# Your First GSD Experience



## blackviolet (Jun 17, 2010)

What was your first experience with German Shepherds, and when did you first decide you loved them as much as you do?

And post pics, if you've got them! 

My first GSD experience was also my first real dog experience that I can actually remember. When I was very young, we had a black and silver female shepherd that may have been a purebred, and she definitely had some training. I don't know how she ended up where she did. A guy that my dad worked with had her in his material yard, using her as a sort of guard dog. He had gotten her from someone else semi-recently. Every time we went with my dad, my mom and sister and I would play with this dog, and she was a total sweetheart. 

One day after work, the guy that owned her for one reason or another decided he didn't want her anymore and told my dad, "Hey, just drop her off in the canyon on your way home." My dad couldn't do that, and brought her home. She got along with the cat, and loved us (small kids), and we kept her. She was super friendly, and great with other dogs too. 

Our last name is Sargent, and my mom would call my dad Sarge. Well, a few days after we got the dog, she yelled "SARGE!" in the backyard, calling my dad, and the dog ran over and sat at her feet. So we named her Sarge. 

My mom would say, "Sarge, watch the girls," and the dog would walk over and lay down near wherever we were playing, and literally watch us. If we had neighborhood kids over, and they were playing on the swingset or whatever in a dangerous way or a way they shouldn't be, she'd herd them, or lightly bite a piece of their clothing and drag them away. At night, my mom would say "Check it out," and she'd do a search of the house and yard. She knew all kinds of commands.

I remember being very young, and we were at the lake, and I tripped and fell into the water. I was wearing a pink bathing suit with ruffles on the butt. When I fell, I went face fist, and all you could see were the ruffles above water. Within seconds, Sarge was there, teeth on my ruffles - and my butt - pulling me out (even though the water was maybe two feet deep). I remember crying because I didn't understand and I said, "Sarge bit me!" but my mom had seen the whole thing. 

One time, I was only 5-6 years old, and playing with her on a leash, and we went to go somewhere, and I hooked her leash on the end of a bush or something, being a dumb kid and not thinking. We came home late that night or early the next day, and she was still sitting there on her leash by the bush. The leash wasn't stuck on by any means, she could have pulled and it would have come off, but she didn't. I remember that it had been REALLY cold, and I felt SO BAD. As soon as we let her off the leash, she ran and rubbed herself all over her blankets. My mom made me apologize to Sarge, and I cried. Haha. 

Sarge was very protective of us and the yard, she was confident and fearless, and _usually_ clear-headed. BUT she liked to chase cars and bicycles, and bite the tires. She popped a kid's bike tire! The weird thing is that she absolutely HATED anyone in uniform, and wanted to attack them. So I'm not sure who trained her, haha. 

When I was older, we had Shelby and Sugar who were shepherd mixes. We didn't intend on getting either of them, they're just what showed up on the doorstep, haha. Then we had Ivan, our first purebred GSD. While Sarge got us into shepherds, Shelby and Sugar reinforced it, but Ivan made it clear that it's without a question my favorite breed.

My husband and I have been talking about getting a purebred from a *reputable* breeder for years, and I'm so excited that it's finally happening! Our new baby, Godric, should be here next week! :happyboogie:


I'm trying to get my mom to send me pics, so hopefully I'll post some soon.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Congrats on the new pup coming!


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## blackviolet (Jun 17, 2010)

This happened before I was even born. My Auntie Lovell was a cop in San Francisco in the 60's-70's. She had a GSD named Tovah. My mom thinks she was a police dog, but maybe not. My mom said that Tovah was the sweetest and most awesome dog ever. Tovah and Sarge are the two dogs she always talks about. Tovah was one of the big reasons why she wanted to keep Sarge to begin with.

Anyway, my aunt "loaned" Tovah to someone to guard a material yard, I guess? One morning when they came to the yard, Tovah was covered in blood. Thinking she was hurt, they hosed her off, looking for wounds. _None of the blood was hers._ They found trickles of blood that led to the top of the woodpile. Apparently, someone had gotten into the yard, trying to steal material or equipment and she tore them up, and they climbed up onto the woodpile to try to get out of her reach. 

I'm not sure how many times they tried to rob the place, but they came back again, or got robbed by someone esle, and they shot and killed her... but not before she tore them up. My mom thinks that they even caught one of the thieves, all torn up one of the times.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

blackviolet said:


> What was your first experience with German Shepherds?


At around the age of five, while living in Lincoln Park Michigan, there was the sweetest little old lady that lived a couple of doors down, and her sweetness was only exceeded by the quality of the plums on this very mature tree in the backyard. She had told me I was welcome to help myself to plums any time.

Her husband, just as nice and even older, was all bent over from arthritus and hadn't been getting out much. In addition, they had the old family GSD, who sadly, had been chained to the back fence for as long as I could remember. Although the old man didn't have the health for the GSD, he would still talk fondly, and love to tell anyone who'd listen how good a purebred he was.

In Lincoln Park, a suburb of Detroit, there were alleys between the backs of the houses. For kids, these were highways of trouble, and for that poor GSD, the source of afternoons filled with torture.

So long story short, I went to get a few plums like I had dozens of time before....but this time, the old GSD broke the chain, charged-up from the back of the lot, and went after me. I had been screaming and mauled for quite some time before neighbors came to my rescue. The dog was carrying me by the back of my left thigh, and it took two neighbor men to get the dog off of me, which by then my Mother was there and as one man had the chain, the other man and my Mother had me.

I am sure there are some very profound reasons why I am a SchH Helper today. I simply love and respect GSDs and consider myself a student of the breed.


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## blackviolet (Jun 17, 2010)

Ha, oh my god. Most people would be the exact opposite. Usually anyone that was attacked by a dog as a kid grows up to be afraid of dogs, or to at least have an aversion to the breed that attacked them!


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

omg is right....another b
great story...


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

When I was 7 I met my first GSD, her name was Shasta. She was a blast! She was attached to a runner and the neighbor boy and I would run around with her and play tag. A couple years later a family moved in with a GSD and a Rott and that GSD was very aggressive, he did not tolerate anyone but his family and I'll never forget the day he jumped the fence and mauled my friends Sheltie 

I did not know that I wanted one until my friend got a black/tan/silverish GSD named Cujo. He was so smart and so cute, he was very intimidating but such a big baby. I dont want anyone to be offended or anything but I am not a fan of black/tan or black/reds and I thought that GSD's only came in those 2 colors. Cujo's coloring was so different, I had never seen such a good looking GSD before. I started doing research on the breed that very day and saw my first ever black GSD online and I fell in love! I knew I had to have one so 6 months later I got my Sinister boy and it was the best choice I ever made. I will always have a GSD in my life, always :wub:


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## atravis (Sep 24, 2008)

When I was 4-5, my family adopted a stray GSD/mix that we named Shelby.

Thus touched off my life-long love affair with the breed. Shelby was my heart dog for 14 years, and as close to perfection as I'll ever find in this lifetime. I may never own a dog as wonderful as her again, though I believe the Shepherds embody what she was better than anything else.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

I hope you have the original of that photo in a safe place, I'm sure it is worth million$. A wonderful place to be from in relation to the breed we hold dear.


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

When I was a kid the neighbors next to my grandparents had 3 GSD's I always thought they were so beautiful. When I was 16 my parents got a GSD. He was going to be euthanized by his breeder because he was tiny and very sick. My dad wanted to take him home. The breeder just gave him to my dad, and I remember he was so small that he came home totally hidden in my dad's coat pocket. We found out that he had a very bad case of heartworm. Major spent a long time at the animal hospital, and almost didn't make it. He came home healthy, but there was just something off about him. I remember he would find big rocks and toss them in the air, catch them and swallow them whole. Later, he would be screaming and dragging his butt on the ground trying to pass the rock he swallowed. He was a big lovable goof, but he became food aggressive with my mother. My dad gave him away to a friend that had a farm because my mother was afraid of him and he lived out his life very happy.


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## Sigurd's Mom (May 12, 2009)

When I was around 10 or so years old, my family was very into rescuing dogs. We had to foster a white German Shepherd, for about 6 months. Her name was Angel. She was so sweet and confident, loved to be loved. She ended up finding a good home, but I was sad when she left our home. After that, we fostered a young male GSD, I don't recall his name, just that he had the strongest personality ever. He was so gorgeous, a lot like Sigurd. We had him for about a week, he ended up being adopted out to get trained to be a police K9. I thought that was really awesome - I couldn't wait to one day own my own "police" dog.


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## abby (Mar 13, 2010)

I vaguely remember my grandparents dog "henry" he was trained with the k9 unit who wanted to buy him, my grandad used him to protect the 2nd hand car lot he had. I remember sitting down to lunch and watching my grandad passing food from his plate to henry under the table, then getting told off by my nan when i did it 
My dad was very nervous of him but i used to crawl all over him, he was a big softy as long as he wasn't "on the job" unfortunately he was put down with cancer. My grandparents never owned a dog after him, and they had always had dogs all different breeds but no one could compare to henry but they always pushed us in the direction of gsd's


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

The first time I met a GSD I was 6 and visiting my grandparents in Poland. (My family had sent me off for the summer). They had a GSD. He was very well behaved as my grandfather was in the military there. One day I was walking the dog and he went crazy and just ran off on me. I spent hours looking for this dog, only to find him in the lobby of the apartment they lived in. Growing up my father used to tell me a story about a GSD whose owner had left for training in the army, and when he came back he found his wife unable to leave the bed because the GSD wouldnt let her get out of it for two whole days. So I basically grew up hating this breed of dog. I got Shenzi because her story broke my heart and I knew that eventually I would get over the fact shes a GSD. I can now say that I love her, and am getting interested in GSDs as a whole. Dobermans are still my favourite, but the GSD is making a quick climb from the bottom up.


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## Josiebear (Oct 16, 2006)

My first GSD experience was a dog name pualani. She belong to my mom's boyfriend at the time. I got to know her part of my childhood life, She stuck to me like glue. I remember that one day when my mom's boyfriend at the time had a 4th of July party and all of his friends were sitting around, i was sitting with one of the friends. Pualani would actually come in between me and the guy like she was looking out for me or something. She pretty much was my shadow After the boyfriend and my mom broke up i did not see her for several years, when i saw her again in my mid teens she was pretty old but still remembered me. I put my hand down in front of her and she gave me a lick like she was telling me she remembers who i was.

I have to add though, this dog really did not have any training and was the most well behaved well tempered dog. Whereas today there is so many problem dogs. I was just thinking about how things were so different back in my hay day with dogs and training versus now.She was the ONLY GSD i have ever liked and said there would be no other like her......until Josie came along . 

Sorry i don't have pictures, i only have memories wish i had a picture though!.


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## trish07 (Mar 5, 2010)

Phenis is my forst experience with GSD!

I had never been around a GSD before.

Plus, it's my first dog. It,s soemtime hard, but most of the time, I spent real good time with him and I love him SO MUCH! I would buy another GSD without hesitation!

They are so great.....Phenix is a good dog with bad behaviours but also good behaviours. We are learning a lot with him. This is priceless.

"Money can buy you a very good dog, but it won't buy the wag of its tail"


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## Asche-zu-Staub (Apr 25, 2010)

my first experience was in elementary school (3rd grade). Officer Morgan did a demonstration with the town's police dog. I was amazed how he could do so many things, and be so friendly at the same time. I wanted a shepherd after that. My dad was scared of them, so I never got the chance until I was moved out years later. I remember the day I got my sam, i had to go to work. In all the strange amounts of odds, i had a police officer come through my line at home depot, i looked at his badge and it said Morgan on it. I told the officer about how He had inspired me to get a gsd, and that i have waited most of my life to have one, i thanked him and shook his hand. He had a big grin on his face, and he deserved too! he knew he had gotten someone addicted :-D. Years after my first encounter, i now have 2 little brats that i wouldnt trade for the world, oh and my dad who was so scared of them? He loves them now too .


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Here is my very first GSD experience...










So, obviously, I grew up with them. That dog there, that is the best dog I've ever owned, he lived to be 16ish. That is really the whole reason I love them like I do, I lived with them my whole life, and don't see myself ever being without one.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

I can still remember my first experience with a GSD. I lived in one of the inner city projects as a young kid and there was a police station near the project. I was about 9-10 yo and was running down the sidewalk and was passing a police car. I heard a bark and saw out of the corner of my eye a HUGE (at the time!) almost black GSD coming flying out of the back door RIGHT AT ME! Thought I was dead!

Then I heard the police officer give a one word command and the dog stopped and returned to the car.

Great relief! 

That was my first introduction to the breed! Most all of my later experiences were much better thankfully!


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## blackviolet (Jun 17, 2010)

Okay, my mom found me one pic. My mom thinks my aunt had two Tova's. This is the first Tova, who my mom thinks wasn't the police dog (but I don't think she's positive). She's looking through old albums, trying to find pics of the Tova that ended up shot, and trying to find pics of our Sarge.












I was going to post pics of all of my past puppies, but this thread is more about the puppies that first got you into GSDs. Even though they all contributed, I'll leave this for the old old pics. If you want to see my past babies, I put them in my album.


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

Great stories and pics!! I remember when I was about 6 or 7 years old, a Preacher and his family moved in next door. They had this huge male GSD named (of all names) Satan!! I was fascinated, but a little scared of him too. He was actually very tolerant and sweet in retrospect.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

My neighbor had a female german shepherd with the same name as me. It hated children and was kind of aggressive. So of course I go right up to it and start beating it on the head with pets when I was 3.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> When I was 7 I met my first GSD, her name was Shasta. She was a blast!


That's so funny...we just got our first GSD puppy and her name is Shasta! Poor little thing's gotten off to a rocky start with Coccidia and Giardia, but she's just the sweetest little thing. I've never had a dog before who was _so_ focused on her humans. She just can't be close enough to us.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I guess my first experience with a GSD was when I was young- 5 or 6. My father used to take me with him when he went to friend's houses to drink and such, and one of his friends had a GSD named barron, who was very protective of their home and had to be kept in the backyard when people were over. I only saw him from the yard usually and through the fence. My dad got bit by him some years later upon entering their house without them knowing. 

My aunt also had two when I was about the same age named Barron and Gretchen. Apparently Barron was a common name. I only saw them once or twice, but they were kept on chains in her yard and were very aggressive. 

I had always liked GSDs though, and bought one for my boyfriend this past christmas. So far, he's been the only real experience I've had with GSD. I have a few friends that own them now that I play with, and I've met some at the park, but not many.


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## WolfCrest (May 13, 2010)

Mine was when I was probably about 7 or 8. We were living in Oklahoma at the time. One morning I work up and went outside and there were three dogs in my front yard. A grey and white husky, A mutt-looking dog and a really pretty, really dirty German Shepherd. The dogs were friendly and I was loving all over them like all little kids do when they love dogs. Well my dad came out and the mutt and the husky took off but the GSD just sat next to me watching my dad. My dad walked over and smiled at me. I remember him asking me if I had found a new friend. I laughed and nodded. My dad patted him on the head and laughed. I had to leave soon after for school. I was sad because I thought he would be gone and I would never see him again, but as we drove into the drive way he was just sitting there waiting for us. My mom parked the car and I jumped out. the GSD ran over and was licking me and whining like he missed me. My dad came around the side of the house and was like it's abouttiem you got home. He hasn't left that spot other than to bug me, but he would go right back to that spot and wait. I was amazed I think my mom was too. She looked at the dog and I then back at him "really?" My dad nodded "Yep," I remember him laughing then walking over to me and petting the dog. "He's a good dog.' He said. "I think he needs a name, every good dog needs a name." I nodded and finally asked, 'How about Clay?" My dad looked at me "Why clay?" I pulled some of the red mud looking stuff off of his coat and was like, "Isn't this clay?" My dad smirked "Yes it is." And my mind was like well there you go. I laughed "He likes it so much it should be his name." My dad laughed and said "Alright Clay it is." So Clay was part of our family now. He could come and go as he pleased and was never put in one of the kennels. He would just be there. one day I asked why the other dogs were locked up but not him. My dads answer was pretty simple. He wasn't ours. He could stay as long as he wanted but we wouldn't force him to stay. I didn't understand it then but I think he was right. It meant more that Clay staied because he wanted to. Clay stayed with us for several months then one day took off. I cried when he didn't come back. My dad told me Clay had a purpose and he figured that he had done what he wanted to and moved on. Clay took off in October. The April of the next year my dad died. And we moved out here to California. I still wonder whatever happened to that dog. He was one of the main reasons I love the German Shepherds. Now I have Tora and Jericho. And for some odd reason Jericho reminds me of Clay lol probably one reason why I love him so much.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

Wolfcrest, thank you for posting that, I enjoyed the story. I lived in Oklahoma at one time, and I can see that red clay in my minds eye just as clear as though I was there yesterday.


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

My parents had a GSD before I was even born so I had that dog the first 8 years of my life. Her name was Princess and without a doubt was the best dog my family ever owned. She was extremely protective of kids and this would include neighborhood kids that came over to play. On more then one occasion a parent would have to call my mother to get the dog so they could come get their children. 

She was smart enough to open the back gate but would never leave the front yard. She would just lay on the front porch and watch the neighborhood. She could also open the back door when she wanted to come inside or if she got thirsty would turn on the outside water spigot. My dad always complained that if she was so smart why couldn't she learn to turn the water off when she was done or close the door behind her. 

I remember being devastated when she had to be put down for heartworms. I have loved the breed ever since and have wanted one of my own since I was a teenager.


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## misplacedsooner (Jun 5, 2010)

love the oklahoma stories, where are you all from??
my first experience was also as a young child. i had some family that had a huge shepard chained to a tree with a doghouse under it and they always told me he was too mean to go near anyone, that no one could pet him and only one person could feed him but they couldnt pet him as he would kill them if they tried. being young i was in awe of this massive beast and would sit and watch him and talk to him. one day i decided i would pet him and make friends but i told no one as i knew i wouldnt be allowed to do it if i made my intentions known. it wasmy best guess at the time to approach him standing sideways and acting like i didnt know i was in his domain and let him come to me which he did. i half expected to get a bite but instead he sniffed me and just sat down and allowed me to stay. i talked to him without petting him and slowly walked away. i did this several times before i finally began petting him. this went on all summer without getting caught and one day i ask if i could take him for a walk down a dirt road. everyone laughed at me and finally i was told if i could get near him and pet him i could walk him...hahaha, little did they know,lol.


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## Catori (Jul 5, 2010)

Well my dad had had 2 german shepherds growing up, one named Hobo (the dog had been a stray so the obvious name to a teen boy was Hobo) he had when he was older and remembers the most clearly. He would tells us and everyone that hands down for the right person the GSD was the best dog around. And so when I was 5, and we moved into a new house with a nice yard he promised my brother and I a dog (which he had decided was to be a GSD) I vaugly remember going to the breeder's house and playing with the litter of pups and picking the female pup (smaller than the rest) who happened to amble over and sit in my lap. I don't remember much with her as a puppy being so young, but as I got older she would go everywhere with me. Most of the time outside we'd be in the creek, and we'd both come home so wet/muddy and ti would just drive my mother up a wall. lol I think she enjoyed the look on mom's face with me. She was always attentive with watching the children who were in HER yard, even neighborhood kids. She'd just lay there and watch us. If anyone got too rough she'd bark and put her between us as if to say "Settle down children!". I remember one time a few years back when my neighbor went to spank her neice near the fence of our back yard, and the kid started crying. Lucky charged the fence and was barking her head off, when we came outside and got ahold of the situation she calmed down. Very protective of kids. What feels like a long time ago, I'd say about 6 years back, when my brother was younger and taking out the trash someone approached him and tried to grab him. Lucky began barking from the back yard and my brother ran towards the fence... and Lucky jumped the fence and actually charged the man until he ran off. She didn't follow after him, just stood barking adn carrying on. I can't imaigne how scary it was for my brother...but when she did that I knew the german shepherd was the dog for me. The first breed I've ever owned, and probably the only.


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## adamdude04 (Apr 15, 2010)

Lots of LEOs in my family.. and there seems to be a long wait list for the K-9 unit so I though eh, no harm in getting one myself. I don't like waiting!

Plus the timing couldn't be better. My girly and I just got a home, and with all the firearms, plus her being a meer 5'7 @110lbs she wouldn't be a match against a bad guy. So thought it was the perfect time/fit for another protector/family member.

Thought about adopting, but with our two cats a pup was the only way to go to get em to accept eachother.


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