GSD's what has happened to the breed? Controversial

That would be a great outcome. But no pressure, it has to be right for you all. Can I cross my.fingers just in.case?

Most GSDs in rescues are pet, BYB or Puppy farm bred, without any thought to correct temperament let alone health/breed standard so you will find a lot of"old fashioned"types in rescues. Not sure I've ever seen a GSD with a deep muzzle though.

As for GSD puppies being weedy, pointy nosed ones they too are bred by uncaring moneymaking breeders

Some rescues(like the RSPCA etc)don't really understand how to assess a GSD & see barking as aggression(which it rarely is). The 2 GSD rescues I work with are both very careful were they place their dogs & all the dogs are assessed before they are rehomed & are always there for support afterwards.

I would never advise anyone to get a rescue GSD or any GSD at all that hasn't deeply researched the breed & understanding at least the basics about the breed(I would do the same for any breed BTW)

You have me confused as to why you want a GSD that looks daft ? There are plenty of crossbreeds/mongrels with GSD markings in rescue that look"daft"

Really you must live in an area that has mainly pet/BYB/Puppy farm/English type GSD breeders, all the ones I see from repsonsible breeders who do all the health tests(& more)& breed to the breed standard are certainly not weedy, rabbit eared nor nervous-non of mine ever were & my next certainly won't be either(from good working German lines)

The Shepherds in this neck of the woods are the same. I saw one in the distance before and ran after the woman hahaha. I would recognise a Waro pup anywhere That's the only non pet line dog I've seen anywhere round here unfortunately.

Quite possibly. Doesn't change the fact that I don't want one of them I fell in love with the 5 owned by an elderly man I went to class with, they were working lines. And I've seen some lovely looking ones out here in Germany. One at the vets the other week was stunning.

Soo you want a big boned, chunky GSD with a floppy ear to make him/her look daft - just like my Yiannis then, no?



YIannis is the GSD in the middle. He has a floppy ear because he had to have a haematoma surgically removed and his ear never stood upright again. yes he does look daft and is a real clown. He was also a rescue from Birmingham Dogs' Home when he was 3 months old.
But now he is nervous aggressive thanx to my neighbours attacking him when he was 11 months old.

I've spent many hours re-training and working with him to get him over this as I'm sure he'd be much happier if he didn't have this problem.

My oldest GSD, Zane is also my biggest. He's way oversized for a GSD standing 104cm atw and weighing in at 58Kg (and no, he isn't fat). There are other health problems that can arise as a result of a dog being oversized. This isn't Zane's fault of course and fortunately, he's extremely healthy. But I always have the feeling he'll never be able to live as long as he should do because of his size.

If you want a GSD and can cope with or you have somethign who can help you with any potential problems, then go for a rescue GSD. If you're not convinced you'd be able to cope with a GSD with behavioural problems (although you can get GSDs from rescues that are perfectly OK and have no problems), then why not think about contacting breeders who may have older dogs of maybe 12 months old and up, for sale.

There are so many options when you are looking to get a dog. Firstly, do as much research as you can though. it's not a breed to be taken lightly, with or without problems. Your GSD will need a lotof mental stimulation and physical exercise. But at the same time you need to ensure you don't fll into the trap of overdoing things (like I did a couple of years back).

It is possible to increase a dog's exercise and of course they won't refuse to go out for a walk (or at least mostly they don't). They then get into a routine of going out at certain times etc and you end up going round in circles. They need more exercise so you provide it. The more you provide, the more they need.

For me, I walk mine individually purely becasuse the boys will play up on lead if they're together adn they think it's a great game to pull Mum all over the pavement (and with a dodgy knee that's not a good thing). And Jenzi has dodgy hips. But they also get to exercise together in the garden and when I take them to the park where they get off lead time. Also they get trained both individually and together.

Of course if you have only one or two dogs it's easier to do than with 3 or 4.

Good luck with your search. I'd suggest that even though when you eventually decide you've found the right dog, don't allow excitement to rule over common sense. look at the dog as a whole and tbh I'd forget about appearance. Obviously if you want to hold out for a long coat then fine. but holding out for a floppy ear could mean you're waiting forever almost and lots of good dogs will be passed up whilst you're waiting.

Good luck in your search.

Nice post stumpywop- gorgeous dogs

Stumpywop he.s perfect. My last dog was a GSD cross who had shepherd temperament and foxhound prey drive. She was a cracker. I like the short coats.