re: German Shepherds as Pets (with cats, small dogs, and kids)

most people here will sing their praises. they will post that their German shepherd was the greatest dog ever. that's fine.

i think they are good dogs, not good family dogs.

heres my perspective. i look at statistics and not individual stories.

They can be highly anxious and neurotic breed. They are meant to be working animals and need outlets. On top of that you need to be careful on breeder selection. so many now have such bad genetics from backyard breeders. I see some of these poor things at 1 year old and their hips are so poorly developed i am wishing them luck walking in 5 years.

ive only been bitten (many more have tried) by two dogs in my career, one was a german shepherd. it would later send a woman to the hospital for tearing her elbow open. When i walk into an exam, there are 3 breeds i dont ask "is this dog going to bite me", it "when is this dog going to try to bite me". They are one of them.

so, if your concerned at this point, there are many other large breed dogs that fit the bill with less worry.