Young GSD or puppy for first family pet. - Page 1

THERE ARE MANY PROS AND CONS TO BOTH......SUPERVISION OF THE STICTEST KIND NO MATTER WHICH ONE YOU GO WITH........ONE WITH OBEDIENCE ALREADY IN PLACE , ONE YEAR OLD,,STILL PUPPIFIED.....WOULD BE ABLE TO BE TOLD   DOWN   OR PLATZ AND WOULD DO IT .....OR BE ABLE TO CONTROL UPON GETTING IT....YOU JUST LOSE OUT ON    PUPPY BREATH AND POTTY TRAINING.....HA HA   OR ALL THE CUTE BABY MOMENTS THAT ARE VERY PRECIOUS IN A GSD PUPPY.....YOUR KIDS GROW WITH THE PUPPY...BUT OBEDIENCE WILL BE IN YOUR HANDS  AND BITING AND SCRATCHING THE KIDS AND ROUGH PLAY AND PEE PEE AND POOO  WILL BE ALL YOURS TO HANDLE...

A ONE YEAR OLD    BY PASSES ALL THAT ,,,BUT STILL A PUPPY FOR THE KIDS TO LOVE ON AND MOLD TO SOME DEGREE.....BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO OBED,. THE REST OF WAY....BUT AT LEAST THE CRATE TRAINING AND LEVEL ONE OBED WILL BE OF A VALUE.......TIME THAT YOU DO OR DONT HAVE TO POTTY TRAIN AND DISCIPLINE KIDS AND PUPPY AS A BABY WILL DETERMINE WHICH WAY TO GO.......POSSIBLY........SO SPEND MORE MONEY AND BUY A PUP WITH SOME ALREADY IN PLACE....BUT THEN AGAIN   NO PUPPY BREATH AND SOME HABITS ALREADY IN PLACE YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE......YOU HAVE LOTS OF CHOICES  .....

MAKE A LIST OF PROS AND CONS   AND SIT DOWN AND TAKE A FAMILY VOTE   AFTER EVERYONE HERE POSTS......

With two kids under 4 years old, it's a tough call.  I will be interested to read what other parents of young kids have to say. 

Recently on another forum,  there was a long thread about a man who was asking for advise about a 2 yr old Rottie that he had for 2 months and was training to be his personal protection dog (if I recall correctly).  He wanted to know why the dog was panting and stressed all the time.  It turns out he also had a human toddler that he thought should be able to interact with the dog at all times,  didn't think he should ever seperate them, etc..   There was a lot more to it that made it a scarey situation,  but it again brought to the surface the issue of really young children and dogs.

I would recommend an older puppy or young adult.  Some breeders offer young dogs that are raised or socialized with children, I always see eurosport specify this when selling dogs.  They also have a great puppy training program if you are interested in something younger but started in training and socialization.  I purchased an adult when my daughter was 2 years old, I kept a close eye and tried to keep her from giving him too much affection in the beginning, but he was a awesome with her.  Make sure, especially with an adult, that the kids are not unsupervised with him/her.

http://www.eurosportk9.com/forsale.asp

Regards,

Melanie

As long as you know what you're getting into, the situation is as easy or as difficult as you make it.  If your kids are spoiled and not used to being told "no", you may have a problem.  You have to train a dog to live with children but the children must also be respectful of the dog.  You can't abide having little ones poking fingers in ears, eyes, etc.  Not only do you have to be sure the children are safe, you also have to keep in mind the same for said dog.  You're choosing to bring these two together and BOTH are your responsibility.  I understand that the children must come first but knowing that going in you have to keep the best interest of the dog in mind also.

That being said, my children were raised with dogs, birds, fish, bunnies, guinea pigs...anyway, you get the idea.  It was a good experience for them because I was at home full time then and had the time and patience to spend with everybody.  I was not overly cautious but then again I taught my children first how to handle and care for their furry siblings.  My GSDs were like second parents to my kids but I didn't allow my children to abuse my dogs in ANY way. RESPECT is the key and as long as everyone has that for all living creatures in the home and you have the time and patience to devote to all involved, go for it.  If you are a working family with children in day care and have to juggle when you get home after work, I'd think twice.  Kids and a puppy are a lot to handle when a weekend is only two days long.  And this goes for any animal you consider,

It really depends on what you are wanting.  A puppy verses an older pup about one year old.   There are so many people that breed Shepherds you would really have to go and look at many dogs before I would decide.  German Shepherds are wonderful dogs !   But also do your homework every breeder breeds for different things in a dog, some size, some particular bloodlines, some just for obedience.   A German Shepherd has to be worked, wether it be obedience, agility they are not happy dogs sitting in someones back yard and occasionally getting attention.   I think a dog about 4-6 months old sounds good.  Make sure the puppy is housebroken and has actually had some basic obedience and has been inside.  If you go for a young puppy, are you willing to do the housebreaking etc yourself ?    If at all possible I would also visit the dogs.

Sorry about that, puppy here needed tending LOL.  Anyway...This goes for any animal you consider, depending on what you're capable of handling.  GSDs I have found to be easily housebroken as long as you are vigilant. They understand quickly what you're asking as long as you keep a close eye out. A young puppy is a lot more work but you imprint from the beginning. An older puppy is still a puppy, don't expect it to act like an adult dog. Good luck in whatever you decide! 

I had two dogs before I had my daughter, the first year she needed ALOT of supervision around them.  With all the pinching and grabbing I had to come to the dogs rescue more than a few times (a fist full of dog ear comes to mind), keep this in mind when making your decision.  If the older dog you are considering is not used to children, YOUNG children, he might not be very tolerant.  One of my dogs sat there and took the abuse, the other would just get up and go to a different room.  Either is fine but if they would have showed any stress it would have been a major issue, unfortunately with the older dog you are considering, you might not know how tolerant he is till it happens.  My concern with a young puppy....they can be quite mouthy and playfully bite the children, with sharp puppy teeth it could be a problem.

If it's possible, I'd wait till your youngest child is a little older, maybe around two, or at least old enough to understand and communicate and past the grabby, pinchy stage.  OR purchase an older pup or adult who you know was raised with not only children, but small children.

Best of luck,

Melanie

gsd1 - are you gonna be the primary caretaker? it's a TON of work with 1 kid, let alone 2 AND a pup or young dog. no criticisms, just questions. some pups/dogs are pretty mellow, BUT, some are hellions, til they get "civilized".  really think hard about this, cuz if you're the one who's gonna do most of the work at home, it will be hard. i was a stay at home mom too, and it can be overwhelming at times w/o a pet. it can be very stressfull with a pet. good luck to you and make sure you make the decision thats right for YOU. if you get a dog/puppy make sure you post a pic! again, good luck.