# New puppy question



## mtj2017 (Dec 10, 2017)

I have a question about puppy selection. We are preparing to bring a male german shepherd into our family on 12-26, he will be about 8 1/2 weeks old at that time. We have 2 that we can pick from and have done all of the preliminary research, chose reputable breeder that we are comfortable with, met both parents multiple times, have visited with pups multiple times. Told breeder that we are looking for a family dog and are primary criteria is temperment and health. 

*Background/Home Situation*
We have teenage children and we do have a 5 year old french bulldog/terrier mix already. We live on 10 acres with 2 acres fenced yard. The dog will be a house dog but we are looking for a dog that will protect our property and deter coyotes and other animals from getting too close. 

We are experienced dog owners and have had bullmatiffs and boxers in the past. This will be our first german shepherd. Our bullmastiff and boxers did a good job of protecting the property with no specific training other than obedience and socialization. We are planning on same approach with German Shepherd, obedience and socialization and figure he will know what to do from a protection point of view.

Our breeder selected the pup from a litter where the father is 1/2 german show lines and 1/2 american show lines and the mother is 1/2 german working lines and 1/2 american show lines. Both dogs seem well balanced and friendly. The breeder has indicated that she feels either of the males would be a good fit for us from a temperment perspective.

The pup that my wife and children want is the smaller of the 2 males. We went and saw them today at 6 weeks and he seemed a little more timid that the other male, nothing real extreme but he kind of whimpered when he was held. Not sure if you can really tell at 6 weeks but want to make sure we have a confident friendly dog, not a nervous one. We have first pick of either of the males but she does have another person interested in a male and would like for us to make our selection.

Any thoughts on this topic would be appreciated


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

mtj2017 said:


> *we are looking for a dog that will protect our property and deter coyotes and other animals from getting too close.*
> 
> What you're looking for is a livestock guardian dog. There was a recent thread with the general thought being gsd and coyotes will play together.
> 
> ...


Just as another note I'm not trying to be a jerk. I really want you to enjoy owning a dog and don't want you to end up regretting this.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

What does the other male do? Does he whimper when you hold him? What about the litter as a whole? Do they appear confident and curious? Are they shy when separated from one another? A solid, non-fearful temperament is largely genetic. It’s kind of a what you see is what you get kind of thing in my opinion. What are the parents like? Are they confident? Have you ever seen them away from the breeder’s home? Have they been shown or worked in any venues?

I also don’t particularly like a haphazard mix of lines, but without knowing the dogs, I can’t say for sure it’s a terrible mix. I know of a few breeders who do herding who have mixed different lines like this and their dogs have been successful. Did the breeder say why they decided to pair these two particular dogs? What was the end goal? Do you have a pedigree for the litter?


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## mtj2017 (Dec 10, 2017)

Thanks for the strong opinions and feedback. A couple of clarifying points:

Breeder - We are very comfortable with breeder and have been working with her for over 6 months. Met her through local German Shepherd club. She has been very helpful in providing information about the breed and also has provided other breeders for us to go visit as part of our search for the right dog. As far as "haphazard" mixing of lines I do not agree, she introduced german lines into her program for a specific goal which was to get away from the "linebreeding" approach that is very common is the GSD show community breeding programs. Her focus is show/conformation but she does not utilize a "linebreeding" strategy. She has provided and reviewed the pedigrees for both dog and we are satisfied with the lineage.

Pups - There were 5 pups in this litter and they were all spoken for before they were born. 1 male is going to show home other pups all going to family homes. We have first pick of the 2 family home males.

Timing of decision - It is really the other family that would like to know what pup they are getting, it is a xmas present for their and they are very excited and would like to know. Breeder has been very patient and feels either pup would be a good choice. All of the pups have the same general temperment, they will come to you and let you hold them. The mother has been there both times we visited and while she kept a close eye on pups she was very friendly even when we were holding pups.

GSD will play with coyotes - I sure hope not and while I respect your opinion I am fairly confident that A GSD will be up for the role we are looking for, a family pet to protect our property including deterring coyotes from getting too close to house. My bullmastiff accomplished this task fairly easily and I think a GSD will be able to achieve similar results. I did not see a animal larger than a squirrel within 200 yards of my house for 10 years with my bullmastiff. 

We are probably overthinking this decision as either pup would be a good choice, but it is an important decision and we want to make sure we have a stable friendly confident dog. Once again thanks for your opinions as I am trying to learn as much about GSD as I can, and like most things today there is a wide array of conflicting ideas and points of view that need to be processed in order to get to sound advice and actual facts.


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

Sounds like a great litter that you can't go wrong with. Take the one your family wants and enjoy it. Congrats on the new puppy and make sure to post pics and updates


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

mtj2017 said:


> Thanks for the strong opinions and feedback. A couple of clarifying points:
> 
> Breeder - We are very comfortable with breeder and have been working with her for over 6 months. Met her through local German Shepherd club. She has been very helpful in providing information about the breed and also has provided other breeders for us to go visit as part of our search for the right dog. As far as "haphazard" mixing of lines I do not agree, she introduced german lines into her program for a specific goal which was to get away from the "linebreeding" approach that is very common is the GSD show community breeding programs. Her focus is show/conformation but she does not utilize a "linebreeding" strategy. She has provided and reviewed the pedigrees for both dog and we are satisfied with the lineage.
> 
> ...


Sorry if my response made it seem as though I thought all breeders who mix lines do so haphazardly. I wasn’t trying to dissuade you from sticking with your breeder. I’m glad your breeder has a goal with her breeding program. Good luck to you!


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

I agree with both of Goose' posts. 

German Shepherds aren't really bred to be animal aggressive, they are bred to be good farm dogs, get along with animals, protect only if they perceive a threat and to not view everything as a threat, be discerning. When an average GSD appears animal aggressive, it usually is reactivity based in fear.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Have you met the sire of the litter?


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## Joys (Nov 6, 2017)

Sounds like everything is great and you’ll be getting a great puppy. 

A lot of people are against line mixing, but it seems like your breeder knows what they’re doing. 
Unfortunately not all do, I have a puppy who is West German SL mixed with Canadian SL. What I have is a high energy puppy with a high fight drive, but without the nerves to back it up. She has a weak temperament. 
But I love her and I’ve dedicated myself to helping her overcome her fears. 

The coyote thing is not that far fetched. My dog loves other canines and cats. The only species she overtly dislikes: humans.


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## mtj2017 (Dec 10, 2017)

yes we have met the sire, friendly confident dog.


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