Considering getting my son a GSD for his first dog... advice?

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Annie

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Hip dysplasia late in life?

Nope. All of Susanne's dogs are x-rayed and rated. Shadow did have anal fistulas (which have a genetic component in GSDs) and Nero has bad elbows but she was upfront about those things when I was there, and I didn't pay anything for Shadow or Nero. She was only interested in finding them a good home to go to to live out their lives.

Jackie had a bad back (hurt herself in a schutzhund competition in Germany) and was "medically retired" from competition and breeding because of that. She was an absolute joy. She didn't care for kids much and the old man was afraid to even touch me on the shoulder when she was around for the first couple of years. Lol She literally saved my life. Nero will hide behind me when anyone so much as raises their voice. Haha! ALL the dogs I've gotten from her have been well-behaved hair-shedding machines!

Here's Jackie back in her working days.

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=394706-jackie-von-der-kinzigau
 
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RidgeHunter

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you pay for health (testing) and temperament when you pay for a dog. please don't support backyard craigslist breeders. breeding is expensive to do right. the woman who sold me my dog barely breaks even.

rescue or buy a well bred dog. backyard breeders suck.
 

jstaylor62

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My buddy's latest service dog is a German Shepard and he has been phenomenal! Intelligence, temperament, size and endurance has made him an incredible dog for dragging around an old blind Vietnam Vet. From trips to the VA to trips to the bar, that dog has been very impressive.

But, as others have mentioned, there is an issue with shedding ... As much as my buddy brushes his dog, I tease him and tell him he as dog doll ...
 

caojyn

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Picked up this guy a few weeks ago
Named Bishop

i1285.photobucket.com_albums_a589_caojyn_A5FDAE88_EF89_4789_AE3F_791B046F3C29_zpspb9pm5eu.jpg

i1285.photobucket.com_albums_a589_caojyn_C2063010_17EA_4B1C_8CA6_CB0FA25403A0_zpsikucstkd.jpg
 

caojyn

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Here.

https://austerlitzshepherds.com

Every single GSD I have ever had (Nero makes number 6 now) has come from Susanne's kennel. Remember Jackie? The "there will never be another like her Jackie"? Yep. She came from Susanne's.

Agreed! my new Bishop is one of her grandchildren. His father was one of her's that got romantic with a rescue that one of our clients adopted. Both are super sweet and very well behaved.
 

saddlebum

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If your not 100% set on a gsd some of the best dogs I ever had were pound dogs and strays .and the very best dog i ever had was a blue healer / border collie mix from the pound
 

rickm

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Back when i was a youngster some of the best loving and protective dogs i had was of mixed breeds that people throwed out and they wondered up to our place. Had a female german shepard mix that wouldnt let us kids 5 from her when we went into the woods or to the pond, and then we had a english bulldog/hound mix that wouldnt let anyone in the yard unless we walked out to them first.
 

jmike314

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Oh they’ll shed....and be happy doing it.

I didn’t pay for papers. She’s a mutt but still a shepherd. Very trainable, very loyal. Definitely like her more than most people.




“Crying is for babies, little girls, and men who just had their ears ripped off.”
- Winston Churchill
 

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