Is the GSD right for me? - Page 3

An untrained dog would possibly attack a person it saw as 'different' and therefore a threat. One of my GSD's would bark in a threatening manner at people with a pronounced limp. She also was very suspicous of black people, which was rather embarrassing!  (Sorry, I'm not prejudiced, but my dog is...)

The difference between an untrained dog and a trained dog is the  trained dog would stop on command when attacking. The untrained one wouldn't.  The trained one also probably would not initiate an attack without being commanded to do so. (If it did, it would be considered a very serious lapse in training, and the handler would work very hard to correct it and make sure it didn't happen again.)

I still think your best bet is what has been advised here: a dog that will bark and alert you to intruders, but not attack. My male GSD has a dark, scary-looking face, which he hangs over the gate when someone sets foot on my driveway. He's scared off many a delivery person with his appearance and his booming bark. (They have to walk past the gate to get up on the front porch.) Yet, he is the gentlest of dogs, and has never growled at anyone. His appearance alone is enough to scare off intruders.

I have an older female that is very much like you described (out of west German working lines btw).  I bought the dog, hoping to one day breed her...however I did not feel she had the proper temperament for a GSD - I like my dogs strong and driven - so she was spayed.  I am sure you could eventually find what you're looking for, but it might mean a lot of travel to find the right dog.  I would not take someone's word on a dog's temperament - go and see for yourself, otherwise there's a good chance you will end up with a dog that is NOT what you expected.

Don-  All I can say is there's never a dull moment when you are around. ROFLOL

4pack- There you go again, thinking what I'm thinking.  You sure we're not twins. 

tammy- It sounds like your lifestyle doesn't require you to necessarily have a dog that WILL take a bad guy out without a doubt, but in fact you just need a good "bluff" dog that plays the part. This is 9 x's out of 10 all it takes to make someone run the other direction.  However when you discuss the issue of crowds then you are describing a dog that MUST be clear in the head, have rock solid nerves and has good manners.  Any large breed dog will look the part and most will bark to alert you to something they want you to be aware of.  Now when you discuss trainability the GSD IMO is by far the easiest breed to train and I've owned many different breeds to attest to that.  They type of dog you are describing is more or less a pretty looking "pet" type quality dog that you will love and will be loyal to you forever.  Nothing wrong with that- just research what you get and who you get it from REGARDLESS of what breed you choose to go with.  I have a bitch that is very civil, will without a doub chew a bad guy up in a NY minute, spits sleeves like my 7 yr old spits pumpkin seeds but yet she will lick my baby to death and my 10 yr old daughter just started doing OB with her.  She is not they type of dog you need to worry that she will take a bite if there is no direct threat.  This is the type you may want to look for but maybe toned down a notch.  You sure you want a "long haired"??? lol  Just poking at you, 2 each their own I've actually seen a couple long haired's that I thought had quite a "touch" to them.

You sure you want a "long haired"??

I echo that question. The 'secret' name we give our breed, the one we don't mention to prospective puppy buyers is the "German SHEDDING Dog"!

Be prepared for hair, LOTS of hair, literally bagfulls of hair during the twice yearly shed! And that's the REGULAR coat I'm talking about. The long hair only multiplies the problem!

Don-  You made my husband completely LOSE it when he read your response.  He doesn't get on here much but it always seems like when he does he gets a good laugh.  Have you had a psych evaluation lately by chance?? lol

To the OP,  I will not patronize you by any means.

But,  will say DO NOT get a puppy,  Anxiety + Puppy ='s COMPLETE DISASTER !!!!  

There are too many "Unknowns" with a puppy,   and Anxiety and Unknown do NOT mix !!  

We had a buyer who FAILED to disclose she had Anxiety disorder,  Thank GOD we got that puppy back very quickly,  I let her know I was dissapointed she had failed to let us know about the issue,  as if I had known I would have tried to help her find an adult fully trained.

I feel for you that a fully trained adult dog would be a wise choice regardless of what breed you choose.

I hope I have not offended you or anyone else here, and I hope you find this helpful.

Echomeadows, are you saying you require people who purchase your puppy to disclose medical conditions?  That is insane.  I was diagnosed 15 years ago with an anxiety disorder and in that time have raised 4 gsd pups with no problems.  3 of my dogs are therapy dogs and yes, go into schools with children and retirement homes with elderly people.  I have had attacks in public on two different occassions with two different dogs with me.  In both cases their focus was on me, not the people around me.  At no time did my dogs act differently to strangers while I was having an episode.  I have spent 100's of training hours with my dogs and good trainers to bring out the best in them and have obtained titles - CD, Rally and a bh on my dogs which I am most proud of because it forced me to compete in front of alot of people (which in the past would have been a trigger for a panic attack).  I rarely have attacks now, and have not had one in the company of my dogs in over two years.  I attribute that to the confidence my gsd's give me.  I am currently working with a trainer 2 x a week to prepare my youngest for Schutzhund I.  I don't think having an anxiety disorder makes one a better or worse gsd owner, it is more about what you plan to do with these working dogs.  Proper exercise (long walks with them) does wonders for helping manage anxiety disorders as well as help you bond with your gsd.   I don't know the extent of Tammy's anxiety disorder, but would not rule out the right tempered gsd for her as long as she is willing to raise and exercise the dog in the correct way and has realistic expectations.  

I just cannot believe the statement that a buyer should have disclosed this medical condition before taking a puppy because if you had known you would have not sold one to them.   I guess I should call all my breeders and let them know immediately that I am sending my dogs back to them because I am incompetent to  handle this breed due to my mental disorder.  LOL!

Agar

I am typing at the Willowbrook Mental institution as we speak.  I get my pills three times a day and evaluations are done weekly.  Dr. Brunner says my progress is phenomenal.  I should be upgraded to a non-padded room at any time.

You seriously can't READ !!!    I said NOTHING of the sort !!!     I simply said she failed to disclose the information and by doing so caused her and I headache in the end...   She was completely overwhealmed by the presence of a puppy... AS is very typically the case with anyone who suffers from Anxiety disorder.

LEARN TO READ BEFORE YOU GO OFF YOUR ROCKER

Don,  I hope the institution inquiry was for those who can't read must include yourself obviously....

TIG,

I just wanted to clarify what I said when I stated that the OP sounded like she was looking for  a service dog.  I should have said that she was looking for a dog with the character traits of a service dog.  Service animal access and rights is a serious issue and I do not condon the abuse of them.  I apologize for any misunderstanding of my early post.