Thinking of buying Alsation

Son

Hi

I've always wanted a dog and fancied an alsation.
How much roughly would it cost to own one for the year say?
Im worried the back garden would be too small even though i would put the effort in to exercise the dog everyday.My mother would go mad if there was a dog coming into the house :rolleyes:
Also if i was the one in the family giving the dog attention and taking care of it how would that affect its relationship with the rest of the family....could it be aggressive towards them or not take an 'order' as such?
Two main issues would be the size of the rear garden and the fact it could be in there for some hours during the day would turn me off buying as im not sure if its fair on the dog.Any advice?

Toulouse

Hi Son,

I'm not going to comment on cost or the cost of having one for a year as I don't own one, there are many other more qualified board members. I do heavily volunteer in rescue though and handle an awful lot of unwanted German Shepherds during the year so there are a couple of things I'd like you to consider before you get one.

How big is your back garden and is it secure? Is your mother happy to have a large dog in her back garden if she will go mad at it in the house?

What do you know about inherited diseases like hip & elbow dysplasia which are common in Sheps. What do you know about bloat? What do you know about picking a reputable breeder? How long is it going to be alone? Any more than 4 would be a big no no for me. A dog that's left on its own alot can become bored and destructive. I also personally don't agree with pets being left outside all the time.

How are you going to train a pup if you're gone all day? Your mother going mad implies to me that you still live at home. What happens when you move out? Not all landlords allow dogs so what happens to the dog if you can't take it with you?

Are you aware that the German Shepherd is on the restricted breeds list (not that I agree with it) and as such by law you are required to muzzle him and have him on a short lead when you're out.

What happens to the dog if you want to go away for the weekend/holiday?

There's just a few questions there that I'd hope you'd really think about and if I were in your shoes I'd wait until you were more settled to get a dog. I see so many dogs coming in because peoples kids bought them and then had to emigrate or couldn't take them with them when they moved and so they end up in rescue. Remember that they live for 7 - 10 years so that's 7 - 10 years of responsibility for you.

As regards aggressiveness and 'orders', I really think you should do alot more research before you get any kind of a dog. Shepherds are working dogs and some do have a strong guarding instinct. They also need mental as well as physical stimulation as they are very clever dogs. I would hope that all of the family would have some part of the dogs life and that it wouldn't be just left out the back until you come home, that's really just asking for problems. I really believe that a dog should be part of a family. No dog should be aggressive towards other members of the family just because they haven't been the ones training it.

And as always I'd recommend that you rescue. Loads of young GSDs come up in rescue. Celtic Animal Life Line do brilliant work with Sheps http://www.celticanimallifeline.com/ If you're in any doubt at all talk to one of the women there and they'll tell you what you need to know.

Son

Thanks for the advice,i will give it plenty of thought before buying,might wait until i have my own place.