Cost of German shepherd puppy ? Maintenance ?

Question

Hey fellas feedbacks from owners or people with pet knowledge are expected. I'm planning to buy a german shepherd puppy. I have had no dogs before and hence no dog keeping experience. I would like to know much much a puppy would cost. I know about the background checks to be needed and shouldn't be bought from a pet store or a random seller. I have read from various sites but would like to learn about from users. On an average what should i expect the puppy to cost from a known breeder ? Any special needs/care that german shepherds have ? Do mention the sources which would help me out.

Answer 1

English shepherdess, German shepherd = person. The canine breed's name translates as German Shepherd Dog - GSD for short, not Gs.



Labradors & GSDs are not stubborn. They're intelligent enough to quickly work out whether it's worthwhile doing what a human wants.

So why should THAT Lab fetch things for YOU?



Your cost question cannot be answered. Decades ago our SPCA estimated that a GSD or Labrador sized pet would cost about $12,000 over its lifetime - most in the first year (purchase, fencing, kennelling & such as bowls, brushes & leads), vaccinations, going to weekly training classes) and final year (veterinary for geriatric problems, then euthanasia & disposal). At least double that, now.

What's saved on purchase price tends to be swallowed by extra vet.costs needed by poorly-bred pooches with no, or an inadequate, Guarantee from the breeder.



As Rolls Royce salesman state: "If you have to ask the cost, you can't afford it."



Most English-language KCs (Australia's ANKC is a rare exception) register as GSDs ANYTHING that has 2 registered-as-GSD parents - those 2 were registered as GSDs because their 4 parents were, and back until some genuine breed-worthy GSDs were ancestors. The only checks KCs in Britain, Canada, the USofA make are: (1) "Are both alleged-parents in the same breed's register?" (KC attitude: "The breeder signed that those are the parents, and no breeder would EVER lie to us.") and (2) "Has the right fee been paid?".



Compare that with the certificates, checks, qualifications, show gradings that breeders who register stock with the SV or responsible registries must have proof of for BOTH mating partners before they can register a litter: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source/links/Defining_a_GSD_001261993982/

Work out how much time & money a breeder would spend during the 2-3 years needed to obtain all those certificates, and you start to see why real GSDs cost more than do "pure-bred GSDs".

And several "big breeders" in your country expect their dogs to support them financially (in my country, breeders go to work in order to pay for their hobby).



What does that have to do with a pet owner?

You might as well ask "What does a reliable paper trail from manufacturer to car sales-yard have to do with a person who just wants a car for getting to & from work plus shopping?" No-one uses an F1 racer for those, but all owners need to be sure that their vehicle (or dog) has a background that assures reliability, road-worthiness, and parts-support. Get an el-cheapo dunger and you endure problems.



The difference between a pet-owner and a competitor is merely attitude and needs. Pet-owners love their pets regardless of flaws in shape or coat or behaviour, whereas competitors quickly discard what they cannot win with. But both REQUIRE a calm, healthy pooch that strangers will instantly recognise as being the breed that it is.



Photos are not easy to see temperament & soundness in, but they do show structure - and structure that isn't suitable for a boundary-patrolling GSD is STRONG evidence that the breeder is breeding a deviation, not a proper GSD. http://www.leabashiba.com/fashion.vs.GSD.htm shows some GSDs and several deviations.



Your term "compound" bothers me.

Anyone wanting a pup from me needs:

• A door opening straight into a yard fenced to not only keep their pet home but to also keep stray dogs and stray brats OUT.

• A decision on all the activities he/she wants to be able to do at various stages of the pooch's life. (So I know what attributes their pup needs to have inherited.)

• A plan for where Pup sleeps that does NOT involve a chain or shut crate.

• Ability to collect Pup at 7-9 weeks old and STAY HOME 24/7 for at least a week (preferably fortnight) concentrating 100% on it. Partly to help Pup settle in & decide that this is a fun, safe place and you are the source of everything good. Mainly so YOU learn its signals & timing for such as "Wanna go toilet" and "Wanna BITE something!", so can predict & take immediate appropriate action. And YOU have to learn to be so attractive that Pup happily comes when called - preferably still carrying the precious thing you THOUGHT you had put somewhere safe (praise it for coming, swap the precious thing for an allowed toy, then play with Pup to make the toy precious to IT).

• Ability to feed no more than 9 hours apart until Pup is 5-6 months old.

• Determination to spend a year in a proper training club's weekly classes (forget pet-shop play-groups) starting when Pup is 18-22 weeks old. There YOU are coached to become an effective trainer (as you couldn't get a 6 months Labrador RETRIEVER to want to RETRIEVE for you, you obviously need a helluvalot of help! Most genuine Labs are retrieving such as a wing at 6 weeks old); at the same time Pup learns to pay attention regardless of what other dogs & people are doing.

Answer 2

A well bred pet quality dog from a reputable breeder will run you anywhere from $800 to well over $1,200. A working dog or show quality animal can be expected to run even higher. However this price does NOT include the animal's start up fees (supplies) which for a larger breed can run $200 or more, it's first vet check which can run $50 or more, or it's monthly fees for food and prevention medicines which can run $150 or more. You can also expect to spend a good $600 or more per year on regular vet care and you should always consider the possible need of boarding, grooming, and/or training.



http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2106&aid=1543



Now; the breed you chose is a large, potentially stubborn, potentially dominant, high drive breed that is prone to guarding and/or aggression issues. They require 60 minutes or more of brisk paced work-like activity and they won't be satisfied just laying around doing nothing. They need extensive socialization as a pup. They shed buckets year round.



If you're serious about dog ownership and want this breed even though they do best with more experienced owners, then i would seriously consider looking up and enrolling in an obedience course with a trained that has GSD experience.



http://www.gsdca.org/index.php

Answer 3

I will be honest with you...You do not need a German Shepherd for your first dog. I have one she is hyper and she takes a lot of time. They are very smart dogs, and can be aggressive if not trained properly. German Shepherds also can have bad hips. Many of them as they get older get to where they cannot walk. If you ever look at the structure of a GSD you can tell that they are taller in the front and shorter in the back. If You do not know anything about this breed please either learn a lot more or do not get one unless you are prepared to spend at least 2 hours everyday training you dog.

Answer 4

I don't think there are many special needs, besides them needing lots of room, as they are big dogs, but you're prob looking at $700 minimum from a breeder, all the way up to $1000 or so.

Answer 5

if you want to training your dog on your own, I'd suggest you http://OnlineDogTraining.enle.info/?l82l



I would say that positive training is going to become even more popular than it is now!



For me, (in a perfect world) I would love to see a middle ground! I would like for dog training to become “settled” once and for all!



Purely positive training and dominance/alpha training are BOTH extremes. Neither side gets along well with the other. I can tell you right now that BOTH sides are not going to go away without a fight. There’ll ALWAYS be people standing by their chosen side no matter what.



Here is how I categorize dog training.



There are the alpha/dominance old school/traditional dog training people and the positive reinforcement dog training people.



I’ve found that the alpha/dominance old school/traditional dog training people are extremely close minded and set in their ways. They scoff at ANY and ALL positive reinforcement training. They believe that corrections all the time with a quick pat on the head as praise is the way to train a dog. They tend to be OBSESSED to the point of just borderline crazy (just my opinion) with corrections and being the pack leader. Now, I’m not saying ALL traditional trainers do this, but some of them use physical abuse as “training.” Some trainers, hit, slap, punch, spank, alpha roll, pinch, strangle, and the most popular hang their dogs as discipline. This is considered animal abuse to me and I WILL NEVER do that to my dog. To be blunt, these people are very hard to be around (I personally despise them) and I definitely would not want to associate myself with them. The end.



I much prefer the positive reinforcement people. These people really care about building a relationship with their dogs and training them in a humane way. Positive reinforcement includes training with clickers (clicker training) treats, praise and toys. The only thing that most positive reinforcement trainers DO NOT advocate are the use of tools like choke collars and prong collars. This bothers me a bit because I've seen with my own eyes that these tools do not cause pain or harm to the dog when used properly. Notice how I didn’t mention shock collars because in my opinion, this tool does NOT go under positive reinforcement. How can it? You can’t change the fact that you’re still issuing an electric current to your dog.



My dog has a prong collar and I do issue corrections when necessary but those corrections do not hurt her in any way. This is the only place where I differ from the positive reinforcement dog trainers.



I’ve found a middle ground between the two methods. I LOVE all aspects of positive reinforcement training and that’s how I mostly train by but I also use corrections.



I hope this all makes sense lol!



In order to find a middle ground or balance in the dog training world, PEOPLE will have to open their minds and change. People definitely don't take to change kindly, so it will take years for the perfect balance to be found. That's sad because I know a couple of people have already found it including me. We'll just have to wait for the other slow pokes to catch up and swallow their prides.

Answer 6

I am extremely interested about the answer to this question