 Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 12:47pm PST |
 | |  | | I would cross post this in the Choosing the Right Dog forum, as the breed specific forums don't get a lot of traffic.
I'd also recommend reading through the German Shepherd threads listed in Mulder's Dog Breed Directory thread for a lot of information on the various lines.
To answer your question, I would suggest looking into American show line dogs. The Am. GSDs sometimes get a bad rap, but many would fit your requirements perfectly. Not that there aren't working GSDs that could also do the job, but many of the working lines are very high in prey and/or fight and/or defense drive, which could cause problems in service work.
I don't know many American GSD breeders, but ideally, look for a breeder who has successfully placed service dog candidates before. If you look in shelters for an older puppy/young adult, I wouldn't worry as much about lines since you'll be looking at individuals, most with unknown pedigrees. Many of the dogs will be from American lines, although various working lines and mixes of show and working lines are becoming more common in rescue. If you can, look for a rescue that fosters so they can give you a general idea of their dogs' temperaments, and see if you can foster to adopt.Edited by author Sun Jan 20, '13 1:02pm PST
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