Advise on buying a young show dog - Page 1

Hello All :

I owned dogs when I was a single but now am married and have two small children 4 and 8 old. A 18 month show quality dog is offered to me but I am not comfortable bringing a young dog home. My family always wanted to start with a show quality puppy but with all the issues like drive, temperment, ears, hips etc ........and with a good offer on a good dog ....I am thinking if this is a good move.

Many people advise an young dog for show purposes.

One of my friend who is a pro advised me if I want to buy this dog ............ I cant have him in the home as a family dog and still show and get him titled. He will be shown this year in his sire's progeny groups but I will have to get him titled after that.

Cant I have this dog as a family dog and still get him titled later ? Does his drive, temperment and over all behaviour change being a family dog and being with children ? First of all is it a good idea to get a 18 months young GSD into a family with small kids ?

If I bring a pup and have him as a family dog and want to show him ............... I heard they wont respond to training very well  as they learn all unwanted behaviour being a family dog ?

How far does a young dog treat his new family like his own in the future ?  Once I got a friends dog home for a day or so and when I wanted to leash him ......... he dint let me come near. What all he wanted is to rome around the house as he wish. I was not comfortable.

So what are your thoughts ?

a well bred, balanced gsd should be able to be a show dog, working dog, and family pet at the same time.

if he doesn't want the dog raised in the home, I would assume, he hasn't been in the home in the 18 months he's been alive.  probably won't be a good move if you intend on the dog to co-habitate with your young family.

I totally agree with Uber Land

Hi Uber land ,

""if he doesn't want the dog raised in the home, I would assume, he hasn't been in the home in the 18 months he's been alive. probably won't be a good move if you intend on the dog to co-habitate with your young family.""

The breeder is a world class breeder who owns a top VA in Germany and the dog is in their kennel. (Dont know where their dogs usually live). This is my friend's idea. Not the breeder's.

My friend thinks ....to keep the temperment, drive, etc ........a show dog needs to be kept the way a 'show dog' needs to be. I too think so but have no experience. To keep it simple .........."Does a show dog needs to live in a special lifestyle" ?

Cant I keep a show dog in my  house and not in a kennel ?

Many dogs that show all over the world are from family enivroments, some of the best trained dogs I have seen are from small breeders who raise the dogs in their home. A lot of the BIG kennels are in a hurry so the dog gets a title/shown but not really trained well. I would not be bringing an 18 month old dog who has been kennel raised into a family enviroment without ME knowing that dog REALLY WELL. The bonding with the dog is the most important, does he/she want to work with/for you? Does the dog have the drive it takes to be a success. Your question depends on who you talk to, on what anwser you will receive. Common sense should prevail, it depends on the dog and training/handler.

IMO, if the dog *must* be kenneled to eek out every last bit of "drive" in order to show and title, then the dog is not well suited for those activities in the first place.  Drive and temperament are genetic, and a good dog is a good dog regardless of whether he lives in a mansion or a scrubby dog kennel or anything in between.  I have two German Shepherds and I show and title both of them.  They are my companions and house dogs.  I do not have outdoor kennels but if I had proper space I would build some and using them periodically.  I do use crates or confining a dog to a room, porch, or yard for when I need some personal space or I want to "put up" a dog to rest after a training period, but all three of my dogs are fully housebroken and have household manners.  It has not interefered with their showing or training.  My working line bitch is a UKC champion and has various sport/performance titles and my German show line male is SG2 (12-18 months), UKC Champion pointed, and is in training for Schutzhund and SDA.  Yes you can do whatever you feel is best for your dogs and your family.

I do agree with Uber Land though, if this dog has been kenneled for 18 months already it may be a difficult transition to being a good house dog.

I personally don't care if the breeder has a top VA in their kennel in germany,  it doesn't mean the 18 month old kennel raised dog would work coming into your home as a family pet too. 

I remember when I kept a male from my first litter.  he was born into my hands in my bedroom and was totally raised as a house pet.  I started him in the field early and I was constantly told he was going to be too spoiled to train and title.  It was funny though when the helper came out to work the pups and mine was probably the best one in the circle.  even reacted better and knew what to do quicker than the working lines of the same age.   I never got to finish his training unfortunately due to my own health problems and did place him into a home as a pet. 

I now have a 6 yr old male,  whose owner wanted a narcotics dog,  and thought since narc dogs spend alot of their time in crates (his thinking, not mine)  he would raise this dog in a crate for most of its life.  luckily, this boy has such sound temperment and character it didn't ruin him,  and now he is in heaven chasing squirrels in my yard.  and he's the first to stand on the fence and greet a visiter.

the 18 month old may be able to transition easily into your home,  then again chances are he won't. 
alot of times, when you hear the dogs can't be pets,  its because the breeders let them get away with murder growing up, so they don't "crush" their spirits and the dogs look better in the ring.  I've been told not to start obed. on a show prospect, cause it would take away their spirit,  and also heel work would cause the dog to stay at your side gaiting around the ring and not go to the end of the leash. I think it is all BS.

a dog with proper temperment, it won't matter if he's been in a kennel or as a house pet with manners,  it should perform the same.

How sad it would be that you would spend all that money and NOT enjoy what we all love about this breed. And what life is that for the dog? I know of many champion show dogs that live inside with their people. Since when did looks and brains make a difference on whether the dog lived inside or out.

I dont agree with having an 18 mo live outside because it always has. Ive had dogs that were 5 yo who lived outside their entire lives, come inside, and be so in love with being "part of the pack" that I would have to drag them out to make them run and play.

Maybe the breeder just has too many dogs to live inside, maybe some of the dogs fight, etc etc etc. If the dog has a good temperment, a clear head, and you have the time and patience to train him/her, then I say go for it. IMO what makes a good team is the bond between dog and handler and some times that is best formed when the dog is with his handler all the time.

I raised a showline for showing in my home with my other dogs and clients dogs and they all got along.My nephew(3 at the time) would play with him as a pup and he loved everyone.It didn't ruin his drive. I think that the problem with dogs that aren't socilized is you get nervy(also has to do with genetics) dogs that have issues cause they don't get the mental stimulation that they would if around people or in a family setting. You can have him as a family dog and still work with his training and drive.If the breeder says differently maybe they just aren't capable of doing it.Doesn't mean it can't be done.