I'm going to get a German Shepherd because its my favorite dog, and I live on a farm so a big dog will have plenty of room to roam.  I live in the country where there's no street lights but apparently just as much crime as the city these days.  I have two small kids but I'm sure if I get a pup ill be able to train him not to look at them as varmints.  I've had dogs all my life but never a GS.  I want a family dog but I also want some help with security at night as I don't see as well in the dark as a dog.  Do I want a male or female?  Anybody have any experience with them?  First thought is male but could be swayed.

Mya says girls are better! She is about 4 months in this photo

Do you have any other dogs? If not get both.

I butted heads with my male for awhile. I think it took him a bit to realise who the alpha was in the house. After that was established, he became a good follower. My female fell right into the pecking order. My male is very outgoing. My female is laid back and let's situations come to her and reacts accordingly. She is half the size of my male, but I have seen her put him in his place.
Male, larger, very outgoing, at times harder to deal with. Yet still a great protector.
Female, smaller, calmer, when forced to react she does with fierceness.
I honestly think my female is more dangerous than my male. I would feel sorry for anyone that backs her into a corner. However, I don't think my male would ever be backed into a corner.

Male if you have no other dogs...once broke he will be your best friend.  Please buy from a good breeder who guarantees hips...way to many breeders out there that have screwed over the breed.  It sucks having to put down a 2 year old dog due to genetic issues.  Save the heart break and and pay the extra cash...go with a reputable breeder.

My female GSD is the best "Kid dog" ive seen. She will stay with kids if their is distance between us and will go with the kid who is distanced from me. Its uncanny really.

Have had a Male and Females....

Both are great at protection and family dogs. My male marked everything and the female was less aggressive. But that was just my kids....


More importantly, if you are thinking of a GSD, what kind of vacuem do you own? I recomend Thermax or Rainbow.

I've seen alot of male and female GSD, and observed great variation in the temperament of both sexes.  There are family oriented, docile males and aggressive, dominant females.  However, I've seen several dominant males which were a hand-full for even an experienced trainer, whereas I have not seen a female with dominance issues that were not easily overcome (they more easily submit to the handler).

Have had both males and females in the house for the last 13 years and without question, the females have always been the 1st to alert to something being out of the ordinary on "their" turf.

Don't see the kids being an issue, he/she or both will consider the kids theirs in short order and them to their list of things to stand guard over.

We love all animals, but in our eyes, there in other breed than a GSD.

Best of luck, post pics!

Sounds about right. The old saying is that male dogs fight more, but female dogs play for keeps.

If you don't already have another dog, then choosing male/female isn't as important. Male will be bigger, and in general will mature more slowly and be a clown for longer.

Go with male.



You have to SPEND A LOT OF TIME with him. Once you have a good bond, and he knows who is boss, he will be the best pup you've ever had.



My boy never leaves my side. He will barrel over anything in his path if I get up from my chair because he MUST be by my side.






 

so true



 

So shedding is an issue I take it?  Well if we survived Simon the white cat I suppose we will be OK.  I'm leaning toward female I suppose, after all its my first so if they're easier to train its kind of a no brainer I guess.  I think the "shock and awe" of a big GSD is probably all that would be needed for security around the place anyway.  I look forward to seeing my kids wallowing around with her.  Ill definitely keep the hip thing in mind and look for a reputable breeder as well.  I guess that goes for all large breeds.

Thanks for the pics.  Reminding me more and more of the GSD my grandparents had when I was growing up and what a good dog he was.

Yep.  But I wouldn't trade my little buddy for anything in the world, shedding or not.

Some people call them "German Shedders" for a reason.

You will definitely need some sort of high-capacity, pre-ban assault vacuum to deal with the neverending zombie hair.

Damn straight.  Dyson Animal gets it done for the hair assault my boy does to the house.   Wouldn't trade him for the world though.

We had a rescue female GSD. She is fiercely protective, amazingly loving and alot of work for us. She was badly abused before we got her, so training has been difficult. But, what she deems hers to protect, she does so like no dog I have ever seen. I have had to replace 2 windows in my Subaru because she has broken them. Never bitten anyone, but is pants-shitting scary when angry. Very very intimidating as she is almost completely black.

Great dog, very very smart and easy to train. Can't go wrong with a well bred GSD.

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I love my kids, but this is the truth....



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Yep, we have a dyson, but we have just come to accept that our not-so-cheap hardwood floors will just be full of dog hair....



I still love the old boy though.



Notice the hair on the floor....









 

I have a Dyson Animal DC-25. It's barely a match for my dog, who sheds enough undercoat annually to recarpet Buckingham Palace.

Nice ears on your GSD, by the way. That's what a GSD should look like.

I'm on my second DC-17 Animal.

The male v. female question gets asked frequently here.  My observations and experience are very close to AlanD's.  Every dog is different so we can only speak in generalities.  That said, the serious dogs who really bring it are males.  Just look at the winning dogs in Schutzhund and other working dog competitions; they are dominantly males.

While it is true that males can be more difficult, I would still recommend you get a male.  Just don't buy on impulse.  Visit your local SchH clubs and see what dogs you like and take it from there.  Be prepared to wait from a few weeks to up to a year for the right pup.  In the long run, it is worth it.

Thanks!



Yea, we could probably make two more GSDs of my boy's shed every month.





 

I was raised around GSDs and currently have a male and female. Definitely research excellent breeders and pay the extra cash, no matter the gender.
As for which is better, in my experience, males are more protective off the bat (especially if you have kids they have bonded with). However, I have had a few females that were more protective than males, after they had had a litter or two. Especially if you have kids and the female bonds with them.
The main point, spend a ton of time with a GSD and get it to bond with you and yours. After that, their protection is instinctual

My SIL breeds czech shepherd dog. The bloodline she has is great if you're interested.

I have a 1.5 year old female named Bella. She is absolutely beautiful and extremely intelligent. She hates to go outside, so i must push her out the door...... other than that , she's a blast.

We have 4, two males/two females.  

Shark is my vacuum of choice and we vacuum daily....that being said, female and male can have all of the same traits, none are the same except the loyalty, protection and pack mentality which is in this breed.  Some you can't make docile no matter what, some will be a dormat and take cues well from family to let anyone in.  Never trust a small child near the dog (no matter how docile they appear).  They are big and strong with big teeth like many other breeds, and it never seems worth it to have a child bitten because he/she decides to twist an ear!

You can't beat the loyalty, defensive protection or the ease of training (if you take the time to learn how they think and get the people trained!)

GREAT DOGS!

I have both, a 100 lb white shepherd female and a 70 lb male. Gunny is more the protector. He is always the first to alert us that anything is amiss.
Peyton is a huge lap dog, only wanting to lick you. At night though before we go to bed she will make her rounds, walking up to the kids bed and checking on them before she lays down beside our bed.
As far as the shedding issue, it's only a problem once a year, but it lasts 365 days. lol. Luckily we have wood flooring throughout the house so sweeping daily is all it takes.
Both of mine are rescue dogs, no health problems, but it did take a while to build trust.

My son (12) is getting a female GSD pup for Xmas. I see your in Florida how do they do in the FL heat?

The experience I had with my roommates female 3 year old was non-stop energy.  She took well to the new bull mastif male (both neutered/spaded) and immediately fell in rank behind him.  She was very vocal and an active member of the family. She wouldn't have it any other way. Be prepared to accept a new family member, not just a dog. They are demanding.

My GSD is allow a follower to my chow mix mutt.



My GSD is not demanding, but you (I know it sounds cliche) must show them domination.





 

In my experience with dogs(and YMMV) males are more territorial but females are more protective of their pack, if you get what I'm saying.

That is a great pic.

Get a girl, there calmer ).

This is my 6 yr. old female.  94lbs. named Delta

I love my 2 Czechs, I just don't recommend the bloodline for beginners. If I was going to recommend a beginner GSD, It would be a West German Show line. St Paul (Minnesota police) have a lot of Czech dogs for their K-9's, they have the best k-9 program in the nation (IMO).

Here is one of my Czechs (on the left), West German Showline to the right




My Dutch and My Czech




This is my youngest, he is about 16 months old, he is the half brother to my Czech seen above (both have same sire).




My West German Showline

I prefer males, we have 2 Dutch Shepherds, and 3 Germans (2 with Czech bloodlines). Males tend to be goofier in nature, and I have read that they are more location/property protected, and females are more personally protected (I am not sure if that is true or not), I just think either or will protect the family to the death.

If you get a pup, make sure you socialize with men and children, those are generally the ones that dogs have issues with. You also want to be careful about were you take your pup to do this. Stay away from parks and areas were there is a high concentrate of other dogs, you don't want to have the pup catch Parvo. I usually take my pups to sit at a bench at Target or Walmart. This is great because you have loud noises, cars, people, etc. You can kind of control how you do this. I usually bring a towel and sit the pup on the bench, treats in hands, usually woman and kids come to see. Ask them if they wouldn't mind showing some kindness towards your dog. Have them let the dog smell them first, let them put treats in hands and let pup take. This will build a positive association towards people. Don't let people pet your dog over the head or be rough with him. Tell them to pet the side of face slowly and gently. Dogs don't really like to be reached over, especially GSD's. GSD's are an aloof breed (which is a plus), that natural suspicion is what I love about the breed. People don't know how to greet a dog, and thats why they get bit. You never want anyone to pet your dog, especially a GSD without a proper introduction. I have "Do Not Pet" collars for our boys, people can be real dumb asses at times.

You don't want to reinforce any fearful behavior or  coddle the dog, let them figure stuff out, but don't force issues. Also work on restraint nightly with your pup. Put him on his back and hold until he stops flailing. You want to be able to restrain if there is an emergency when he is 80lbs, or if you want to trim his nails, you never let go until they are done squirming.

Another important topic is bite inhibition. You want to carry something like a bully stick. When the pup is teething, his mouth will hurt, he will want to chew. So everytime he bites on you, you say "ouch" or something that startles him (in a serious tone), as he releases, you give him the bully stick or whatever chew item you decide on. This will associate a proper item to chew on, and not you. Biting usually occurs through the end of their puppy teeth.

You never let the puppy chase the kids or other animals in house (like a cat). They will get rougher as time goes on if you allow. I usually put my pup on a light leash and control that way. I teach "leave it" with this as well.

A great short book to read to help you with training a pup

http://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557

Exercise is a must with GSD's, like any dog, but a tired pup is a good pup.

Also a great basic way for all the family to use with puppy.

http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

As far as housebreaking, pups will have to go to the bathroom after eating, sleeping, rough play, time passing. Until you trust dog in house, and he indicates he needs to go by standing at door, don't trust him, don't let him out of your sight, accidents will happen if you don't. Crate training is the best way to housebreak. If you can't tether the dog to you, and you can't watch, he needs to go in the crate. If you start off at night, put puppy in crate, withhold water about 1 hour prior to bedtime, a 8 week old pup will hold for few hours, if he cries let him out and pick him up and take directly outside. Have treats, say "go to the bathroom", he eventually will go on command if you do it right. The instant he goes, and almost done, give him treat, he will associate treats with going on command. Never play with him during these times, its strictly for bathroom break. If he doesn't go to the bathroom, take him right back in and keep him crated. You don't want him to learn to cry just to get out, so you have to teach him that he only goes to the bathroom and back in the crate if he cries. You don't want to teach the habbit of him barking and he gets out for everything, only for the bathroom.

Also, if lets say you have your pup eat dinner, take him out right after, watch him like a hawk, if he doesnt go to the bathroom, bring him back in, take him out 20 minutes later, he should go within that time. Repeat this for any situation were you think he may need to go. They will usually start to sniff, pace or circle if they need to go, or they are going to go.

Socialization, bite inhibition and house breaking are the most important aspects to deal with when getting a pup. Also no hard exercise on asphalt or cement (hard on hips and elbows). Don't do any running distances for 2 years, let him do it naturally (if you or someone in family is a runner). Swimming is great exercise for them.

Grain free food is best diet for them as well.

Good luck.

hahahahahhaa pre ban assault vacuum, thats good shit

On the vacuum topic, we went all out and bought a Tristar. That vacuum is intense.  If you have the money I'd for sure look into them.

Get a male. My SIL is a breeder in the Foothills of NC, if you her info let me know.