What are the pros and cons of a German Shepherd cross Collie?

Question

My husband and I are looking into adopting a dog. We have grown up in families where dogs play a large part, so we are used to having dogs around. He's used to German Shepherds, whilst I'm used to collies. We've gone through a couple of animal rescue centres and a possible dog has come up, a German Shepherd cross Collie. The dog is probably a stray so the staff have virtually no idea of it's past. I have heard that this particular cross is not a good one, but I'm struggling to find out more. All I've been told that you can get an aggressive hyper active dog. Can anyone help?

Answer 1

theres flaws to each breed,, best way to learn a mix is to study about wat it is crossed with and read up about them both

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com

Answer 2

Very active! So you'd have to exercise it a lot!!!!

Usually at rescue centres, they do a behaviour assessment with the dogs before they give them the O.K. to become someone else's pet, so i doubt you'd have any trouble with aggression or hypertactivity.

My dog was a shepherd cross kelpie, and he was really active and a great dog (lived until 1 day before he was 15).

And like the previous answer mentioned, they malt a lot of hair!!!

good luck with your decision!

Answer 3

I have (what we think) is a german shepherd/collie mix.  We rescued her last week.

So far, I can tell you she is very smart, and has to be one of the sweetest dogs ever.  I mean it.  She has a lot of personality and has picked up on commands very very quickly.

Truth be told, you never quite know what you're going to get from a shelter...we tried rescuing another collie mix from the shelter and she was aggressive.  (I don't think she had shepherd in her though).  It really just depends on his/her past.  

But you never know for sure what you'll end up with when you get a mixed breed...it could be the best of both breeds or the worst.  

I love my shepherd mutts and would never trade them though!

Answer 4

You can get an aggressive hyper active dog by crossing literally any two breeds.  There is no such thing as a "bad" breed OR a "bad" mix (ok, I take that back, I can think of a few breeds and crosses that I think are just an awful idea, but purely for health reasons and not for behavioral reasons).  While some rescue dogs do come with "issues" from their former lives, the vast majority of these issues are very mild and VERY easily fixed by training, the kind of training you will have to do with any new dog anyway.  The biggest con I can think of with this dog is that you have no idea of how well socialized she is.  She may be fine with everything.  Or if she was tied in someone's back yard with no interaction with other dogs, people, animals, or environments she may be overly shy or even fear-aggressive (both of which can be greatly improved and managed with careful training).  The other con I can think of is that you don't have any clue as to her family health history...she could develop any number of conditions later in life.  But honestly, these two major cons are ones you will potentially face with any rescue dog regardless of breed or mix.  

Answer 5

yes, you could end up with an aggressive hyper active dog, but you could also end up with a dog who is, loyal, protective but gentle, easliy trained, agile and sooooo loving. one downside is that this dog will need endless amounts of exercise as im sure you will have realised. go and visit the dog a few times, see what his/her personality is like for your self. let the staff at the shelter know that you're definitely interested. and hopefully in time the staff will be able to give you more information on the dog aswell. it just depends on what the dogs parents were like and what his life has been like before he was taken into the shelter. dogs that were once strays make great family pets alot of the time, so don't give up hope. even if you do hear something from the staff about the dogs personality that puts you off, give him time, remember he may not be used to human company and everything else that comes with being cared for by humans. let him get used to everything before you make a final decision. good luck!!!

Answer 6

My dogs mum was a German Shepherd cross Collie and she was really affectionate and friendly. It might be a difficult cross to keep because of the energetic tendency's of the collie and the protectiveness of the German Shepherd, but with the right training this cross would be good at stuff like agility and obedience. It would also depend on the dogs temperament.

Good Luck x

Answer 7

I've had one for 10 years(shes 12) - it swings more toward the collie side - Active,fun,good with kids and a great watch dog.In the last 2 years though she has had back problems,because of her elongated shape.

Answer 8

I had a german shepherd collie mix, and currently have a shepher border collie mix. They are both great dogs.

My shepherd collie, Rex, was amazing. He was very smart, and extremely loyal. He never was aggressive or mean, even though we rescued him from a junk yard!

When I was a child, I would wander off and play in the woods all day, and that dog stayed by my side no matter what.

If you get this dog, I think you will love him. But make sure you have a yard where he can run, or at least make sure you're willing to take the time to walk him every day. He will have energy to burn!

Answer 9

I have one and he is the best dog ever! Calm, loving ,playful,smart,obedient.....We rescued him from a shelter. I have a couple clients with this mix also and that's all they will ever own. Great mix! I suppose theres a chance for any dog to be aggressive or hyper. Its the personality of the dog just like people. If you are looking at a shelter sometimes they are around 1 year old and you can tell their disposition better than if you are dealing with a puppy.

Answer 10

That's a lot of hair to vacuum if you keep it in the house.  Both breeds are very smart.  I have rescued dogs before some can have emotional issues from being mistreated by prior owners.  If you have children that may be concerning.