What Should I Know Before Buying a German Shepherd Puppy?

Q: What should I know before buying a German Shepherd puppy?
I'm planning to buy a German Shepherd puppy. What to do before buying? What to look for when buying a GSD? How to say that the puppy is healthy? How do I train the pup and the Do's and Don'ts.

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Answers and Views:

Answer by Elaine M
Find out where you can take obedience classes in your city (try the shelter first).
Line up a vet.
Know that a GS lives 10-15 years, it's a long term committment.
Find out what health problems they're prone to (hip dysplasia/arthritis for one). Google 'german shepherd breed rescue' and contact those people about the 'good and bad' of the breed. They'll tell you everything.
Find a puppy who has clear eyes, a nice coat, is alert, active, does NOT have diarrhea, and who you like. The friend/foe thing comes later. Remember YOU are the dog's guardian, not the other way around.

Answer by Puppy Training
spoiled brat. German shepherds are great pets. think twice before getting a german shepherd? I think not. This breed is a great companion, I have been taking care of German shepherds since I was about 7, and I have not switched to any other big breed ever since. FYI Grooming is a must for every dog, big or small, long or short haired. I have a fine haired pug and she sheds like crazy twice a year. It’s part of the responsibility of being a dog owner.

Answer by Giovanni
German shepherd is a great choice for a puppy as long as he is worked daily and trained by a professional it will be a great loyal protector

Answer by Wolfsbane K9
Most importantly, you should spend some time with the German Shepherd Puppies to know about their intelligence, obedience and physical power. By following this point, you will never buy a weaker puppy for your home, which means a complete safety for the next 10-15 years in the choice of dog.

Photo Credit: blumenbiene/Flickr CC

Answer by stylist25
Congradulations!!!! I love G.S, I just bought one myself a week ago she is 7 weeks old. There are many good answer's you have already gotten, however, first thing I would do is before buying your pup is find a good well recommended Vet, then go and talk with them and get them to tell you a list of things to look at an observe about the pup's and the pups parents. The Vet will also tell you to make sure you observe the pup's parents very well and read over thier records.

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Look over their Hips. They will explain things to you from A to Z of what to look out for before buying a purebread.
Then if everything goes well and you love what you see, then I would definalty buy him/her. I know it's always a big scare and concern of spending a large amount of money when you don't know wether or not to trust the owners of the animals. But like I suggested definaly talk with a well recommended Vet and get detail after detail of questions from them to ask and all info you can before purchasing a purebread and everything to expect expence wise …they will help you in every way.
This will really help you in the long run, honestly.

I don't know if you are going to want to keep your pup in the house or not but ours stays inside and she loves to bite everything, so I have looked into training classes and they are VERY expensive. But well worth it. Every training class is different in pricing , talk with the vet and they will also give you someone they recommend on helping train your pup if the hometraining doesn't work.

I hope this helped, Good Luck with your pup!!
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