What to know before buying a German Shepherd puppy?

what da?!: What to know before buying a German Shepherd puppy?
I’m planning to buy a German Shepherd pup. I want to know what to do before buying one. How do I know that the puppy I’m buying is healthy. How do I train the pup and the Do’s and Don’ts. How to discipline the pup to follow me and how to make the pup once it grows up to recognize friend from foe.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Elaine M
Find out where you can take obedience classes in your city (try the shelter first).

Line up a vet.

Know that a GS lives 10-15 years, it’s a long term committment.

Find out what health problems they’re prone to (hip dysplasia/arthritis for one). Google ‘german shepherd breed rescue’ and contact those people about the ‘good and bad’ of the breed. They’ll tell you everything.

Find a puppy who has clear eyes, a nice coat, is alert, active, does NOT have diarrhea, and who you like. The friend/foe thing comes later. Remember YOU are the dog’s guardian, not the other way around.

Answer by riped78
is it even a dog

Answer by Alexis Masne
buy food and water. toys when they get older there hips get bad. did you now there yoused for police.

Answer by Rosalie
I just got a German Shepherd puppy a week ago. I had to pick from a litter of 10. I don’t think there’s any specific way of picking except clear eyes and shiny coat.
As for teaching it, u can’t really start to housebreak or train ur pet until it’s about 12 week because they don’t have that kind of control or focus yet.
In most cases, the way you take care of your dog depends on how healthy it is.
‘Training it for the “do’s and dont’s” all depends on u, u have to take control……..

Answer by Jenna
Well, I know how to answer the healthy-question. When looking at a dog/puppy…don’t just pick it up immediately watch them from a slight distance and look for any strange markings in the fur, watch to see if its limping, hair loss, check the eyes for yellow or green discharge(Eye Boogers), see if its eating from the food, run your hand all over to find possible injuries, ASK THE BREEDER if the puppies parents were tested negative for Hip Dysplasia, is the puppy tested for Parvo, and watch the puppy for an overbloated stomach.

Answer by CanineTruth
NO dog is going to automatically “recognize friend from foe”. Well trained dogs who “guard” or “protect” are bred and trained for that purpose and more often than not respond based on the handlers cues, body language, etc. It is not an automatic “have” in a GSD – or in any breed – and i would never expect ANY type of proper guarding or protecting behavior from a pet dog.

That being said…

You want to buy your dog from a reputable breeder – you can tell good breeders from bad very easily. Good breeders:

1) Show or work their breeding stock and will happily provide proof of quality in the form of titles, championships, or legit working demonstrations.

2) Test all breeding stock for health conditions (such as doggy STDs) and genetic issues (hip dysplasia, heart problems, etc.) They will NOT breed a dog that hasn’t been tested, they will NOT guarantee any breedings until the dog(s) is/are testing.

3) Are involved in some sort of GSD (or breed specific) club, group, etc.

4) Will be able to provide the name of a mentor or two.

5) Will be knowledgeable about the breed including faults and health concerns, with focus on training and behavior.

6) Will not breed a dog that is too young (under two) or too old (over six/seven.)

7) Will be interested in YOU and your lifestyle so as to make sure their animal will be happy and healthy with you.

8) Will offer a solid contract including: health guarantee of four years minimum, spay/neuter on all pets, return to breeder for any reason.

9) DO NOT mix breed dogs, breed out of standard, or breed for any trait other than health or temperament.

Please be sure the GSD is right for you. They are a large, powerful animal. They are stubborn and hard to train. They may be dominant. If you’ve never had a dog before, you may want to try a different breed as they do BEST with more knowledgeable owners. Either way i highly recommend finding a trainer who has experience with large, powerful breeds.

https://www.gsdca.org/index.php

Answer by Rebekah
friend from foe: introduce friends and have them keep contact with friends

GERMAN SHEPHERDS HAVE THE STRONGEST BITE IN THE DOG FAMILY so be very careful. when the puppy gets into the teething stage, get him/her chew toys. they are also long haired dogs, but do well in most climates.on hot days make sure to give it lots of water. do not chain it up. these dogs need excersize and space. if it is chained up, it will become territorial and may even attack you. be sure your breeder is a very good breeder because large dogs are prone to hip displasia and eye diseases. you can check this website for a check up you can give your puppy. its actually quick:
https://puppydogweb.com/puppycare/healthypuppycheckup.htm
also here is a video on german shepherds:

Answer by stylist25
Congradulations!!!! I love G.S, I just bought one myself a week ago she is 7 weeks old. There are many good answer’s you have already gotten, however, first thing I would do is before buying your pup is find a good well recommended Vet, then go and talk with them and get them to tell you a list of things to look at an observe about the pup’s and the pups parents. The Vet will also tell you to make sure you observe the pup’s parents very well and read over thier records. Look over their Hips. They will explain things to you from A to Z of what to look out for before buying a purebread.
Then if everything goes well and you love what you see, then I would definalty buy him/her. I know it’s always a big scare and concern of spending a large amount of money when you don’t know wether or not to trust the owners of the animals. But like I suggested definaly talk with a well recommended Vet and get detail after detail of questions from them to ask and all info you can before purchasing a purebread and everything to expect expence wise …they will help you in every way.
This will really help you in the long run, honestly.
I don’t know if you are going to want to keep your pup in the house or not but ours stays inside and she loves to bite everything, so I have looked into training classes and they are VERY expensive. But well worth it. Every training class is different in pricing , talk with the vet and they will also give you someone they recommend on helping train your pup if the hometraining doesn’t work.
I hope this helped, Good Luck with your pup!!