The problem with big dogs

[PJ]

So if you look at my gravatar image to the left, you’ll see a little 9 week old German Shepherd. That little guy was scared of his own shadow and could be carried around in one arm. 9 months later…no mas.

Now I have this monster who, although mostly obedient, is quite frankly a powerful beast who could easily kill me if he so desired. Not that he would but handling him and just observing how powerful he is has me awestruck, especially after only having smaller dogs or family-ish dogs (like labs).

Don’t get me wrong, my boy is totally all about family but the problem is that’s ALL he is about. Anyone else is a threat: bottom line. He is so hearty / big that correcting him is a challenge. Spanking? PLEASE. A swat on the head? PLEASE.

The other day we went to my parent’s house, he absolutely loved my mom’s little dog but didn’t like my mom one bit. She came close and he actually snapped at her which meant immediate correction from me. I mean seriously, if you dont give these dudes a swift kick it really wont register at all.

Finally tonight we were playing around a bit and while I don’t mind him toying with me the face is off limits. He managed to snap at my face and cut my nose, immediate bleeding of course, to which I responded with a swift hand check to his face. He was unmoved…I felt like I almost broke my hand.

Big dogs….ridiculous

Here he is checking out a trail we were on last week

[J]

When I was a kid, many moons ago, I had a German shepherd that was a retired police dog. He had been shot and retired form active duty. At 5 years old, I was the ONLY one he listened to. I used to ride that dog like a horse, yank no his ears, everything a bored farm kid could think of.

no one else got close to me when King was around, though.

He tolerated my mom, did NOT like my dad or men in general. He almost ate my dad a few times. I heard more than once, “Boy, come call your dog off of me.”

Shepherds, in my experience, are exactly what you said. They will bond to their “pack” and nothing else. yours being a juvenile, the equivelent of an unruly teen, you will get the odd challenge.

[PJ]

That’s hilarious you could ride him like a horse and it’s cool you lived on a farm. One of the people I work with has a shepherd and she lives on a farm. She says he is cool with the chickens and goats but if one gets out he’ll kill it. He also kills deer and brings them back. That’s crazy!

I hope to have some land here soon where my boy can run and play, the guy has tons of energy which doesn’t get utilized even though I try to walk him (and will be running with him soon).

As for their mentality I’ve read they are pretty much fearless, I guess that’s why they (and Belgians) are used so much in police / mil work.

[Brandon]

That’s a beautiful dog, PJ. I love German Shepherds. My grandmother had one named Gretchen, when I was really young. I loved that dog. She was really smart, and really loyal.

[PJ]

Thanks Brandon, he is a great looking dog. I’ve had cars stop on the street so people could compliment how he looked. Problem is I think he knows it….

[Brandon]

Haha! 🙂

[ParaB]

We just put a deposit on a GSD pup. Pure German bloodlines are expensive…… Im planning on putting him through schutzhund training. Anyone out there ever put their pup through that kind of training?? Just trying to get a grasp on what Im in for. I know it will be worth it in the end though.

[PJ]

My dog was not cheap either, and I opted for the “american” version of the GSD versus the west german breeds used pretty much for police work or military etc. After speaking with the breeder (who had both) I came to the conclusion that I wanted a family dog first, while the traits of the GSD would still be very prevalent. I felt that I would almost be doing the west german breed a disservice as daily walks or even hikes probably would not be enough to work the dog as hard as it needed to be worked. Not that my boy isn’t a ball of energy, the guy never stops.

I took my dog through a reputable training facility for basic obedience and some other stuff…this place also trained for schutzhund. There were a few dogs going through it at the time and it is very intense. I guess the instructors also have to evaluate each dog prior to accepting them, basically to see if they have what it takes. Both American style and West German dogs were there doing it and the trainers were pretty strict on them. It was cool to see just how well trained those dogs were, I kept thinking just how much $$$$ that had to cost.

I guess it’s like any hobby, if you are dedicated and are willing to put in the time and effort (and money) you’ll be able to compete with your dog and have a blast doing so. Good luck man!

[bigpaul]

I prefer terriers.

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