I had shepherds my whole life growing up and they were all wonderful.
They require training, but so does any dog. We had both male and females, they are loyal, protective, friendly, and intelligent.
They do have some predisposition to problems with their hips in later life though.
I would recommend shepherds to any responsible and sensible family, and would have one again any day. (You can also get in touch with the K9 department of the police and they will often have dogs that have not passed all the tests to become police dogs. But are temprement tested and halfway trained)
Have also had labs and they are gorgeous dogs. I am still a GS girl all the way though
Alexis I grew up with Shephards too, aren't they wonderful!!! Shel and I are leaning towards them, but aren't exactly sure... love Goldens too (my grandfather bred and trained them until about 10 years ago). But yeah, every dog needs training, goes without saying. Labrador is on the list, Shel's sis has one and he is gorgeous, just a lovely dog. Terrible puppy but absolutely gorgeous...
IMO I wouldn't go with any of those 3 as from what I have heard they all incur health probs.German Shepherds get bad arthritis in the hips; golden retrievers and labs both have probs with obecity.
I would go with a Border Collie, I am not any kind of dog expert JMO and a few things I have heard.
Hope you find the right one for you and your family.
I'm biased as we have a golden...so I won't post my opinion. Lol. Ours is a lovely boy though, but he can be bouncy when he wants to!
Honestly, any dog has the chance of having health problems, some breeds stick out because they do have known hereditary problems, but so long as you make sure the breeder has had the parents tested and scored for those problems (such as hip dysplasia etc) then you should be ok, although nothing is ever guaranteed. Things like obesity can be controlled by exercise and diet, and aren't necessarily a reflection on the breed itself.
I guess have a really good think about what you want in a family pet, and choose a breed that best fits your ideals. Maybe think about a cross breed too, there are quite a few lab x goldens these days, so hopefully you'd end up with the best of both breeds! It really is a very personal decision though, and everyone will tell you something different, so I'd just go with your gut and find a puppy that you like!
Border collies need LOTS of exercise!! They are working dogs and need it or get bored very easily.
Me - I have grown up with German Shepherds but our best dog was actually a German Shepherd / Labrador cross!! Intelligent and good natured, even tempered. Very easy to train and exemplified the best of both breeds.
Labs are puppies for a long time Shepherds can be very possessive of your child. Mum and Dad's shepherd is very protective of all children and will step between the parent and the child if the child is crying and the parent moves too quickly like they are going to *hurt* the child.
Having said that, I want one because of this family devotion and trainability. The police force often have rejects that are fully medically cleared for the issues described and the *fail* is usually because they aren't aggressive enough for the job
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but absolutely gorgeous...
Cann't get a better dog for the kids then a lab.
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