I'm 14 years old and when I was in New Orleans, I owned a German Shepherd. I had him since he was one month old until he was 2 years old. He bit me a lot, but stopped gradually once he got to know me.

Anyway, I want a german shepherd again, my mom's going to see if we can have a dog in this house and all that. And if we can, I choose whatever dog I want off Craigslist. Are German Shepherds safe for 14 year olds? I know they can bite very, very hard. I also know they're good for guarding. I want a German Shepherd, but I don't want to end up in a hospital. Also, I'm not very strong in case you're wondering.

So, do you think a 14 year old should get a German Shepherd? If not, what dog?

I had a german shepherd as a pet when I was oh, about 7? It depends on the dog, the way they were treated and raised. Dogs that are treated and raised properly from birth will not be so aggressive that they will just attack for no reason, however, safety around dogs is important. Dogs don't like much when you get right in their face or down in their personal space, or when you mess with them while they're eating, however, a properly treated/raised dog will still not be so aggressive to just up and bite someone unless they really really feel threatened. Honestly, the right dog may be a dog that is generally considered "more aggressive" or it may be a smaller, generally "less aggressive" dog, but you can have a pit bull that's gentle as a lamb, or a poodle that's as mean as a lion, basically, you need to find a friendly dog, not so much what kind of dog it is, but how it behaves. A german shepherd may or may not be the best choice for you, but it really depends on the dog itself, not what kind of dog it is.

You should be fine with a german shepard, make sure you choose the right one when you pick the puupy, make sure of the temperament - currently we have a german shepard 7month old puppy who is the biggest wuss in the book and gets bullied by our less that a foot high sheltie! You will find that german shepards love their family and will protect them and love them more than anything, they love their families! Btw im19 and got my first dog who was a german shepard cross when I was 5

A property trained dog does not keep biting. There was some problem if you had one that bite you all the time. That is not normal.

They are very safe and protective animals and can be a wonderful friend and companion. I would look into what behavior or training you did that caused him to be biting, that is not.

Yep, dogs that bite feel threatened, they haven't been trained or treated properly, that's all there is to it.

My family had one when I was maybe 12 or 13. It was a really good dog and I never had a problem with it biting me.

What if I do train the dog and it bit me anyway? Does that give me the right to tap the dog? Like.. not so hard but to make it know that it did something wrong?

If you train the dog and it bites you anyway, you have obviously made it feel threatened or it has been mistreated, however, you cannot hit the dog, it won't understand why you hit it and will only become more aggressive.

Okay, thank you all for your help.

Dogs are individuals. Although some traits are more coming this or that breed, most dogs are much alike. Breeding and early socialization are very important. I often say follow your heart when choosing a breed. Then switch to your brain when it comes to picking one within a breed. I would say the same thing if you wanted a Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Doberman, Poodle, or Golden. They all come in nasty and nice.

I hope you can talk your mother out of Craig's list. It will not be the best place to find a well bred, healthy, sound temperament dog. If you want a puppy, you are going to have to sort through and find a good breeder and pay a real price.

Finding a good breeder and purchasing a puppy that will make a good pet is very difficult. Almost nobody is intentionally breeding dogs to be nice pets. Most of your so called reputable breeders are breeding for show or something. They may say the puppies they don't keep for their purpose make great pets, but the truth is that the parents were selected for other than health and temperament. Often they keep the puppies in the kennel too long and they miss the important early socialization puppies need to live in the house with people.

Next are the disreputable breeders. They breed any 2 registered dogs they can lay a hold of looking only at the money they can make selling them to pet stores. Pet store puppies are easy to find, but difficult to socialize into nice pets, perhaps difficult to even keep alive. You will not get what you pay for at a pet store. You would do as well taking your chances at the animal shelter.

One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue
Dogs. These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home
To be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them. You may
Find a rescue near you starting at American Kennel Club - Breed Rescue The rescues charge a fee to help cover their expenses, but is much less than the price of a puppy plus all its medical expenses the first year.

On the biting issue. It is quite natural for puppies to bite. Any dog will play bite at least when younger. Unless trained that it is unacceptable to bite people, older dogs will bite to get their own way. I had my 12 week old Xanthe at church this morning and she bite everybody she got a chance to.
Hitting the dog is not how you teach it not to bite or anything else.

If you post your location, When RubyPitbull get back from having a life, she may be able to use her contacts to steer you to a rescue in your area.