GSDmom

With Stubby's breeder I was in contact with her until he turned 2 years old and I had his hips x-rayed. They turned out bad and I have not heard a word from her since (over a year). Probably because she now owes me a puppy. Bay's breeder I was in contact with for several months before her dam was even bred. I am still in contact with her and we email alot and also phone once in awhile. They are also on several GSD email lists and forums that I am on. We co-own her so I'm sure the contact will last for the life of our girl.

My hubby complains that the dogs eat better than we do lol! Of course that is not true, but they do eat well. They are on BARF and get plenty of variety.

Well, when I was 15 I started researching Great Danes, I showed them for a friend at AKC events. I trained at her house every day. I also had a Cocker Spaniel at home. I was the one to make sure he was neutered, got to the vet for shots, I groomed him myself, trained him and showed him in obedience. My parents could care less about dogs. At 15 I knew a heck of alot more about dogs, training and caring for them than they did. A 15 year old is deffinatly mature enough to research, own and care for a dog. BUT, they are limited by the parents. If mom and dad are saying yes to a responsible kid having a dog, then it's a great idea. Atom, Yes there are people who sell dogs for big $$$ under false pretenses. It's very hard to know who is honest and who isn't. Before buying a dog at all, it might be a good idea to study disease in Dobes, talk to breeders (over the net and phone if you can't visit) exc. There might be a possiblity that if this breeder lives close enough to you, then she may let you show one of her dogs, come over and work with them, maybe train in obedience. I would also suggest joining 4-H. It's a great experience, and you may find some very knowlegable people there who would be willing to help with training and anything else.

German Shepherds Pro's: Very intelligent, loyal, willing worker, can be trained to do lots of different jobs, beautiful, good with kids, protective, Cons: need lots of mental and physical stimulaion (ok, I find this a good thing), high energy (again, a good thing for the right family), need lots of training,

Because sometimes good dogs get returned. Sometimes breeders end up having too many dogs to be able to have time for them all. Life happens and family circumstances (or money) can interfere. Once in awhile a breeder wants to keep a bitch but can not so may co-own with someone. In this case the bitch lives with the co-owners, gets the life they deserve, training, showing exc. Then when it comes time to breed, breeder gets one of the pups back to sell or keep as they desire depending on how they turn out. The co-owner gets an older, trained, proven dog and the breeders help in picking a stud and a pup or two to replace her when she retires.

Sometimes there are breeders who have an older brood bitch who they are looking to place in a good home. These females sometimes are ok to breed one or two more times before being retired.

Sorry, that was me. I didn't realise I was not logged in.

Thank-you for all the very kind words. Ax just LOVED to play, I'm sure he is having a blast with all the others who came before. I know he will be waiting for us. Until then, we will miss him very much. [i][color=darkblue][/color][size=6][/size]Ax, may you rest in peace, we love you.[/i]

Today is a very sad day indeed. We lost our beloved Ax. We aquired him as a pup for my husband and a mascot for our fire department. He was loved by all. I trained him for search and rescue, he was my partner who loved to swim and worked for the love of it and the tug toy. Just before the certification test he went blind due to what we thought was juvenille cateracts. He was pulled from SAR, but continued to be a great pet who loved to play. His favorite pastime was sliding down the slide with the kids at the park. Then came yesterday, the fateful day when I came home from work to find he had busted the door on his kennel and was wondering aimlessly in the dog room, stumling over nothing and falling on his side and head, I called the vet, and he gave him a shot for shock, assuming it was torsion and had thrown him into shock. Not so. Early this morning I found him breathing, but unresponsive. He was in a coma. I called the vet again, but it was too late. By the time I was done, he had passed away. The vet has ruled that an anurism caused his blindness and yesterday it ruptured, causing death . Ax would have turned 4 in august. We are just devastated.

Did anyone say research! LOL, just kidding! Great posts everyone. BTW, you can never do enough research. The first thing to do is to find a reputable breeder who produces dogs you like in every way. Don't settle. BTW, chose dogs who are close to the standard, not ones you may like for a flaw that deviates from the standard. The standard is there for a reason. If you can afford one, a bitch who has had a litter may be your best bet. You can then see what she produces. Just because a pup may have the best bloodline does not mean they will always turn out the way paper says they should. Also, even if a bitch is the most gorgeous dog with good lines does not mean she will be able to produce well. Buying a pup is always a crap shoot. BUT, as was posted earlier, when you start with a pup you get in on the training and showing. You will know your dog better and learn lots along the way. Another thing, dogs who have proven health and conformation, obedience, or something similar should be the ones used in a breeding program. Too many people breed their dogs just because they are good pets. There are lots of dogs in shelters who are also good pets. Breeding should be done to improve the breed period.

COOL! How long have they been doing it? Someone I know of has an Am. Bulldog in Schutzhund. She says her pup is doing just awesome at tracking. Supposedly a very smart dog and a great tracking machine!

Ok, my nice long reply I had didn't get posted. Yes, I am the one who was trying to find a home for Ax. We have since changed our minds. Some things had come up, but we are going to work through everything and it is going well so far. Ax is not a hyper dog, not a barker, not protective at all. He licks everyone who comes to the door. He deffinatly pushes his boundaries and would love to be the dominate one. He is alpha dog at our house and is very confident. He is well-trained and is smart and easy to train. Great with other dogs, but if they push him, he will let them know who is boss. Deffinatly not good with cats. Dalmatians are deffinatly chewers, even if they are worn out they chew. Ax can destroy a kong in under 10 min. I am used to dogs who need a job (I have a working gsd) but Ax has him beat hands down in the destructive department! Ax has juvenille cateracts and this is something to watch out for in the breed as it is a recessive gene that is hereditary.

Yes, they make wonderful pets. I know several people who have them. Color has no effect on temperment and working ablilty (we do SAR).

I am heading up a committee in our nursing home to purchase a resident dog and want to make sure we cover all the bases so everything works out well for residents and pooch. Can you get dogs with special training to pull wheelchairs and such or do you do this yourselves? We plan to rescue if possible. What type of set-up is best? Do you set up a private place for the dog to be in once in awhile for privacy or do you let him sleep in residents rooms (ones that like dogs and want it to)? How much maintence training do you have to do? Do the residents do most of the cares or do staff? Staff has no problem taking care of the dog, but maybe we should share responsibility with residents. What are some problems you have noticed and what did you do to fix them? Where is the best place to find a dog? Thanks in advance!

We must have been typing at the same time! Not all breeders cull, but many do. The ones that do would cull just the blue pups, not all of them.