Which dog should i buy?

Question
QUESTION: I'm planning on getting a dog in a few months now & i wanna know the best choice fr the dog. i no the German Shepherd is an awesome dog, very cute, loyal and etc etc! but i live in a 2000 sq. ft apartment in a city which is quite hot throughout the year, & i don want it to be very noisy, And will it be okay to grow a dog in an apartment? In short i want u all to suggest me whether the german shepherd is the best choice os any other one(pls specify).


ANSWER: German Shepherds can adapt to apartment living but before doing so you really need to consider how much time you are willing to put in to ex cerise your dog and to go outside for walks and bathroom breaks. All dogs need exercise. German Shepherds do bark to alert the owner of possible intrusion.  But also barking can be curbed with the right training and conditioning.  

German Shepherds are high energy dogs and need to be walked daily, a minimum of 45 minutes per day.  They also like to run and would do well with a field near by where they can retrieve a ball on a regular basis in addition to the walk.

When house training they would need to go outside approximately every hour and depending on the owner, could take months.  

It takes a major commitment to get a dog of any sort and a great deal of time, but to be honest living in an apartment is that much more difficult.  Careful consideration must be given to the energy level of the dog, and your commitment in time.  

You might be better off getting a lower energy dog, an adult dog that's already house trained, a smaller dog or get a cat.

Before getting a dog please be sure that you get educated on the proper care of the dog.

Never purchase a dog from a back yard breeder or puppymill.  Purchase from a registered breeder or consider rescuing a dog.  There are over 250,000 dogs currently in rescue shelters across Canada and the USA and millions more are put to sleep each year.

To further assist you please read the articles on my HELP page on my website about deciding to buy a dog.  Check Out my GSD INFO page to learn more about the German Shepherd Breed.

Sincerely,
Gallant German Shepherds
http://www.gallantshepherds.com





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,

Thank u very much fr ur advice.. it really helped me a lot! And yes, the city has no rules against dogs playing in the playground, i've even seen many dogs play there. And the terrace is an absolutely safe place. One more thing puzzles me is that whether i should buy a male or a female puppy? Which one would be better? And my apartment is floored with tiles. Will that be any trouble to the dog? And i can assure u that i'll spend all my time to the dog, and besides there r many more dog lovers in my family and they'll all be only too happy to help me.... Hope i'm not disturbing you too much with my questions....


thank you!

Answer
You are welcome for the advice. That's why I'm here.  Having a dog is similar to having a child and the responsibility is life long.  I'm glad to here you are up for the challenge.

Tiles will be just fine for your dog, and much easier for you.  I love both the males and the females.  

If spaying or neutering, which I hope will be the case, there are no major differences.

Females do tend to burn grass when urinating and go into heat for 3 weeks at a time.

An intact male would be high energy, try to get out when smelling a female in heat (which he can do for miles) be more prone to fighting (a dominance thing for intact males) and tend to not listen to you (with women on his mind) when aware of a female in heat and would want to mark his territory.

I have both, grew up with both, and I can't say which I like better.

Both male and females should be socialized as pups to ensure sound temperament.  They should be exposed regularly to other dogs, small animals. strangers, crowds, noises, children.  They should be bathed and groomed as pups to lessen their fear of same when they get older.  Doing this will help them grow up to be confident dogs who adjust well in many situations.  

An additional note to you that pups also go through a fear period between 10-16 weeks and it helps a great deal if the owner is aware of this in order that the pup does not develop life long fears.

Sincerely
Gallant German Shepherds
http://www.gallantsheperds.com