Rehoming a gsd with very young children?

[broxi3781]

Hello,
We aren’t quite ready for adoption, we are just researching it, although I have to admit one dog in the urgent action has definately caught my attention. If he has no other options i might reconsider, but would prefer to wait a few months at least, and to be honest we are not certain about adopting yet.
My husband is the one with gsd experience and would prefer a pup
(under 1 anyway) because our children are so young ( ages 5 years and 18 months) I would really like a rescue dog and feel they have alot to offer. I have to admit Bradley is a dead ringer for a gsd iwas very fond of in childhood so its influencing my thoughts on this too, but we really did want to wait for awhile before making such a huge decision. I’m sure other dogs will come along and I could happily wait a year or more for just the right one if needed.
Our main concern is if it would be a good idea to take on an adult dog with young children. Additionally, it would basically have to be a house dog. Our garden isnt that big, and although the dog would be well walked and taken out to play, it wouldnt get much excercise in the back and I wouldnt think it would be happy sitting there all day.
How do you feel about taking on such a big dog to be kept indoors with such small children?
Should we wait, get a puppy or would adopting a young adult be advisable in the right circumstances? I live in Belfast so it would be quite a drive with young children, but i could always wait for one in a pound here as well.
I’m basically asking the same questions to as many gsd owners and experts as well as rescue organisations to try to learn as much as possible. Also reading breed books etc…
My previous experience is with staffies and we may just go back to that, but dh has always wanted a gsd, ( he grew up with them and has worked with them). I have always obedience trained my dogs ( gently – no choke chains) and my previous dogs were obedience titled, but we have had trouble with the staffies and dog aggression whenever unleashed and uncontrolled dogs come bouncing up. Its very difficult when you also have two young children with you. Although my dogs were trained to heel, that was working to them and they didnt much enjoy walks at heel position. Arthritis in my hands due to lupus would make walking a pulling staffy unpleasant now.
Any advice would be very much appreciated.

[jake n bailey]

Hi & welcome to the forum As you have a baby so young I would go for a pup but there are some adult dogs who are very placid & love children.If you want a rescue dog I would look at one that has been in foster & you will have more of an idea of temperment,also an adult dog could come up for rehoming due to owners moving into an apartment or job loss etc due to the recesssion and again you would be told if the dog was used to children.Most of the German Shepherd’s in Ashton will go to kennels & then onto the UK,where a great rescue (Chris & Ron/BIGGSD) will put them in foster homes & find homes for them,without them a lot of Gsd’s wouldn’t make it out of Ashton.I had a Gsd myself for 12 yrs & he was the best dog I ever had.When you do find your dog/pup baby gates are great for keeping babies & dog seperate.Best of luck with your search

[broxi3781]

Thanks for the reply.
We’ve been looking at the free ads etc and there always seemt o be a couple offered at reasonable prices coming from families etc. In fact it makes you want to take them all. We do have alot of dog experience so I think we’ll take our time and carefully evaluate any dog available when we are ready, but if we can find the right temperment in a young adult, i would prefer that to buying a pup.
If not we can always get a pup later, not like they are going to run out of pups for sale here!
We decided to wait until at least May anyway as I’ve gone ahead and booked our yearly holiday in Haven for April. You can take dogs, but I didnt book the right caravan for dogs and ‘d rather wait until we’ve had more time witha dog before making it go on a ferry trip, more strange surroundings etc…
Also we’ve been looking at the back garden and spotted one potential problem. We have a 6 foot fence on top of a two foot wall so its mostly secure, however there is one small section in the back where the land slopes up and only a 4 foot jump to neighbours garden or the roof of shed would also allow entry to neighbours garden. we’ve decided to refence this, and pave the bit of ground ( which is always mucky) near the fence. The back garden is almost all paved anyway.
This should make the garden escape proof, and its always better to make modifications before getting the dog. The dog will primarily be indoors anyway, but I want it to be able to go out for a bit in the mornings. It will have regular walks and excercise evenings and afternoons.
So bit by bit we will start getting ready and then we’ll start looking for the right dog or pup. We can then apply to any rescues, ask dog pounds to look out for young good natured dogs for us, check the ads etc… Unless one comes to us through friends or family – I’ve already been offered a pedigree bull terrier, but I’m afraid its not what I want, and being a popular pedigree breed I’m sure someone will have it. I have to admit we are going to be picky, as much as i feel sorry for every one, i am waiting until just the perfect one comes along, which i cant even describe just right, but I’ll know it when we see it

[jake n bailey]

You are right to take your time & don’t rush into anything.Your home sounds like a great home for some lucky dog,definitely make sure your garden is secure because they can jump some height if they want to. Another plus for the adult dog is after they have had a good run/play ,they are happy to laze around (well mine do anyway )I adopted a 4 yr old dog myself rather than a pup & she is lovely,I was looking for a German Shepherd but ended up with a Belgian Shepherd as I fell in love with her when I met her in the pound

[julesm]

Hi if you are still looking for a gsd have a look at odie! hes a 20mth male due to be neutered this friday, came from a home with small children and an absolute pet! We have him in foster care at the moment, great with other dogs, excitable but reponds well to authority and treats! Good recall and if you have experience you will be well able for him! Hope you find the dog for you soon!

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