muso

A lot of previous German Shepherd owners become Anatolian Shepherd owners, although there's more to each breed than noble, handsome good looks The Anatolian Shepherds are beautiful, thanks for the pics

Thanks for all the tips everyone I will check out the GSD and dobermann scene in Adelaide, I am at this point also trying to establish whether my family is going through a "doggy phase" that will pass or are truly committed and dedicated to raising a dog as a member of the family

Thanks for the link I'll check it out

I'd love to be able to find a Shepherd with the bigger more solid chest and head like this American dog He looks like a boy, but a lot I see here in Adelaide look the same whether it's a male or female they are both thin and fine boned.

SACA Park - Cromwell Road, Kilburn. The Dobe Specialty is on tomorrow at 1.30 ish - so there will be alot more Dobes there tomorrow compared to the other days. Quite a few are making the trip just for that show, me included . Come and introduce yourselves if you like - (I will have a purple checked jacket on) - am more than happy to introduce your family to my dogs. Thanks heaps, that's very kind of you, we will try and make it by 1.30 not sure when my wife finishes work tomorrow, but I'll keep an eye out for you

When (Sat or Sun and when o'clock)is this Adelaide dog show on and where is it held? That sounds like a great idea for the whole family, thanks heaps for all the replies from you people

I have just been looking at German Shepherd breeders in South Australia, many puppies seem to be from leaner parents, I saw a picture of a solidly built black and red male shepherd with the nice big head and neck, even with the hair shed issue that would still be a great dog, is black and red a rare colour? Black and tan seems to be more common but the deep red looks stunning and I don't know why but the black and reds seem to be of heavier build.

Thanks, I guess I should consider other breeds but I am just gobsmacked by the handsome good looks of a Shepherd or Dobermann, a good solidly built shepherd is sooooooo handsome I can't help but stare, I can just imagine being close to death lost in the snow and having this big beautiful rescue German Shepherd dig you out with it's wet nose touching your face, and a Dobermann with it's shiny short coat and lean muscular build has all the grace of a black panther (but a lot friendlier ) So I am somewhat narrow minded in my breed selection.

I heard that female dogs are more likely to bite than a male dog, which tends to contradict what I said in my first post about bitches being better family pets. Over here in Australia ear cropping and I think tail lopping is outlawed so a Dobermann with floppy ears and a long tail would not look as menacing as the "tough but good" looking ones with the ears and tails done. My Shepherd (Kaiser) was such a wimp that it was almost annoying he really wasn't such a good guard dog but he was a good pet, I never heard him growl even when he was eating, my wife used to have a Maltese which would snap at your face and bite without warning, it bit me, my daughter and my son's friend on the face, we gave it to an older lady as a lap dog and they were both happy.

I owned a Male German Shepherd many years ago and he was great (best dog money could buy in my opinion) but the undercoat got everywhere even with regular brushing, if he went in the car it took ages to get rid of the shed hair from the interior. I also really like Dobermanns and was considering a Dobermann instead when I was purchasing my German shepherd, but I don't know as much about Dobermanns other than the fact that I think they are one of the most handsome noble looking dogs out there. If I could find a dog with all the German Shepherd qualities but without the massive hair shed I'd be happy, is a Dobermann like a German Shepherd minus the hair shed???....probably not. My German Shepherd was pedigree and "A" stamp certified and had no health issues, no aggressive behaviour at all towards either people or other dogs. Has the Dobermann also had the strict breeding (for health or temperament) regulations that the GSD has had? I live in South Australia and there does not seem to be nearly as many Dobermann clubs or breeders as there are GSD clubs! Is there a reason for this, is it that Dobermanns still suffer the bad reputation that the GSD did in the 1970's? I took a Ferry (MV Troubridge) over to Kangaroo Island from Adelaide back in 1978 and there were signs on the ship with pictures of German Shepherd dogs warning that they are dangerous and are considered to be sheep killers and are banned from the Island and will be shot on sight. The other issue I have with GSD's is that the breed standard seems to produce skinny looking dogs with finer bone structure, I've seen pictures of big boned German shepherds with large heads, chest and necks which look fantastic but most which I see in Australia are slightly built, so if you're going to have a slimmer dog why not get a Dobermann and eliminate (or minimize) the hair shed problem? I don't know of any Breeders in Australia who breed heavily built German Shepherds (they are a fantastic handsome looking dog). My wife likes German Shepherds but says she will never trust a Dobermann because of a "viscious" one that lived next door to her in England when she was a kid, I know there are many breeds of dog but I have always favoured larger breeds, "real dogs" as I call them, my wife likes the smaller breeds like Maltese etc as well as large breeds, but she has never really actually "met" a Dobermann yet. I'd like to go to a club and see some but I don't think there is a club in Adelaide S.A. I'm still not sure if we are going to get a dog again, I don't think it is something that should be rushed into, they are a big responsibility and irresponsible dog owners make me sick, dogs are for 10 or 15 years not a Birthday present! For the record I have two kids girl 10 and boy 12, some people have told me that bitches make better family pets than males, so maybe a female Dobermann would be a good choice. Any tips or advice would be much appreciated, I absolutely love German Shepherds and Dobermanns (best breeds ever in my opinion) but I also understand that getting either breed requires some education and proper planning before hand