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silverado427

German Shepherd dog

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Ditto for mine. Animal aggressive. He was fine until he got attacked by an unneutered male at a bark park a couple of years ago. I have been working with him and he is getting better. I used to take him to Petsmart; not anymore.

 

As for others saying to have them around other dogs, it is tough. When mine goes into "full Shepherd" mode, other people are terrified to go near him. I correct him, then continue walking as not to have him focused on the other animal. My problem with him is the TV. He goes apeshit at any animal (even cartoon ones, how does he know?) on TV. I again correct him and/or make him go into another room. Is this wrong? A trainer told me to leave Animal Planet on all day and let him "bark it out" of his system all day.

 

I use a vet recommended pinch collar for him (for training purposes only) and it has improved his "attack modes" from flaring up. One little tug and he sits until I tell him to move. As any GSD owner knows, they hate to be on a leash; they 'herd' you. Mine circles me in my yard or at the park. He can be off leash on a busy street and he will not leave my side. I take him to a park off leash and he goes no more than 20 yards away from me. I stop, snap my fingers, or whistle and he freezes and comes right to my left side.

 

PS: I took mine swimming this past weekend. He loves it. I use a retrieving decoy and he fetches it non-stop.

LOL when we got him we went to Petsmart weekly and back then it was all "awwwww look at the tiny shepherd".... now people avoid us like the plague at the big mean scary looking dog (well it is NJ).  Mine is fine in the house unless a entrance door opens then he goes nuts (I like that).  He is good (not great) on a leash and he doesnt run off.  He has gotten out on his own a few times but doesnt run from me.  I use a prong for training and walks otherwise a slip leash is all I need.   I am nervous about taking him places.  There is a free agility dog park fenced in on fort dix that I am going to start bringing him to as well as some kinda shepherd club that goes there and other places together regularly.  He knows I am the Alpha but anyone else he puts in their place quickly.  Unfortunately I can not afford a trainer right now so youtube it is lol.  Ill see if I can find pics to post of him.

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Got to disagree with you there. Most dogs are NOT working dogs, they are not show dogs, they are pets and companions. If the dog can't do Search and rescue or whatever, so what? Will that make it a better pet? It may not be up to "Breed Standards" but an affectionate family dog is greatly desired.

Well , they should conform to breed standards or intentions..otherwise , why breed? Any two proven dogs will still yield 3 or 4 "pet" quality out of the genetic crapshoot and these are fantastic dogs that simply have not shown the breed's ability to...search and rescue , hunt , retrieve , tree a quarry , etc etc etc . Why muddy the breeds? Unless it is a Lapso Apso and you are missing your mop. 

 

Any good breeder realises they will get a ratio iof 2 or 3 stars thsat represent breed's purpose and then a handful pet quality pups ..and they are happy to sell the pet quality pups to pet wanting homes for pet dog prices , and they usually just ask for a spay neuter agreement so you don't wind up in 3 generations with a Retriever that can't even fetch a ball.

 

That is why ..a nutshell. Pun intended. 

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Irish Setters and Dalmatians would be perfect of examples of why not. My God , make them as Red as they can be and make sure they have lots of SPOTS. Neither modern representations of those breeds are reliable , intelligent , or anywhere NEAR being able to do what they were originally bred to do. An Irish Setter these days could not retieve a bird if it was stuck in its eye , and any modern Dalmatian runs more of a risk of winding up under a firetruck than riding on top to a fire.

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Just a comment on the "went all Shepherd" line that was used in several posts.

 

German Shepherd Dogs are a noble, loyal and extremely intelligent breed. They are called shepherds for a reason. They protect their charges with their lives. They have an uncanny sense of a person's character and can smell adrenalin from quite a long way away. There are strategies and tactics that trainers and owners can employ to channel the breed's natural tendencies for useful purposes. In my case, it was a companion dog with I high protection drive as I travel a bit and regardless of your armory or training, a tacticool AR can't do anything on it's own. My dog doesn't second guess himself, isn't biased, racist or capitulates to lies and manipulations. He doesn't know you, he doesn't like you. Can I introduce new people to him? Yes but it's a process. One that I am happy to go through for my close friends. Does he need to meet everyone that darkens my doorstep? Absolutely not. My wife edits people for me as well. Like many of us, we don't need to be besties with everyone we meet. Why would I ask that of my dog?

 

He has his pack and some outside friends. And half a dozen close dog buddies. I don't force him to meet anyone. Just like I don't like it. He has a job and he does it well.

 

I believe that trying to make a dog what it isn't doesn't work. Just like it doesn't work for people. You want a friendly dog, get a golden. Simple. If you want a dog with the qualities of a GSD, then get a shepherd. The military and LE used GSD for a reason. You wouldn't go to war with a single shot break open .22, would you? Yet many people get a GSD and it kicks their ass and the dog or breed gets blamed and a new rescue is created. Carefully consider your fitness for the responsibility of having a GSD like you would having a weapon or a concealed carry permit. An honest appraisal of your commitment to owing a demanding breed that could be stronger and smarter than you is necessary. Not meaning to dissuade, but spending some time with some shepherds is a good first step in the process. Unfortunately not all breeders really qualify the prospective buyers. I am overly careful, maybe. But to see the number of discarded shepherds due to asshole humans makes me increasingly angry. Then again, we live in a world where a German shepherd's qualities aren't common among humans given what we see on the news.

 

In any event, a tired shepherd is a good, trainable shepherd. They need to be walked, ran and like spending time in the woods off the leash left to use their own judgement. The road isn't easy, but the rewards are legion.

 

Posted Image

 

 

 

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^exactly what he said. If I was not home and able to work on training I would not have a GSD. They are work . My dog is still a pup at 17 months and he bullies new people into petting him/paying attention to him. When he hits puberty , that changes rapidly . Which is why training is so SO important with this breed.

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German Shepherds are the best breed out there. Period.

 

Here is my puppy waiting for my wife, who was running a little late (Image made it to the front page of reddit!!!)

http://imgur.com/0OHmQKT

 

And here is his brother, who is more of a cat than a dog. I've never met a happier, more loyal dog in my life.

http://i.imgur.com/QnEFMtA

 

My wife and I try to play with them for 2 hours daily, else they tear up our belongings. Trust me, it's not fun coming back from work and realizing that your dogs shredded your shoes! They need a lot of discipline, attention, exercise and need to have a purpose. My dog's purpose is to play ball.    

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German Shepherds are the best breed out there. Period.

 

Here is my puppy waiting for my wife, who was running a little late (Image made it to the front page of reddit!!!)

http://imgur.com/0OHmQKT

 

And here is his brother, who is more of a cat than a dog. I've never met a happier, more loyal dog in my life.

http://i.imgur.com/QnEFMtA

 

My wife and I try to play with them for 2 hours daily, else they tear up our belongings. Trust me, it's not fun coming back from work and realizing that your dogs shredded your shoes! They need a lot of discipline, attention, exercise and need to have a purpose. My dog's purpose is to play ball.    

I am honestly not even sad to say that I saw that pic on front page of IMGUR today when I made my daily rounds lol

 

EDIT:  My GS just yesterday chewed the shoe laces out of my boots.  didnt mess up the boots just strategically ripped up the laces.... butthole!

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I am honestly not even sad to say that I saw that pic on front page of IMGUR today when I made my daily rounds lol

 

EDIT:  My GS just yesterday chewed the shoe laces out of my boots.  didnt mess up the boots just strategically ripped up the laces.... butthole!

 

 

Mine has ruined 3 pairs of sneakers and 3 pairs of flip flops.  On the positive side, it's forced us to put our shoes away when we're not home....

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All sound like bored dogs that spend a lot of time alone.

 

Do you measure their walks in minutes or miles?

 

Have they been properly crate trained?

 

Some friends with dogs chewing problems have had good results with big Kong toys stuffed with peanut butter laced with beef jerky and the whole mess frozen. At least it keeps them busy and entertained for an hour at least.

 

Wanna stop them from destroying stuff? Walk them on a leash for a couple of miles. Every day. Until you both are exhausted.

 

I don't presume to know how you exercise your dogs or judge any choices anyone has made. The destructive behaviors you all are describing, in my humble opinion, may come from simple boredom that leads to anxiety. Sort of how people chew their nails.

 

I had a friend that would tie up his Rottie outside when he got home from work every day. He had an old wooden door within the area of the lead. Over the course of a month the dog ate the entire door. He gave him to a friend that had experience with large powerful breeds and they run together. Kitty( I know a ridiculous name for a 100#+ Rottie) never chewed a thing after that.

 

But what do I know.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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All sound like bored dogs that spend a lot of time alone.

 

Do you measure their walks in minutes or miles?

 

Have they been properly crate trained?

 

Some friends with dogs chewing problems have had good results with big Kong toys stuffed with peanut butter laced with beef jerky and the whole mess frozen. At least it keeps them busy and entertained for an hour at least.

 

Wanna stop them from destroying stuff? Walk them on a leash for a couple of miles. Every day. Until you both are exhausted.

 

I don't presume to know how you exercise your dogs or judge any choices anyone has made. The destructive behaviors you all are describing, in my humble opinion, may come from simple boredom that leads to anxiety. Sort of how people chew their nails.

 

I had a friend that would tie up his Rottie outside when he got home from work every day. He had an old wooden door within the area of the lead. Over the course of a month the dog ate the entire door. He gave him to a friend that had experience with large powerful breeds and they run together. Kitty( I know a ridiculous name for a 100#+ Rottie) never chewed a thing after that.

 

But what do I know.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

 

Sounds a bit like boredom to me as well. I walk my girl a good 1.5 miles atleast twice but more often three and sometimes four times a day. In between there is a lot of frisbee playing and running around with her mother and grandpa (dogs not people). On hot days she goes for a swim in the pond but will only go in if her mom does first. Not her favorite thing to do. She has not chewed anything in the house since she was 3 months, she is now almost 10 months. If she grabs something she is not supposed to (which is rare) I tell her leave it or drop it and she does right away. They just need ALOT of exercise and some training and they will be very well behaved. Incredibly smart dogs.

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if you don't want to walk them for miles then ride a bike. theres a guy with a black lab near me that rides up and down the street with his dog pulling him. its pretty funny but the is quite pooped after about a 3 trips up and down the road. the dog gets his exercise and probably doesn't chew the house up.

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Walt of Destiny-

 

"Wanna stop them from destroying stuff? Walk them on a leash for a couple of miles. Every day. Until you both are exhausted." 

 

Exactly. I try to walk/run mine for a couple of miles each day at a park. Contantly throwing a stick or ball with him. If I cannot run him at the park, we play catch until my arm falls off. I also take him swimming for exercise.

 

Mine has never destroyed any shoes. The only thing I caught him doing as a pup was chewing on the bottom step of the staircase in my home. He has always had plenty of toys (Kongs too). He has stuffed animals too until he attempts to shred them. I have him fully crate trained. He comes and goes from his crate as he pleases. I have not had to lock him in there since he was a pup. It is like his inside doghouse. He will go lay down in his crate on his own.

 

Mine does have a form of OCD. Unfortunately, he bites himself repeatedly on his back leg. So bad sometimes it gets infected. He goes on meds, it gets better for a few months, then I catch him biting his leg again. The Vet says he is bored which could be true, but since he is not 'dog friendly' I cannot take the chance in adopting a buddy for him.

 

I wish I could post a picture of him.

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We went to Amari's German shepherds in Atco. Ours is a beautiful, very mild mannered shepherd. However he is also very protective of us and especially the kids. When you talk to Ann, the owner she'll tell you they're bred for temperament.

 

Here he is being bad, caught him on the couch.

image-1.jpg

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We went to Amari's German shepherds in Atco. Ours is a beautiful, very mild mannered shepherd. However he is also very protective of us and especially the kids. When you talk to Ann, the owner she'll tell you they're bred for temperament.

 

Here he is being bad, caught him on the couch.

Posted Image

Couches were invented for GSDs. Didn't you know?

 

Posted Image

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My pup has chewed 3 crate beds, 2 comforters,  the trim in my kitchen and  four wicker baskets full of toys from my last dog. New toys don't even last a day. !!! lol   Oh yeah 2 throw rugs for the kitchen also.

I forgot dog beds.  We stopped putting them in his crate.  He shreds them!  He is walked and played with daily and I know a tired puppy is a happy puppy.  Funny thing is when we moved I put a moving blanket from the company in his crate, he loves it.  I felt bad not having something in there for him at night.  He very seldom shews something he isnt supposed to but when he does, its normally MY work boots

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Jaws - that looks like mine! Mine has a darker 'widows peak' on the top of his head though. I call him my "Eddie Munster" dog. I do not allow mine on the couch. My bed is fine, but not the couch.

Then you have one good looking dog! :) I don't allow couch or bed this lasted 2 seconds, just enough for the pic.

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Yeap, looks the same as yours, just with a darker point on the top of his head. I see you are in Medford Lakes. I am 20 minutes from there. Is your GSD dog friendly?

Takes him a long time, so in general no. It's strange because we have two dogs. He likes all dogs he met as a pup, new ones not so much.

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