# How 'hardy' do you think shepherds are?



## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

Physically?
They have sensitive stomachs. Is that a product of us feeding kibble? 
Weather wise? Can they handle extremes? I've noticed that smokey would be shedding his coat by now but since he is inside I don't think his body fully understands that it's getting cold...
Do they recover from owies pretty quickly? Even major ones?
Emotionally?
We have all seen that picture of a pup mourning the loss of his master laying beside his casket. And heard stories of dogs finding their masters grave. 
One of my moms friend passed away and when they were bringing her body down their dog lost it. He jumped in the pool supposedly in an attempt to commit suicide. Do you think dogs have the capacity to mourn this way?
Mentally?
Does a dogs mind degenerate the way a humans does with age? 

Just a few questions I've pondered...

What other things make a dog hardy or sensitive?


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

...mine have no issues with their stomaches, no allergies, no coat issues, they are hard enough weather wise and would rather stay outside in the snow and cold than inside in the warmth. 

Mine *are *hard enough!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I've had gsd's for alotta years, and honestly, I have never had one that had sensitive stomaches, all had guts of steel, no coat issues, no allergies, and were never bothered by extreme weather (tho mine are all house dogs 

I've never had a 'chewer', HD or ED, or major behavioral issues. 

I didn't / don't have 'perfect' dogs, but after reading this forum and seeing all the issues, health/behavioral/temperament problems, I thank my lucky stars for the dogs I have had/have.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Considering that the breed was created to be a herding breed, a military working dog, a police dog, requiring nerves of steel, cast iron stomachs, ability to weather all types of weather. Be confident and clear headed in the midst of battle, while being shot at, a well-bred GSD should NOT have any stomach issues, andy coat issues, and mental issues, sound sensitivity issues. 

Once breeders stop selecting for hardy dogs that can work, a lot of things start going downhill. Dogs need to be out there, in training, in work to assess their mental and physical strenghts and abilities in the face of stressors like heat, rain, cold, pain, noise, mental stress and pushed to perform even in difficult conditions - then their hardiness (or lack of) will emerge, allowing for better insight into what this dog can contribute to the GSD genetics, good or bad. 

It's really sad to me when people say that GSD's are prone to allergies, stomach issues, that they are high-strung, emotional, insecure, reactive dogs - it is sad because it describes the majority of GSD's out there. People should not accept those descriptions as normal, or as a 'breed thing' . Hoping that with more education people will understand why it is important to find a good breeder who knows how to test and evaluate their breeding stock, and know how to breed dogs that can preserve and carry on the GSD's legendary hardyness. And not go to breeders who breed GSDs because without actual testing, they believe they have a great dog, and they bank on the appeal of the the GSD's legendary historical status to appeal to the (uninformed) public. 

Really good question though, Zeeva. I do wonder what others think/feel is 'normal' for a GSD. You get those comments (GSD's are __________ nervous? shy? unpredictable? sensitive?) even from dog professionals like trainers and vets.


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## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

No sensitive stomachs here, and I don't think there's such a thing as "too cold" for this crew! No coat issues, no allergies, no chewers, no S.A. 

and I don't think dogs get the concept of suicide......


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## Packen (Sep 14, 2008)

The sky is the limit when it comes to variation in GSD's. My older dog is very hard, mentally and physically. You can not generalize the breed based on a sample of 1. Key is to know what you want then find it.


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## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

Castlemaid said:


> It's really sad to me when people say that GSD's are prone to allergies, stomach issues, that they are high-strung, emotional, insecure, reactive dogs - it is sad because it describes the majority of GSD's out there. People should not accept those descriptions as normal, or as a 'breed thing' .


AGREED!! Over and over I hear people saying "Oh I wanted a GSD, but I can't deal with all the health issues." Meanwhile they're standing there with a lab/golden/dobe pup. 

When Jake the papillon turned 15 years old, he started having trouble digesting his food. I took him to the vet, and my regular wasn't in so someone else looked at him. She told me Jake's pancreas was probably shutting down, and I should feed him the same way I feed my GSDs when they have stomach issues. I said my dogs DON'T have stomach issues. She said "OH come on, all GSDs have stomach issues and borderline pancreatic function!" I told her to take a look at Mike's chart (Mike was there for a rabies shot) and she looked surprised when she did, because the only thing in there (besides basics like heartworm testing) was treatment for 2 schutzhund-related injuries.......


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Zeeva said:


> Physically?
> They have sensitive stomachs. Is that a product of us feeding kibble?
> Weather wise? Can they handle extremes? I've noticed that smokey would be shedding his coat by now but since he is inside I don't think his body fully understands that it's getting cold...
> Do they recover from owies pretty quickly? Even major ones?
> ...


Besides mine being sick the one time, she recovered nicely. Weather doesn't bother mine, whether its hot, cold, raining, or snowing. Since she was little I took her out in all of it..yep I stood there in the rain with the thunder and lightning to ensure she would be good when storms came through..Yes it worked, she don't flinch during any storms. My final test was taking her to see fireworks. She was five feet from where they were setting them off and she laid down and went to sleep. I took all my dogs to see my mom in her final days, they loved my mom. They all seemed to understand what was going on and were quite content with just being by my mom's side. My mom's Rott actually jumped on the hospital bed after my mom died and kissed her..she did not want to leave her side. Just today my oldest dog started smelling a pile of stuff that belonged to my mom and she laid right next to it. I know she can smell my mom's scent. I don't know where my GSD came from and from what I read I'm lucky she is what she is. I can only hope that any GSD's I may get in the future can be half the dog she is.


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