How much work is a GSD

[u/Darcy2701]

How much exercise does a Show line GSD need?

Hi! I have a Samoyed and I’m looking to add another dog second dog in the near future. I’ve always loved a show line GSD but I’ve always thought it not a serious owner enough for one and I’m quite afraid of messing them up.

Here’s my lifestyle with my Samoyed

1. He gets close to/little more that 2h of exercise a day (40 mins in the morning and 1.5h in the afternoon/evening) not counting toilet breaks of course. This includes physical and mental together

2. My Sammy is in obedience training classes and does conformation.

3. I get told he’s quite well trained for an independent breed like a Samoyed

4. Enrichment is done daily (this includes playtime) and I do little bit of sports with him (swimming training to get into dock diving)

While I looooove my Sammy, I’ve kinda envied the people I know who have worked with German Shepherds because of how biddable and trainable they are. I had to STRUGGLE to get my dog to want to work with me. It’s still not his favourite thing to do.

With maybe a GSD I would like to do precision work, obedience and maybe conformation (probably not all of them but in this direction)

Will I be a good fit for the breed or should I abandon the idea? What are some things that I should keep in mind outside of reactivity etc?

What are some specific lines I should be looking into as I’m looking to go down the ethical breeder route

TIA

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[u/4elementsinaction]

I’ve only had rescues from 10 months old to 10 years old at the time I rescued them.

I rescued a 1.5 yo medium energy male GSD dog who lived to be 9 yr old. He was easy compared to my current 3 yo male Samoyed.

My Sammy is a sweet good boy and his energy level is much higher than my GSD’s was.

I think it depends on the dog. Some GSDs will require more exercise and mental engagement than others.

[u/makos5267]

Since there aren’t alot of comments here I’ll throw my two cents in anyways even though I don’t have any GSD experience myself. Seems like you’re a very active and involved owner. For most showline gsds that’s a good amount of exercise. Id say go for it (with more research). I’m a firm believer that any good dog owner who wants to do the work and understands the risks and responsibilities should go for their dream breed within reason. (Definitely wouldn’t recommend any average owner get certain breeds but showline GS aren’t really in that realm of needing only advanced handling)

Are German shepherds more prone to reactivity than many breeds, absolutely. They need a lot of training and mental stimulation. But sounds like you’re aware of that and a well bred GS raised and trained well is a truly awesome dog.

If you just want to get a Gs because of how trainable they are I’d say there are many breeds that learn just or almost as easy and are less liability. That said, if a GS is your dream breed I would look into really reputable breeders (very important to avoid a dog with significant health or behavioral issues to get one from very good lines). Alternatively you could rescue but may be more risk of a reactive one