Is the GSD right for me? - Page 7

Tammy,

I have a daughter who has high functioning autism and I could see in your posts similar things that my daughter would say...such has being a dog trainer.  She has trained her dog to do several tricks and if you asked her she would tell you she is a "dog trainer".  I think my two GSD's listen better to her than me, and there have been times when she has been upset and my older GSD will jump up on the couch and put her head in her lap and just lay there with her.  I think it is great that you are doing research because at 17, my daughter has not matured to that level....if she had the money, she would buy what she wanted "at the moment" without doing research.  Good luck in your search, I hope you find what you are looking for. 

Hi Tammy,

I do not think a German Shepherd would be right for you. IMO you would be hard-pressed to find a long-coat GSD that fits the characteristics above because reputable breeders do not deliberately produce out-of-standard dogs, and only produce long-coats occasionally and by accident.

>I am a single women and always will be, so a protective ability is fairly important to me.

A word on that -- A protective dog can be like a loaded gun, and in the hands of someone who is not ready to be a forceful alpha-type personality a personal protection dog can become a dangerous liability. Single woman or family man, merely having a dog is more than enough deterent for most would-be criminals, especially one that looks intimidating. Large black dogs, (like rotties, black labs, black shepherds) have remarkably good threat-deterring potential based on looks, even though they may be the friendliest pooches out there...

... which is why large black dogs are least-likely to be adopted at shelters... scary-looking 

Any dog, regardless of protective ability is a deterrent to would-be criminals. "German Shepherd"-ish dogs have the reputation as "cop dogs," and that makes people more wary of them than other breeds, or dogs that do not resemble a police canine.

I do not recommend chosing a dog with protective traits unless the owner is ready to handle the challenges thereof. 

From your posts, I do not think a deliberately protective dog is a good choice for you. It would be too challenging. Soft temperament and protective ability are opposite ends of the spectrum, and most of your posts focus on house-dog, rather than Protection Dog.

Have you considered other GSD varieties that are no longer the GSD breed, but resemble the  German Shepherd for the most part? http://www.shawlein.com/The_Standard/13_Breed_Type/Breed_Types.html

What immediately jumps to mind are "Shilo Shepherds"? While they are by definition "designer dogs" it sounds like the Shilo would be more what you are looking for than a GSD. Shilos were created recently to recreate the "old world" GSD -- however no such ancestor of the shepherd ever existed that resembled a Shilo. They're mutts, by my definition, but a recent offshoot of the German Shepherd lineage.

There are also "king shepherds," likewise a "designer dog" derivation of the German Shepherd bloodline.

Both the King and the Shilo are larger than a GSD, but were bred to be pets foremost, and not working dogs. Thus they have lower drives than the GSD, and are more "people-pleasing." They run a tendancy to have personalities more like a Golden Retriever than a German Shepherd: soft, people-pleasing, and amiable. 

However the visual effect is that of a very large plushy shepherd.  And it's back to the visual "looks like a shepherd" deterrent factor.

 Shilo Shepherd http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/shilohshepherd.htm

King Shepherd http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/kingshepherd.htm

Just for the record: some people will try to tell you that their "Shilo Shepherd" puppies or "King Shepherd" puppies are rare breeds. They Are NOT RARE BREEDS!, they're recently created mixes, and should not command exhoberant prices. Since they're "Designer Dogs" you should expect to pay between $1,000 and $2000 for a puppy, as much if not more than a purebred GSD because breeders will try and capital