german shepherds

Training IMO is a LOT different from a Retriever.
 
GSDs are extremely intelligent, quick to learn, and can be stubborn, but as a whole are generally very biddable.
 
You must be smarter than your GSD, because otherwise, he WILL make a fool out of you.  GSDs require more mental stimulation than other breeds, and if not kept busy, they will occupy themselves in ways you may not approve of.
 
The GSD is also known as a velcro dog.  It is always with you.  It is also a breed that picks its person!  You do not get to choose who the dog attaches to (you can try, but it rarely seems to work).  The German Shepherd Dog loves his entire family, but will make it clear to all who "his person" really is.  For example, if the dog is bonded to you, he will immediately reply to your every command without hesitation.  If another family member does so, the dog will comply....but will make it clear "I'm doing it because it's expected, not because you're mum."  In other words...they won't respond as readily.
 
GSDs are NOT (at least they shouldn't be) "OMG I LOVE YOU!" dogs.  They are a breed that is supposed to be aloof.  Aloof means if somebody comes up and asks to pet your dog, the dog may give the person a cursory sniff, and then take no more interest in them.  This does not mean the dog is unfriendly.  The GSD does not make overtures of friendliness like a Retriever does.  He assess as situation, and takes it as is.
 
Health wise, GSDs are prone to hip displaysia, elbow issues, Degenerative Myleopathy (referred to as DM) and other issues.  If you plan on keeping this pup if you can't find his rightful owners, PLEASE google the health issues that come with this breed, and any other breed information.
 
If you go to [linkhttp://www.akc.org]www.akc.org[/link] you can read the American GSD standard.

what xeph as said[]
 And one more thing not to put of the GSD have a good vacuum cleaner they love to loose fur.
 
Danielle

Xeph pretty well has it covered.  GSD's need a good deal more exercise than many dogs, so you need to find someplace where he can safely run off lead (grass area only for now) and you need to keep him mentally busy.  Things like tricky treat balls are wonderful.
 
I have ONE gsd who can be trusted outside the crate when I am gone.  He's a little over a  year old and he will just lay down on the couch and STAY there.  Most of them will wreck havoc on the house if given a chance tho....and I say this after loosing a recliner, a sofa, and numerous other items that met their demiss at the jaws of a gsd......
 
And boy, do they EVER need to chew.  I suggest raw marrow bones and beef knuckle bones for a good, long lasting chew.  But inspect those bones because they can and will crack open a marrow.
 
If you brush them daily, shedding is not much of an issue EXCEPT spring and/or fall when they blow coat.  About half of mine blow worse in the spring and the other half, worse in the fall....at least it keeps me from being BURIED in fur!

Blowing coat! Oh how could I forget that!
 
Strauss is blowing coat right now.  Just started, so it's not "awful" yet, and he doesn't have NEAR as much hair as my Old Man, Ranger.  I brushed Strauss for an hour and a half the other day (thank goodness he loves brushies xD), and I pulled out enough hair to clothe a small dog.  In other words, I pulled a Shih Tzu sized wad of hair from my dog.
 
If you think that's bad....poor Glenda has SIX!
 
I personally brush Strauss daily, simply because it keeps my mum happy and Strauss's coat is better for it.  If I don't brush him, he'll get a build up of oil from the coat oils not being distributed through the coat....and honestly, that just feels nasty. 
 
I bathe Strauss every other month.  In the winter, he goes without a bath unless he absolutely stinks, and then I take him into work with me and give him a bath and blowdry.  If Strauss and I are attending a show, he's bathed the day before (or day of, time permitting) as a courtesy to the judge, even if he has already been bathed that month or the month prior.  Judges don't like to put their hands on a greasy dirty dog.  Strauss shows in obedience, not conformation, but obedience requires a stand for exam, and thus, since the judge is required to touch my dog, I'm not going to present him an oily dusty mess.
 
As Glenda said, GSDs are chewers.  GSDs are mouthy, and GSDs are talky!  Glenda's seen me say it more than once on this forum when people ask about Shepherds: "It's not a matter of whether or not a Shepherd talks, it's how much!"
 
The German Shepherd Dog is a vocal breed.  Some more than others.  Ranger speaks when he feels there is something important to announce.....Strauss lets me know what's going on in every aspect of his life[8|]  Their vocals can be anything from a soft "woo woo" to a noisier warbling type sound.  They're endless entertainment if you get a talker xD
 
If you keep this puppy, also be aware of Panosteitis (Pano).  It is not life threatening at all, it's basically growing pains.  If you take him to the vet (if he gets it), the vet will probably tell you to give a pain killer (PLEASE ask exactly what kind of pain killer, as some ingredients in pain killers are deadly to dogs), and advocate a bit more crate rest.
 
The symptom's of Pano are usually limping on a foot (it can be any of the four, and even two at the same time sometimes) and, in the case of front feet, sometimes down pasterns (because it hurts for the dog to hold itself up).  Vitamin C and Calcium (such as the cultures in yogurt) can help with the Pano.
 
Also...are his ears standing yet? xD!  If you keep him, what will you call him?  And most importantly...do you have pictures!

I wont say anything since these wonderful GSD people have replied. And I truly believe I got the best GSD pup ever (not meant to be an insult to any of the lovely GSDs here), he is by far the best behaved puppy I have met but I dont believe for a second he is a "typical GSD pup".
 
I will attest to the "mouthiness" though. Nico mouthed my hand for a couple weeks until I taught him not to. He still does every once in a while when he wants to get my attention. My mom has a GSD also and he will walk around with her hand in his mouth if allowed.  
 
Nico is not super vocal but he has a thing about windows and if you try to put the windows in the house up/down he will make his little cute bark. He is very much so a "velcro" dog. He always wants to be near me and if he goes into another room of the house, he has to periodically check on me.
 
We want pictures!!!!
 
-Anne
 

We refer the the blowing coat phase as molting, because the dogs simply loses hair in huge clumps....I have found that supplementing with Salmon Oil, Flaxseed Oil, or cod liver oil really does slack off the length and amount of shed.  I prefer the flaxseed oil, because, especially during the warm months, your dog might start smelling like a large deceased mackerel.  They don't all pick up the odor, but we have had a few who have.  Essential piece of equipment is a shedding blade, because I don't know too many shepherds who are content to spend their outside time standing still for alot of brushing-they want to be running and playing.  The shedding blade looks like a large loop with serated teeth at least on one side-some have two sides with different size teeth, but this thing really wisks the dead fur away quickly-much to the happiness of the GSD in question.  Our present shepher will amuse himself for hours with a ball that I got over the internet....same type of ball that zoos use to entertain the bears, tigers, etc....although this one is a bit smaller.  He has had the same ball for about two years and it is certainly scarred from rough play, but it has held up.  Before we found this ball, I was going broke buying balls, tennis balls, etc.  he would get so enthusiastic and excited when he would catch it that he would literally crush the thing-after about a dozen throws a tennis ball comes back in ribbons.   They seem to have a really strong desire to play and be physically active, and they do not have the soft mouth of a lab or a retriever-not that they won't willingly give the toy to you, if properly trained, but they seem to hold everything in somewhat of a death grip until told to drop it or give it.
 
GSD seem to have a tendency to touchy digestive systems.  A sudden change in diet seems to affect them more severely than other breeds with diahrea or perhaps vomitting.  If they have been playing hard, it is usually a good idea to make them settle and chill out a bit before having a drink.  I will give mine a couple of ice cubes to tide him over until he is calmer-otherwise, he gets a big drink and follows it up with a big upchuck....
 
They don't seem to even need the physical contact as much as some other breeds.  A few pats and our GSD will wander off to his favorite corner with the blanket and sit or lie quietly.  They always keep you in sight, and are usually just a few feet away from you, but they don't have to be in physical contact with you.  They seem very happy for conversation...Payton will sit and cock his head back and forth for a good long time-and it doesn't seem to  matter what you are talking about, they always have the courtesy to appear interested.
 
I can vouch for the hip issues-both my recent ones have been adoptees and both have been seriously afflicted with hip problems.  I would advise supplementing with Glucosamine/Chondroitin almost immediately.  Some pet foods formulated for larger breeds now include it and there are even some companies manufacturing foods specifically for GSD.  I supplement even beyond that level-You vet can best advise the proper amount based upon age and size.

GSD seem to have a tendency to touchy digestive systems.  A sudden change in diet seems to affect them more severely than other breeds with diahrea or perhaps vomitting.  If they have been playing hard, it is usually a good idea to make them settle and chill out a bit before having a drink.  I will give mine a couple of ice cubes to tide him over until he is calmer-otherwise, he gets a big drink and follows it up with a big upchuck....
 
[color=#000000]Not one of mine has a sensitive tummy.  I've heard this before, but mine are totally cast iron.


They don't seem to even need the physical contact as much as some other breeds.  A few pats and our GSD will wander off to his favorite corner with the blanket and sit or lie quietly. 
 
[/color]Again, this doesn't fit my crew.  They love for me to lay on the floor with them so they can all grab a piece of me to cuddle against.

Wow! Thanks for the great replies!  We have named him Shadow (becuase he is like Tyson's little shadow, Tyson is my choc. lab).  He is learning quickly and we have already noticed that GS dogs are very talkative.  LOL.  Tyson rarely barks but Shadow is very alert and will bark if he senses anything out of the ordinary.  He is really growing on me, but I am still trying to locate his family.  We are still working on his mouthiness and chewing but those are two things I am well acquainted with since I have 2 retrievers, which are the biggest chewers EVER!  As for the hair, not too different from my other two so far, they all shed quite a bit so I just swiffer the floors and mop daily (we have tile except for in the bedrooms). 
 
here is a picture of Shadow:
 

Oooo!  Looks like a black and silver.  Very handsome.  Told ya about the talkiness   Has he made any interesting warblings yet?

Shadow is just beautiful....There is just something special about a German Shepherd..I can't give you any more advice then what others have said..Just enjoy him..

Wow!  What a beauty!

NICE smart looking guy
 
Laytey

great looking guy I have two gsd's and I wouldnt part with either of them 

What a handsome boy!
 
I had to chuckle over the digestive stomach issue's. Babe put a serious dent in some drywall one day when she was confined in the kitchen and we all stepped out to run some errands. When we got home and saw this I made a quick call the ER Vet, they said to just watch her and if she was having some issues to use Kaopectate(sp?).  Outside of 1 single dose she never displayed another issue. I personally think they have cast iron stomachs!
 
The only other issues I know of are that have not been mentioned are skin allergies.
 
Dawn