Adopting an adult GS

Question
We are looking at adopting a 2yo spayed female GS as her current family can no longer keep her.  We have 7 children, ages 17yr-5mos.  When we met the dog for the first time, she nipped and growled at my 8yo son two times.  The family who currently owns her has a 2.5yo son and they say the dog tolerates everything their son does.  But I am concerned that the dog is nipping/growling at my son.  It makes me hesitant to adopt her.  We are going to try a visit with their dog at our home instead of their home to see if she behaves differently.  Do you have any suggestions?  Thanks.

Answer
I am a little hesitant too.  Not all dogs are close matches for their breed description, but German Shepherds are frequently suspicious of strangers and slow to bond to new people.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  There is a link there to a page on dogs and children.  At 2 years old, she is still young enough to be trainable.