[condor]

Originally Posted by rsjaurr

Actually never thought of GSD before. Thanks for recommending this dog.

Doc, GSD's are a breed that GSD lovers swear by. They are supposed to be the most intelligent & loving too. The only thing I have about GSD's is the hair that they shed. Some may bark quite a bit.

Do think about the hair shedding part. It can get a bit irritating when the dog has longer hair. Not so noticeable with dogs that have shorter hair, like Dobe's.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by rsjaurr

A Dog is much more than just a security guard.

I'm glad you said that from your post I thought you wanted it mainly for security and it seemed not the best of ideas,which is why i recommended a guard and others a anti-theft system. Your recent post however clear things up.

I'd recommend a Doberman. We had one as a pet at our farmhouse and it was by far the best dog i've seen till now. Obedient,intelligent and courageous is how i'd describe him. We lost it to a leopard unfortunately :(

[Aroy]

Getting a dog is a long time commitment, and unlike your child the dog may never grow up to become sober, they may remain slightly mischievous. As you will not be at home during week days, the onus of looking after the dog will be on your wife. A full grown Lab or GSD has a lot of pulling power and a playful dog may literally bowl your wife over. So please be aware of the quantum of time and effort required, and get her OK after explaining the facts in detail. Here is what you should be aware of

. Any medium to large dog requires attention and lots of exercise. Some one will have to take the dog out for at least an hour every day. This can be only one long walk or spread over three times, but walk is a must.

. All large dogs shed hair. It is only the smaller breeds with long hair that do not. My Lab shed enough hair every year to fill a decent sized mattress.
. Most of the dogs attract ticks and mites. You have to check for them daily. Diet with a lot of garlic helps but the bugs will still come from grass and while taking a walk.

. Dogs are as temperamental as humans. No two dogs are alike. Some may be loving while others aloof.

. Dog's diet has to be controlled rigidly for the initial three to four years. Otherwise if they over indulge they will put on weight faster than their leg muscles can build up, resulting in muscular failure at advanced age. Never be taken in by that "I am hungry" look. They can figure out your wear points and exploit them better than the most mischievous child.

. Dogs have to be taken to a Vet on regular basis. The first couple of years the visits are quarterly and a variety of shots are required. So a good and honest Vet is a must.

. Once you have a Dog (or any pet), you are stuck at home as some one has to look after them. If you have no whole time help or some one who can look after your dog when you are away, then bye bye to your holidays. There are very few option of transporting and accommodation for dogs available here.

. Though dogs love children, a few may not like to be disturbed when they are resting. This is a major cause of minor (and at times serious) bites. So beware they are not inanimate teddy bears to be cuddled when ever you want. You have to be well attuned to their moods.

. A medium to large dog eats a lot, and at the same time the diet has to be controlled. Though they prefer meat, they are not averse to a carbohydrate and vegetables diet. You may prefer to cook at home or give them ready made dog food. I prefer the former as not only is the commercial dog food atrociously priced, but it may create problems (check the net for this). What we do is to is to cook parboiled rice (more vitamins) with a lot of garlic, some turmeric, vegetables and chicken carcass in a pressure cooker. One 5L batch for 10 meals, at 2 meals a day it lasts five days. Additionally we give our Lab raw chicken carcass and when we have mutton cooked bones. If your dog is not allergic to milk (you will know it if it avoids milk), then give them a cup in morning and evening.

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Hi, would like to share some pictures of my dog, Fitz ( name based on temper) who I believe may be a car enthusiast.
he was brought home on a nearly 11 hour drive, but just slept or sat there and watched me drive all the way.


He seems to love cars, as soon as a car door opens, he jumps in and makes himself comfortable.


The other day i was rewiring my speakers and he kept following me through open doors

[motionfreak]

Awesome GSD you have there sir.
How old is he? I love GSDs. please post some photos of him in playful mood too and esp the ones with head tilting (GSD special). No GSD album is complete without atleast 5 tllt-head pics !

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Originally Posted by motionfreak

Awesome GSD you have there sir.
How old is he? I love GSDs. please post some photos of him in playful mood too and esp the ones with head tilting (GSD special). No GSD album is complete without atleast 5 tllt-head pics !

"Sir"? I'm in my lower 20's .
well he's one year old, minus a few days, and is a very fussy eater, doesn't have a big appetite, except for raw chicken. named "Fitz" since he used to either sleep or play and is very hyper.
here is something for GSD and dog lovers like yourself, some beautiful pictures and some text to fill in the gaps:


For my dad, it's a GSD or nothing, don't get me wrong, he likes dogs, but he loves german shepherds. The attitude has passed on to me. I like dogs in general, most pets infact, but German Shepherds have a special place in my heart. Some people call this snobbish, liking a certain pedigree dog, but it’s like picking a car, and I like old German cars! (and German Shephards)



To me they're the perfect dog, balance of aggression, intelligence, obedience and beauty, thee one owner dog. Any dog can be tamed and any dog could become a monster, but the GSD is ready for it all from the day you meet him.


When I was born, my dad had a jet black GSD. He was one scary mother *lover*, and a real stud, $1k each time, if you know what I mean. And that was 25 years ago! My dad’s friend once joked to him, he gets $1k each time, I just get another kid!


From what I hear, he was perfect, he would even guard my crib from the day I was home. He wouldn’t eat at all without my dad around. I would stuff my hand in his mouth and he wouldn’t be bothered! That sounds like the ultimate package, guard dog for the house, guard dog for the heart. Sadly he was already quite old when I was born, and he died getting hit by a car, but he went to my dad before he could go, like all of them do, the last thing they want to see is their owner.


I’ve tried to find a jet Black GSD(not Belgian shepherd) for my dad, would be the ultimate birthday gift for him, but they all seem to be coming from one kennel here, and that leaves no choice. Plus their prices are outrageous. Will have to wait, maybe one from abroad if possible.


When I was 7 or so, my dad wanted to get a GSD for me. we went to a kennel and I saw the pups, I narrowed in on the fattest one I could see, from the time I first saw him, I knew it was meant to be. My dad had other things on his mind, such as X-rays. Over there, when you’d go to buy a GSD, you’d check on the parents bone growth as GSD’s tend to have bone problems, which cause them pain and inturn unpredictable aggression. At this point he had no choice and was forced to let us unite.


For the next few years, I had the best friend a kid could get, I’m a single child, so a dog is like a sibling I never had. He would always greet me when I got home from school. As soon as I shouted his name, he would run around the 1st floor terrace, pounding on the doors and barking away and when finally loose would lick me to death! Sadly one day after school he didn’t, my dad said the police academy had him and were going to take care of him now. Turns out that when me and my dad were in India visiting family, my mom was walking him one snowy morning and a stranger started talking to my mom, the dog snapped at the stranger and nipped him. He said, either the dog is put down or kept with the police otherwise he’d file charges. Maybe the dog was like an over possessive husband who wouldn’t want his wife talking to someone else, maybe he sensed something wrong with the stranger, or maybe it was the bone growth issue german shepherds tend to have.


When we came to India, we got a pair of GSD’s, my dad had grown closer to the male, while I was fine with both, but loved their puppies. There were 2 puppies that were grey in place of black with blue eyes(which later turned grey). The person from the KCI who registers pups said it’s a rare genetic anomaly, the variant is known as sable or wolf grey. We kept two from the litter.




Years passed, and most passed away. The culprit was snakes and poison. People from the locality try to poison our dogs. Maybe jealously, maybe attempted robberies but it’s just horrible, hence Fitz is kept indoors whenever possible and watched over when outside. There was even an incident where an older couple met with an accident near our house at an accident prone zone and a neighbor pointed the finger at our dogs. Their son stormed into the house and threatened me that he would beat me and kill my dogs. That’s the last thing you would want to hear but there was nothing I could do, he was double my size and the local police are hopeless. My compound wall is 7ft tall! Even with the small chance that the dogs got out, you can’t blame the dog for an accident. Some died in my arms, one went to my dad as they were very close before he took his last breath. As I said before, the last thing they want to see is their owner.


At the end there was only one and he had stopped eating and grown depressed from day one of being alone(he is perfectly normal now and very happy), as I was driving to Pune the next week, I met a breeder and picked up a pup. He sat on my friends lap all the way, either sleeping or panting and watching me drive. Did not make a noise all the way. Whenever I open a car door, he jumps in. He’s a real character, every time I take him to the vet, he walks proudly into vet’s building, barking at every other dog he see’s(was funny when he first saw a goat at the vet, he just looked at it, puzzled), but I have to carry him into the office as he notices the floor tiles and won’t step in, or maybe the smell of fear.




I believe he is in a love/hate relationship with the cat, It’s always one way loving with the two, she hates when he shows his emotions by trying to eat her and he feels awkward when she meows and rubs on him.


Me and my dad often act like we are fighting, and he intervenes, tries to push us away. He's calm till someone tries to run, after which you are to expect a nip on the butt for your stupidity of trying to run away. No one should raise their voice in front of him, and if told to bark, he will do so as he prances like a horse and barks around the house.

[motionfreak]

Simply awesome.
Salute to your dad.
Wish I had a GSD.

[Red Liner]

Brilliant write up Dee. Loved the snaps - especially the one where he's sharing his bowl with the cat

[shankar.balan]

Dee Are Cee

As one GSD aficionado to another thank you so much for sharing this. I loved reading it and seeing the pictures.

There is an uncanny parallel between our lives - even I started life with two large GSD's guarding my crib and we have always had and loved GSD's ever since. Unfortunately there are not many pictures of all this.

The whole family are GSD crazy. They are the best dogs a man can have as friends. Most intelligent, fiercely loyal, steadfast, valiant and loveable dogs.

I love them the best of any breed! They are like direct descendants of Wolves and I love wolves too.

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

I've found a few more pictures which you guys will love.

Originally Posted by motionfreak

Simply awesome.
Salute to your dad.
Wish I had a GSD.

Thank you!
you'll be the first to know if I ever plan on breeding GSD's, I can tell how crazy you are about them!
here is a scan of an old picture of my dad and Blacky

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Brilliant write up Dee. Loved the snaps - especially the one where he's sharing his bowl with the cat

Thanx! smokey is one lazy yet annoying cat, back answers every time you mention her name!

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Dee Are Cee

As one GSD aficionado to another thank you so much for sharing this. I loved reading it and seeing the pictures.

There is an uncanny parallel between our lives - even I started life with two large GSD's guarding my crib and we have always had and loved GSD's ever since. Unfortunately there are not many pictures of all this.

The whole family are GSD crazy. They are the best dogs a man can have as friends. Most intelligent, fiercely loyal, steadfast, valiant and loveable dogs.

I love them the best of any breed! They are like direct descendants of Wolves and I love wolves too.

Thank you! I completely agree!! I loved sharing these pictures, sadly very few are left, when pictures weren't digital far too few were taken(now far too many are taken). those weren't preserved well and have been damaged with moisture. Whatever is digital isn't safe either, many of my pictures have been corrupted. so these are the few left.

about the wolf part, coincidentally was reading about wolf-GSD hybrids yesterday, they're real beauties, look a lot like my Wolf Grey did. might be something that would interest you.
here are some other pictures i found
Rex, first dog we got here:


Rex and Tara and their 6 puppies:


Their few day old puppies:


Fitz again:


and Bingo:

[Thad E Ginathom]

Lovely posts, Dee aRe Cee

The early years of my life were spent with two alsations, as we called them then. Fine dogs, but one-man dogs. They didn't care for anyone but my mother. Neither would ever have been aggressive to me: they were just not interested.

After the loss of the younger, pure white, alsation, my parents got a golden retriever. This was an entirely different experience for me: we bonded, puppy to puppy!

[somitra1981]

Hello my fellow pet loving bhpians.

I need some help and advise on long distance travel with my dog (one year old labrador).

I plan to take him along with me on my yearly trip back home from Pune(MH) to Kanpur(UP) in October. The distance is around 1200 Km's, with 1-2 overnight stops.

He's used to travelling long distances before, however my real concern is with the overnight stops, not really sure if and how the local enroute hotels, will allow me to keep him with me .

Finding a overnight boarding is a difficult task with the drop being late (i.e. post sunset) and pick up being real early (i.e. before sunrise), plus finding a place in a new city with all the traffic snarls is a pain, especially when you are running on tight schedule.

Any ideas are welcome.

[Pferdestarke]

Originally Posted by somitra1981

Finding a overnight boarding is a difficult task with the drop being late (i.e. post sunset) and pick up being real early (i.e. before sunrise), plus finding a place in a new city with all the traffic snarls is a pain, especially when you are running on tight schedule.

Pet friendly hotels are hard to find in our country. Check Pet Vacations to find any if available on your route. My suggestion is to plan your halts for night stay beforehand and check for decent resorts around and inquire them regarding pets. Usually resorts with individual cottages would allow Pets. Hope this helps

[createrkid]

Hello dear bhpians. I have always been a cat crazy person and have had tons of cats, but that was when we used to stay in an apartment, now we live in an independent house on the ground floor with lots of stray dogs and we can't keep another cat because of the dogs. Now my family is somehow convinced to keep a dog, preferably adopt it. We've had only one German shepherd when I was about 2 years of age and since then, it's always been cats. Anyways, if anyone here in bangalore knows someone who's willing to give their puppy up for adoption, I'd be more than happy to take care of it. The only thing is that I'm not as dog crazy as I am cat crazy, so can anyone please tell me how to exactly give the love a puppy deserves and to make it grow up feel loved. What kind of food, potty training?.. Walks? Etc. It would really help me. :-)

[Googleman]

@Craterkid - there is a 1 year old GSD up for adoption from an adoption center.

GSD thread looks like. Here is my boy, he is 4 years old now and I have never loved him lesser.