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Thread: Advice on what to look for when selecting a German Shepherd

  1. #11
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    I've got a belgian malinois / shepherd mix, I got mine from Camelot K9 in Tennessee. They have great stock and host at least 1 PSA trial a year.

    We competed in PSA a couple of times but we haven't trained in about 2 years. My boy is the smartest dog I've ever had and loved training but sadly other time commitments took me from training every week so he's turned into a lap dog. Having a working dog is a commitment, you have to keep them busy, even though I don't do bite work anymore I still keep him learning new tricks. And I make sure I socialize him a lot.

  2. #12
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    Solid call, a good GSD is a great family addition.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteyrAUG View Post
    The more "ultra pure bred" the more likely you will have a dog with hip issues. This is one instance where pedestrian is sometimes better than pedigree.

    Obviously avoid the puppy mills where dogs might be in poor health or subjected to conditions that result in problems. Temperament is probably the most important. If the dog won't come to you when you visit, it might have been abused which takes a lot of commitment and effort to overcome or it just might have a poor disposition and could be reclusive / aggressive both of which have their own challenges.

    If you can, try and find a rescue or shelter dog. Nothing feels better than literally saving a dogs life. I would look for good overall health first, then temperament / disposition and my last consideration would be papers / champion parents or whatever.
    With regard to hip issues, it depends on the pedigree, not that it's purebred. The right pedigree will have a horizontal back, not sloped back. The sloped back can be purebred at but those will have the hip issues.

    I got mine from a friend who raises them for search and rescue and law enforcement work. He's a great dog. The secret is getting one from a reputable breeder.

  4. #14
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    So what is average $ for one. Not looking for perfect markings or turn nose up papers. Just want a great dog. I was sort of budgeting 1-2k pending breeder reputation. Am I in the ballpark with this budget, or will I have some sticker shock when I go looking.

  5. #15
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    4 years ago pups were around $1,500 in my area, not sure what they are now. But I've seen crazy prices all the way up to 10k depending on age and training. I was offered 6k for mine at the 2yr mark. I bought him for 1,500 or 2k, don't remember which but at that point he was turning heads. I had at least that much in gear and my time training, besides that he was part of the family already. No way I was letting him go. And at this point my wife would sell me first...lol

    There's board and train places around that are between 2k and 4k locally so it's easy to have major money tied up in one. But a trained dog is worth it, I keep a short tab leash on when I'm out in public and just leave it hanging down. He stays right on my leg walking around Lowe's/Home Depot and I only reach for him when we get to the car so I can remove his collar before telling him to jump in.

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  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1_click_off View Post
    So what is average $ for one. Not looking for perfect markings or turn nose up papers. Just want a great dog. I was sort of budgeting 1-2k pending breeder reputation. Am I in the ballpark with this budget, or will I have some sticker shock when I go looking.
    That budget is good for a pup, a started dog just goes up from there. If your on a tight budget, find a solid breeder and develop a relationship....it’s a two way street and will pay off in the long run.
    "I would rather be the hammer than the anvil."- Rommel

    Owner: Hangar 18 Custom Coatings

  8. #18
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    If you are not looking for a high-drive working dog, one thing to be aware of is that as far as I know, most shepherds with temperaments more suited to being family pets have the aforementioned sloping topline. So far there don't seem to be many people breeding more easygoing "pet" shepherds with the horizontal backs.
    The "sloped" dogs can be perfectly healthy if you get them through a reputable breeder however their stance and gait is weird and unnatural due to their angulation (a lot of these dogs virtually walk on their hocks), and personally I think it looks terrible and have never understood why it is considered appealing by the breeders of "show-line" shepherds. Just one of many examples of the stupid shit we've done to purebred dogs in the name of aesthetics.

  9. #19
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    I really enjoyed training the last pup. I had him to where he would walk next to me and did all kinds of tricks. I started walking him on a leash and when I was about to stop I would drag a foot, stop and tell him to sit. I had him to where he would walk with no leash and I could drag the foot and he would sit without telling him. If I told him to load up, he was looking for an open door. I remember one time I told him load up and my truck doors were closed (forgot) and I had a bed cover. He came back looked at me like you didn’t do your job and open the door. So I told him load up again and he took off. I heard a horrible noise of claws on a body panel. That joker jumped on the hood and slid up to the windshield just looking at me like “let’s roll”. Goofball.

    It would be nice to have a started dog, but I just don’t want to forfeit that 2 years of enjoyment.
    Last edited by 1_click_off; 10-12-19 at 19:30.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Circle_10 View Post
    If you are not looking for a high-drive working dog, one thing to be aware of is that as far as I know, most shepherds with temperaments more suited to being family pets have the aforementioned sloping topline. So far there don't seem to be many people breeding more easygoing "pet" shepherds with the horizontal backs.
    The "sloped" dogs can be perfectly healthy if you get them through a reputable breeder however their stance and gait is weird and unnatural due to their angulation (a lot of these dogs virtually walk on their hocks), and personally I think it looks terrible and have never understood why it is considered appealing by the breeders of "show-line" shepherds. Just one of many examples of the stupid shit we've done to purebred dogs in the name of aesthetics.
    I always thought the same when I saw them walk as well.

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