# Thinking of getting a puppy



## Arngrim (Apr 14, 2014)

Hello everyone,
My fiance and I have been talking about getting a puppy for over a year now. We both had dogs growing up (her parents rescue grey hounds) and she and I dearly miss the animals in our everyday lives. I've been reading on training etc but I've been having a hard time with things like breeders and environmental issues such as house size and neighborhoods etc.

My question is we currenly live in a condo 1,287 sqft is that too small a space for a GSD? We don't have much of a yard but I plan to be walking the dog often and I work 10 minutes from the house so I can stop by on lunch to let the dog out etc. I've been trying to find a breeder in Western NY but I don't really know what i'm looking for exactly. 

We also currently have a cat so if anyone could let me know if that is ok and what tips you may have to help associate the 2 of them that would be fantastic.


Thank you everyone!


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I lived in a 700sqft condo for a year with my young GSD, and now live in a 900sq ft house with anywhere from 2-6 dogs at a time, two being shepherds. It's completely do-able. 

I would likely start with a puppy for your "first dog" as adults to help integrate the dog with the cat.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I live in a 750sq foot house with 2 dogs and 4 cats, the size of the house doesn't matter and neither does the size of your yard as long as you are going to make sure the puppy gets lots of physical exercise daily.

I would also suggest getting a puppy to raise with your cat.


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## Arngrim (Apr 14, 2014)

Ok so I guess the next step is to find a reliable breeder. Any recommended methods on how to go about that?


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/choosing-breeder/137533-things-look-responsible-breeder.html


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## Wolfenstein (Feb 26, 2009)

Chalk me up to another in the camp of exercise is more important than space!  We had our husky in our little 2 bedroom apartment when we first got him, and he did amazingly well because of how much time we spent out walking and playing.

I'm going to plant the idea of an adult in your head, though!  I totally see where people are coming from saying that raising a puppy with a cat is easier. Every issue is going to be MUCH easier starting from scratch rather than trying to change a set in habit. However, there are often dogs in rescues that have previously lived fine with cats, and GOOD rescues (something you need to search out as much as good breeders!) will have their dogs cat tested and know which ones will be fine, and which ones seem like to have a problem. With an adult dog, you are past all of the puppy phase: longer attention span, able to hold their bladder for much longer, possibly come to you with obedience under their belts, etc. They're also likely to be calmer, so they may not need as much rigorous exercise and training to wear them out. You also have a much better idea of the dog's temperament than you would with a puppy, who is a wild card.

That said, if you actively WANT a puppy, I'm not at all putting you off from a breeder. Our husky was an adult rescue because we were just looking for a pet dog. We're waiting on a GSD puppy from a good breeder this time around, because I want to actually go out and be active in sports and competitive obedience. We have our husky, a cat, AND a toddler, so that combined with what we want in a sport dog, it makes it INSANELY hard to find in a rescue. We're going to have the time for it, and a puppy can come with me to work while it's potty training, so that's our plan.

It's really all a matter of figuring out your situation, what you specifically want out of a dog, and what you feel most comfortable raising.  Don't let something like one particular issue (good with cats) make your whole decision for you!


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