# Getting a new puppy, so many questions!



## Eduardo_The_Spartan (Feb 14, 2021)

Hello ladies and gentleman, my name is Eduardo and i live in Portugal.
I've spent my childhood with 2 dogs, Dober a (you guessed it) dobermann, was the first dog i ever came in contact with, when i was born he was a about a year old, and we grew up together. He was loyal and the smartest dog i've ever seen, very very obedient. 








(left in the picture is my godfather and right is my grandfather, with me on the back of the dog, don't worry guys this was just for the picture, i didn't ride the dog)
I never went to kindergarten as my mom worked with her mom at a small factory in the back of the house. I spent all my days with the dober.
A couple of years later my godfather who was the actual owner of Dober brought home a German shepherd, his name was Red, he got him from a local breeder, i don't think i can find a pic of him but if my memory does not fail me he was mostly black with a bit of tan in his underside, he had kinda of a medium size coat for a German shepherd, it wasn't long but it wasn't short either, he had a big head, straight back and was a goof, but i loved him.

When i was 10 years old, some ******* poisoned the dogs, Red went first and Dober shortly after into dog heaven.
Later in the house we took care of Preta, a female rottie with a heart of gold after her owners could not take care of her no more, but i never really connected with her the same way as with the other 2.

I now moved and have a lot of space for dogs, my family already adopted a dog, he has no breed and neither do his parents, his name is Jake, and he is gonna be be 1 year next month.
















I was thinking of getting of getting a German shepherd, even before we got Jake, but honestly i never bought a dog myself and i am looking for help.
I also considered Dobermann, but for what i read i lucked out with mine in personality and besides i connected so much with the old one that even if i get the best dog in the world i will never appreciate him as much as i should as i will keep comparing.
I found this pic on google and it kinda looks like Red.








Red was maybe a bit more tan, but the head and body shape is as i remember.
I did do a lot of research already on the different bloodlines, the working lines with the straight back really do it for me.
I don't really like the big show goofs that walk funny.

My family has 2 cats also.

I am asking for advice on if i should get one? Are they okay with cats? What would be the best working like for me? How to find a good breeder? etc...

If u made ti this far thanks for reading, writing was never my strong point, and English isn't my first language.


----------



## Centurin (Aug 17, 2020)

Only you can answer the question on whether or not you should get one. Puppies are a lot of work and need structure and guidance. I wouldn't completely rule out show lines as long as you find a quality breeder. Whether they are good with cats or not depends on the dog and the training that you give it.


----------



## Eduardo_The_Spartan (Feb 14, 2021)

Centurin said:


> Only you can answer the question on whether or not you should get one. Puppies are a lot of work and need structure and guidance. I wouldn't completely rule out show lines as long as you find a quality breeder. Whether they are good with cats or not depends on the dog and the training that you give it.


I know they are a lot of work, this is why i didn't get one before, i was waiting on my dog being well behaved and good on house rules.
I'm not really ruling out anything, as long as the dog walks normally, unlike some i've seen at the vet.
What and where to look for when finding a breeder?
I know about cat training, my dog used to chase the cats when he came home but now he loves them. But still i would not get a greyhound...


----------



## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

I don't see where you would have too many problems with a German Shepherd if you have had Dobies and Rottys. I'm sorry you lost your first dog. They are similar with regard to temperament and strength. But you might want to get an adult dog for a first dog. Puppies are wonderful but they are a handful. I like your yellow dog, not sure what he's got in him. You can get a DNA test that will identify the breeds in him, but if you love him the way he is I wouldn't bother. I don't know much about Portugal (except the food is great) but if there are animal shelters you might visit and see if you can find a dog that way. I did not have any problem reading your message - your English is a whole lot better than my Portuguese, that's for sure. Welcome!


----------



## Eduardo_The_Spartan (Feb 14, 2021)

Buckelke said:


> I don't see where you would have too many problems with a German Shepherd if you have had Dobies and Rottys. I'm sorry you lost your first dog. They are similar with regard to temperament and strength. But you might want to get an adult dog for a first dog. Puppies are wonderful but they are a handful. I like your yellow dog, not sure what he's got in him. You can get a DNA test that will identify the breeds in him, but if you love him the way he is I wouldn't bother. I don't know much about Portugal (except the food is great) but if there are animal shelters you might visit and see if you can find a dog that way. I did not have any problem reading your message - your English is a whole lot better than my Portuguese, that's for sure. Welcome!


I won't bother to DNA test Jake, his mom his a 20-25kg mix breed (golden retriever looking) my neighbors found abandoned and could not leave her there, as for his father, no one knows for sure (his mom is very athletic and jumps from a 2.5m wall to get away sometimes), my guess is this black dog who is as far as i can tell a mix of Rottweiler and lab.
My neighbor was trying to give away the pups, as they only happened in the first place cuz when she took their mom to be spayed she was already pregnant, my family fell in love with this one and brought him home.
Now he is twice the size of his mom and such a beauty my neighbor wished she kept him.

I know puppies are a lot of work, Jake is more work then any other dog i've had, he is 11 months now.
I am not opposed to adopting a german shepherd, but in here unlike in a lot of countries good pure breed dogs don't sit in shelters for too long and i don't really want another mixed breed, Jake was the first one i had.

I actually lost my first dog Dober, and Red my second dog who was a german shepherd, but this was when i was about 10yo. So long ago u don't need to be sorry, but thanks anyway.

I made this post more to learn about all things German Shepherd, the different bloodlines, where are the good breeders, if there is anything good near me so i can visit and talk to people who know about these dogs.

Because this first year with Jake, and being me doing all the dog decisions by myself really taught me that its a very complex world, like how vets recommend this or that food without really explaining why. Maybe that vet thought i was too dumb to understand simple facts, and what she was recommending would be a massive downgrade from the food i use. but i digress...

I see a lot of good looking boys for sale here with Portuguese kennel club numbers and documents, but i don't even know if these papers really mean something good or not.

Another thing is i mostly see some grey sable and black and tan boys in here, and i really like the black sable ones.


----------



## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

Sometimes those mixed dogs are the best ones. 

Most german Shepherds have a little bit of this or that in them, breeders seem to overlook a mutt a few generations back. Elke I have no idea whether she's purebred or not. Her vet says she's poorly bred because she is a screamer. But she's a very sweet, well behaved girl, just high decibel level. Duke we did get a DNA test because we were concerned he might be a wolf hybrid but he's not, he's 83% German shepherd and 14% mutt. Either way he's a happy, easy going fella. 

If you can take care of a rottweiler a shepherd should be no problem. 

Oh, I still miss my first German Shepherd who died when I was 7. 

I'm all the way on the other side of the world, so I am no help finding others in Portugal - perhaps you can locate a breed club? or maybe a sport club - like search & rescue or training organization? 

Mine have all been shelter dogs so we just take what is available, gets along with our other dog and doesn't bite us first meeting. We've had several black and tan ones, a sable and Duke is a large long hair that is fawn and black, but I can't say we've ever had a red one.


----------



## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

The shepherd in that picture was an absolutely phenomenal dog. There are some similarities between Doberman and German shepherds, and some key differences. If you have the skillset to handle a working line Doberman, you can probably handle a working line shepherd.


----------



## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

Buckelke said:


> Most german Shepherds have a little bit of this or that in them, breeders seem to overlook a mutt a few generations back.


Uh.... what? This isn’t even close to true.


----------



## Honey Maid (Dec 25, 2020)

I'm with you Eduardo, my first love is Dobermans. But, we already have 2 male dogs, mutts, and 1 female, I really wanted a Doberman male, but most Dobie males do not get along with other males in the household. I learned that from experience as a kid. So, we opted for a GSD puppy. He's 16 weeks old now, good with the other dogs, gets along with the cats. In the beginning it was a constant, "Leave the kitty alone", but he's getting the idea. He doesn't attack or chase the cats, just pokes at them with his nose, to try and get them to play. My Dobies were eager to please, and they were 'velcro' dogs. I started, slowly and gently, training my Dobies the minute I'd gotten them, at 8 weeks old. They picked it right up, wanted to be with me, came when called, etc.... If my memory serves me correctly, which I'm sure it does, the Dobies were pretty comfortable from the get go. My GSD puppy is totally different. Took him several weeks to settle in, I just let him hang out with me, played with him, didn't really start to teach him anything till I knew he was comfortable in his new surroundings.


----------



## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

_IUh.... what? This isn’t even close to true. _
apologies, I guess I should have said "SOME' breeders. I realized that when I saw Duke's DNA. There are generations of german shepherds, then, there at the end of the 3rd generation is a mutt. But it does raise an interesting question - how many generations of a breed are necessary before a dog can be sold as a purebred whatever? How far back does a breeder have to disclose the ancestors of a dog?


----------



## Eduardo_The_Spartan (Feb 14, 2021)

Buckelke said:


> Sometimes those mixed dogs are the best ones.
> 
> Most german Shepherds have a little bit of this or that in them, breeders seem to overlook a mutt a few generations back. Elke I have no idea whether she's purebred or not. Her vet says she's poorly bred because she is a screamer. But she's a very sweet, well behaved girl, just high decibel level. Duke we did get a DNA test because we were concerned he might be a wolf hybrid but he's not, he's 83% German shepherd and 14% mutt. Either way he's a happy, easy going fella.
> 
> ...


What a good fluffy boy.

I miss them too, trust me if i ever find who poisoned them... but my point it's that it was so long ago I've recovered from their loss, and another thing that makes me happy is that even tho they were killed at least the dobermann was already lke 10-11 so it lived a full life almost, the shepherd on the other hand was cut down in his prime.

I wouldn't mind adopting a dog, especially if i see he has a good structure and personality. But it is rare to find them, also puppies are easier to cat train, cuz jake (the mixed breed i have) when he was small he would run for my cats, and i do remember my big cat turning around and chasing him away. He might have gotted a few swipes too, but he respects the cats, he loves to get into the cat food, if he gets a chance, but if the cat is eating he wont even get close.

Also my german shepherd Red, he was not red that was just his name, he was black on top and a bit of tan at the bottom, like the ones on the royal canin puppy maxi bags, i'm sure whatever the choice of food, u have seen these bags around.
He was actually named red cuz his energy lvl was the biggest i've experienced with a dog, also he jumped from the garage roof 2 times, so red is from Red Bull both because of the energy and because red bull gives u wing commercials.


----------



## Eduardo_The_Spartan (Feb 14, 2021)

Bearshandler said:


> The shepherd in that picture was an absolutely phenomenal dog. There are some similarities between Doberman and German shepherds, and some key differences. If you have the skillset to handle a working line Doberman, you can probably handle a working line shepherd.


I've already had a straight back mostly black shepherd, i'm guessing working line, from the size he had and structure but i cannot confirm it, as i've stated i had it with the dobermann, although the dobermann was about 5 years when we got the shepherd.
Actually i've had another after that, but the vet ****** up the vacines or something and he died as a puppy.


----------



## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

Eduardo_The_Spartan said:


> I've already had a straight back mostly black shepherd, i'm guessing working line, from the size he had and structure but i cannot confirm it, as i've stated i had it with the dobermann, although the dobermann was about 5 years when we got the shepherd.
> Actually i've had another after that, but the vet **** up the vacines or something and he died as a puppy.


I don't want get into the conversation too much, but tha back stuff doen't mean anything. Here is another picture of the same dog.


----------



## Eduardo_The_Spartan (Feb 14, 2021)

Honey Maid said:


> I'm with you Eduardo, my first love is Dobermans. But, we already have 2 male dogs, mutts, and 1 female, I really wanted a Doberman male, but most Dobie males do not get along with other males in the household. I learned that from experience as a kid. So, we opted for a GSD puppy. He's 16 weeks old now, good with the other dogs, gets along with the cats. In the beginning it was a constant, "Leave the kitty alone", but he's getting the idea. He doesn't attack or chase the cats, just pokes at them with his nose, to try and get them to play. My Dobies were eager to please, and they were 'velcro' dogs. I started, slowly and gently, training my Dobies the minute I'd gotten them, at 8 weeks old. They picked it right up, wanted to be with me, came when called, etc.... If my memory serves me correctly, which I'm sure it does, the Dobies were pretty comfortable from the get go. My GSD puppy is totally different. Took him several weeks to settle in, I just let him hang out with me, played with him, didn't really start to teach him anything till I knew he was comfortable in his new surroundings.


What u said it's exactly my past experience, my dobermann was a velcro dog, i was just a kid but he was always by my side, i used to spend all day with him until i was about 6 years and joined school. He even "protected" me if strangers came to the house, which would happen cuz my grandmother ran a business and had a small factory in the back, he stayed next to me and always looking at the strange people, he would not display aggression but he had his eyes locked on them especially if they got close to me.
Where it was different is i had him and a german shepherd, both males and with testicles with no problem, although the dobermann was already like 5 years when the GSD was introduced, they slept in different kennels, but they were together all day.
My GSD was a little rascal too, i've explained a bit about his name and stuff in a previous message, but basically every day he would pull some different stunt, he calmed down with time tho.


----------



## Eduardo_The_Spartan (Feb 14, 2021)

Bearshandler said:


> I don't want get into the conversation too much, but tha back stuff doen't mean anything. Here is another picture of the same dog.
> View attachment 569599


Yeah i understand, i was just describing him, i know its more about the size and structure.
He wasn't even that black, he was black on top and tan in the bottom, but just a bit tan, like the puppy in the royal canin bags as i've said before.
Sadly i got no pictures of him, this was all before camera phones were out and about in everyone's pocket.
I do keep mentioning black cuz i do like the moslty black ones more, its just something i like.
The picture i put on here from google, i didnt even know this kind of black sable dogs existed before i went researching, and i saw them on google and on youtube and i loved it.
But i am not discrediting in any way the lighter dogs, i even seen pics of the founder of the breed with them, and never seem him with black ones.
Why don't u wanna get in the conversation tho? i would love to be educated.


----------



## Eduardo_The_Spartan (Feb 14, 2021)

Also i would like to thank everyone who has posted on this discussion, i am really trying to learn the best i can, and i have all the time in the world, i don't plan on getting a dog fast, i will just be seeing what comes along and hopefully when the time is right i can make a good informed decision.


----------



## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

Eduardo_The_Spartan said:


> Yeah i understand, i was just describing him, i know its more about the size and structure.
> He wasn't even that black, he was black on top and tan in the bottom, but just a bit tan, like the puppy in the royal canin bags as i've said before.
> Sadly i got no pictures of him, this was all before camera phones were out and about in everyone's pocket.
> I do keep mentioning black cuz i do like the moslty black ones more, its just something i like.
> ...


The discussion always devolves into the same thing and I’m not in the mood to talk in circles. You can search the forum for a million threads on show lines and working lines.That dog is a dark sable. There’s also bicolor and black. As for Gordon(the dog in the picture), he wasn’t inappropriately aggressive. He would absolutely turn it on if challenged though.


----------



## Eduardo_The_Spartan (Feb 14, 2021)

Bearshandler said:


> The discussion always devolves into the same thing and I’m not in the mood to talk in circles. You can search the forum for a million threads on show lines and working lines.That dog is a dark sable. There’s also bicolor and black. As for Gordon(the dog in the picture), he wasn’t inappropriately aggressive. He would absolutely turn it on if challenged though.


I did search the forum, but some things i read just made me more confused.
So Gordon is actually a famous dog? Interesting...


----------

