FAQs

Below are some questions often asked by people thinking of buying a German Shepherd puppy for the first time. We hope that this will be of interest, and assist you in making an informed decision before purchasing a German Shepherd Dog.

Q.   What are the characteristics of the breed?

A.    They are by nature herding dogs originally bred for herding and guarding  livestock. In a family environment they seem most at ease when all members are together.

They are of medium size and  have either standard coats with a woolly undercoat and a coarse outer coat making them weatherproof, or long coated, having only an outer coat which is softer than the standard which comes in varying lengths.

Long coats are of no interest to those wishing to show, as this does not form part of the breed standard. However they seem to be very popular with pet/companion owners. They are a very loyal, intelligent breed and should have sound temperaments whilst having an instinctive ability to protect

Q.    Do they make good family companions?

 A.   Yes they do providing they are  trained to at least a basic standard of obedience which should be possible for most people to achieve with a little time and patience.

Q.    Do they need a lot of exercise?

A.    They require regular exercise with lots of mental stimulation to keep their minds active. This stops them getting bored which you want to avoid especially when younger. Care should be taken not to over exercise pups under six months old which is explained in our information sheets given to all new owners of our puppies.

Q.      Do they require a lot of grooming?

A.      German Shepherds lose their coats ie. Moult, twice a year, normally in January and July. During this time of moulting they will need grooming every day. At other times a standard coat will need brushing at least once a week but long coated shepherds will require brushing on a daily basis to ensure that their hair does not get knotted up. Just a few minutes a day should suffice.

Q.      Are they good with children?

A.      This is a question usually asked by most prospective owners with young children. We make every effort to breed dogs with sound temperaments and there should be no reason why  they should not be suited to families with young children, provided common sense is used.

All puppies have needle sharp teeth and German Shepherd puppies are no exception. They explore everything by mouthing and they must be taught kindly from the word go that your skin is out of bounds.

Therefore we stress to new owners, not to play with their hands or play rough and tumble or play fighting, call it what you will. This causes over excitement in a puppy , as it does in a junior or adult dog. The dog then forgets who is in charge.

Young children should be supervised as a puppy is a living thing and not a toy to be pulled around. My own children were taught this and were  brought up with German Shepherds around with no problems.

So bearing all this in mind the answer to the question is, yes they are good with children and should be a joy to be with as part of a family.