# Would a white shepherd puppy be good for me - I have children



## TheVintageAngel (Oct 4, 2011)

Hi there,

I am thrilled that I have put a deposit on a white shepherd puppy, a female from a litter with 8 whites. We pick her up on October 17th. I have had a shepherd mix before, and just loved her, she was great with our children even when we brought them home from the hospital.

I enthusiastically announced my new puppy angel on Facebook, and while most people who have shepherds, even several with white shepherds specifically raved about them, a few people who have worked for vets or the humane society warned me that they can be a bad choice to have with young children in the home. The breeder has a 3 year old child on site so the puppies have thus far been around children, and both of the parent dogs are on site and the breeder has said they are also great with the child.

I have a daughter who is 8, a son who is 5, both I am confident in to be gentle with the dog. My husband and I both work from home, so the dog will not be left alone or crated more than a couple hours once or twice a week. We plan to train it well and make sure it stays stimulated, but now I'm worrying because these few people have acted like it was a bad idea. Please be honest, I know I'm in the right place to ask...:smirk:


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

GSDs (regardless of color) with the right temperament can be GREAT with kids.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Shepherds notoriously do very poorly in shelters. They tend to mentally break down. Thus why people in HS's may say they aren't right for people with young kids. Read the puppy threads!!! There are many on the little land sharks and redirecting their puppy bitey face stage. You'll be fine.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

I have 3 children, my youngest was 5 years old when we got our GSD Brutus.When he was a puppy, he would try to herd the children, and would nip at their ankles. At first my 2 younger children were afraid of him, but he learned not to do that, and now he loves the kids and is great to put in the backyard with them while they are out playing, he won't let any strangers get near them. He is also now gentle and patient with the kids. Brutus is 2 1/2 years old now, and I can't imagine life without him being part of our family. I think german shepherds, any color are wonderful to have when you have children.


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

There are a lot of poorly bred shepherds out there with poor temperaments and nerves. This is part of the issue and people who work in the "field" see more bad ones that good ones. Personally speaking, my vet told me she has NEVER seen such a nice looking, well mannered GSD like Sonar. He's not perfect but she sees hundreds of dogs, and prob has seen hundreds of "purebred" shepherds, the breed is over bred and has a tendency to have bad traits bred into the lines. As long as your breeder is breeding for the right reasons you will end up with a well mannered, even tempered, healthy fantastic land shark puppy. Good luck.


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

Scarlett is very gentle and has a great temperment. We were ONLY warned to not have small furry creatures in the house with her...as she has a VERY strong prey drive! Beside that, if you supervise your kids with the puppy and make sure their behaviour is appropriate, you should be fine. Scarlett was a rescue, and spent a year in foster homes before coming to live with us. I don't think being a WGSD makes her much different from any other color of GSD. Her temperment is like any other sweet, cuddly, funny, goofy GSD I have met. 

(I can't wait to see pics of your puppy. I know if I ever held a WGSD...or any GSD puppy, I would suffer from puppy-lust. mustnotgetapuppynow....mustnotgetapuppynow...I have to repeat that mantra for a few more years.)


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## BR870 (May 15, 2011)

They are child eating monsters... 









(My now passed male, Kai and my GodDaughter having a picnic)









(Abbie, Grace, and my son)


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

GSDBESTK9 said:


> GSDs (regardless of color) with the right temperament can be GREAT with kids.


 
this is exactly true. There are TONS of people on this board who have proof of this as well. My dogs are great with my kids and other kids. We're still working with Shasta (patterned sable) on her nipping she does when she is excited but otherwise she's perfect with kids. We adopted a female GSD from the humane society back home and she's amazing with kids. GSDs dont do well in shelters. They're meant to work closely with their people and will shut down in a shelter if not able to be with their people. Raise the puppy right, train and socialize and you shouldnt have any problems. Also as long as your breeder is breeding knowledgably things should be fine.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

I think your kids are at a great age to bring in a puppy! Knowing that the pup is already being socialized with a 3 year old and having parents that like kids should help to calm your nerves. Good luck!


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

I think you'll really have to watch your kids and dog during the pup's teething stage. My daughter and I had a lot of bruising on our arms, I was so glad she was old enough to be out of school, otherwise questions might have been raised about abuse!

A good shepherd will be a loyal, loving family member. The difficult part I see is when your children have young friends over. I would be concerned about chasing, the prey drive, or maybe being overprotective. However since you both work from home, chances are with training and supervision, you'll have a great family pet.


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## sharkey19 (Sep 25, 2011)

As long as you are willing to put the work into training and socializing, then any dog can be great with kids!


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## TheVintageAngel (Oct 4, 2011)

Thank you all for the replies! I feel more confident now about it for sure. I have found a local trainer that specializes in shepherds if we get in over our heads, but we hope to make her a loving part of the family...no shortcuts, just good training and socializing, patience and vast amounts of chew toys. Looking forward to sharing more here once she arrives!


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Congrats on the new puppy, we will need lots of pictures when you get to bring her home.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

There can be a lot of dissention on the "whites." It has been said that some breed only for the "white" without regard to the temperment and that's a logical point, IMHO. So far as I can see, it's like any "fashion" dog -- meaning, if there's a demand, byb's will rise to it and turn out whatever will sell with no regard to good breeding. 

Mind you, I'm a fine one to talk -- my pup is from an oops litter my son's WGSD and Husky mix had.... 

I wouldn't worry too much about what the fb people say, I'd center more on the breeder and the faith you have there. 

How old will the pup be when you pick her up?


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I'm going to be in the minority here, but I don't think young puppies and small children are a good mix. They don't call German Shepherd puppies "landsharks" and "fuzzygators" for nothing. Every single week there's another thread on this forum with someone asking how to stop their "aggressive" 9 week old puppy from biting themselves and their children. Kopper drew blood on myself and my husband multiple times. I also think that if you have a 3 year old child and a young puppy who both need time, training, socialization, discipline, and attention, one is going to get sold short unless one parent's full-time job is baby and puppy. 

My advice would be to get an adult dog who has been socialized and tested to be good around children, but that's just me.


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## AddieGirl (May 10, 2011)

My kids were 8 and 5 when we got Addie about 6 months ago. It has been a wonderful experience. There have been a few scratches here and there but the kids love her and have never been truly hurt or injured by her. Their only complaint would probably be that she doesn't get to sleep in either of their beds  You will be fine, your kids are old enough. There are some people who seem to think that your kids should be in college before you get a pup....


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

AddieGirl said:


> There are some people who seem to think that your kids should be in college before you get a pup....


Honestly, I think having kids is a bad idea all the way around. It gets in the way of the important business of raising your puppy. oke:


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

OP, my daughter turns 4 in about 3 weeks. my son is 2 1/2. Shasta came home when she was 12 weeks old. She wasnt and never has been overly chewy on the kids. She does still get a little obnoxious with them sometimes but only when she's excited and she corrects relatively easily. I'm a stay at home mom so i've had the time to put in the work with her. I think because i started REALLY early (the day she came home) on working with her and what our expectations were, it helped. It can be done, but sometimes its not easy so i would definitely suggest crate training. Not only would that help with housebreaking and protecting your things from destructro puppy as well as protecting your pup when you cant supervise 100%, but it will also help because you have a place you can put puppy when either pup needs break/nap or you need a break or all around everyone needs a break.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I do not have children but my 2.5 year old male GSD loves kids, especially my nephews and neice. 

My 15 week old female GSD also likes kids and she is really gentle with them.


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## TheVintageAngel (Oct 4, 2011)

The pup will be a little over 8 weeks old when we get her. My children are 5 and 8...the 3 year old she's been around is at the breeders. They breed both black and tan shepherds (sorry if that is not the right term) and also whites. They have papers, a microchip, first shots, wormings, etc...the breeder has a good reputation as far as I can find and said that in her experience the whites seem to be better with kids, although that doesn't make a lot of scientific sense. I spoke with a dog trainer near me who specializes in big dogs, and she said shepherds, white or otherwise are fine to have with children, especially the ages my children are at. They are both in school now and are past the crawling, rolling on the floor stage kids go through, so the puppy can have the stage with her rolling, landsharking, etc. My last dog, had her for 13 years before she passed, was a shepherd/rottweiler mix. I would have never picked that type of dog to bring my babies home to, but I had the dog in my single years, then through marriage and kids, and she was just so amazing and awesome with the babies, so I'm not afraid of a large dog. I just was concerned that there was something about the white shepherds that were notorious...it sounds like I was worried for nothing. Although I will use common sense in all aspects.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

I would definately enroll in a puppy class with your children. It's really important for them to learn how to raise and handle puppy too. I know my trainer offers a "Family Dog 1 " and "Family Dog 2" class.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

TheVintageAngel said:


> I just was concerned that there was something about the white shepherds that were notorious...it sounds like I was worried for nothing. Although I will use common sense in all aspects.


The only thing they're really notorious for is getting white fur all over dark clothing and furniture. Make sure you have a good vacuum cleaner. You're going to need it!


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

Whiteshepherds said:


> The only thing they're really notorious for is getting white fur all over dark clothing and furniture. Make sure you have a good vacuum cleaner. You're going to need it!


 
When we first got Scarlett, I went to a paint-your-own-pottery place and made a plaque that says:
This house is infested with white dog hair. Wear black at your own risk.

Yeah, a good vacuum is your best investment with a WGSD.


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## TheVintageAngel (Oct 4, 2011)

Ha, I've heard that from the breeder, she suggested a "furminator" brush but a friend says they can potentially hurt the dog and to get a rubbery softer one. Oh man, so much advice I tell ya.

One last note on the pup vs. adult...we did consider getting an adult, but with our children, thought it would be best to raise up a pup with the kids...maybe that's backwards thinking, but it felt right to us with a big dog like a GSD instead of bringing a full grown one in. Also, I'm an artist who works from home, and my husband helps with the biz a little, but mostly is a "domestic engineer" as he calls it because I'm the worker bee and someone has to clean the house right? Anyhow, both the kids are now in school full time and so he (the hubby) really does have all the time in the world to put into this pup...and I'll be home too. I only mention the art thing because I paint angels for a living, and when I first saw a White GSD I gasped and thought, now THAT is an angel dog (this was before I knew about the landshark thing - ha). I'm looking forward to using her as a model for future paintings ;-)


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

TheVintageAngel said:


> One last note on the pup vs. adult...we did consider getting an adult, but with our children, thought it would be best to raise up a pup with the kids


I agree with you 100%. I'm sure the pup will eat a few homework assignments and try to steal a few ice cream cones, but kids and pups sort of go together. Both of my kids were raised with puppies, kittens, goats, sheep, parrots....they all survived. 



TheVintageAngel said:


> I only mention the art thing because I paint angels for a living, and when I first saw a White GSD I gasped and thought, now THAT is an angel dog


If this link works right, you'll probably appreciate the first picture on the left as you scroll down. 
Artwork


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## TheVintageAngel (Oct 4, 2011)

It worked great and wow, what a vision...love it, thank you for sharing!


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

TheVintageAngel said:


> It worked great and wow, what a vision...love it, thank you for sharing!


You're welcome and just in case there's any confusion, that's not my website or my painting. (but I wish it was, lol)


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## TheVintageAngel (Oct 4, 2011)

I wasn't sure so I refrained from complimenting you  Here's a painting I did of our area Hospice's Golden Retriever. Hope it's okay to share this here (sorry in advance if not, as it may be bad form to show anything but the grand shepherds here :blush. Anyhow, this is a therapy pup for the patients, and he is known to sense when a patient is about to pass and lie at the foot of their bed. I snapped some photos of him to paint from and gave him the "wings" I'm positive he already has hidden somewhere in that fur. Now I can't wait to start painting white shepherd angels...:wild:


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