Comments on: Can a german shepherd and a chihuahua be friends?

By: katjosilverado

katjosilverado — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:11:56 +0000

First off, check what type of breeding you’re getting your GSD from before you buy-that in of itself is CRUCIAL. There are West German show lines, West German working lines, DDR(East German working), Czech/Slovakian working lines and American CH lines. The higher the prey drive, the higher the potential for problems later. The working lines are definitely higher drive and have stronger prey drives, which could lead to problems. This may require some time getting educated in the German Shepherd breed as a whole, which I strongly suggest if you’re really wanting to buy a puppy.
My suggestion would be to go with a breeding that produces a mild drive(WGR show lines and/or American CH lines). Ask about the litter’s parents and their reaction to cats and other small animals(and what kind of bloodlines they have). If the parents are ok with smaller animals, then you have a greater chance of getting a pup who is ok also. We personally raise our pups with our very docile resident male cat from the time they’re born so they learn to love him, not wanna hurt him.
That should help you avoid problems before you buy. Generally, if a puppy is raised with a small dog/animal, they will learn to respect that animal. Getting the opposite gender of what your Chi is would be wise, too. I would be equally concerned not to allow the Chi to bite/hurt/harrass the GSD, either! Best wishes!

By: lisa_0521

lisa_0521 — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:04:18 +0000

They can be taught to live together just fine.

I have two GSD’s and they live in perfect harmony with a Beagle and 3 cats.

Ok, so maybe the cats could live without them, but you get the point.

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By: TDangelG

TDangelG — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:15:36 +0000

German Shepherds get along very well with smaller canine breeds. Introduce them properly and they will sleep together as pals, become playmates, and tease each other with tender affections. My 6#- 6 mo.female Minature Italian Greyhound is in total charge of my 65# AKC male 1 yr. GS. She tells him not to stand up, so as not to disturb her nap. And when to let her through the doggie door, or she’ll bit his face. (a tiny nibble.) They are adorable. I fully encourage you. However, you are mixing the rough and tumble with the petite, so they must be supervised.

By: cisum

cisum — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:54:36 +0000

if you get the German shepherd as a puppy you should have no problem I was kind of in the same situation i have a toy poodle and i wanted a great Dane but it turned out OK because my great Dane grew up with my other dog they get along just fine just that sometimes my great Dane just doesn’t seem to realize how big he is.

By: Donna A

Donna A — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:35:39 +0000

The most important thing is for the dogs to have supervised exposure. And a lot of it! Especially for your chihuahua. I’ve never had one of those but I do have a 2.8 and 2.9 yorkie poo and yorkie. My dogs have been around big dogs since they were puppies (one is only 7 months now). My sister has a chocolate lab who is about a year now. The three of them are fine. The lab needed to learn to be gentle and he did. However, like I said previously, you need to supervise at all times until the behaviour is what you want. Chihuahuas, like my dogs, are very small. They obviously can be hurt easily if unsupervised. The German Shepherd could accidentally hurt it by trying to play with it too roughly. But I think it can be done if they are introduced correctly. Good luck!

By: xcave_canemx

xcave_canemx — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:37:23 +0000

I have a Brittany (Duncan) at home. My wife and I were keeping a friend’s Bichon (Sally) for days. Sally would get a tug toy, probably about as long as she was and Duncan would lay down, grab one end and hold it, almost like an after thought. Sally would be on the other end tugging with all her might. It was very cute. I’m glad I was able to get some pictures, although I don’t have them handy.

So, in a word, “Yes,” any 2 dogs can be friends. As others have said, just be sure to introduce them properly.

By: callmebillybob

callmebillybob — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:31:43 +0000

They will be fine, as long as they are introduced properly.

By: tanika971

tanika971 — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:58:23 +0000

make sure the 2 dogs meet before you decide to take the GS home, but there is no reason why they should not grow up good friends, even considering the sizes of them, good luck

By: Cherish B

Cherish B — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:28:38 +0000

If you get a young German Shepherd like six months or younger he definitely won’t attack her unless he’s never seen another dog in his life. An older German shepherd might not respect your adult Chihuahua unless he’s been well socialized. A good idea for a first meeting is to walk them together for like a half hour or more. That way they can get used to each others presence without having to meet head-on or butt-on cuz’ they’re dogs :~).

By: A. Wray (Back in Action)

A. Wray (Back in Action) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:01:09 +0000

Yes, the Shepherd if not properly trained will be able to kill your current dog and you need to think of how your CURRENT dog is going to react to having a puppy in the house.

How does Maya react around other dogs? Is she skittish and nervous or aggressive? Does she want to play?

If the puppy is properly socialized (as someone else mentioned) and has the right temperament, it could work out. My Black German Shepherd gets along wonderfully with my small Border Collie (he’s 95 lb and she is 25 lb).

Remember that GSDs require a lot of training and exercise, so if you’re not used to this or willing to do what this breed requires, don’t get one. A GSD without a job or training is an accident waiting to happen. If you don’t give them a job, they find something to do on their own, and it is typically destructive in nature. GSDs also need a stronger hand than most small breeds, and often “challenge” their owner periodically to make sure they are still in charge (this could be as small as not sitting where you tell them to, you have to be VERY consistent). If they don’t think you are the boss, then they often assume they are, which can lead to herding and nipping.

If you decide you can provide the kind of activity a GSD requires, introduce them before you bring the puppy home to determine how your dog reacts. You should do this with your dog leashed and NOT in your home (since your dog sees that as her domain).

Be prepared for the puppy to try to play with your dog, and see how they interact (only let sniffing at first). A properly trained GSD is a WONDERFUL pet, and they are a great breed, but be cautious of where you get them. The breed is VERY prone to hip dysplasia and will need x-rays (at a minimum) when it’s older, and possibly even surgery. The x-rays can run upwards of $300, and the surgery for one hip is around $800-$1200, depending on how resently you had x-rays and the size of your dog at the time of surgery. I resently had to do this for my GSD rescue, so if you don’t plan on preparing for this possibility, don’t bother getting one.

I don’t pretend to know everything about the breed, but have done A LOT of research and will be more than willing to tell you about my trials with my GSD if you mail me. If you do decide to get one, good luck, it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.