# GSD/Rott vs GSD/Lab



## Benwood (Feb 15, 2015)

Hi everyone! My last time here was several months ago when I was looking to get a GSD. During that time, my dad became ill shortly after buying a labrador retriever, so he was no longer able to care for her. So, we ended up adopting her (Elsa).

She's now 1yo and I'm hoping to get her a playmate. Our local rescue currently has a few GSD/rottweiler mixes along with several GSD/lab mixes.

We have 2 older cats who are currently skiddish around Elsa (since she's so energetic, they get a little nervous... but they're coming around). We have a 3rd cat we adopted about 4 months ago who has bonded well with Elsa and they get along great.

My wife and I both work M-F 8-5. I spoke with my boss and he's agreed to allow me to work from home in the afternoons once I get a puppy until he/she is old enough to be alone for longer periods.

Currently, I'll give Elsa a lot of exercise (go for a walk, then throw the frisbee for 15-20 minutes) before and after work. She seems to do really well when she gets that interaction before I leave for work.

With all this in mind - I'm trying to figure out which mixed breed would be better suited for our family. I've heard that both GSD's and Rott's can be very protective of their pack and can be aggressive towards cats if not trained well. With the one cat that is NOT skiddish, I was hoping that would be enough social interaction to train him/her that cats are friends. However, the other two cats, being so skiddish, I am concerned that maybe the pup will grow to only like the one cat and might be aggressive towards the other two? Not sure if that would be likely or not.

What would you recommend between the two mixed breeds?


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## mardad (Oct 23, 2015)

I've known both and both were phenoms, but there's no gaurantee. Dogs and horses are the most gratefull animals.(rescued)


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

With mixes it's impossible to predict anything. You have to look at the individual dogs and their behaviours. 

I'd say GSDs have more in common with Rotties than with Labs. My gut feeling is that the GSD/Rott mix will behave more along the lines of a "traditional" GSD. The lab mix _may_ be easier going, simpler to manage, and a better "pet," but again, there are no guarantees here.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Any mix you get is going to be a gamble. Talk to the rescue, tell them your needs and see who they match you up with, most of the time the volunteers that spend time around the animals will know their personalities or even better if they're in a foster home!


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Shade said:


> Any mix you get is going to be a gamble. Talk to the rescue, tell them your needs and see who they match you up with, most of the time the volunteers that spend time around the animals will know their personalities or even better if they're in a foster home!


This, I'd just try to collect as much data on the individual pups as I could and go with the pup who seemed to be the best fit.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

Why not train your first dog really well before bringing home a new puppy? You will find that two young dogs are a lot more than twice one young dog in terms of work. You are setting yourself up for lots of work with two young dogs. AND, if you leave a puppy with the current dog as long as you are talking, the puppy will likely bond with the other dog. That makes it hard to train the new little one.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

with cats in the house, I'd probably pick GSD/Lab mix.

And, I'd hate to have a drooler.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Best, rule of thumb is to always have one well-trained dog before adding a second! One on one training will be required! Separate one on walks with you and the dog ... trust me on that one!

Two Dogs are a pair three dogs are a Pack! That means alot "especially" when dog # three has GSD in him! 

My background was dogs of Molooser World, no problem ... well Ok my American Band Dawg was Dog Aggressive out the box, got it handled no biggie! My OS WL GSD dog number three ...yeah got stitches in my hand working that one out.

If you don't want to experience and spend time looking up "High-Rank Drive" in GSD's then spend time here:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...ritorial-behavior-aggression.html#post7377250

It's not so much what he's mixed with as it is he is mixed with GSD and he is dog # three.

Leerburg | Introducing a New Dog into a Home with Other Dogs


Long as you know.


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## Benwood (Feb 15, 2015)

Chip18 said:


> Best, rule of thumb is to always have one well-trained dog before adding a second! One on one training will be required! Separate one on walks with you and the dog ... trust me on that one!
> 
> Two Dogs are a pair three dogs are a Pack! That means alot "especially" when dog # three has GSD in him!
> 
> ...


I may have miscommunicated in my original post, but I currently only have one dog and am looking at number two.

As far as "well-trained" - what would you consider to be "well trained"?

Currently, Elsa (the 1yo lab) knows all the basics of sit, stay, come, etc. She's also pretty good with "shake" which helps to wipe dirt off her paws and to get her harness on her.
She's currently learning to sit/lay at a distance, as well as stopping on command. She also does well with wait and release (she sits and waits for my "okay" when i feed her).
When we go for walks with the extendable leash (25ft), when I she stops to sniff something, if I say "come" she begins walking again. If I say "okay" she is free to walk forward and all about, and if I say "heel" she returns to my side (for when cars drive by).
When we play fetch, she knows "go get it", "bring it", and "drop" - very responsive to those (I wanted to make sure she'd play well with kids if they ever threw a ball with her).
She also knows "couch", "mat (her bed)" and "crate" very well.

I've taught her these in the last 6-7 months (we got her in May when she was 7 months old). Some of these are still a work in progress, others she has down pretty consistent. At what point would you consider "well-trained"? I hope that doesn't sound snide by me listing her current obedience with this question, I'm being sincere. I understand the need to have a well-behaved dog prior to adding another to the mix... but at what point should I know "we're ready for number two"?


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

Benwood said:


> I've taught her these in the last 6-7 months (we got her in May when she was 7 months old). Some of these are still a work in progress, others she has down pretty consistent. At what point would you consider "well-trained"? I hope that doesn't sound snide by me listing her current obedience with this question, I'm being sincere. I understand the need to have a well-behaved dog prior to adding another to the mix... but at what point should I know "we're ready for number two"?


"Well-trained" is really a personal interpretation. The vast majority of completely out of control dogs that I meet on the street are considered "well trained" by their owners. 

Lots of people complement me on my dog's behaviour, but my idea of "well trained" is considerably above her current level. For example, I'm confident that right now we can go and pass a Schutzhund BH trial without any issues, but it won't be an impressive performance - my dog shows little to no speed in execution of commands, and does not know competition heel (ie. eye contact during heeling). She'll stay put in a sit/down while I'm a hundred metres away and out of sight, but will sometimes go from a down to a sit, which is obviously incorrect. She doesn't "really" know "stand" (& stay - implied), either.

So well trained is not always "well trained."

It's more a question of your own comfort level with your own dog(s) and your plans.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

LOL sorry for adding another 80 plus pounds of dog to your household! 

And no it's not a "snide question" it's actually a very good question! I'm not really a fan of the retractable leashes myself, but I got burned on that one so I'll let it go! 

I will say that since you are in fact adding a second dog and not a third, that does lower the bar quite a bit!

What you've listed is basic obedience and that's fine, in a nutshell, dog number one needs to have no "serious" issues that need to be dealt with. 

If the first dog has absolute, solid recall, down and stay, no leash reactivity issues, is good around other dogs and people and walks well on leash??? Does not tear up the house when left alone no separation issues, then you should be good to go!

These days I would add walks at heel off leash and "The Place Command" but I did not do those at the time so there is that. 

Basic obedience is fairly easy, my "mistake" was thinking that was the same as a bond with a dog?? 

Rocky my dog # three, was well trained, but I had no bond with him! The difference between a bond and obedience, I saw when Rocky went all "Red Zon" on my American Band Dog!! 

When I said "Down" my ABD even with 116 lbs of OS Wl GSD on him would "Down" and Rocky said all right ... I got him now!!

I still have the use of my left-hand, today because of that bond when I screwed up and my hand landed, in Gunther's mouth when he was under full GSD assult ...that is a bond! 

If you will just have the two?? Most likely your good to go?? I got sloppy when I added the wrong dog (breed) to my pack without uh ...any research! WL GSD ...no big deal ...yeah not so much! 


Not sure if any of that answers your question???


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## Benwood (Feb 15, 2015)

Chip18 said:


> If the first dog has absolute, solid recall, down and stay, no leash reactivity issues, is good around other dogs and people and walks well on leash??? Does not tear up the house when left alone no separation issues, then you should be good to go!
> 
> These days I would add walks at heel off leash and "The Place Command" but I did not do those at the time so there is that.


After thinking through what you and others have said, I may wait a bit longer. She is still easily excitable. I saw this just the other day when our indoor/outdoor cat hopped the fence to come back in while my wife was outside throwing the frisbee with the dog. Elsa (the dog) was jumping around like a maniac and didn't listen to my wifes command. She listens to my command really well, but I want her to listen to my wife, as well.

What did you mean by "The Place Command"? I looked online and it looked like teaching the dog to go to a park bench, or go to a particular 'place' that you command. What's the practical purpose of this outside of sporting and show? I do have 3 "places" that she goes to on command, as I mentioned, the "crate" "couch" and "mat"...

The only other thing I'm unsure of is her leash training. She was learning pretty well with staying at my hip, but she loves to sniff around, so I taught her the commands to stay at my hip and then "okay" to go sniff around (for when we're on low trafficked roads). Unfortunately I hurt my ankle and threw the frisbee with her instead... by the time my ankle healed, she had mostly forgotten the leash training, so she still tends to get just to the end of the leash and then keep that distance. She doesn't pull on the leash, she just gets just to the point where she feels there's about to be tension and then walks there... I think she does this because she wants extra time to sniff things (if she finds something, she stops to sniff, and when the leash is about to tense at the opposite end, behind me, she will come back to the front).

She is good about not running off, though. If I'm doing yard work, I can work in the front yard (no fence in front) with no worry of her running off. She just hangs out with me and is responsive when I tell her to come. I see this as her being very 'bonded'

This is my first dog of my own (I grew up with them as a kid), so I'm still learning the do's and dont's in training.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I usually wait until the current dog is settled down, reliable as possible on and off leash, and fully mature. For me, that is around 4+ years old.

Place command can mean different things. Well, the "place" can be whatever you want it to be. I use his dog bed and in another room it's a thin padded mat. When I want him out of the way, I tell him to go there. 

Many dogs will ignore commands when they are overly excited. The key to that is to try to catch them before they get into that state.


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