German shepherd pup

con1888

Aww she is beautiful I am loving the pics. Hopefully someone can help with hip scoring, I have read a little on the net that says to look for a combined parents score of under 20. Someone can let me know if that's correct.

Have emailed breeder to see if she knows parents hip score, if not will stay away. Puppies I am sure will be lovely but don't want to have puppies in pain.

con1888

I see Zara is off lead, how did you find training her?

Anselm

Make sure your dog doesnt have hip problems!

gettingready

Zara is mostly off the lead - where we live we have absolutely fantastic dog walking places so she is on lead only when we cross the road really.

And she is such a mummy's girl that she never goes away far anyway, she is attached to me at the hip.

Lots of people assume GS are guard dogs but they are herding dogs really and Zara herds like mad....

When she goes out with the dog walker, all dogs must stay close by or she (Zara) will tell them off LOL.

Please do not go to see any puppies till you are happy with the breeder - once you see the cute little ones.. all the common sense dissapear.

krlyr

gettingready wrote: »

Lots of people assume GS are guard dogs but they are herding dogs really and Zara herds like mad....

GSDs were indeed bred as shepherding dogs and did herd but they were also guardians of the flock - so herders and guarders
My GSD boy likes to make sure "his" group are all with him too, bless, if we're out with friends and someone falls behind he starts to fret and will make sure they're still within eyesight! He's also a real mummy's boy, I've taken him out with big groups of walkers and other GSDs and he'll run off to play but every so often I'll see him darting from person to person looking at their faces to find Mummy! You do certainly feel loved with a GSD, they're a very loyal breed. But do bear this in mind if your OH wants to get involved - he will need to pitch in a lot too if he wants your GSD to bond with him too. It used to drive my stepdad mad because my last GSD was so bonded to me and my mum but wouldn't pay him one jot of attention! I'd often hear him trying to call her in from the garden and watch out of the window to see her purposely running circles around him, never close enough to grab. Then I'd just need to tap on the window, she'd look up and see me, and trot indoors obediently :rotfl: So on a serious note, do make sure he's involved in the training, walking, feeds pup at least one of its meals, etc. so it forms a bond with him too (it's healthier for pup to not get overly attached to just the one person too - if you were away or in hospital or something, you want to knwo that it would be happy in the care of your OH or a relative/friend)

Caroline_a

Hello OP.... I see that gettingready mentioned me in your other thread (I've been offline for a day or two). I did loads of research before I got my Shep. I wasn't bothered about show lines, have to say I do like the longhaired ones, but looked for a breeder who bred for obedience, rather than show. Hip and elbow scores were obviously a must, and the breeder I found is in Lincoln. She is fab, and the pups all look like gettingready's girl - there are a few pictures of Oakley (my dog) scattered around this site - he looks identical to Zara (with a few extra bits... ), but he's fantastic temperament, rock steady, clever, bold but not aggressive, and is loved by everyone who knows him.

He was a bit of an ASBO kid when he was younger, but as soon as he turned 2, he matured into a lovely adult. If you want the breeders details let me know and I'll PM them to you. I would go back if I ever had another Shep pup.

Shepherd1

hi where abouts are you, I am near kirkintilloch

Wellyboots6

I don't know an awful lot about hip scores, but my boy has a decent hip score. He is starting to develop problems with his back legs anyway though so decent pet insurance is a MUST!

He was entire when I had him at age 5 and was boisterous but not all aggressive. He has been 'done' now for about 9 months and has calmed down a little but still acts like a big puppy! He is very easily trained but also very clever and so can always come up with new ways to be mischievous! I would probably go for a male again, I like the independence and willfulness of them

I take him to a GSD training club and he loves playing with most of the dogs, but tells the ones he does not like in no uncertain terms to 'back off'!

con1888

Sheperd1 I am Motherwell, do you know of any good breeders in your area ?

jennyo

You can check on the KC website for all the current suggested health tests for the GSD, hip scoring of the parents is of course there, but there are other tests also. You can also see the result on there if you know the kc names.
be aware that just because a pup is KC reg'd doesn't mean the parents have had the tests.
There are various types of GSD so look around to see what you want.
If you are getting a pup, you need to see mum with the pups, if mum is nervous or aggressive walk away.
I could go on forever, there is lnfo on the web about looking for a pup, take your time and check everything out.