Getting a dog

D

DexterMorgan

A Smooth-Skin
I'm going to get me a dog. So far I have narrowed it down to three breeds: German Shepherd, Belgian Shepherd (Malinois) or Doberman.

I'd make it a poll but I have no idea how to do that. Post your thoughts on each of thee breeds, if you have any.

Malinois

belgian-malinois.jpg


German Shepherd

german-shepherd-alexmonth5.jpg


Doberman

doberman_pinscher.jpg
 
German Shepherds are a very good breed. I've owned a few over the years and only one was a dissapointment. (He was a special case anyway, long story.)

I've heard arguments both for and against getting ones with bloodlines tied to Germany itself (much stricter standards for breeding than in US) and German German Shepherds tend to be smarter, healthier (less eyesight problems or hip dysplasia) though the intelligence comes with a price. You'll have a dog that needs much more attention and interaction and one that will constantly test the boundaries of the owner/pet relationship especially if training does not begin when the dog is VERY young. (I speak from experience as I've owned some of these as well as their American Counterparts.) I wouldn't reccomend getting a German German Shepherd if it's your first dog. American German Shepherds (I'm assuming you live in the states, my apologies if I'm incorrect.) have suffered in that being a popular breed for a very long time corners have been cut with some bloodlines to meet the supply/demand. Not to say you can't find a quality one because you can, just make sure you do your homework before dealing with a prospective breeder (though the same is really true of any dog.) Some breeders can offer certification for their dogs against various problems such as hip dysplasia if they can prove no dogs going back x generations of the bloodlines have suffered from it. And just like people individual tempermants vary so pick your puppy carefully.

Dobermans are ok but I prefer the Shepherd because compared to the Dobermans I've known (and owned) they seem to have a closer bond with their family unit but both breeds are exceptional when it comes to the instinct to protect what it views as its family. Also I just think Shepherds are more attractive but that's outright bias on my own part :p

I have no experience with the Belgian Shepherd so can offer no opinion.
 
Thank you for your reply TLO. I'm actually European so getting a German German shouldn't be a problem.

I live alone and in some ways prefer dog company to human one, and am stable as a person, being 31 years old. I've also owned dogs before, most notably a wonderfully intelligent German Shepherd/Doberman mix, so I don't have a problem with a more intelligent and demanding dog. Actually, that's a plus in my eyes :)
 
i'm partial to the Malinois, but i might be biased.

that said, they are indeed high maintenance. i'd get one myself, if it were not for the fact that i simply do not have the time to properly take care of it.
 
I say forget the pure breed stuff. Get the dog that grabs you, the one that seems unique and perfect in its own way.

I'm a cat person myself but I've grown up with many dogs in my life. An Alaskan red wolf named Sheroo, German Sheppard (retired police dog) Yammah to name a few. Out of all those amazingly pure breed unique dogs, the mutt is the one I came to love.

She was Chow, and a few other things but the most pure at heart I had ever known. Somehow it knew when someone was good natured or not. Those that were not, she tried to get them away from my friends house. She would take her food bowl out to the middle of the street bark twice and all the neighborhood dogs would come to eat. When she had a litter, there were 5 or 6 little fat fluffy puppies waddling in a line behind her everywhere. For some reason she loved sleeping in the middle of the street though... So did her puppies. :P
 
I say forget the pure breed stuff. Get the dog that grabs you, the one that seems unique and perfect in its own way.
Click to expand...
I agree with that; choose the breed you like, you want and espessially, one you can keep; a German shepherd, for example, needs a lot of exercise, so it's good to have a big, open area where it can run freely near you.
 
Dude, screw purebreeds. Just go to a shelter and ask if they have a young (<9 months) shepherd-like dog that you can take off their hands.

You wouldn't believe the kinds of dogs that people send off to pounds, ESPECIALLY after Bring-a-Pine-Tree-Home-and-Let-It-Wither Day.

Also, as a person who owns both a German Schäferhund and a Belgian Tervuren I can assure you that both are active, highly intelligent and fairly obedient dogs. So just make a coin toss. Or take two.
 
I'm a fan of Golden Retrievers or Malamutes. But my favorite of all is the Saint Bernard (big and drools allot, but I really love them) But from your list I would say the German Shepherd. I've had 3 of them in all. Wonderful dogs.
 
Big dogs and small men.... Why not a useful dog that doesn't eat you out of the house? Besides, schäfers aren't that tough, my finnish spets have scared of both schäfers and rotweilers...
And like everybody else says about pure breed, screw that, get a mixed one, they are usually alot healthier too.
 
Silencer said:
Dude, screw purebreeds. Just go to a shelter and ask if they have a young (<9 months) shepherd-like dog that you can take off their hands.
Click to expand...

I second that. I think this is the best and nicest thing you could possibly do.

On a sidenote:

Big dog


Small dog


My gerbil is actually not much smaller than that last one. Weird. And no: it's not PhotoShopped.
 
Have you considered boxers?

I've had German sheherds and while very loyal, they can become very jealous of other people. Mine was an excellent bodyguard and nanny.

My boxer, crossbreed English and American boxer (had the stripes of the English boxer and the white chest of the American boxer) was the best dog I had. She was quite smart, sweet and noble. You could leave a 2 year old child with her and the dog would dutifully watch and warn you when the kid started crying. The dog would even allow the baby to put its little hands on its mouth and pull on her tongue.

Boxers rule!

P.D. Get a female one. Better tempers and they grow more attached to you.
 
Just thought I should pipe in and also recommend going with a dog from one of your local shelters. Not a big supporter of breeding when there are so many being euthanized on a daily basis.

While It would be great to raise one from just a pup, you can teach an old dog new tricks so I wouldn't worry about behavior if that's a concern. I used to walk a 3 year old Rottweiler mix who, when adopted, was psychopathic and more than a little violent (she had been abused, burned with a cigar/blunt and left on the streets). Now, a little over a year later, with some love and discipline shes a 80 pound lap dog.
 
Yeah, but you need quite a bit of work to get an old dog to learn. It's more convenient to train a pup. It's much easier to work around racial traits (one of my dog's best friends is an amstaff... Mild as a sheep), than years of bad experience and wrong conditioning.
 
Yeh, it's definitely easier to train a young dog. I was just trying to point out that even a violent abused basket case shelter dog can be reformed. No one should hesitate to pick up <1 year old dog from a shelter for fear that it's been "ruined" or something like that by its previous owner/conditions.
 
Silencer said:
Dude, screw purebreeds. Just go to a shelter and ask if they have a young (<9 months) shepherd-like dog that you can take off their hands.
Click to expand...
Except for the fact that dogs of mixed race often get's all sorts of nasty problems with their hips, heart and head?
 
Dragula said:
Silencer said:
Dude, screw purebreeds. Just go to a shelter and ask if they have a young (<9 months) shepherd-like dog that you can take off their hands.
Click to expand...
Except for the fact that dogs of mixed race often get's all sorts of nasty problems with their hips, heart and head?
Click to expand...

Well, you're obviously mistaken, since it is the pure breed shepherds who develop hip displasia with near-certainty, not the shepherd-mongrels. Do your research on genetics and inbreeding, will you?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top