New Puppy...

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

Do not rely on a sport dog to protect you. If you want a protection dog then please find a trainer that specializes in actual protection work. If you want a sporting dog then find a trainer in that.

I have been training dogs for my entire life, and have trained several protection dogs, and several shutzhund sport dogs, but never did I attempt it by myself.

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Sounds good. How would I go about finding a reputable trainer. What kind of questions should I ask? Is there anything I should look for (I.E. warning signs of trainers to avoid) I have never even owned a dog worth training.... How do I even begin???? I feel so lost. I was just going to do the basics ya know heel, sit, stay, lay down... Then I really got to looking into this dogs potential , and I realized I would be doing a great dis-service not giving this dog the opportunity to do great things....

I would rather have a protective dog than a sport dog... As much as I would like to have the fun of a sport dog, I would get a better use of a protection dog.

The most important question, I have a young son (7), I just do not want an aggressive dog....

I NEED SOME HELP PLEASE!!!!!

175lb male and 125lb female??? either both are WAY overweight or they are breeding large boned shepherds, if so have fun paying 1000's on vet bills for hip and joint problems. no disrespect at all just letting you know that kind of weight on adult gsd's is NOT normal. my male is considered large and is almost over breed standard he is 27" at the withers. did they show you proof that the female was a show dog? because no show that i know of would let an overweight/big boned in espeically if its weight reflects its size

as far as sport or protection goes...does he even have the drive to do either? thats the first question you have got to ask yourself. go to a club after he gets all his shots and have an expert evaluate him for both. as far as a child goes as long as you raise the pup to respect the child AND vice versa there should be no problems make sure the kid feeds/lets out/water/brush/walks/and even helps a little bit with the initial OB training. my parents/family have been breeding gsd's since before i was born...do you realize how much work/time/money/training/socializing goes into breeding any dog but especially shepherds i mean you might make a small profit but nothing close to a great one. my parents do it on the side, they both have full time jobs my dad is a k9 officer and mom works at home just think about what your doing before you bring more shephers into the world that could end up in wrong hands like many do. breed for fun and love of the breed not profit.
-zach

wow.. those are some huge paws! good looking gsd, congrats on bringing him home. Did you make sure to buy a big enough dog house so that you and pup both can fit into it together? LOL

all kidding aside. congrats again. He really is gorgeous.

Beautiful GSD pup!
When people are talking about tests for hip displaysia, they are talking about an OFA certification. More than likely, the parents of you pup will have an OFA certification. They should have been rated at good at the very least. An OFA certification, is usually given by a vet after an animal is two years of age. The reason that most vets wait until the animal is two, is because that is usually when you can begin to see signs of hip displaysia.
I am sure the breeder of you pup will be more than willing to give you an answer on whether or not the parents were OFA certified.

What a cutie! He is going to be one big and beautiful boy! I just love German Shepherds!

Hi there! I love German Shepherds, and your is beautful!!!

I have one myself. He is German lines, DDR and WGSL. He is a bi-color and a long coat to boot!

http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/t...k/sep09037.jpg

I have to add that those parents are vastly oversized. No GSD should weigh more than 100 pounds, and that's pushing it. I am hopeful mine will be about 75 or 80. I want an athletic, fast, strong, healthy dog!

If you want to breed, check out the clearances. GSDs are rampant with health problems. What lines is the female you're getting?

This is my puppy's pedigree:

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/...ee/616966.html

Minimum clearances for breeding:

OFA fair, good, or excellent hips OR a Pennhip, done after age two years IMO
OFA normal elbows
OFA normal heart ultrasound
CERF eye exam annually
vWD test
Normal thyroid panel
No history of bloat in your dog or in any immediate family

Bloat is a major killer of GSDs and has a genetic link

Temperament is a HUGE issue in GSDs. Fearful, nervous, timid, unstable, weak nerved, noise-sensitive, or aggressive dogs are NOT correct and should never be bred.

Simply go to www.offa.org and type in the parents' names in the search for dogs database.

Relief....I knew someone had to know what I was typing about lol.

completely agree if you have a constant nervous/unsure or agressive acting dog dont breed. if the parents are not ofa certified dont breed, socialize the hell out of that puppy and then train because if a 120lb german shepherd (Which shouldnt be that big) even barks at somebody...most ppl will consider it vicious and its just a bad rap the breed has. try to get a complete pedigree of the parents
-This is my gsd "Eiko" he is a west german and czech lines i'll also attach his pedigree. he comes from amazing lines and has the genitics to do anything from detection to therpy dog, his favorite thing is bite work and obedience
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...100_0232-1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...100_0267-1.jpg

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/...ee/563964.html