# Gsd getting a bad name?



## Kaleb f (Jan 11, 2013)

I told a lot of people I was getting a german shepherd before I got my pup and all I heard was bad things like why are you doing that you have small kids those dogs will turn on you. Those dogs are mean. You can't trust them. 
I've had german shepherds all my life and I've never had one be aggressive towards me. I have pictures of me at 5 years old laying on our gsd pulling her ears. I just hate that some people have the wrong idea about the breed I love so much. Has anyone else had this happen to them? I live in northeast Louisiana btw. 


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## Kaleb f (Jan 11, 2013)

My boys are 5 and 3 btw and I'm more scared for the puppy to be honest. It would probably be different if I had a full grown shepherd and then had a baby. 


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

Obviously them people never had a German Shepherd before.


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

No, it's very obvious they haven't, but they are up on their internet BS and old wives tales.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

These are dogs used in police work. They are dogs that were used as junk yard dogs. This is a breed where there are many weak nerved, squirrely dogs. I don't get insulted when someone is scared of mine. I respect that fear because fear is rarely rational.

However, my brother at 32 still has the scars where an adult German Shepherd latched on to his face. This was not a warning. This was the dog having a full grip on a 5 years old's face with top and bottom jaw that resulted in many stitches.

The manager at the local HS is terrified of German Shepherds. She had one at the shelter that spent most of him time with her for two weeks...and then he attacked. I"m sure there were warning signs. there always are. But she weighs about 85 lbs dripping wet and a dog that weighed as much if not more than her attacked.

So while many people are just scared of GSDs from myths...there are many people that are scared of them with legitimate reasons.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

But ANY breed of dog has things like that happen. It's peoples mindset that's an issue. Actually, even though I like Golden retrievers, and everyone sees them as sweet, friendly dogs, they have been so over-bred, that they bite more then GSDs. Not sure how you can change peoples conceptions. Just socialize you dogs and ignore the ignorance. My 2 bark up a storm and people think they are mean but if you put your hand on them they'd lick you to death. I have socialized them.


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## Kaleb f (Jan 11, 2013)

When I look at a german shepherd I think wow that is a beautiful dog. I understand that some dogs are abused or not socialized or just take after their owner or hurting they will attack. That's any breed though. I have known people with pit bulls and they were smart and friendly just really great dogs. They get a bad rap and I can understand why but a german shepherd that is elegant and graceful and beautiful I just don't know. My wife's papaw said an old man down the street from where he lives died that had a gsd and his son was taking care of him and the dog turned on him and the gsd had to be put down. I just know I love these dogs and most of them are great dogs I will never own another kind... Although I have a schnauzer right now and I have grown to love him. He is my little ozzy man 


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

I honestly believe most pitbulls are more stable than most gsd's. These dogs are smart and need work. My neighborhood is full of crazy gsd's?


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

They've had a bad name for a while, you're just starting to notice it because you are getting a GSD.  

I was the exact same way. I wasn't aware of all the misconceptions about GSDs until I got one. Once I did, it seemed like EVERYONE had something to say about how horrible they were. Some fears I could completely understand; I know a woman who was attacked by two different GSDs on two different occasions, others, like how WGSDs are inherantly dangerous and will attack unprovoked, were brought on by poorly bred dogs or just old wives tales.

As long as you train/treat your dog well, you shouldn't have any issues. Have fun showing others just how wonderful a well bred and well trained GSDs can be.


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## Muneraven (Sep 4, 2012)

If you say you are getting a GSD or Doberman or pitbull, people will say they are mean.

If you say you are getting a Cocker Spaniel or a Collie or a Saint Bernard, people will say those breeds have had all the sense bred out of them.

If you say you are getting a Poodle or a Chihuahua, people will say they are nervous.

If you say you are getting a Golden Retriever, it's the hips.

A Lab? They are too hyper.

Is there some truth behind most of these negative opinions? Sure. You can take any breed or dog or race of human being and find some examples to back up a negative opinion of that particular grouping . . .as long as you ignore all the contrary evidence.

I think, with animals and with people, you judge the individual.


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## Justaguy (Nov 20, 2012)

I'm most certainly sure a few of my family friends don't come over anymore since we got Jack because they are scared. Dogs like GSD's, Pitbulls and Rotties got a real bad name all because they were raised in terrible conditions. Its just like people. Kids brought up in a dysfunctional family could end up being troublemakers as adults. All dogs are sweet from day one and unfortunately due to their terrible owners who neglect them or train them to be aggressive they get a bad reputation. My Jack Im almost certain would not bite a single soul.


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## LaneyB (Feb 5, 2012)

If somebody comes over and they are scared of my GSD I just crate him. I know it is his house too, but he doesn't mind being in his crate. One of my best friends was attacked by a German Shepherd as a child, so I always put him away when she comes over. She says she is not really scared of him, but just to be safe I crate. She does goes up to the crate and pet him and let him lick her hand.

I think they have had a reputation for a long time, and I have seen enough nervous GSDs that it isn't much of a surprise that some people fear them.


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## mandiah89 (Jan 18, 2013)

I got so use to people starring, oggling, walking around us, picking up their little dogs, and steering their medium/large breed dogs away from my GSD in fear just because she was a GSD. And I can to a point understand their fear but at the same time believe it is unfair to any breed to be looked down upon for the actions of horrible people and the repercussions on the "end product" (the mean vicious dog).

But Diesel was an amazing GSD, very loyal and loving, friendly, kind... There are several stores in my area that will allow you to bring in your dog, and Diesel helped change the perspective of many people on the GSD. People would be afraid when I brought her in and I put her in a down stay or sit stay and showed off a few obedience commands and tricks she knew, and the people that were afraid slowly began to trust her and we talked more and more. Soon these same people that would steer clear of us were now coming up and petting Diesel and telling me "horror" stories about GSD they have either had or knew people with horrible experiences, and I would tell them that its in the owners and the breeding. 

I was very proud of my girl for this, and I know that my new GSD Penny will take over Diesels "healing" roll in my community and help people learn about the REAL GSDs!


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## LeoRose (Jan 10, 2013)

Breed bias (for and against) is rampant, no matter what breed you are talking about. I've even seen it on here, directed towards other breeds, as in "______" is the only breed I'm scared of/don't like/don't trust, etc. 

I was walking all three of my dogs one day, (Standard Rattie, mutt, and then 5 month old GSD), when I struck up a conversation with a guy. He was going on about how wonderful GSD were, what great dogs, Leo was a _beautiful_ example of the breed (Miss Almost-Every-Conformation-Fault-There-Is ), yada yada..... 

Anyway, I said that yeah, I liked GSD myself, and was glad I had rescued her, but I really want a Doberman some day. The first thing out of his mouth was "They're dangerous". I just told him that _nothing _was more dangerous that a spoiled rotton Chihuahua, and ended the conversation.

And, yeah, I've met more than one nasty Chi in my time. The only dog to bite me was a Chow. I'm not overly fond of either breed, but I've met some really great individuals of both breeds. So, while I might be more cautious around Chi's and Chows, I don't "hate" them.


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## AJT (Jun 20, 2012)

So would this be considered breedism? discriminating against one particular breed over another. 

we can add that term along with ageism, racism, etc.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

We got our first PB GSD in 1985 and I can't tell you how many people said (back then)

(1) He'll turn on you when he gets old
(2) They all have bad hips


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Kaleb f said:


> My boys are 5 and 3 btw and I'm more scared for the puppy to be honest. It would probably be different if I had a full grown shepherd and then had a baby.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


 
Wouldn't be any different if your GSD had a normal GSD temperament.

Our female was 2 1/2 yo when we had our son. She was absolutely great with the baby and toddler. She basically adopted him. we have pictures of her laying on the floor letting him crawl back anf forth over her over and over again.

Also have some pics of her and him laying in her crate together eith the doof open!


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Jax08 said:


> These are dogs used in police work. They are dogs that were used as junk yard dogs. This is a breed where there are many weak nerved, squirrely dogs. I don't get insulted when someone is scared of mine. I respect that fear because fear is rarely rational.
> 
> However, my brother at 32 still has the scars where an adult German Shepherd latched on to his face. This was not a warning. This was the dog having a full grip on a 5 years old's face with top and bottom jaw that resulted in many stitches.
> 
> ...


 
It is also not "rational" to be totally scared of all of any breed (color/nationality?) because of one representative of that group, is it?


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

volcano said:


> *I honestly believe most pitbulls are more stable than most gsd's.* These dogs are smart and need work. My neighborhood is full of crazy gsd's?


 
Just curious - what are you basing your honest belief on? Any facts or only experience?


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

here is a fact, ask any ER doctor what is the most common dog bite he/she treats. thy will most likely say gsd. then look up how many gsds there are in the usa. also, a bite from a min. poodle and other small dogs may not need treatment and not get reported. the bottom line is gsd have had a bad rep for years.


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## Kaleb f (Jan 11, 2013)

I had a yellow lab walk up while I was working and I didn't pay him any attn because he was a yellow lab i mean come on, but I turned my back and he but the fire out of my calf. Never barked and the owner was standing right there. I turned around and punched him in the head ( I do not abuse dogs at all it was a reaction) the owner wAs scared to death I was gonna sue him but I told him it was ok. I had a bruise for a couple weeks. I thought he was gonna get mad at me for hitting his dog. That's the only time I've ever hit a dog I felt bad. Btw they have really hard heAds It hurt me worse than it hurt him I think


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## BellaLuna (Jan 27, 2013)

Any breed of dog can bite they just make a bigger deal when a "so called aggressive breed bites"I've owned most of those so called aggressive breeds and never had 1 that would actually hurt a person unless protecting our house. I've been bit by 3 dogs in my life 1 an old English sheep dog lol 2 a taco bell dog lol 3 Jack Russell so I am a firm believer that there no such bad dogs just bad owners.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

GSDs have had a bad name for decades.

Some of it is warranted because there are an awful lot of badly-bred, undersocialized, untrained GSDs out there, and they can be psycho. GSDs have suffered a horrible reputation with veterinarians and staff because they have seen so many poor examples of the breed... sad to say, but it's true.

I will say that the situation seems to have improved somewhat in the last several years. In the 80s and 90s I saw a lot of skittish, weak-nerved, shy-sharp GSDs, to the point where I wondered if there were any good ones left. Nowadays I see a greater proportion of reasonably good GSDs in the hands of regular people. I attribute some of this to the general American public having discovered German-bred dogs, and realizing that there was an alternative to what was being shown in the AKC ring. 

Things have gotten better now, but 20 years ago I was seeing a lot of neurotic, hock-walking, needle-nosed GSDs in AKC conformation, and so that's what pet owners tended to have as well. I'm glad that things have improved in that respect... but we've still got a long way to go.


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## LaneyB (Feb 5, 2012)

codmaster said:


> It is also not "rational" to be totally scared of all of any breed (color/nationality?) because of one representative of that group, is it?


 
I have a fear of snakes, and it is completely irrational. I think many fears are that way. I am ridiculously terrified of even garter snakes. Even typing the word "snake" makes me start feeling panicky. Fears can be hard to control.


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## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

Actually pitbulls are the most common dog bites in court. I would say it is 75% pitbull 25% every other dog breed. Whether biting a person or a dog. My mom tells the story of our GSD princess picking me up by my dungarees and moving me. I have no memory of it, but remember princess, so I was less than 2. Mom had her first then me.


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## Lobobear44 (Jan 28, 2013)

@
Kaleb f

People are too ignorant to realize that every dog is their own individual. It's wrong to blame an entire breed just because of a few dogs. There are people who kills people or do other crimes does that mean all people are bad? No! No such thing as bad dogs or mean the owners are the ones raising them improperly. A Golden retriever can turn out more nasty than GSDs. I've seen little dogs FAR MORE aggressive than GSDs, Pit bulls, Dobermans, etc. GSDs are like the best with kids they never let children out of their sight not even for a second. My VERY best friends are German shepherds Lobo, Dante, Nico, Swat, Luna, Nellia, stryder, roxy, cosmo maximus, george, aj, andy, alex, rowdy, and there are more German shepherds I bound to meet! They are my best friends it's my dream to have them to own them for the rest of my life. SO HARD TO WAIT! Don't listen to people who say those dogs are mean because they don't know what your talking about. Don't let those kinds of people pressure you!


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## OffgridAlex (Dec 11, 2012)

I am constantly stopped in the street by people who have had or known GSDs and LOVE the breed, they will talk for ages about how great they are. Seems to me that anyone who has owned one has good things to say about it. 

At my puppy training class someone made a comment that my GSD was intimidating for her little dog and the trainer corrected her saying that it is terriers that she needs to be wary of. 

I also gets lots of people giving me all the old wives tales about how the dog will be mean and unpredictable. and they usually insist on calling him an Alsatian (sounds meaner I guess) 

Duke is a cute puppy at the moment and I have heard quite a few people say to me or behind my back but I overhear that "they are lovely cute puppies but when they grow up they are horrible"

My Uncle was a military police dog handler for a couple of decades, he has met lots of dogs and can show you scars on just about every part of his body from various bites but he says the worst bite he ever received was from a Labrador retriever sniffer dog.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Everyone that I know was thrilled when I got mine. Honestly I had never had a bad experience with a GSD, nor do I know anyone that has(well except for the vet who couldn't go near Sarge/GSD without a muzzle and that still didn't change my perception about GSD's). My nieces and nephew were afraid of her because she is a "police dog", I set them straight really fast. I worked with them and the dog, now they all adore each other..it didn't take long at all Its different when I go out with her. When she was about 6 months people started avoiding her. I just ignore the ignorance. She is a big dog and I can understand it, she looks like a deterrent.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

I don't think they're better now than they were. It's been 20 years since I got my first. I've encountered tons and tons of weak nerved, fear aggressive, neurotic GSDs since then. I think now more than ever people are breeding bad shepherds. The worst part is that thanks to the internet, people can make themselves 'look' like a good breeder to the people that don't know... just because they have a website. Then you have those that really slip under the radar (like the breeder of the bitch I had) because they're buying titled imports to breed but don't know anything about matching pedigrees. So, if anything, I think it's worse now. 

My parents have been afraid of shepherds since I was a kid. This couple down the street had one since before they had a baby. When their girl was 5 (my age at the time) the dog attacked her. Tore her face up really bad. My parents have had a FIT that I got shepherds! They are afraid of them down to the core, and that will never change. My bitch didn't help things at all!! Even when I'd crate them in the downstairs laundry room with the door shut they didn't want to come to my house. The fear (like any fear) can become irrational. They are both convinced that any and all shepherds can 'turn' and that they most likely will. 

This breed has been in trouble for awhile. I don't think that's going to end anytime soon. Even with the internet and all the reading available to research and know what the breed standard is, how to tell a good breeder from a bad one, etc. there are still people every day who come onto just *this* website who have bought a pup from a byb or are having serious issues with their pup or dog that could have been avoided. So the info. being right at their fingertips hasn't helped. I don't know how to get the message out there to those who don't look for it. Thankfully, ignorance can be fixed. I know I was totally ignorant years ago, but I learned. Unfortunately, not before having a really rough time. The 'bad name' that shepherds have was earned.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

BellaLuna said:


> Any breed of dog can bite they just make a bigger deal when a "so called aggressive breed bites"I've owned most of those so called aggressive breeds and never had 1 that would actually hurt a person unless protecting our house. I've been bit by 3 dogs in my life 1 an old English sheep dog lol 2 a taco bell dog lol 3 Jack Russell *so I am a firm believer that there no such bad dogs just bad owners.*


That's a nice pass the buck statement. There ARE 'bad dogs' out there. Dogs that are genetically challenged from the moment of their birth. Even 'nicer' are the dogs who really have a screw loose. Have you lived with one? I have. *I* didn't screw her up. You have NO idea what I went through trying to 'fix' the problem. Loved that girl (and still do) to death! I think before people parrot such popular statements, they need to actually do some research into it. Lucky you that you've never owned a dog that was so poorly bred that it was aggressive.


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## Ale & Renzo (Feb 5, 2013)

I had a weak nerved, shy, aggressive GSD; sadly he passed away from "something" at 2 years (died of hepatitis, but that was a side effect from drugs, he had a bizarre never seen condition, we took him to the vet faculty and he got treated by the best docs in the country, but no luck).

He was a poorly chosen pup though (my mom got it, it was a gift from the breeder and she chose the shy one because he was the cutest)

Anyway, i'd like to believe it wasn't entirely my fault. Ive had another GSD when i was little, a briard, a cocker spaniel -worst dog EVER temperament wise if you ask me- and a couple (more like ten, since my uncle was a breeder) of dogo argentino (Dogo Argentino - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

So, as far as i'm concerned, there IS a genetic component to it!


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Ale & Renzo said:


> I had a weak nerved, shy, aggressive GSD; sadly he passed away from "something" at 2 years (died of hepatitis, but that was a side effect from drugs, he had a bizarre never seen condition, we took him to the vet faculty and he got treated by the best docs in the country, but no luck).
> 
> He was a poorly chosen pup though (my mom got it, it was a gift from the breeder and she chose the shy one because he was the cutest)
> 
> ...


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## BellaLuna (Jan 27, 2013)

Jag:







OK let my explain my way of thinking there are sick dogs with chemical imbalances and that are breed poorly which is neither the dogs fault or owners and yes I have a quite a few this pic here was my more recent 1 he was my heart the love of my life but was just not right and we tried to resolve he's issues but failed in the process as we failed him we had to put him down right after x-mas and I'm still heart broken with his absence so yes I do know it feels .Blade had a little bit of by polar dis order and everyday we didn't know what dog we were going to get. We couldn't have friends over b/c 1 day he was OK and the next day he would full on try to attack it got so bad with him to the point he would turn on me and my hubby mind you I have 3 small children and couldn't risk them with him..But then there are dogs that have no manners and run wild and there owners sit by and then say I don't know why my dog is like that and really it's them not the dog thus you have bad owners sorry if I'm all over the place and not explaining myself as good I'm trying to multi task feeding a baby and typing is quite complicated lol so I lose my train of thought..


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## mehpenn (May 22, 2006)

It's something that can be found in just about any breed. However, people are less likely to report they got bit by the neighbor's teacup chihuahua, than they are a German Shepherd. 
German Shepherds, at one point, at least in my area, were what Pit Bulls are today... overly bred by people who shouldn't be breeding, to produce the "fad" that will bring in the big bucks, they see a trait (aggressiveness, over-protectiveness) and breed this dog with another that has those same traits, and the result is a litter of pups that predominately display that same trait, and sell them with that in mind. 
It's taken years to weed out and correct the German Shepherd and make it what is once was, and is supposed to be.
There are still those who remember the "bad" days, when GSD's were bred and trained to be "guard dogs" by Joe and his brother down the road, because they were "mean." 
But, for the most part, today in my town, people are moving on... that negative attention is leaving the GSD, the Dobe, and the Rotti and is turning towards the over abundance of aggressive Pit Bulls led around on logging chains.


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## Mick_21 (Feb 18, 2013)

Shepherds are fantastic. I have 2 and have never had a problem. I have had my male since 8 weeks and I rescued my female from a shelter on death row when she was about 2 years old. She had a shaved neck and scabs all over it from being tied up with a prong collar. The owner went near her one day and she bit her. I would do the same if i was tied up day in day out. They told me that the owner had her tied up because she used to dig holes and pull off the washing. Since I have had her she has done none of those things and never ever been aggressive towards me. I put it down to people don't do their research before getting a GSD and think they are very cute as puppy's but don't realise thaey need attention[ lots of it ] and daily exercise. Both my dogs go hiking with me, to the beach and are around children every now and again and I have never had a problem. They are weary of strangers but once I tell them it's okay, they settle down.


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## battleborn (Jan 23, 2013)

In the process of getting my puppy a few weeks ago, I ran into just about everything that has been described above. Luckily, I had done my research. After wanting a GSD for 16 years and putting off getting any dog until I had one, I wasn't going to let internet legends and hyperbole get in my way. I researched breeders, hips, temperaments, and made arrangements for my wife to meet GSDs so she could see what they were like.

Some people are just special though.

My sister-in-law, who has a Yorkie, threw a fit when my wife told her we were getting a GSD. Why she cares, I have no idea - she lives 5 hours away. She trotted out every legend that she could think of...and then, seeing that my wife wasn't too concerned, she worked up the following gem.

She told my pregnant wife that the GSD was going to eat the baby.

Wow. That was too much for me. She and I had a serious talk the next day and she ended up apologizing. And she hasn't been up to visit since I got the pup, which is fine with me!


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

"Getting"?


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

Kaleb f said:


> I told a lot of people I was getting a german shepherd before I got my pup and all I heard was bad things like why are you doing that you have small kids those dogs will turn on you. Those dogs are mean. You can't trust them.
> I've had german shepherds all my life and I've never had one be aggressive towards me. I have pictures of me at 5 years old laying on our gsd pulling her ears. I just hate that some people have the wrong idea about the breed I love so much. Has anyone else had this happen to them? I live in northeast Louisiana btw.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I wouldnt let your five year old do that with any dog or cat and take pictures. That is where trouble happens and animals get a bad name. Doesnt have to be a gsd. No animal wants to deal with crap like that.


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

volcano said:


> I honestly believe most pitbulls are more stable than most gsd's. These dogs are smart and need work. My neighborhood is full of crazy gsd's?



lol I will NEVER agree with this.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

BellaLuna said:


> Jag: OK let my explain my way of thinking there are sick dogs with chemical imbalances and that are breed poorly which is neither the dogs fault or owners and yes I have a quite a few this pic here was my more recent 1 he was my heart the love of my life but was just not right and we tried to resolve he's issues but failed in the process as we failed him we had to put him down right after x-mas and I'm still heart broken with his absence so yes I do know it feels .Blade had a little bit of by polar dis order and everyday we didn't know what dog we were going to get. We couldn't have friends over b/c 1 day he was OK and the next day he would full on try to attack it got so bad with him to the point he would turn on me and my hubby mind you I have 3 small children and couldn't risk them with him..But then there are dogs that have no manners and run wild and there owners sit by and then say I don't know why my dog is like that and really it's them not the dog thus you have bad owners sorry if I'm all over the place and not explaining myself as good I'm trying to multi task feeding a baby and typing is quite complicated lol so I lose my train of thought..


Yes, this I agree with you 100% on! Sorry about the loss of your boy. I understand completely how devastating that is. It's enough to make you crazy if you keep thinking about it.


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## bigd3077 (Aug 19, 2012)

A lot of people told me the same thing about them "turning" My girl has been great with my kids and trust her always (with supervision)


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

pets4life said:


> I wouldnt let your five year old do that with any dog or cat and take pictures. That is where trouble happens and animals get a bad name. Doesnt have to be a gsd. No animal wants to deal with crap like that.


 
*Have you ever seen what an adult GSD (or any normal adult dog) will put up with from a little puppy?*

That behavior is normal from an adult dog, to give a puppy (or small child) the "Puppy Exemption" as far as what they can get away with. (BTW - it does disappear as the puppy gets older as then the adult will discipline (properly) the puppy to teach it proper behavior).

Of course the child needs to be taught to behave properly with a dog BUT I would not expect any dog of mine to ever intentionally hurt a family member!!


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

codmaster said:


> *Have you ever seen what an adult GSD (or any normal adult dog) will put up with from a little puppy?*
> 
> That behavior is normal from an adult dog, to give a puppy (or small child) the "Puppy Exemption" as far as what they can get away with. (BTW - it does disappear as the puppy gets older as then the adult will discipline (properly) the puppy to teach it proper behavior).
> 
> Of course the child needs to be taught to behave properly with a dog BUT I would not expect any dog of mine to ever intentionally hurt a family member!!



1. human childs are not pups

2. have u seen the way adult gsds correct pups when they had enough?

3. dogs are not stuffed animals. This is why dog bites happen to kids. Its not a gsd thing. Its a dog thing in general.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

pets4life said:


> 1. human childs are not pups
> 
> 2. have u seen the way adult gsds correct pups when they had enough?
> 
> 3. dogs are not stuffed animals. This is why dog bites happen to kids. Its not a gsd thing. Its a dog thing in general.


 
1. Good that you know that!

2. No, I guess that I have never seen that in my life (only have owned 8/9 adults and a bunch of puppies with them). *But see your No. 1! *or maybe you think that a GSD won't also notice the difference?

3. *Thank you for explaining why dog bites happen to kids!* So if a dog bites a 2yo, it is the kids fault - you really believe that? How about a 1 yo - still the kids fault? That sounds just like an idiot friend of mine here who also blames the other dog or child whenever her dog acts like a jerk!


4. *Guess I could never trust my kid around your dog! *

*5. Heh! Heh!*


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## Sadie0804 (Feb 27, 2013)

No way! We got our GSD at 3 months old and our son was 11 months old at the time... He fell in love with her and she has been nothing but amazing towards him.. Even in her puppy nipping she never nipped at him (& she was bad with biting before we started her training, yet still she never tried with him). We have pics of them together on her dog bed and in her crate while she was being trained. Now that she's house broken she's either sleeping on our floor in our bedroom or next to my sons crib.. And if the baby wakes up she will whine to us to let us know. I've been around GSDs since I was a baby myself and I only have postive, loving memories 


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

WHen on earth did i say it was the kids fault? its the owners fault for not teaching the child how to act around animals. Children that young don't know any better.

When someone has a kid sitting on top of a dog pulling its ears sorry but thats begging for trouble.

I don't pull my dogs/cats/rabbits/ ears or face thats just wrong. Total lack of respect for a living creature.

I would not trust your kid around my pets 

Some kids are great with animals because the parents teach them how to be that way, some kids are not at all.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

pets4life said:


> WHen on earth did i say it was the kids fault? its the owners fault for not teaching the child how to act around animals. Children don't know any better.


pets4life,

*You live in your world (and with your dogs) and i will live in mine with my dogs and my expectations of them with small children! OK?*

But maybe you could explain to all of us - *how would you go about training a 1yo toddler not to annoy the family dog? And why you wouldn't also train the dog (if your dog needed training to not bite a little toddler) to not be aggressive to your baby?*

Or do you might advocate just not letting the child near the family pet until the child is fully trained not to do anything that the dog might mistake as aggressive and bite the child?


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

I know plenty of people with large dogs and toddlers, even aggressive rotties or gsds. They dont put the toddler on top of the dog. The dog is fine with the baby. They are just smart about it they supervise interactions. They don't force the infant on the dog. Same goes for cats and other pets.

Not all dogs that have bitten kids are child aggressive dogs. Plenty of them are or were decent with kids before.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

pets4life said:


> I know plenty of people with large dogs and toddlers, even aggressive rotties or gsds. *They dont put the toddler on top of the dog. The dog is fine with the baby. They are just smart about it they supervise interactions. They don't force the infant on the dog*. Same goes for cats and other pets.
> 
> Not all dogs that have bitten kids *are child aggressive dogs*.
> *WOW! Unless the kid (older ones only) did something really bad - what would a dog have to do before you classified them as a "child aggressive" dog? And what about the dog that bites a 1 or 2yo - not "child aggressive" either?*
> ...


You mean BEFORE they bit the toddler, they were "decent with kids"? (OMG)

And they were good after thery finished biting as well, I guess.

Your approach is yours, of course, but i am astonished! Nuff' said!


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

Dog Bite Prevention PSA I drsophiayin.com - YouTube

*What is it that kids do so wrong?*
So just, what is it that kids do that’s so wrong? Fabretti has firsthand knowledge of this too because when one of her step sons was younger he would harass their Australian Cattle Dog. “He would go around and stick his face in the dog’s face and go Amos Amos Amos. And I’d say don’t do that. That’s rude to dogs. He was behaving in a way that boys do but is inappropriate to dogs.”
While the internet is riddled with examples of kids behaving similarly, when you know how to read a dog’s body language you realize that many of these kids are just lucky. Due to her training, Fabretti could tell the rude interactions were making Amos nervous.
“[Amos was] putting his head down, trying to avoid eye contact.” Because Fabretti was always supervising their interactions, she could call her step son away and prevent a disaster from happening.
“People always want to be in the dog’s face. Kiss them,” says Fabretti. “Even if the dog says he doesn’t like that, they don’t listen. So the dog has to go beyond putting his head down and growling and maybe he goes beyond that and then bites because he is so stressed.”
Of course once the dog is pushed to that level, the owner may report that the dog is vicious and has bitten out of the blue. The humans assume that dogs should put up with children no matter what, when even humans can’t put up with their own kids all the time. Human parents have babysitters, spouses, family members and baby cribs and play pens to help give them relief from caring for and dealing with their kids yet they expect the household dog to get along no matter what.

http://positively.com/2011/05/17/why-dogs-bite-children-a-lesson-in-preventing-dog-bites-in-kids/


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

pets4life said:


> Dog Bite Prevention PSA I drsophiayin.com - YouTube
> 
> *What is it that kids do so wrong?*
> So just, what is it that kids do that’s so wrong? Fabretti has firsthand knowledge of this too because when one of her step sons was younger he would harass their Australian Cattle Dog. “He would go around and stick his face in the dog’s face and go Amos Amos Amos. And I’d say don’t do that. That’s rude to dogs. He was behaving in a way that boys do but is inappropriate to dogs.”
> ...


 
*I see the key word "positively" in your web site above - could that suggest that you are a positive only type of trainer, maybe also with the use of "time-outs" for dogs when they exhibit bad behavior?*

*just curious!*

*And your example above - do you honestly believe that is OK for a family dog to bite a young child (family member) just because he/she puts his face in the dog's face and maybe hugs him/her???????????????*

*As the saying goes "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!". *


*(quote from John McEnroe - but very appropo her as well!)*


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

codmaster said:


> *And your example above - do you honestly believe that is OK for a family dog to bite a young child (family member) just because he/she puts his face in the dog's face and maybe hugs him/her???????????????*
> 
> *As the saying goes "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!". *
> 
> ...


Agreed.

If I ever thought either of my dogs would bite my young children simply for hugging them....well....they wouldn't be here.

We got Luther when our first son was not quite 3 years old. We have since had another son who is coming up 10 months old so Luther hadn't really been around babies. He just behaved as if the baby had always been here....it was really nice to see.....it was like they were just old pals.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

If you've got a kid who is old enough to stick his face in the dog's face and say his name over and over... and you say 'stop it' and the child doesn't... then it's time for a spanking. Of course, this isn't 'positive' training... it's called punishment. Something many parents seem to have forgotten about. I dog biting a family member (especially a child) over something like this I don't think is 'normal'. If the parent is watching both the dog and the child, this is totally preventable. If you've got a weak nerved, nervous dog that isn't doing well with children, then it would be beneficial to all to re-home it to a more appropriate home. People fail to do the 'right thing' then have a fit when things don't work out how they wanted to. "Annoyance" isn't a reason for a stable dog to bite.


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

*Exactly what Jag said. Thank you for using logic.*


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