Need to find a breeder I can trust as an inexperienced semi-newbie - Page 5

I don't think anyone is being patronising.

I have always wanted a Anatolian but have never had the space.

A friend of mine had one and it lived on their farm. The pup just fitted right into the lifestyle, these dogs are bred to get on with all types of farm animals, sheep, cats, other dogs as long as they see them as their flock. They have an awesome bark and you will never want to wander into the property uninvited. They cannot be trained like a GSD but the upside is that they don't have the same "neediness" wanting you to play with them all the time and getting fustrated if you don't . They are calm and collected animals. They will want to keep an eye on you whereever you go but happily lie at your feet at night. Fantastic manstopper, they hit you twice as hard as a GSD!!! Trust me.  This dog did not require any protection training whatsoever.

                                           “Top 10 Reasons Why a German
Shepherd Dog May not
be the Dog for you”

1.German Shepherds require a serious commitment. Many of the dogs that come to
rescue organizations have no training. It is important that the new family puts
time and effort into training their dog.
2. These dogs have a high energy level. The very energy that allows these dogs
to b police, search, guide and herding dogs is often the reason these dogs are
surrendered to a rescue place. If you’re looking for a couch potato you may want
to consider a different breed.
3. German Shepherds are highly intelligent. If they are not given a job to do
they will often come up with one of their own.
4. Like any dog, the German Shepherd is a social animal and needs to be part of
a family. THE LOYALTY THAT ENDEARS THIS BREED TO MANY REQUIRES THAT IT NOT BE
BANISHED TO THE BACKYARD.
5. German Shepherds are large dogs. The number one reason given by people for
surrendering German Shepherds is moving. Usually apartments do not welcome these
dogs. If you don’taknow where you will be a few years down the line it is not
the right time to get a german shepherd.
6.These dogs shed non-stop.
7. They can be vocal, often whining and barking to communicate. If left alone
for prolonged periods of time they may become problem barkers.
8. If you don’t like doggy smell,consider a different breed. Also, batahing can
be challenging due to the dog’s water-resistant outer coat.
9. A German Shepherd must respect its owner. This is not accomplished by
heary-handedness;it is only achieved when the owner treats the dog with equal
respect.
10. These dogs originated as herding dogs. It is a heritage they carry still.
Keep this in mind if your or your neighbors have livestock...Remember that in
some states a dog harassing livestock may be shot....

I  had to remove things that were in my  first draft that goes to every buyer of a pup. So it is not in its original..but you get the drift.

YR

Plus Anatolians LIKE to live outside but a GSD will much prefer to be close to you all the time.

Veronica- Your post about the Great Dane made me think of my best firends dog and I had to chuckle...she has this beautiful massive black Dane that sounds more intimidating than my GSD BUT the minute you come in the door she runs under the dining room table. LMAO.  It's the funniest thing to see but she does look the part and people cross the street when they see her; little do they know they could have mugged, raped and killed the owner in less than 30 seconds cause the dog would have been gone the minute there was trouble.

wearesiamese- No disrespect but I too would not sell you one of my dogs for the simple fact you state you don't feel they should live in the house but be outside 24/7.  There is part of your problem with having "nerve" issues; I'd have to question if in fact it was all due in part of poor breeding.  You take a GSD pup, throw it outside 24/7 without training, without socialization = NERVE BAG + DISASTER = your end result.

Most of us do kennel our dogs outside; I have kennels outside BUT they are not outside 24/7 just to look at. They all get their time inside the house with me and the family. One is always with us in the house 24/7.  How can the dog protect you if it's out in a kennel?? Someone who is watching your house to rob will know there's no dog INSIDE. 

You truly sell yourself short in owning this breed by not allowing it to bond and be a part of YOU. My dogs are who they are #1 because of how well they were bred but #2 because of how I've made them a part of my life.  They are "therapy" for me on a stressful day. No one is happier to see me and hang out with me than my dogs, weather it's to go train, a ride to the store, the kids ball game or just to lay at my feet in my office. 

Maybe a Husky will be more suitable for you.  They prefer the outdoors, look intimidating and may be more suitable for you??

Great Danes as protection dogs are a waste of time....JMHO

Bancroft:  I saw first hand last year a couple of Anatolians living in a back pasture with the goats and the sheep..the mom and her puppies were lying in the sheep pen...I stood in amazement as they just mingled about with the  livestock..The family came out and told me a little bit about the dogs. I had never seen them before..The mother dog is let into the front back yard at night and she does a fence patrol all night if anything even moves or gives her need to get up and alert...NO NOISEY DOGS , they told me.

YR

Yup that's what the farmers do. They raise the pups in the fields with the sheep/goats/etc so that they pup grows up being bonded to the flock and guard them for life. They have an "on" switch at night and come alive to patrol. As city dogs this creates a huge problem with the barking at night. But out in a farm, ideal, that is why i cannot have one.

They are being used in Africa to guard livestock against cheetahs, so as to save the farmers killing the cats.

www.cheetah.org/

Biting wise - very hard! Obedience - terrible!!

I AM NOT ASKING FOR PERSONAL PROTECTION, BUT MY SISTER'S TOY POODLE WOULD HAVE MADE  A BETTER WATCH DOG THE OTHER NIGHT  THAN THIS 1/2 DDR 1/2 CZECH DOG. SHE HAS BEEN A BIG DISAPPOIITNMENT -ALL I WANT A DOG TO DO IS BARK NOT TAKE SOMEONE ON!  AND $1200+ SHIPPING FOR A DYSPLASTIC DOG THE BREEDER WOULD NOT  REPLACE...WELL  I DONT HAVE A SINGLE POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH A  GSD BREDER YET.  I ONLY STILL HAVE HER BECAUSE I BOUGHT HER FOR MY DAUGHTER BUTNOW THAT SHE HAS MOVED OUT AND MARRIED I MAY REHOME HER NOW.,ESPECIALLY AFTER THE OTHER NIGHT...  YOU ARE RIGHT THAT  WE HAVE NEVER BONDED AND PERHAPS PARTLY DUE TO THE OUTDOOR LIVING THING, BUT SHE ALWAYS HAS PREFERRED MY DAUGHTER AND SHE DOES NOT LISTEN TO ME.    DOGS BELONG OUTSIDE  AND NO ONE WILL CHANGE MY OPINION ON THAT. IF IT MEANS I NEED TO GET ANOTHER BREED SO BE IT. I WILL NOT  HAVE A DOG LIVE  INSIDE  AS MY SIAMESE COME FIRST AND ALWAYS WILL.  I USED TO BREED ARABIAN HORSES AND USED TO VOLUNTEER AT A WILDLIFE REHABILITATION FACILITY IN LOS ANGELES SO I MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.... I  VOLUNTEERED AT A  FAMOUS WILDLIFE FACILITY AND HAVE SEEN WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO DO WITH SAY WOLVES AND WOLF HYBRIDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE     THE HANDLERS THERE WHO ARE ALSO PET OWNERS DO NOT FEEL MOST DOGS NEEDTO LIVE INSIDE AND I RESPECT THEIR EXPERTISE IMMENSELY

OFF TO GET MY TOY POODLE (OIVAY)

We Are Siamese/Carolyn,

I don't think anyone is trying to play the "holier than thou" here - what i am seeing is people who are genuinely concerned that a GSD is the right match. IMHO it is not always about what a GSD can bring to us, but rather what we can bring to a GSD.

I reviewed your first post and and left with a couple of questions: a) you stated you have bought 4-5 GSDs and have rehomed all but the one - what was it that led you to rehome all but the one given you are primarily only seeking a companion dog? b) you want a "quality" dog for a good price - what do you define as "quality" (pedigree/structure/health etc?) and what price do you envision as being appropriate for what it is you are looking for (working/show lines etc?)?

While I also agree and think that there are certain breeds that are more "protective", I do also believe that anything that is "genetic" in a dog nevertheless needs to be cultivated, especially if there are certain behaviours or personality traits that one wishes to develop. I have a shelter dog whom I got when he was 4 1/2. He initially had no desire to bark, alert etc. He is completely "pet quality" but once I started doing training with him (not even protection or SchH etc but rather advanced obedience and advanced tracking) his confidence continued to grow and he started acting a heck of a lot more like a "typical" GSD. I do think that any GSD, pet quality or not, thrives when worked (obedience agility, SchH, whatever kind of training one wishes to do with his or her GSD companion). IMHO, traits and behaviours are cultivated....a dog may have these already imprinted genetically, but although a "great" dog can be bred, it takes work and handler/owner interactions to maintain and ehance this.

Again, I don't think anyone is trying to slam you - lots of great breeds out there, and lots of great owners....that said, not every breed is perfect for every owner etc. Certain dogs have certain needs, and certain people have certain needs. A good match for a great dog is a great owner who is a good match for the dog and who recognizes that this is exactly what makes a good match.

You've been pursuing this since 2003 if I'm not wrong in my memory form past forums and I do think you are still looking for the same "kind" of dog and you still therefore are havingthe same dilemma...."pet companion" from quality working lines who still has enough "protective" instinct. You have a Czech/DDR gal right now - in your original poat you stated that because she did not bark/alert to a stranger in the yard,  "This proved  to me that my Czech/DDR female with mild hd is worthless as even a noisemaker/deterrent".  I don't think any dog is "worthless" but I am left to wonder if maybe if you work in training with her, do you not think that she could provide you with that of which you seek? Do you do any training etc at all with her? You noted that you weren't really into doing training, etc. If she is outside 24/7, is she really a "companion" for you? Will the new dog be if he or she is also left outside 24/7 if you are not willing to commit to doing any training with the dog(s)? Just some questions - don't take it the wrong way, as I am not trying to be sarcastic or "holier than thou"....just truly trying to understand what it is you really are looking for, as I am now getting really confused.

Maybe go back and review your leerburg board posts - you received tons of excellent advice there 5-6 years ago, much of which is very much similar/the same as here. I don't think, aside from your current disinterest in breeding dogs now, that much has c

and she did not learn much..again burned by a so called trainer.I worked with her when sh ecame back but soon after that is when I had her hips xrayed and was told by my then vet that I should essentially put her down as she would not likely live a fulllife due to hd..i do not see that vet anymore...But I have not put in the time since then as i figured what is the point in spending money on a dog who is not going to go anywhere off the property due to her hips I was given the impression I could not even tsake her for long walks!