mengm@homxa.UUCP (P.MENG) (03/27/84)
Dog is supposedly man's best friend but what kind of friend is he? (or, dog is woman's best friend but what kind of friend is she?) I am interested in hearing about different dog breeds and what kind of companions they make. I have had first hand experience with German Shephards, Golden Retrievers, an English Mastiff and a Pomeranian Spitz. For openers I'll talk about the German Shepherd. I grew up with 3 German Shephards at different times and found them to be very intelligent, very docile and very loyal. All 3 were female so I cant speak for the males. They all seemed protective of their home environment but not overly so (Their bark was much worse than their bite, if any). Friends and relatives who visited were never uncomfortable and the dogs were never a problem around kids. One of the things I really like about the GS is their fondness for fetching things. This can be a lot of fun and is the easiest way to exercise your dog if you're not into walking them. The GS is also very smart as far as dogs go. In fact, at times they almost seem smart enough to talk . I never spent much time teaching them tricks but I do remember them learning the basics (sitting, shaking hands, lying down, jumping) in a few easy lessons. (one even learned to open doors on her own). On the negative side, they, like most other breeds are very active for the first couple of years. I rather enjoy an active dog but it can lead to furniture chewing, etc if you leave them alone any length of time. I've also heard that you have to be careful of hip displacure (in other breeds also) but none of ours had that problem. Also on the negative side is a shedding problem throughout the year (not so bad if you brush them regularly). All in all I think very highly of the GS. This breed may not be for everybody, however, as it is not your mellow background type dog and will definitely make his or her presence known.