Im looking for a dog as our familly pet. I`ve been thinking about getting an ex-police dog but i`m not sure how to go about it.
I want a german shepered dog but one that has been well trained.
I have both the time and space for the dog to have a good home with me and my family.
Any thoughts or help would be great.

Thx

My OH had a ex trained but failed Police dog when he lived at home. I will find out how they got her and post later.

I would say however that they did have problems with her and she was highly motivated and wouldn't really suit a family with young children.

Can I ask why you thought an ex police dog would be suitable ?

>I want a german shepered dog but one that has been well trained.

Failed police dogs are just that partly/un trained dogs that have failed for one reason or another(too aggressive-too nervous-etc)you will not get a completely trained reliable dog this way. Are you aware that most police forces teach the protection work first at the same time as teaching control, because they only have 13 weeks in which to get the dog operational, whereas a civilian dog will not be trained for protection until it is fully under control.

A friend of mine works for the police dog section & the dogs they rehome are dogs that often fail the aptitude test due to aggression or nervousness & don't have any training at all. I certainly wouldn't want a police reject dog. What's wrong with an assessed rescue GSD ? Most GSD breed rescues(as opposed to an all breed rescue)will have assessed the dogs that come into their care & will experienced in placing the right dog in the right home. Some if not most will be house trained & basic obedience trained.

Why does the dog have to be well trained already ? Half(well more than half IMHO)of the relationship you build with your dog comes through the training you do together

rather than a police dog how about an ex guide dog?  There are lots of 'failed' guide dogs that are lovely but just don't make the grade and are less likely to have the issues that a police dog might.

Not many GSDs are bred to be guide dogs anymore

I think that an ex-guide dog rather than an ex-police dog is a brilliant idea.

I don't know WHY anyone would want an ex-police dog specifically. If you can't be bothered to take the time to train your dog yourself, then why do you want a dog at all????

There is a very long waiting list for ex-guide dogs. Someone at our training club has a failed sniffer dog (labrador used in prisons) who is fairly well trained in basic obedience.

I live near a guide dog training centre and know quite a few people who have failed dogs.  Didn't realise they were hard to come by.

We've had several ex-police dogs come through our training club and my friend owns two herself. There was nothing trained about any of them. :-D I think my friend had half her house chewed and loads and loads of problems. One of them has never overcome his fear of other dogs. Their wonderful dogs and extremely well trained now but that's only after her putting years of work into them.

if you want trained why not see if you can get an older dog from a breed specific rescue? there are loads of gsd's out there...often times its owners immegrating etc that forses the rehome so your looking at trained house pets. maybe an idea.

Sometimes older retired police dogs are rehomed by their handlers if they perhaps take on a new dog and it's not possible to keep two.  Contact your local dog section and they'll be able to advise you.

If it's for a family pet, wouldn't it be much more sensible to buy a pup from a reputable breeder, who already knows the temperament of their line?  Then find classes near you, and do the training yourself.  The bond you get from training together far surpasses that of owning a dog not trained by yourself. 

all the training i have put in with my dog means that he and i have the best relationship and he doesnt have that with anyone else. its much better to put in the work yourself and reap the rewards.

Thanks for the advice people.
Maybe im am looking for the wrong thing.

Perhaps you should decide which breed will fit in with your family then you can decide whether it is a puppy or an adult you are after.