I was raised with German Shepherds and now have one of my own, a gorgeous long coat girl. My brother has his second GS since leaving home. I am a huge fan of the breed.

When buying a GS from a responsible breeder, they will be bred from one of two lines - working lines or show lines. Working dogs are bred for their strong prey instinct. These are the dogs used in protection and police work. Show dogs are bred for their desirable physical traits and have a lesser prey and fighting instinct, but generally a greater pack instinct. All GS, regardless of their breeding lines, retain a strong prey, fighting and pack instinct. They are intelligent, curious and loyal. They are also a huge responsibility and require a great deal of time and attention.

I would never bring a GS from working lines into a family situation. These animals are bred for their desire to seek out and capture prey and this instinct is incited by rapid movement combined with excited noises. You know, like kids running about, squealing! Working dogs generally respond best to an environment with a single master and can become frustrated by a family environment.

GS from show lines retain their prey instinct, but the drive is not nearly as strong as in those dogs who have been bred specifically for this trait. Their pack instinct is very strong and they are extremely protective of their family or 'pack'. The trick is to socialise GS puppies from the time they are very young, with both humans and other animals (particularly cats, if you have them. Cats set off that strong prey instinct every time!!). It is important to set the pecking order within the pack from the very beginning, and for the GS to understand that s/he is at the bottom of that pack. This is particularly important with young children as a GS has the size and strength to cause serious injury to a young child whom it feels is challenging it's pack position - the dog starts at the bottom of the pack and stays there always. You need to be prepared to deal with the dog challenging this position, particularly with the children and in the first 12 months.

TBH, to be a GS owner is a huge responsibility, more so than with a lot of the more docile breeds. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort to raise a good GS! There is a reason a visit to the local pound will usually show a couple of dumped GS's, often some crossbreeds. Improperly handled, GS's can be unpredictable and aggressive. Being an intelligent dog, it is important for the owner to understand the psychology of the breed.

The other thing to consider is that the first couple of years with a GS is generally pretty hard work! Without firm training, they can become quite destructive and they crave the time and attention of their pack, so are not animals who can be left alone to their own devices. They begin to mature at around 2, and this is when you see your hard work pay off.

My GS is just two now. She is - finally! - maturing. She is gentle, loyal, loving and protective. I'd even go so far as to say that she is obedient! We have had issues with her prey drive; she has on a couple of occasions, mouthed the arm of the older kids when they have been running about squealing. No damage done, but a good reminder of the potential. Both of these occasions were when she was about 6 months old, before the pack order was firmly established. She and the cats are only now becoming... 'friends'! Although we still need to ensure that the cats have a safe refuge from the dog as she will happily chase them down - if she does corner them, she doesn't know what to do! Her instinct tells her she must 'capture' them, but her training tells her she mustn't harm them! Fortunately, the cats are generally smart enough to get out of the way and her hesitation if they are cornered allows them to escape! She caught one of our pet ducks who escaped and was flapping about - goodbye duck. She guards our property constantly. We are on several acres and my GS takes up her patrol route approximately 20 times a day. When she is not patrolling, she lies at the door near the kitchen or at the front gate if we are out. If the kids are outside, she follows them about and will bark if something untoward happens such as someone falling over. (I swear she talks, she has a different bark for every situation, including the 'hey, mum, you need to come now, the kids need you'!) When the kids are in the pool, she patrols laps around it. Last summer, DD2 took off at a run for the edge of the pool. I was in the pool area, but sitting under the veranda perhaps 6 metres from the edge of the pool as DD2 played about a metre from me. The dog was at the other end of the pool (big pool, perhaps 15-20 metres from where we were). I jumped up to grab DD as I called her name. The dog bolted for us, leapt over two corners of the pool and by the time I reached the edge of the pool seconds later, DD was sitting on the edge, her toes dangling in... and the dog crouched over her lap, preventing her from falling in, looking at me as if to say 'what took you so long'!! The GF who was visiting was absolutely amazed. She, like so many people, was afraid of the breed as she believed they were aggressive and didn't understand that the 'aggression' is purely a poorly controlled protective instinct. The only time our GS has been aggressive is when, very late one night the police entered our property. We heard her barking at the gate and went to see what was going on - we found one police officer cowering on the ground (he fell over himself in his rush to run away!) as she crouched in front of him, growling menacingly and with teeth bared and his partner having just jumped back over the gate. She did not bite or physically contact either of the men, but she made it clear that these two strangers entering our property on foot at midnight were not expected visitors. As soon as we said 'It's OK, 'dog', come.' She backed off and wagged her tail. The police had actually come to inform us that one of our neighbours had reported a prowler on their property, but they suspected that we would't have any problems! Poor blokes, I think they both needed to go back to the station and change their pants. We do have large signs on the property warning of the dog, but for some reason the coppers decided to ignore them.

I work in a job which often brings me in contact with the police and occasionally with the dog squad. It is worth noting that that the officers from the dog squad keep their animals separated from the family environment at home. They truly love their dogs and would trust the dog with their own lives, but they recognise that the animal is not suited for running about with kids. A couple of the blokes I have spoken to have said that they do allow their kids to have contact with their working dog, but it is very closely supervised and only for short periods.

Anyway, I could ramble on forever about my dog. The bottom line is, a GS that you are willing to put a lot of time and effort into is a beautiful addition to your pack. S/he doesn't need to be trained to 'guard' you as this is the dogs inbred instinct. What the dog does need is responsible breeding, a responsible owner and firm, ongoing training. You need to be prepared, with your young children, to spend a great deal of time with the dog and the kids, establishing the kids position in the pack as higher than the dogs. Honestly, I have had to train my kids in how to deal with the dog as well as train the dog in how to deal with the kids! I would never bring a GS from working lines into my family, the prey instinct they are bred for is not suitable for a family environment. I would also not bring a GS into my home who has not been raised in a family environment as establishing a new pack with these unfamiliar little people would be very difficult.

Because of the misconceptions surrounding the breed, people are afraid of GS's irrespective of their breeding lines or training. If you are willing to put in an awful lot of time and effort, a GS puppy from a responsible breeder might be a good choice for you. Otherwise, I would look at other security measures.