German shepards

[twinkle]

Hi , just wondering , i'm 5 ft 2 in , how big would a fully sized german shepard be against me , waist height or above , i'm just wondering as i would like to own one at some point and i don't want to overdog myself , if you know what i mean . thanks

[arumanii]

I'd say prob mid thigh height -but the bitches are usually much smaller than the dogs. They are a lovely trainable breed tho and a def favourite of mine

[twinkle]

Thanks , i love them myself , how old do they have to be before you start training them and how do you know the trainer is any good as i'm not an expert on training dogs and i would never try to attempt to do any of the methods on dog borstal ;D

[jack]

if you do not know this breed or are not to good at training them then my advice is to stay clear of this breed i have been brought up with them we used to bread them and in my adulthood i have owned 2 of them they can be difficult dogs the one ive got now is 18 months and im still haveing a few problems with him

[fleabitten]

What about getting a Labrador or Retriever?? They have lovely temperaments and are really friendly dogs? As for training - start em as young as possible!

[twinkle]

Thanks for your advice , i thought a lab might be best for starters as i know how tempremental GS's can be . This woman two doors down from me owns a shar pei and its a puppy thats growing fast , the thing that worrys me is that this puppy is now the size of the 5 year old who lives next door and he runs after him , i'm sure its just play but she is a big puppy and could easily hurt him and i've seen what dogs can turn into when not educated and left to there own devices .

[florence]

In general, the height should be about 25 inches (63cms) for a dog and 23 inches (58 cms) but a lot are bred acouple of inches taller. I can't remember how much mine weighed but probably 70 - 80 lbs. You need to be really careful about the breeding both temperament wise and about hip scoring as they are very prone to hip displasia (not sure of the spelling).

Jack's absolutely right about the training. I loved my GSD but the first 18 months turned out to be hell at times. You have to be very firm or you'll end up with it being the head of the house. They are very persistent and if you give in just once, you've got a battle of wills on your hands. They are extremely intelligent (it used to fascinate me to sit and watch her work something out) and they are fiercly loyal. Mine turned out to be lovely, maturing at about 2 years old and she lived until she was 15 when her hips finally gave up on her completely. I never had another one because I could not devote the time and effort needed if I had to go through another 18 months of puppyhood like hers!

[racaille]

Good advice here - please no one get a big dog like this unless they know what they are doing. I have spent my life taking on strong, dominant dogs whose inexperienced owners couldn't handle them, which meant that some of them had turned into really bad guys. Dogs like this challenge their owners to be top dog and it takes gentle firmness ALL THE TIME to keep them in line.

[scattymare]

My dad made the mistake of getting a GSD. He's a lovely dog but they just cannot control him. In the house and garden he's as good as gold, fully trained, but the second they take him out the gate he turns into a demented creature!! They have been to training classes, called various experts - even the dog borstal people who just said the dog is too old to change (he was a stray and already 4 when they got him). The problem is he's just too strong for them and he literally pulls them over. So the poor thing only goes out for short walks. Luckily they have a large garden and do run him up and down a lot to get rid of pent up energy. But I really wouldn't advise anyone inexperienced to get a GSD. I don't think it's fair on the dog but my dad's in love and can't bear to part with him.

[magic]

when my GS was here he was mid thigh (i am 5'2"), he was very obedient, loving and was very protective of me (and mum who fed him) and he was easy to train too.

he stopped our house from being broken into - twice - he was a great guard dog and pet

i actually miss him a great deal

[Blonde Donkey]

GS are fab if trained well and early
my uncle has one that was rescued and she can be a handful but an aunty got one as a puppy and he was well trained from the beginning and he is an amazing dog and has stopped someone that was trying to break into an old lady's house down the road by jumping on him from behind and holding him there until the police arrived but never ever has he done that to anyone else
i suggest a smaller dog maybe not a terrior they are mental as well!

[twinkle]

Thanks for all the advice , i can't believe dog borstal turned you down how is 4 to old . I actually have grown up with dogs as my mums family owns dogs so growing up i had to learn to deal with them and tell them to get down etc . I'm almost natural with dogs , i'm very relaxed and not afraid to teach them whats wrong or right , my uncle has a GSD and he is in the house by himself all day poor thing . They need loads of company and attention as far as i'm concerned .

[scattymare]

Thats what I thought twinkle. Just goes to show what you see on TV isn't always what you think. They have tried so many things but I think the basic fact comes down to the fact he is too strong for them. Cos he's so well trained at home (will sit, down, search etc). They just cant walk him which is really sad for the dog. You sound as if you have lots of experience with them so go for it. Lots of puppy classes. (I've always wanted to take a dog to agility classes - my poor family dog when I was little was taught to showjump!)

[twinkle]

You ought to get your dad trying some walk to heal with his GSD , a very important training method for walking your dog , it teaches them to stop pulling . Agility is great for GSD's .

[florence]

Jul 31, 2008 12:37:23 GMT Blonde Donkey said:

i suggest a smaller dog maybe not a terrior they are mental as well!

Haha! Peter Purves got bitten by one at a dog show he was presenting at today!

[Blonde Donkey]

terriors ae little sods
ours is still bouncing round the house at 15 its a nutter lol
was chasing a moth the other day

[twinkle]

Ha! I always say the smaller the dog the more evil the dog, maybe thats why there called terriers it in the name terror.

[Blonde Donkey]

yea though i think it's more terrorist lol
she rules our lifes bless her
and still as nutty as the day we got her

[twinkle]

lol does she bounce up and down like she's on a trampoline .

[Blonde Donkey]

yep and we did actually put her on a trampoline lol and she loved it
she's 15 and she only stopped bouncing for about three weeks last year when she was really ill
thogh she belongs to our family so she has to be a nutter lol

[twinkle]

lol , same here we're a bunch of nutters ;D

[Blonde Donkey]

haha i think we turned her like that though
theres a bloke near where we keep two of the neddies and he's turned a lovely choc lab into a monster (we knew the dog before)
so it all depends who they live with lol

[twinkle]

I agree , owners really influence there dogs , your dog seems really happy with you he must really love his home

[Blonde Donkey]

she's insane but very relaxed if that makes sense
she was a rescue an old lady had her and couldn't cope my mum swapped her with a friend for a duck with two broken legs and told my dad she was coming on holiday for a couple of weeks
and twelve years later she's still here

[twinkle]

Thats the trick , just tell the OH " its only for a couple of weeks" and hopefully all those years later he won't notice the dogs still there ;D