Why German Shepherds? - Page 4

I grew up knowing the GSD is a large dog belonging to the working group... (of course I was a tiny kid then...)   I was wrong...  It is a medium-sized well constructed dog,  of herding ancestry but suited for a multitude of tasks... The helper of mankind... 

Well,   I would have to say now that I have had shepherds for over 10 years. 

It is because I can have a conversation with my dogs, and they do completely understand me. 

Ex.  Did you go potty?   I get the look like, OH yeah, I do have to go. 

Ex.  Did you get your drinking done, because we are going training?   Another look like,  just a minute , I am going to do that right now.

Ex.  All done, Ok then get in the truck.      They are in the truck before I get to it to lock the crates. 

Of Course my family that is very non animal oriented ,   is just amazed at how obiedent they are and my response is that isn't

obiedience, that's  a Sheperd !!

 My passion for the breed though started when I was a little girl, because my grandmother would tell me stories about a

german shepherd  that was given to her family when she was a little girl.  they named him "Ranger".    At one point her father

thought that they should give the dog back to his first owner,   20 miles away in a neighboring town.   Ranger busted out and traveled

20 miles back and found them.   So, from then on he was to stay forever.    One day my grandmothers younger brother at the time was

2 or 3 years old  , nicknamed "JR"  decided to walk to town where dad worked , which was a couple of miles.    Ranger decided

to walk right beside Jr. and kept him off of the road, and walked with him the entire way until,  my grandmother's father came to pick him

up.    The reason, they knew that was because all of the neighbors that saw Jr. walking with Ranger, were not about to go get the little

boy , because Ranger was on duty.    So, they all called up at the shop and told him the situation. 

      Awesome stories like that can imprint one as a child,   they certainly did me.   

That's why Sheperds!!

Noble, proud, beautiful, fearless, dedicated, but to me the thing that stands out the most is their inteligence. If you have ever been lucky enough to watch a pair of GSDs herd you have seen it all.

I had a friend who lived on a farm and before we played I used to help him with chores. They also had pigs, anyone ever try to get a pig to go where you wanted? It just doesn't work. When it was time for forty of them to go to market a truck would come out and drop a ramp right over the fence into the pig pen. They had two male GSDs, they were going nuts waiting for the command. Off they would go together and within a minute or two they would force thirty or so of the pigs right up the ramp. The older dog stayed at the bottom of the ramp so the pigs would not be able to sneak back off. The other dog would go back after the strays and force them back towards the ramp, as they approched the older dog (who was guarding the bottom of the ramp) he would slip to the side to allows others up the ramp and on the truck. There was always one or two who refused to be herded. The younger shepherd would chase them for a while then give them a bite right on the ass and the pig then allowed him to herd them. In less than 5 minutes forty pigs were on a truck, I saw this act repeat itself over & over and it was poetry in motion. I've owned shepherds for almost forty years. I think I could write a book on the different things my dogs have done that amazed me.

The relationship (or bond) between family members and GSD can't be matched IMO, they truly love, and are completely dedicated to the family.

Like my Vet said, there is a reason you see GSDs in Police Cruisers, and it is not because they are stupid.

This is a great thread, and I really enjoyed everyones post. Thanks

Ya'll might shoot me for this one...

Up until about two years ago I had only seen Ambred German Shepherds...which my father disliked and like any Daddy's girl I grew up disliking also...I liked Corgi's growing up actually...

Two years ago I was skiing in Switzerland (visiting family) and we stopped at a resteraunt on the mountain...there was a long haired wolfy looking dog there and he was great...I must have played with him for hours...and went back a couple of times after to play again...then I went again last year...still a great dog..about a year later we realized that it wasnt a wolf or a husky mixed with a Shepherd like we thought but an actual Shepherd...or least of German Shepherd Descent.  When I was researching the White Shepherds I started learning about Max's dogs and the history of the German Shepherd and I bought a bunch of books from the 20's and started reading....at which point I fell in love with the structure and the working strength of the dogs from that time...and then I started learning about the different lines and I fell in love with many of the dogs in the working lines (West, East, and Czech)...I also learned about genetics of the GSD as well...because they are the same.

I am in the military (National Guard) and in general I have a personality that is all over the place...a little too much energy, a little too much passion...almost obsessed when I get on something I really enjoy and very energetic...but then I have my lazy moments.  In the last year or so I have learned more and more about the breed and I just feel like they match me...our Shep Mix is like that...and many of those I have talked to or read about have dogs like that as well....not all the dogs are like that but alot of them are...and I also like their loyalty and their inteligence...I just feel like it matches...

Two years ago if you had asked I would have said is a German Shepherd is an unstable, butt-on-the-ground, black and tan, bad tempered beast because that is all I had ever seen in my town...but after meeting that white shepherd I started to learn and I am glad I did...it opened a world up to me...not just of GSDs but of dogs in general...that dog was the reason I am learning to train...why we have our mutt Jay (who is am angel sent from heaven I might add), and my new little girl Ruby.  I am looking forward to spending a lifetime learning more about this breed...of all colors, shapes and sizes.

~Cate

simply to put it

I love the companionship and loyalty

but the best way to put it is they are the universal soldier

not the best at anything in the workability fields but second best at everything

The bloodhound tracks better, the whippet runs faster, the rottweiler bites harder but there is no others that can do ALL of them as well as the german shepherd dog on such a consistant basis IMO

I am really enjoying reading about everyone's fascinating experiences here.  Great post.

Very true, Haus Simpkins! Did you know Chuck Eisenman even had his Littlest Hobo dogs retrieve birds? I saw those dogs perform live back in 1977, and they were just AWESOME!! You just don't see that level of intelligence very often, even in the GSD.

I'm wondering just where their unique colouring came from. I've never seen GSD's coloured like that before or since!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/Sunsilver/bilde.jpg

Too bad Chuck wasn't able to keep the line going. He suffered a stroke recently and is now in a nursing home, diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

http://www.newsreview.info/article/20060818/NEWS/108180111/-1/rss01

I had people who were like adoptive grandparents to me when I was a child. They had all kinds of dogs. He was the owner of a trucking company my real grandfather worked for. He rescues strays and had a few dogs of his own choosing. Prince was one of those dogs. I have more "first" childhood memories at their house than my own real family. Merle put Prince down when I was about 4. He had bad hips and was in pain. I didn't understand it at the time because the dog was my best buddy. I still have some pictures of him I have managed to keep with me through all of the moves in my life. I didn't have the pleasure of having another GSD in my life for many years. I had other breeds come and go but the GSD was always in the back of my mind. My senior year of High school a neighbor down the street had GSD's and gave my mom a pup when I was out of town. I came home one rainy night to a little wet pup in the dog house with my Dalmatian. She turned out to be a mix. Guess mom got tangled up with another male besides the one the owners had. It was OK. By that time I was in love. Bear Bear went everywhere with me. She was like my little baby. She became my daughters dog when Brea was born. Just a great temperament with kids. I had to live without her for a year when we moved to Texas but I wasn't willing to move to Germany and leave her behind. I took a special trip to California to say goodbye to my family and pick up my dog who my mother cared for over a year. When I lived in Germany we bought another pup. Since then I haven't owned another breed. As time changes,so do my wants and needs. There is always a GSD out there capable to fill that need. They are so versatile and loyal, you just can't beat em. The only reason I can come up with for a different breed of dog, is for a smaller size.

I was raised with German Shepherds! They are the greatest dogs! I now raise them, and have 4 right now. They are all inside dogs, and I don't know what I would do without them!

My sire is big and muscular...we nicknamed him Arnold...he has imported bloodlines...and is so intelligent. He has the shutzund I,II, III in his background. He has sired some beautiful pups!

Arnold is a very handsome fellow.