, and they habe a reputation of being afraid of everything (but ours seem brave by whippet standards) so, put simply, they double up as early warning systems! If they're running away from something, you need to try to keep up haha.

Great for bagging bunnies too.....apparently.