8 month whit german shephard bitch

[kiawelsh]

We are going to see the above puppy on saturday, we are looking for advise about these dog and children. We have 3 children aged 17 12 and 6 years , what sort of thing should we ask and look for when we go to see her. we have been asured by her owners that she has a great nature and gets on well will other dogs cats and children. Can you please advise what you think
thanks
gillian welsh

[leelapops]

Hiya Gillian. How exciting!
I am not the expert on here, but the first thing I thought when I read your post was that it would be good to find out why they are getting rid of a dog at 8 months.
Has she been brought up with children? Speyed, flead, wormed, vaccinated? Had any basic training (If not she'll be much harder to train at this stage)?
Juts be careful, of course your kids are your priority! SOrry it's a short onr, I should be at work!

Lisa :)

[B00]

Agree with above poster, I'd make doubly sure as to the reasons why they are wanting to re-home their dog after 8 months.

As your children are older though, I wouldn't be as concerned with regards to nosy toddlers (please see my post after this one!!)

[amonty1144]

You should also enquire into her breeding, gsd's are notorious for genetic diseases, so see if her mum was hip scored, whether there is any hip dysplasia in the lines (if there is, she shouldn't have been bred from, but that doesn't stop some breeders). check the puppy has clean ears and eyes, also look at her walking and running, to see if that is ok and no obvious limps or discomfort. Also has she been spayed...more importantly why is she going. Ask if you took her and she didn't settle would they take her back. I've rehomed a couple of gsds a this age and older , with no problems but they can like any other dog be a bit difficult, especially as they go through adolescnce. Just remebered ask if she is teething and does she chew.
anything, just post again. good luck

[kita1]

Will this be your first dog?

Are you buying her? If so how much are they asking?

Are you being given a pedigree with her?

White is a major fault in GSD's. They cannot be shown. If you are just looking for a 'pet' then of course this does not matter to you.

I would be interested why they are rehoming her. Sometimes breeders 'run a dog on' until they are six months to see how they develop, then decide whether to keep the dog or not. Sometimes peoples circumstances do change and they have to rehome the dog. But beware, people do not always tell you the real reason (especially if it is bad).

GSD's can suffer from HD (a low score say 6/8 is good a high score, say 30/40 is bad) and if you are given a pedigree then the hip scores for the parents should be on it. This DOES NOT guarantee good hips though.

GSD's can also suffer from epilepsy, haemaphilia and a digestive problem called EPI (they cannot digest fat of any sort - even chicken skin), if the dog looks very thin be cautious.

Go with your head NOT your heart! Don't 'fall in love' or feel sorry for the dog. Remember hopefully this dog is going to be with you for the next 10 or more years (your 6 year old will be 16!).

To be honest you would be better visiting a good rescue centre like the Blue Cross, or getting in touch with a GSD breed rescue, they have more dogs looking for homes and can match each dog to the people rehoming it.

One GSD rescue is http://www.biggsd.com/ if you check out this web site it will give you an idea of what to look for with GSD's.

[kita1]

This gives some really good advice on GSD's and what to look for (more about buying a pup but it still applies to you).

http://www.gsdsrus.freeserve.co.uk/willis.html

[canislupus]

I agree with what has been said, you have to be careful when taking on a a new dog. Is this your first dog? if so are you sure than you want a GSD they require a lot of work and training. That said they are excellent pets and great companions. I am onto my third GSD, and she was allegedly 9 months old when I got her, the story was that the owners were both working during the day and did not think it was fair to leave the dog in the house for protracted periods of time. They had a young girl in the house and the dog was very bidable. I stayed with them and watched the dog in different situations to see if it displayed any aggressive tendances, especially since I had young children at that time. She is now 9 year old and still doing well, very agile and athletic for a GSD, surprisingly not showing her age in anyway. Good luck

[kita1]

How did it go?

Are you now a GSD owner?

[kiawelsh]

we picked up our long haired white german shephard today and she is beautiful. She seems to have a very loving and gentle nature and is more than happy to be with our children , if anybody has any tips on how to help her settle in over the next few days that would be great.