[nagdu] German Shepherds

[Tracy Carcione]

Hi Joe.
It's been my observation that shepherds seem to have more health problems 
than retrievers, most often digestive problems.  Your results may vary, of 
course, and people find ways to deal, usually by experimenting until they 
find the right food.

Some people say that shepherds have an internal executive committe that 
checks any command to see if they agree it's a good idea, then act 
accordingly.  Other people say shepherds are always ready to push the 
envelope and see if a rule applies to them in this situation.
I've had labs that do that, too.
I've had a lab who is shepherd-like, and a lab who was golden-like, so who 
knows what any particular dog's personality will be?
I wouldn't call a lab gait especially smooth, until one gets used to it.  My 
last lab had a nice trot.  My current cross has a kind of lunge step gait, 
which is rather odd, but I'm getting used to it.

My recent TSE class had a number of shepherds in it.  One was dropped 
partway through for becoming excessively protective, but the others were 
very nice.  Some of my classmates were going from a shepherd to a lab, and 
others from a lab to a shepherd, and they all seemed happy with what they 
got.
HTH.
Tracy


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 9:11 PM
Subject: [nagdu] German Shepherds


> Hi, I'm curious about people's experiences with German shepherd guide 
> dogs.
> That may sound like a strange question coming from someone with experience
> with the breed, but as I consider returning for a second guide dog, I'm
> giving some thought to breed preferences. Mine was something of a handful,
> but his work ethic was outstanding. I'm curious to see if my experience 
> can
> be duplicated somewhere else. I don't want to express interest in a 
> specific
> breed based on my old dog's personality when perhaps the same
> characteristics could be found in another breed. Personally, I loved the
> smooth gait and serious persona. Yet, a few people claim they found their
> shepherds to be too delicate. Anyway, I hope the question makes sense. All
> thoughts welcomed. Appreciate it in advance.
>
> Joe
>
> --
> Musings of a Work in Progress:
> www.JoeOrozco.com/
>
> Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>
>
>
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