are GERMAN SHEPHERDS good with kids i have just one?

Question

please please help i have just brought a pup and now have been told by fmily they are very viscious i also want to know how to stop him biting my feet and my young daughter i am so worried now that he will bite her she is only 16 month old

Answer 1

any dog - any breed can be viscous or kind,

depends on their training and how their life has been first few weeks... how soon were they seperated from mom & siblings

pls pls pls get your dog trained with help of a proffesional trainer or go to obedience classes.

dogs must be trained - esp if there are children in the house

german shepherds are very intelligent dogs and can be trained well and can be trusted with children. they need to learn the 'pack order' so training is very important

Answer 2

They are beautiful very intelligent dogs. That is why they are chosen by the police and Armed forces.

Any dog of any breed is a good dog as long as it is brought up properly and not badly treated..

The biting at your feet. he is a baby, he is fascinated by your feet. Just tell him firmly "NO!" when he does it. Don't kick him or smack him for it, he is just curious. When he does good, pet him and give him a treat for it, so he learns right from wrong.

There is no reason why a well brought up dog should turn on anyone.

There are professional training schools for big and small dogs. Ask your local police station about training a German Shepherd. We had ours trained by the Police and he was the perfect pet. A great disciplined well behaved dog. Never bit anyone, unless given an intruction to, and then he would only "restrain" someone, just like a police dog does. They don't bite at all. Just hold you.

If you don't want the dog, I will have him. Honest, I love German Shepherds. They are the King of all dogs.

Answer 3

I have a 100 lb GS male who is the most non aggressive dog. He wanted to stay outside last weekend instead of coming in the house when a friend's dog already in the house (bichon frise) started barking upon his entering the house. Absolutely ADORES the kids. All dogs need to be trained as to what is allowed & not allowed. Our family is currently looking for a pup. The research we did led us to 3 breeds: labrador retriever, collie, german shepherd. An interesting note I found during my research about the GS biting feet: they were bred to herd sheep (hence their name) & they would do so by biting the feet of the sheep. Once your dog learns what NO means just stop walking say NO whenever your dog bites at your feet - this worked to stop my GS from feet biting.
They are not viscious animals by nature but mostly by environment & how they are treated. A GS is used by police because they are very loyal, very intelligent, & temperament must be gentle so the dog will "let go" of "criminal" when it has brought a person down instead of continuing to assault a person.
Many have answered by telling you to train the animal & it is the best thing to do. Good Luck

Answer 4

I have to go with the person who responded first - German Shepards are big dogs - why did you buy without researching the breed??

It all depends on how the breeder treated the pups, how docile the parents are, what they're temperment is and how you treat them now. I've always had German Shepards in the family and we've never had problems. Mia - the current Shepard is the most docile and loving dog ever and would never attack anyone, yet is loyal and protective over the family

I think you need to do more research into the breed, take it to behavioural classes, and sounds daft - but give it plenty of exercise. They start to chew and get fidgetty if they havent had a long enough walk which knackers them out.

Please - next time you think of bringing a big pet into the home - DO YOUR RESEARCH. You should have thought about the child before buying the dog.

Answer 5

Don't leave any dog or cat with a child under 2 probably more.
German Shepherds can be trained to be police/army dogs ( viscious) or blind peoples dogs calm or family pets. Some dogs are viscious by nature and some kind and gentle, like some people. Also all animals can change suddenly if ill of affected by the weather, again like some people.

Conclusion take great care, your dog could easily kill your daughter, bet he's cute now.

Answer 6

Have just one what- child or German Shepard?
This is a great example of a dog who is going to be in a shelter within a few months if even that long.
A 16 month old child is a HUGE responsibility. Adding a puppy to that was probably not a good idea. I am sorry, but I am going to give you a flogging for not thinking about this BEFORE YOU GOT THE DOG!!!!
What on earth did you think puppy was going to do? Sit quietly in the corner until you had time to train and socialize it? Did you think it was born knowing how to behave? YOU are going to have to spend ALOT of time and energy to PROPERLY TRAIN that dog. Otherwise you will have a large problem on your hands. This dog depends on you for EVERYTHING- as does your CHILD. How much are you willing to give? It sounds like you just got the pup- and you already are frustrated- add 2-3 more weeks to this and I bet you give up.
DO NOT leave child and puppy together alone EVER. German Shepard's are great dogs IF trained PROPERLY. That is now your responsibility.

Answer 7

Some German Shepherds are great with kids, others...not so much. If you are concerned about his behavior, take him to obedience training at a local club that has a behavioral specialist on staff. You can find training clubs through www.akc.org, or ask local vets, they have listings. Obedience training is best done at 6 months, but he is still under 24 months & therefore fairly malleable, so you should be fine. It is not about training 'tricks' as many think - it is about establishing you as the dog's boss & pack leader. This understanding squelches many other problems - such as the biting. Once he learns you are the boss & what you say goes, a firm "NO!" will stop that & other bad behavior. Get in a class as soon as possible, practice daily what you learn to enforce your status & good luck!

Answer 8

OK, the puppy is acting like a puppy. All though i would never suggest it, even a pit bull could be a good pet. You have to be firm with any puppy. This dog is not vicious it's a puppy! Train the puppy, and train you child to be with a dog. German Shepherds are very protective of there family's. They are loyal loving dogs. If you treat them badly or let them be pack leader then they will not be good dogs. That makes them no different than any other dog. If you do not think you can be a responsible pet owner, then find that dog a good home.

Answer 9

German Shepherds can be good with kids. You should never leave any breed alone with a young child. Solcialize this pup, take him to puppy class. A Shepherd pup needs to be solcialized and given obedience training. What kind of bloodlines is this pup? The bloodlines that I would stay away from with smaller children are Czech, Slovak and even some DDR lines. My DDR (East German boy) is high drive. He was trained and socialized from puppyhood. He is wonderful with our kids and the rest of the family including the cats. My kids can handle our dogs, my daughter has shown in the ring. Get into a puppy kindergarten class with your pup.
GSD breeder here

Answer 10

Proper training is the answer to your problem. I loved K9resq's response, by the way. I have two shepherds and they are all around awesome dogs. Get his training started now. The police use them because they are intelligent, not because they are vicious! Intelligence is the key word here! They are eager to please their owners and thrive on praise.

Your dog is young. He's not trying to rip your feet off. He's fascinated with them and is probably trying to play. He needs to be taught that just like other things, feet are not a toy. When it comes down to it, his size is his downfall. He's a big dog. Big dogs have big teeth. And yes, big teeth can hurt people. Let's face it, if he were a maltese, people might even laugh about the situation instead of it being so serious.

I hope you will give him a chance and try the training. He could be the best dog you ever have.

Good luck!

Answer 11

I was rasied in a home with a G shepard. I was the baby and the dog was there first. My mom tells stories that the dog thought of me as his baby and took care of me. I learned to walk by touching the dog and the dog would get up and I hung on for dear life and ran along with him. My dad was good with dogs and I guess he must have conditioned the animal to accept it. It all depends on how much time you have to work with the dog. They are very loyal dogs. Do the Alpha roll teach the dog the status of every member of the family Take a peice of meat. and have Dad, Then Mom, then older child and younger child and so on and so on eat a bite and then give it to the dog. This teaches the dog his place in the family. This is important the dog is programmed to be loyal to the clan whether the clan is dogs or humans. Teach the dog his place and there should not be a problem