Long-time GSD owner here and I love, love, love my dogs. Tell your friend to take her time and look around, but there are plenty of German-bred, low-drive dogs out there that make perfect family pets. I have one with gobs of Schutzhund lineage who is mainly interested in chasing laser pointers and flashlight beams. 
And as others have noted, there are a lot of worthy rescue animals out there as well. Here is one that popped up on FB this morning: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4069401731558&set=a.4069397131443.2174683.1177780251&type=1&theater
You can find one
I have an 8 year old GSD, bred from Czech, W. German and American lines. His breeder was someone who did the breed shows, but was really interested in creating quality family dogs for everyday people. We went to her kennels, hubby, three kids and I, met his parents and picked him out from a litter of puppies. I would say she had somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty dogs, including puppies. Not one of her dogs showed any aggression towards us, and severalā¦including sire & grandsire were loose on the property while we were there, they were all very social. I couldnāt be happier with my dog, heās incredibly smart, not at all aggressive to people or other dogs, and he simply adores my kids. His hips and elbows are great, but he does have EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) and needs to given powdered enzymes with his food. i was disappointed, but was told by my vet that this is not uncommon in shepherds I would get another one like him in a heartbeat.
As far as getting an adult dog. Iāve done the rescue thing with Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and I can tell youā¦itās a mixed bag. No matter how good of an owner/trainer YOU areā¦itās sort of the luck of the draw, I have a lovely 10 year old RR female that is the epitome of a positive rescue experience, and I have a 6 year old RR male that Iāve owned two years & I donāt trust as far as I could throw him (and heās 120lbs, so not far at all). We thought we knew what we were getting into with the male, and heās improved greatly, but he has SO much baggage, heāll never be a normal dog.
[QUOTE=BarbaricYawp;6374286]
Long-time GSD owner here and I love, love, love my dogs. Tell your friend to take her time and look around, but there are plenty of German-bred, low-drive dogs out there that make perfect family pets.[/QUOTE]
^ Yep. Our German Shepherd is a West German SL boy. His sire and dam come from a long line of Schutzhund dogs, but both his sire and dam are titled in CD, are pet therapy dogs, and are just solid temperament family dogs. This is reflected in our boy. He is, as most West German SL dogs are, a little goofy and over-dramatic about things (āOMGā¦what was that? Didā¦did you see that? That THING! That whiteā¦paper thing on the ground! Itāsā¦ITāS coming towards meā¦oooooo what ARE you? Are you dangerous?ā <- when a paper sales receipt fell on the floor and started scurrying towards him when the breeze blew.) Heās not nutty or scared of his own shadow, but you can tell he doesnāt exactly have the right drive to be a working dog 
He is, however, a fantastic horse dog and farm dog. The horses that belong to someone leasing our pasture are āhis.ā They are not his in the āyou canāt get near them sense,ā but they are āhisā in the he comes out with me to check their water, sits there, and stares at them. He checks them out everyday. He watches them out the house windows and knows their schedule. When I am outside doing yardwork, he will trot down to the gate, sit there, and wait for them to come āchit chatā with him.
That being said, you couldnāt pay me enough money to purchase an American showline dog or an American dog that didnāt come frmo [close-up] German imports. HOWEVER, just because a German Shepherd is a German import, it doesnāt mean itās a quality dog. The interested person needs to read up on hip ratings as some people automatically assume that if the hips are rated and the dogs are titled, the hips and health must be good. However, thatās not always the case. Many of the dogs titled and bred overseas have hip ratings that are equivalent to āfair or moderate dysplasia.ā And then you have people say āyou canāt judge the offspringās hips based on the parentsāā which ā¦ is true to an extent. Stillā¦ if ALL of the hips in a dogās breeding is fair/moderate dysplasia, what do you think yours would be?
When people ask me what type of GSD they would consider an all-around companion/family dog, I say West German Showline (by a responsible breeder from healthy and proven parents.) I realize that you can get a low drive WL dog, but thatās just my opinion on the ideal family dog.
There are 2 breeds of dog that if I were pursuing I would be less likely to go rescue. Those 2 breeds are Rottweilers and German Shepherds. Why? Because American bred representatives of these breeds have been ruined IMO. You are hard pressed to find a sane and sound American German Shepherd dog IMO. You talk to American breeders of superior GSDs they went to Europe and started their lines from European dogs.
ditto. Both of these breeds are so unhealthy for so many reasons I would be quite scared to get one from rescue. The number of truly expensive, heartbreaking genetic diseases afflicting american german shepherds is quite appalling, and they are so frequent that the odds of getting a healthy dog from a randomly selected rescue dog is probably close to zero.
I wouldnāt take one of the waddling over-sized freaks they breed for the conformation ring if you paid me.
And most of the āgoodā german shepherds are bred from working lines, and I doubt such a dog would make a good pet. They need to work.
so an option: The german shepherds they breed/use in the seeing eye dog programs are physically and mentally healthy, able to be pets, and sometimes they have young ones that washed out for various reasons available for adoption.
Wendy, funny you call the conformation ring dogs āoversized.ā. The last time we went to an AKC show, the Shepherds were scrawny rear leg draggers.
The over-sized tag usually belongs on dogs coming from the back-yard breeders selling to the pet market. The pet lines are most often backed up by American showlines way back in the pedigree, but the pet lines are not the same thing as showlines, strictly speaking. The phrase āold-fashioned, straight backedā is almost always connected to the over-sized designation, too.
The German Shepherd Dog was never meant to be a giant breed. They were meant to be medium sized. There is no such thing as an over-sized, old-fashioned GSD. Perhaps the dogs that so many remember from their childhood seemed so big because they were so little? But the farther back you go in the breedās history, the smaller the dogs wereā¦not bigger.
The American showlines are generally longer and narrower than European lines, but most people donāt consider them over-sized.
Sheilah
I really need to stress that there are no guarantees to be found in any of the different lines in this breed. You can find wonderful dogs in ANY of the lines, and you can find horrible dogs in any of them, too.
There are breeders out there with healthy, stable American showlines. There are west German showline breeders out there with spooky nerve bags with bad hips and there are working line breeders out there that are producing unsuitable dogs based on the current color fad (sables are most often found in working lines and for some reason that has become the āhotā color, which has a lot of breeders pumping out working line puppies to cash in on a fad).
Anytime you get a breeding program focused on just one or two aspects of a breed, to the exclusion of other important factors, youāre going to have problems. American showlines and the āflying trotā? To hell with health or temperament. West German showlines and the deep black and red color? To hell with health and temperament. Working line breeders and drive (and now color)? To hell with owning a dog that you can also actually live with. Believe me, each line has its very own pit.
Far more important than finding the ābestā line is finding the best breeder. Give your money to someone that knows the breed and is doing something with their dogs. It doesnāt matter what it is, but their breeding dogs should be out doing some activity that is being judged by an impartial third party. It doesnāt have to be conformation or schutzhund. It could be obedience or agility. Fly ball or herding. Something that bases the decision to breed on more than āWell, we really liked her and she has papers and my cousin has a male, soā¦ā
Get out and visit dog events where different lines are represented. AKC shows. Schutzhund trials and working dog events. Talk to people and decide what YOU like, what YOU can and canāt live with. And then find a good breeder that produces the dog you want.
A good rescue organization, just like a good breeder, will match you up with the dog that best fits your life style. An adult dog from a good rescue organization can be less of a crap shoot than a puppy from even the best breeder. A dog of any breed (but especially a strong breed like a GSD) from a shoddy rescue can be a nightmare.
There are some really stellar breeders out there producing some fantastic dogs in ALL the lines and there are great, breed specific rescues that will help you find the perfect dog.
Sheilah
Iāve owned two GS. The first I picked up in the road, 18 wheelers whizzing past. Someone wouldāve had to kill him to harm me. He died at 16 of liver cancer. The female I have now I got from the Humane Society, also a very good dog. Please donāt overlook a rescue, they appreciate a good home.
This is a completely blind endorsement, in the sense that I have never met this dog, nor heard anything firsthand from anyone who owns one of his progeny, butā¦
I am totally in love with this GSD. Iāve watched his videos on several occasions, and the last one gets me every time. To me, he seems like what a GSD should be.
Iām going to give you something to look for in a breeder, beyond a balanced frame and health tests. I almost canāt believe no one has suggested this yet: therapy dog certification.
IMO, even if the dog hasnāt actually done any therapy dog work, a āTDIā after a dogās name tells you a lot about their temperament. If I were looking for a GSD puppy, at least one parent with therapy dog certification would be just as important a requirement as evidence of good hip health.
[QUOTE=paulaedwina;6372130]
Iām going to say something that is not popular, and take it exactly for what it is, the opinion of someone on the internet.
Iāve been active in rescue -dog, cat, and parrot. All my Rhodesian Ridgebacks were from rescue (my first was from a shelter). I believe in rescues, shelters, second chances, etc.
There are 2 breeds of dog that if I were pursuing I would be less likely to go rescue. Those 2 breeds are Rottweilers and German Shepherds. Why? Because American bred representatives of these breeds have been ruined IMO. You are hard pressed to find a sane and sound American German Shepherd dog IMO. You talk to American breeders of superior GSDs they went to Europe and started their lines from European dogs.
Like I said, itās just my opinion.
Paula[/QUOTE]
While your post may not be popular, it is the flat out truth. All one needs to do is to look in Maxās book. The American show shepherds are a travesty to the breed. They move like the Big Lick walkers IMO.
One of the absolute best farm dogs that I raised and trained was Lex, my Czech/DDR German Shepherd. He guarded and patrolled the farm with no fencing on the back line, herded my chickens away from the woods line and went for countless pony rides in the woods keeping the killer squirrels and deer out of our ābubbleā. He was a super honest, even tempered working line shepherd who did excellent bite work. He also was a perfect family dog. He was excellent with kids and my cockatiels.
Not all working line dogs are crazy. A German Shepherd without the drive is not a German Shepherd. They were the one dog that our trainer wanted us to all start out with because of their genetic wiring to work for their handler.
Regarding; The german shepherds they breed/use in the seeing eye dog programs are physically and mentally healthy, able to be pets, and sometimes they have young ones that washed out for various reasons available for adoption.
Iād forgotten about this route. When I was looking at GSDs I considered this a viable alternative for sanity. I donāt know what it means for soundness, but you can just look at their Penn Hip or OFA hip/elbow scores.
I havenāt ruled out GSDs as a breed alternative to Ridgebacks. I love Rhodesian Ridgebacks but Iām tired of their prey drive. My last boy is 12 and aging hard and Iām not sure Iām going to replace him with another ridgie because I still like having cats and I have macaws. The GSD has a prey drive, but itās a different kind of prey drive. I just havenāt come to terms with getting a breed with a coat!
Paula
[QUOTE=Lazy Palomino Hunter;6378166]
Iām going to give you something to look for in a breeder, beyond a balanced frame and health tests. I almost canāt believe no one has suggested this yet: therapy dog certification.
IMO, even if the dog hasnāt actually done any therapy dog work, a āTDIā after a dogās name tells you a lot about their temperament. If I were looking for a GSD puppy, at least one parent with therapy dog certification would be just as important a requirement as evidence of good hip health.[/QUOTE]
That is why I mentioned that my dogās sire and dam are therapy dogs (TDI)
funny you call the conformation ring dogs āoversized.ā.
the ones Iāve seen are quite large compared to the real working lines; maybe not as big as the gigantic 100lb+ pet lines that are popular, but much larger than a GSD should be. A good working GSD should be a medium-sized dog, not even a large dog and definitely not something youād describe as āhugeā. In fact, one way to quickly figure out if someone is totally deluded about their dog is if they go on about how their GSD is from imported working east german lines and then they say āand he weighs 120 poundsā you know itās a sucker with a puppy-mill dog.
[QUOTE=wendy;6379531]
the ones Iāve seen are quite large compared to the real working lines; maybe not as big as the gigantic 100lb+ pet lines that are popular, but much larger than a GSD should be. A good working GSD should be a medium-sized dog, not even a large dog and definitely not something youād describe as āhugeā. In fact, one way to quickly figure out if someone is totally deluded about their dog is if they go on about how their GSD is from imported working east german lines and then they say āand he weighs 120 poundsā you know itās a sucker with a puppy-mill dog.[/QUOTE]
Lotta truth here. The working line dogs average around 60-65 pounds.
[QUOTE=wendy;6379531]
the ones Iāve seen are quite large compared to the real working lines; maybe not as big as the gigantic 100lb+ pet lines that are popular, but much larger than a GSD should be.[/QUOTE]
Our dog weighs 88 lbs and is 1/2" below breed standard. He is all muscle and a lean dog; however, the dogs at the conformation shows around here are, maybe, 50 lbs or so, scrawny, and drag their hind ends so much it looks like they couldnāt run properly in a field. We thought they looked sickly, but they placed and were pointed. :no:
Gotta love the āshould get around 150 lbsā breeders although I consider dog weights to be like hand height in horses. What someone calls a 16 hand horse tapes out to MAYBE 15 hands. My FIL got a German Shepherd (from who knows where!) and called us up to tell us his dog was āat least 180 lbsā¦maybe 190.ā When we got there, the dog was MAYBE 90 lbsā¦Vet weighed him, and he was 85 lbs
[QUOTE=Simkie;6370724]
How does one go about finding a good German Shepherd? I have a friend who is dead set on the breed. She definitely does not need one of the super high-drive dogs bred for law enforcement or protection.
Are people in the US breeding dogs like this, or is it necessary to go to Europe?[/QUOTE]
I adopted mine as adults. My Indy was 5yo when I adopted him. I have a lot of people in and out of my house, livestock of all kinds, and a very young grandson. I already knew Indy was the perfect dog for us. When he passed I adopted two that came together. Jake was 5yo, Mish was 1yo. Their owner also put a lot of time into training these two. They were already house trained, obedience trained, trained to underground fence (which I had), and people/child friendly. PERFECT. I will continue to adopt adult dogs because you already know how they will turn out.:yes:
[QUOTE=HydroPHILE;6381210]
Gotta love the āshould get around 150 lbsā breeders although I consider dog weights to be like hand height in horses. What someone calls a 16 hand horse tapes out to MAYBE 15 hands. My FIL got a German Shepherd (from who knows where!) and called us up to tell us his dog was āat least 180 lbsā¦maybe 190.ā When we got there, the dog was MAYBE 90 lbsā¦Vet weighed him, and he was 85 lbs ;)[/QUOTE]
Some of them just have a ton of presence and ācast a large shadowā.
On the topic of rescue GSDs ā my suggestion would be to go to one of the breed rescues and ask for a dog that has been fostered. Not only will you get a dog that has been exposed to real-world challenges, you will likely get to speak to the foster-family who can answer honestly the question about any personality quirks.
In my life Iāve bought a GSD from an Amishman (lovely mind, faulty body), an American show breeder (sweet heart dog, dumb as a box of rocks and bad hips), a puppy mill (inadvertently, but still. Dog cost me a fortune to cure it of the parvo it came with, was never mentally stable and finally attacked one of my other dogs), word-of-mouth rescue (via my vets office, another avenue I would HIGHLY recommend. I got a bouncy 14 month old male who was way too much for his elderly owners, but perfect for me. I wept for days when he passed a decade later) and finally, a German-working-lines-breeder (see comment above ā dog will do anything but attack. Sheās perfect.). Above all, educate yourself before you shop. All puppies are cute.
Just checking in to let you all know that I have appreciated this discussion and have been taking notes My friend is not going to be ready to purchase or adopt for some timeāprobably a couple of yearsāso she has plenty of time to research, learn and develop relationships with responsible breeders or rescues.
If anyone has any more links to kennels that are breeding good dogs, Iād appreciate those to pass along. Same with any resources that break down things like German titles or their hip scoring system.
The West German lines are certainly my preference ā they are the type and temperment I remember from the 60ās when my neighbors were serious breeders and trained them to CDX/tracking and showed ā they seem to be the more traditional that started the breed/all purpose. Mine are from W German lines that are Schutzhund titled and show. I prefer them to the East German or Czech lines that are more driven. You can find German bred dogs of this type in rescue, foster and shelters - circumstances can affect any dog. Also, the army has an adoption program for their retirees ā stringent requirements to match but you have all the info. Check w/Gina at Vom Davinhoff Shepherds, Cahawba, NC - W German show/schutzhund lines and has a partner at another kennels who trains the schutzhund dogs and has the sire of my female - imported from Kirschental Kennel in Germany ā one of the oldest and most respected ā their GSDās do herding also. Most rescues are careful & knowledgable about matching and have some history on the dog & have fostered long enough to know and test them.
My life is incomplete w/o a GSD!
PennyG
Shelter or rescue, hands down. We get NICE family type GSDs in on a regular basis at Paws for Life in Chesapeake City MD. Ginny specializes in what we call āGinny dogsā- perfect family pets- and we love shepherds and labs. Shepherds usually do not show well in a shelter setting and there are so many darned labs and lab mixes. Our current shepherd came from the Delaware County SPCA (PA) and she is not only a gorgeous example of the standard, she has the BEST temperament- she was turned in for being ādestructive, not good with children, protective of her food, and not housebrokenā. She was a year old, and was NONE of the above- her previous owners were idiots for sure, trying to ease some of their guilt in getting rid of her- at least they had the good sense to take her to the shelter rather than dropping her on the side of the road. We have had her for 5 years now.
Shelters and rescues are full of GREAT GSDās needing homesā¦
