Question:I know a lot about them, and am planning to get one, but can anyone tell me about their GSD? Is it nice, get along with some cats, and, most impotantly, can it be trained to walk off leash? Like beside you, or near you, and come when you call it? If so, how do you train it to do that?
thank you
Answers:
I grew up with German Shepherds and loved them. However, they all were very protective, and they wanted to bury everything. We had a cat and the pup took to it well. It was the cat who had to get used to the pup. But they were best buds after awhile. Dogs can be trained to do anything but with a larger dog I wouldn't trust it around other people. Especially shepherds with their protectiveness. Go to obedience classes and go as far as they offer. It will be well worth the time and effort.
You can train dogs to walk off leash, but you should never ever trust them no matter how well trained they are.. Dogs can easily be taught to get along with cats.. That's up to you to do, along with training and socialization.
any dog can be trained to get along with cats although some breeds may be harder to train then others as long as you are patient im sure they will make a great pet.in many states it is against the law for dogs to be of their leash in public there are too many dangers . good luck!
I have a German Shepherd mix.
He lives with one other dog, 5 cats, and a horse, and does well with all of them. He's very gentle, but smart as a whip, and he'll test you all the time to see if he can get away with anything. I hope you're an experienced dog owner, because breeds such as GSDs, Pit Bulls, Rotties, and such are generally hard to conquer. They'll learn commands easily, but that doesn't mean they'll respond to them. You have to win their respect and trust.
My dog is also a natural guard and protection dog, and I believe most GSDs share that trait. You must be prepared to keep aggressive tendencies under control, if your dog exhibits any.
But really, general behaviors such as walking off leash and training to tolerate cats is up to you, the owner. If you don't know what you're doing, a dog can end up a dangerous pet, especially a powerful breed like a German Shepherd.
For training videos and tips, try http://www.petvideo.com//index.cgi?chann...
They will tell you step-by-step how to teach a dog a variety of commands.
Awesome, smart dogs.
Buy from a reputable breeder who can provide generations of health clearances for the various health maladies the breed is predispoed to. (Hips, eyes, epilepsy, cancer, myelopathy, bloat, panosteitis, heart defects, blood disorders, etc.)
Obedience classes are a MUST and you will be rewarded with an exceptionally trained dog. You might even get into competitive obedience or agility?!
Every breed has a reputation or predisposition for certain charactoristics. I have seen German Shepherds that could easily tear you to shreds & I have seen them pee all over themselves. It all depends on the temperament of the individual dog.
If you bring up a puppy with cats in the house they just naturally accept them after a period of 'what is that thing? damn it has claws ! I best stay away', individual dogs will act & behave differently & it is up to you that you start off on the right step. Togetherness is good, bad puppy that snaps at you or cat, socialize puppy, train puppy. All will be good.
I have a shepherd that we got from the RSPCA he is about 6yrs old had him about 18mths, this dog I cannot fault he is gentle, shows no aggression only when on lead to other dogs, off lead totally ignores all dogs, loves anybody, obedient, the only problem that he has is hip displasia which German Shepherds are prone to. I take no credit for the way this dog is I can only say he was loved by his previous owner and they must have made a very tough discision to give him up.
I might just add that shepherd's really are not an aggressive breed they are made like it either through fear. not socalised properly or are trained to be aggressive.
We had a fantastic GSD, her name was Sadie and she was the best friend I've ever had. She was with us for 11 years. Mothered orphan kittens with me when I worked at the Humane Society. She had a delightful disposition, was bright and always willing to please. When she was a young dog, we found her as a stray at about 1 1/2 years old. She never soiled the floor, if she was ever naughty we'd put her out on a chain in the shade with a big bowl of water for about 5 minutes, I'd cry while she was enduring her discipline and then she'd never do it again. She was friends with everyone. Not very dog friendly. preferred males over females and they had to be smaller than her.
We'd call her my hemroid (sp) she was with me all the time. As she became older and slowed down our time at the lake and the river diminished, she became more of a home body. She also didn't like men in knit caps. They are working dogs and aim to please when they are young they require a lot of active time with their owners.
Speak with your veterinarian, contact you local humane society, training is a must and kindness is a must. Enjoy your new companion, we certainly did enjoy ours and hopefully soon will find another GSD to fill the void in our hearts & home.
hi...I own a german bred GSD his name is Kirby and he is soon to be 2 yrs old. he is the first GSD I have ever owned and I have to say the best dog by far! I like to call him my "velcro-dog" because he is extremely attached to me and will follow me everywhere in and around the house and he sulks when he is left home. he is exceptional with kids especially my youngest son who has down syndrome and I know he will protect him with his life if need be. I couldn't ask for a more loyal family companion. As for walking off leash, yes...he is capable of that...but I would never jeapordize his life in such a manner (you never know.) he comes when called and when I yell "house" he is at the door waiting to get in. he has been in basic obedience classes from a certified training facility (not petsmart) and I am now considering putting him in Schutzhund if he passes the tests for tempermant etc... he is very intelligent and picks up training quickly he knows sit, stay, leave-it, off, house, wait, watch, find it, down, heel, halt and he walks beautifully on a leash, he will sit at the door and wait until you give the command lets go, he sits at every intersection when out on a walk, and if others are out walking he will move to the grass and sit and wait until they pass us by. I never let strangers approach him because they usually will look straight into his eyes and stick their hand out to try and pet him...big no no! to him it is a challenge or an advance on me and he will get barky and show them he is not one to mess with. as for cats...he grew up with them so it isn't a problem, though we do have a very big tom cat named harley who doesn't like dogs at all and he has chased kirby out of the bedroom.lol
this is his dogster page...lol yes...I love my GSD and I am proud to be an owner of one!
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/414900...
I hope you find the GSD of your dreams! Good Luck!! =)
I have a 9 1/2 month old German Shepherd male and he is absolutely wonderful. He's incredibly smart and a great companion. I also have a three year old cat and he loves her. She hasn't warmed up to him all that much, but whenever he sees her he wants to run up and nibble her ears. He loves learning new tricks... his most recent is to bring a drink from the refrigerator for us. He is a bit protective. Not as much of people... but mainly other dogs. If he is very near to me and another dog comes up, he has been known to snap at them. He plays well with other dogs for the most part though. He has a dachsund friend and he will lay down on the ground so she can jump on him. It's really sweet to see such a big dog play so nicely with one that is so small. He's very good walking off-leash... but that is mainly because he wants to be with us all the time. I wouldn't trust him where there were dangers like cars... just because something could always happen, but I know he would never run away from me and if it's a safe area, I let him off as much as I can. The only problem I have ever had with him is that when he meets new dogs at the dog park, he will bark and act in a way that some people mistake as aggression. If a dog runs, he'll chase after them and bite/nip them on the butt. This is his signature move (although I wish it wasn't) and after that, he makes it pretty obvious that he just wants to play. Just at first it intimidates people and sometimes their dogs. It's something that I try to watch closely to make sure that it doesn't get out of hand... but the most that has ever come of it is a stare-down by an owner. One other thing I have noticed is that as he gets older he gets more leery of people he doesn't know. He never acts badly toward a person in the least, but he just doesn't go up to strangers like he used to. That's ok with me though, and just because he does look intimidating, people have a respect for him and I feel a bit safer when he's with me. The last thing I'll say is that they have tons of energy. My pup has to be exercised a lot. He was running three times a week with my husband and walking with me the other days, but I've started riding my bike with him, so he's getting a run almost every day. It's really important or he would be bouncing off the walls all the time. As you can tell, I am crazy about this pup. He is the first GSD I have ever had and since day one, I couldn't imagine having any other breed.
I have 2 purebread Shepards.
With 2 litters of puppies (from my sheps.)
Shepards are very good guard dogs.
But also very good with children.
When trained they lose the protecting their owners thing a bit.
But it pretty much depends on how its raised.(like most dogs)
If it is abused it will be very aggressive!
I have three GSDs. Most dogs will get along with a cat if raised with it, its the cat that will have a problem but it will come around. I don't recommend walk your dog without a leash, you never know how your dog will react to another dog or person. better safe then sorry.
A friend of mine has a GSD that lives with htree other dogs and three cats. He's also trained to recall off leash.
It's best that you take your new GSD to obedience classes and have a professional teach you and your new dog, how to recall together.
www.petfinder.com has 1000's of GSD and puppies waiting to be adopted. Please adopt your new friend.
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