Is a german shepherd an ideal choice for a first dog?

Was for me and 20 years down the line I still have them.  Wouldn't change breed if you paid me :-)

Mine was a complete nightmare.  Locked in a kennel until he was 12 weeks of age.  He was people and dog aggressive.  Developed HD at 7 months of age.  Took a solid year of training and vets bills to get him right and to this day he is without doubt one of the best I have ever owned.

I think if people do their homework and are prepared for how difficult it can be then I see no reason why a GSD cannot be a first dog.

Was for me it was the breed I always wanted as child and finally as an adult she was my first dog, fantastic
I now have my second gsd wonderful breed but not for everyone
I would say do your homework and be prepared that as with some other breeds the public are general quite anti them regardless of how behave 

> but not for everyone

Why's that?

I guess because they're not as easy going as something like a Cavalier, which is my breed. I found them tricky enough as a first time owner, haha, now I know more about other breeds I know how lucky I am that I picked such an easy breed. GSDs need lots of socialisation (not saying Cavs don't or that I don't socialise mine! just that they are less likely to develop behavioural problems with insufficient work put in) and of course you get all the dog fearing public who will run away or tell you your dog is dangerous. I think GSDs are a gorgeous breed but wouldn't have one - too big, too much controversy re hip etc, I would get sick of Joe Public telling me my dog was crippled and disgusting etc and would probably get quite rude in defence!

I think for some people the  guarding nature of the breed can be a problem, wonderful family dog but wary of outsiders until proper introductions. As with most dogs they need kind but firm handling, they can be very sensitive but do need to know who is the boss and like and need a leader in the pack more than some breeds and can be very attached to that one person.
Being a big breed in the eye of the public and the fact that many people are wary of them I find a shep cant get away with anything, people always take a negative view  for instance if my shep barks he is being viscious if my chix barks its funny.
My biggest comparison was having a well behaved shep followed by a flatcoat suddenly everyone was wanting to come and say hi no one moved their dogs and children out the way.
Obviously if you are able to manage others behaviour without concern which I have always felt is the biggest problem with having one you cant beat a well bought up health gsd please note this is only how I have felt having owned 2. I know many gsd owners who have no problems around the things If have hilighted in fact one friend has 6 beautiful dogs and just laughs it off

My first "own" dog was a gsd, but i had grown up with dogs all my life.

I think it depends on the persons experience with dogs in the past, how 'dog savvy' they are too.

As a first time dog for joe bloggs that has zero experience with dogs? Definately not. GSD's on the whole are very owner orientated, they tend to bond more with one person and if not taught boundaries and and respect, their guarding instinct can rocket. They need lots and lots of socialisation, more than the average dog.

It is also worth bearing in mind what lines they want. I would definately not recommend working lines to a novice owner. As always, the dog should come from parents with 100% temperament- there are too many badly bred gsds with poor temperament and health about.

Gsd was our first breed,28 years ago.I bought my now husband one for his 19th birthday(with his parents blessing).She will always be in our hearts.Though K.C registered she was a long coat,her ears never came up and had numerous ear infections.But she was the most loyal dog(to my other half - always walking between myself and O.H as if to split us up).She was so pretty and O.H found her a 'real babe puller' - he was always getting chatted up by the ladies,now he is 28 years older this has certainly changed LOL.We went on to have a Bull mastiff and eventually decided Alaskan Malamutes and CEDs were for us.

IMO providing the dog is of good breeding and the breeder counts good temperament as essential then a GSD is a good first dog. They love to please and are therefore easy to train and a new owner should get loads of fun from whatever activity they choose to do with their dog. Put in loads of effort during the first 12 months and your GSD will give you years of pleasure.

My first dog was a GSD. I got her as a 1 year old from a show kennel as she had injured a shoulder and would not extend properly on the move although there was nothing physically wrong.
She was hard work to begin with but after a couple of months a total dream, Loyal and loving. I was devastated when a couple of years later she got out and was killed by a car.
Having had a GSD and having liked the breed so much that when the breeder told me they had a male 6 year old retiring from the ring and needing a good home I jumped at the chance to take him on. He was just so laid back it was amazing and we had 4 very happy years together until unfortunately his hips went and I had to have him pts.
I currently have a 9 year old bitch who I got as a puppy. She too has been a total joy to own.

As someone who has had dogs in the family, but not yet taken that first step to have 'my own' dog, I think the GSD is going to be a fantastic dog. I am at that stage of dog ownership where I am doing a lot of reasearch, asking opinions etc and everything I've read says that they are loyal to one person and that they do require a bit of work.

I grew up with my granddad's GSD and he was the most fantastic dog- he was (probably) bred well with temperament in mind and I know for a fact my granddad put in a lot of work with him; and it certainly paid off. I'm personally really looking forward to putting a lot of work in at the beginning to reap the rewards of a loyal, nice looking dog with a great temperament.

I forgot to add that Silvana,our very first GSD and dog was sooo wonderful we went on to have 2 more,Sampson a beautiful boy and sheba.All lived untill about 11 years of age.

just to add my half pennorth,I had a gsd given to me by the family of the man who owned her,as he had to go into a nursing home.She was ten,it turns out,though I was told she was seven.A more loving gentle dog you could  never meet-I dare say any rough edges wouldve been smoothed over by then,mind.I only had her 4years and it wasnt long enough.Lovely dog.

I think if you have the time and are prepared to put the effort in then yes would be my answer.

A very good friend of mine got her first dog a few days before I got Kai, a lovely GSD. She put a lot of work, effort and time into training him and I have to say he is a star!!! Brilliant temperament and if anything has a go at him he doesn't retaliate.
As they have grown up together I have seen what she has put into the dog and can say that he was soooo much easier than my boy was to train. Stubborn is not the right word for Kai as he was growing up!! lol

She now has a newborn and still nothing has changed in his personality....

She does have people who don't know any better shouting at her "get your evil dog away", when he's not even anywhere near, always behaving and often on a lead :-( So you do need to have somewhat of a thick skin to own this breed to allow the nasty comments to slide off...

> CEDs were for us.

What's a CED?

Thanks everyone i will tell my son.

> What's a CED?

I think its - Canadian Eskimo Dogs

Sorry, yep Canadian Eskimo Dog.
We have 3 (sadly lost Silvana nearly 2 years ago)
Spitz breed freighting size between an Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky.Up until a few years ago they were pooled together with the Greenland Dogs but in recent years have been divided into two seperate breeds by the Kennel Club and have their own classes at some champ shows.
Oggie our off white boy was the UKs top CED puppy in 2010 :)
Jude

My first dog was a long haired white GSD, he was the most fantastic dog I've ever owned, lovely steady temper, took everything in his stride and a pleasure to own, however he did take a lot of "moulding" when he was a nipper, I think if he'd been left to his own devices things could have been a lot different. So I agree they can make wonderful first dogs but do need time spent on them, although my boy was excersised a lot he also took a lot of interaction in the way of games to keep his brain busy, once he'd mastered a game or puzzle he would lose interest, described to me once as asking someone to complete the same crossword twice lol. It also goes without saying that you need good breeding too.

My first dog was a male GSD although my family had always had labs, he was MY first dog.  All I would say is if your lifestyle suits a GSD, ie. plenty of time to socialise, train, and entertain them mentally, you will have a super dog.  Be selective with your chosen breeder, look for a solid temperment from both parents and ideally home reared pups that have had lots of exposure to everyday life.  I have found bitches make easier first dogs but thats just my opinion.  I currently have a male GSD one bitch GSD and one Rotty bitch, they are all fantastic pets altho the rotty is much more chilled out.

Yes it was for me - I got a 5 year old GSD from her breeder but 'returned' and had been pretty badly treated.  She had HD but was pretty fit otherwise and we had 7 years together, she taught me so much and was well named (before I got her) - Shadow.  After Shadow I got Kim who was also fantastic, we learned agility together and was so in tune with me. She jumped 2'6" until an injury forced retirement at 11!  Then I got Sophie who's black and long haired, and so agile.  She's now moved up to G4 and in her first week end got placed in a graded 4-7 class showing she does prefer the more complicated courses.  I also have her daughter Buffy who's so loving and laid back, she loves to sit on people's laps! I love my sheps and it was a great choice for me!  Although I now have border collies and shelties as well, I still love my sheps :-)

Is a german shepherd an ideal choice for a first dog?

Witnessing the way that many first time owners are with their dogs, (not impressed by many :-( at all) not understanding how to train, socialise etc I would today be very wary of allowing any first time owner to have a GSD, nothing worse than a badly trained, or rather untrained dog........usually at the detriment of the dog rather than owner, it would very much depend on the people wanting a pup/dog for me.

I've had and been around dogs all my life, usually find training them a breeze, but I found my brothers oldest GSD a real live-wire ***hyperactive lunatic is being kind*** and he is soooo......... big and strong, in the wrong hands he would have been a nightmare, there is no way a first time owner could have coped with him, he was very highly strung, now he's a wonderful, beautiful, calm, obedient dog, we love each other to bits, but he took a long time to grow up, he would have broken many an owner during his adolescent stage, my brothers second GSD was the total opposite and an absolute dream to train. :-) **Thank goodness!**

I would not suggest them for a first time owner unless they had all the qualities to show that they were committed to train and socialise, all dogs deserve full one on one attention, the world is not as it was, dogs are under scrutiny all the time from the public and DDA, have less places to be off lead and in some areas meet a lot of dog aggressive dogs today,  the truth is many with dogs shouldn't be left in charge of a hamster, we see this every single day. I wouldn't want any powerful breed in the hands of a novice.

If I were a GSD breeder a first time owner wouldn't be my choice unless they really impressed me with how they were going to nurture and rear a pup.

No disrespect to those on the thread with GSD's as a first time dog you are responsible owners :-) it's just so many aren't, my brother's GSD's are also his first personally owned dogs, he wouldn't have any other breed.

They are beautiful dogs, you have to match breed to each person separately though, the person wanting the dog has to understand the breed they are getting and how to train and care for their dog via character and breed traits, if they don't then they are not suitable, the pup/dog deserves better.

Just read further down the thread and realise you are asking in relation to your son, well you know your son and whether he will make a responsible owner, so just really think about the other points of how he will cope with adolescence, shedding, training etc. :-) There are so many plus sides to GSD's, big bear hugs, loyalty, being just two. :-), but I think it is good to think of the negatives when choosing a breed and if they are no problem then go ahead, then just look carefully for a good breeder.