[ELmostl]

Originally Posted by jchantelau

I basically kept checking the site until they listed the dog I wanted then drove up to take a look. Worked great.

yep ive been on petfinder already , thats how i came across the shelter.

they had a bigger selection in the shelter than on the site though , so ill be visiting shelters more often.

so what are some good outdoor type breeds? ive read that most herding , working , hunting dogs are good for outdoors.

i live in the midwest so the weather is somewhat unpredictable. gets cold nd hot.

[RBark]

Originally Posted by ELmostl

yep ive been on petfinder already , thats how i came across the shelter.

they had a bigger selection in the shelter than on the site though , so ill be visiting shelters more often.

so what are some good outdoor type breeds? ive read that most herding , working , hunting dogs are good for outdoors.

i live in the midwest so the weather is somewhat unpredictable. gets cold nd hot.

outdoor breeds tend to have energy through the roof. so you'll really need to keep up with them. Being in the backyard will not even as much as dent their energy.

[ELmostl]

Originally Posted by RBark

outdoor breeds tend to have energy through the roof. so you'll really need to keep up with them. Being in the backyard will not even as much as dent their energy.

yep , read up on that too.

i will be wearin em out ( not literaly) but i do plan on going on long walks and runs.

since i will be getting a mixed breed , how much does that factor into the dogs behavior.

sayi was to get a collie shepherd mix..or boxer/akita , or akita/shepherd?
(few of the dogs i saw at the shelter)

is it just a throw of the dice as to how the dog would behave?

[Xeph]

To the OP:

Aside from size, what makes you want a German Shepherd Dog?

[RBark]

Originally Posted by ELmostl

yep , read up on that too.

i will be wearin em out ( not literaly) but i do plan on going on long walks and runs.

since i will be getting a mixed breed , how much does that factor into the dogs behavior.

sayi was to get a collie shepherd mix..or boxer/akita , or akita/shepherd?
(few of the dogs i saw at the shelter)

is it just a throw of the dice as to how the dog would behave?

It's pretty much a dice throw. If you have an idea of what the breeds might be, it helps, but you won't really know which breed is dominant.

[ELmostl]

Originally Posted by RBark

It's pretty much a dice throw. If you have an idea of what the breeds might be, it helps, but you won't really know which breed is dominant.

figured , its just like having a baby i guess ,

so after long discussions with my parents , we have pretty much decided on a german shepherd , or shepherd mix , or retriever , ( or whatever is at the shelter)

but the shelters around here seem to have tons of GSD mixes ,

i also found out that both of my parents had a few GSD mixes back in bosnia.

if i can find any pics ill scan em.

btw RBARK , id love to get a husky , how hard was it finding one?

nd what age would you people recommend of getting a dog? im lookin for a puppy kind of , just so i could raise him right.
hopefully less than a year old.

i think it would be tough raising an older dog ,for an inexperience owner , if i dont know how he has been treated before , and stuff.


ANY GSD OWNERS IN HERE?

[RBark]

Originally Posted by ELmostl

figured , its just like having a baby i guess ,

so after long discussions with my parents , we have pretty much decided on a german shepherd , or shepherd mix , or retriever , ( or whatever is at the shelter)

but the shelters around here seem to have tons of GSD mixes ,

i also found out that both of my parents had a few GSD mixes back in bosnia.

if i can find any pics ill scan em.

btw RBARK , id love to get a husky , how hard was it finding one?

nd what age would you people recommend of getting a dog? im lookin for a puppy kind of , just so i could raise him right.
hopefully less than a year old.

i think it would be tough raising an older dog ,for an inexperience owner , if i dont know how he has been treated before , and stuff.


ANY GSD OWNERS IN HERE?

Actually it's much easier to raise a older dog... Unless they have a lot of personality disorders. It's actually a better idea to get an adult dog as your first dog as you know what to expect.

Huskies are easy to find... but I'll tell you straight up, Ollie is a hard dog to own. He needs a TON of exercise, is very active, disobedient (I can almost count on him to do the exact opposite thing I ask of him every time), stubborn. I talk a lot of fun I have with Ollie. He's fun, but easy or even moderately hard is not even the next to last word I'd use to describe him.

So I don't really recommend them. GSD's are awesome, though, and sound like they would fit in your lifestyle. I'm sure Renoman has some better input than I on that, though.

[ELmostl]

Originally Posted by RBark

Actually it's much easier to raise a older dog... Unless they have a lot of personality disorders. It's actually a better idea to get an adult dog as your first dog as you know what to expect.

Huskies are easy to find... but I'll tell you straight up, Ollie is a hard dog to own. He needs a TON of exercise, is very active, disobedient (I can almost count on him to do the exact opposite thing I ask of him every time), stubborn. I talk a lot of fun I have with Ollie. He's fun, but easy or even moderately hard is not even the next to last word I'd use to describe him.

So I don't really recommend them. GSD's are awesome, though, and sound like they would fit in your lifestyle. I'm sure Renoman has some better input than I on that, though.

thanks , i will probably get a GSD if everything goes all right.

i guess this is saying how much time i can devote to exercise.

im thinking of doing like 30-45 min walk in the morning before i go to school , nd then just playing around and stuff when i am home , possibly a short walk at nite.

ofcourse this is a rough plan hehe , it all depends on the dog ,

[RBark]

Originally Posted by ELmostl

thanks , i will probably get a GSD if everything goes all right.

i guess this is saying how much time i can devote to exercise.

im thinking of doing like 30-45 min walk in the morning before i go to school , nd then just playing around and stuff when i am home , possibly a short walk at nite.

ofcourse this is a rough plan hehe , it all depends on the dog ,

Just for some perspective... Ollie runs 8 miles a day nearly sprinting most of the way. At a human running pace he can probably run forever....... that said, every husky is a individual. There is such a thing as a couch potato husky, so relatively, you could get a medium energy Husky and they would do awesome on your schedule. But then there's the prey drive, and all the uh, "charming" personality quirks they have.

But if you like that, there should be a Husky rescue for your state if you do a google search. Here in CA we have www.shrrca.com.

[ELmostl]

Originally Posted by RBark

Just for some perspective... Ollie runs 8 miles a day nearly sprinting most of the way. At a human running pace he can probably run forever....... that said, every husky is a individual. There is such a thing as a couch potato husky, so relatively, you could get a medium energy Husky and they would do awesome on your schedule. But then there's the prey drive, and all the uh, "charming" personality quirks they have.

But if you like that, there should be a Husky rescue for your state if you do a google search. Here in CA we have www.shrrca.com.

yeah i forgot they were bred for long distance running with a sleigh tied to them.

haha.

well im going down to the humane society by my school tommoro , im thinking of seeing if i can volunteer down there , learn some more stuff

[Xeph]

I just want to say that the GSD isn't for everybody, and a LOT of research should be done before purchasing/rescuing one.

[Renoman]

Originally Posted by Xeph

I just want to say that the GSD isn't for everybody, and a LOT of research should be done before purchasing/rescuing one.

You are absolutely right there Xeph.

[ELmostl]

Originally Posted by Xeph

To the OP:

Aside from size, what makes you want a German Shepherd Dog?

this is really not a size or looks issue , yeah i do want a big dog, but like a golden retriever would be fine with me as well , and personally i do not think the shepherd is the best looking dog.
( again this depends on the individual dog as well , and one should not own a pet because of its looks)


fearless, eager and alert. Bold, cheerful, obedient and eager to learn. Known for their tremendous loyalty and courage. Calmly confident, but not hostile. Serious intelligent. They have a high learning ability

German Shepherds love to be close to their families, but they are very wary of strangers

the fact that it is an active dog as well , and because there are so many in the shelters in my area.

and i realize that one can not spoil these dogs too much , or leave them alone for too long.

German Shepherd Dogs love strenuous activity, preferably combined with training of some kind, for these dogs are very intelligent and crave a good challenge. They need to be taken on a daily, brisk, long walk, jog or run alongside you when you bicycle. If under-exercised, this breed can become restless and destructive.

^^i like that as well.

the only thing that pretty much worries me is the amount of barking it would do outside , and the health problems associated with the shep. i.e. skin problems , and hip/elbow probs.

[Crazy for Collies]

Out here where I live, most people's dogs are both indoor and outdoor pets. They spend about as much outside as they do inside. Angel spends a bit more time inside with the family, but that's just her personality. If she were stuck outside for a long time she'd go insane not be able to interact with us. Each dog is different; so you'd probably just have to see what your new dog enjoyed most.

[Willowy]

Although purebred GSDs can be a little challenging, I've found that GSD-mix mutts are usually very nice dogs. My Toby is great. I got him from a high-kill municipal shelter....I just saw his pic on Petfinder and drove 120 miles to get him. He was at the shelter for 6 weeks---I was told he was a staff favorite (or else he would have been killed way before that). I'm all for getting a big hairy mutt at a shelter. If the dog is an adult, you can usually tell his/her basic personality in just a few minutes.

GSD/Lab/Golden, etc. mixes are usually great dogs, although very high-energy, which is generally why they end up at the shelter. Toby is a real escape artist . He got picked up one too many times by Animal Control, and his owners didn't want to bother paying the fine again .

[ELmostl]

Originally Posted by Crazy for Collies

Out here where I live, most people's dogs are both indoor and outdoor pets. They spend about as much outside as they do inside. Angel spends a bit more time inside with the family, but that's just her personality. If she were stuck outside for a long time she'd go insane not be able to interact with us. Each dog is different; so you'd probably just have to see what your new dog enjoyed most.

Originally Posted by Willowy

Although purebred GSDs can be a little challenging, I've found that GSD-mix mutts are usually very nice dogs. My Toby is great. I got him from a high-kill municipal shelter....I just saw his pic on Petfinder and drove 120 miles to get him. He was at the shelter for 6 weeks---I was told he was a staff favorite (or else he would have been killed way before that). I'm all for getting a big hairy mutt at a shelter. If the dog is an adult, you can usually tell his/her basic personality in just a few minutes.

GSD/Lab/Golden, etc. mixes are usually great dogs, although very high-energy, which is generally why they end up at the shelter. Toby is a real escape artist . He got picked up one too many times by Animal Control, and his owners didn't want to bother paying the fine again .

thanks for the advice =] , i think i known generally what i want now , just have to pick out the individual puppy.

went to the humane society today , and met a wild Shepherd mix ( looked like he was mixed with boxer) he was just crazy hehe.

but yea , ill be volunteering down there for 6 months or so. =D and then ill get my dog later in the summer.

[ELmostl]

anyways..to revive this old threaD. i been volunteering and such at the shelter..prettty fun.

also talked my parents into an indoor dog , and nhow they are just as excited as i am about getting a doggy.

as for the breed. kind of still looking around at that..but giant schnauzers seem to appeal to all of us =D

kind of wanted a lowshedding dog being in the house and stuff.

so..only a month left before i really get a dog.

[Willowy]

I don't think you'll find many Giant Schnauzers at an animal shelter . If you want to make a road trip, though, there's a BEAUTIFUL and friendly GSD at the local "no-kill" shelter. I went to visit yesterday, and I wanted to take him home . He was the nicest dog there.

[Mr Pooch]

Originally Posted by ELmostl

as for the breed. kind of still looking around at that..but giant schnauzers seem to appeal to all of us =D

Thats so strange you said Giant Schnauzer,when i read ur 1st post it wasnt something i was going to reccomend but it was in the back of mind for some strange reason(on my top 10 favourite dog list).

They can have dog on dog agression issues so i'd research some more but it would be great for someone on DF to have one!

[ELmostl]

yea giant schnauzers are a pretty bad-ass dog , but ye originally i had never thought of getting one , but as i research them they appeal to me more and more.

as for willowy for some reason there are quite a few giant schnauzers in rescues around here in st.louis =/ odd..i wouldnt imagine it to be a breed people get without researching.