German Shepherds and Kids

Are you considering adopting a German Shepherd but are unsure as to whether they will get along with your kids? The following information will help you make your decision.

The German Shepherd is a wonderful dog with a great nature. Due to this, German Shepherds and kids typically do get along. However, before you go ahead and adopt a German Shepherd as part of your family, you firstly need to consider the following important things:

German Shepherds live for approximately thirteen years. Therefore adopting a German Shepherd is a long commitment. So only adopt a German Shepherd as part of your family if you feel you and your kids can commit to them for this long period of time.
It’s vital that you teach your kids how to respect dogs before you bring a German Shepherd into your home. If your kids mishandle your German Shepherd then this may cause them to lash out. However, if your kids know how to properly handle and act around dogs, then you should be okay.
It’s important to show your German Shepherd where they stand in your family (pack in dog terms). Ideally, the German Shepherd should be at the bottom of the pack and the main trainer should be the alpha leader. Your kids should sit in-between. If your German Shepherd starts to think that they are the alpha leader then they may become hard to handle and train. And if this happens they will not listen to you or your kids. So make sure the main trainer starts establishing their alpha leadership position as soon as the new German Shepherd enters your home. This will make the relationship between German Shepherds and kids a lot better.
One important factor in German Shepherds and kids getting along is training. Without training your German Shepherd may not listen to you or your kids. So start training your German Shepherd right from the moment you bring them into your home.
One important thing to consider in regards to German Shepherds and kids is allergies. This means finding out if your kids are allergic to dogs before you bring a German Shepherd into your home. If you find out too late then you may have to give your new German Shepherd away to another family.
Your own German Shepherds and kids may get along perfectly. However, your German Shepherd may not get along with kids they haven’t met before. These new children may not know how to act around dogs. Because of this it is so important that you keep an eye on your German Shepherd when they meet new kids for the first time in case anything happens.
Your German Shepherd may seem perfectly calm and content most of the time. However, a loud unforeseen noise may startle your German Shepherd and cause them to act out of sorts. If you have a young child who might make an unexpected noise then you may want to hold off adopting a German Shepherd until your kids are older.
You may think that adopting a new German Shepherd is a great way to show your kids responsibility. Your kids may promise to feed and walk your new German Shepherd every single day. To be honest, this usually only happens for a few weeks. After this time your kids may loose interest and you will become the main person who will look after the German Shepherd. And there is a lot involved in this care – feeding, exercising and training – the list goes on. So make sure that you, as the parent, will have enough time to look after your German Shepherd if your kids do lose interest.

As you can see from the above, German Shepherds and kids do get along. However, before you go out and adopt a German Shepherd you firstly need to make sure that your kids know how to give dogs the respect they deserve. If you do this then your German Shepherds and kids should both have a happy and fulfilling relationship.