German Shepherds are great dogs, but they are also extremely active and rambunctious when young. They need a lot of training and can easily knock over little ones.

If your kids have not been raised with big dogs, We would suggest adopting an older, calmer pet that has already gone through the puppy stage.

We usually recommend against a puppy with new owners and young kids because puppies grow up fast and stay babies for a long time, even with consistant training. This is a huge reason why 9 -24 month old dogs are given up into shelters. They grow out of the cute fuzzy stage and into the large "destroy the house" stage and inexperienced pet owners dump them because they can't handle the dog, the house, and kids.

The best thing would have been to not get the young dog to begin with. Please take a weekend day to go to a local shelter and see how your kids will interact with a calm, large dog. Often the first time kids even meet a dog is at our rescue home and they scream, cry, hide, and spend a lot of time not liking even any large dog.

This is not the appropriate venue to "trial run" your kids around large dogs. We are a family home with our own family chores to attend to. We are not an amusement park or visit center for you to spend a day with.

Home rescues encourage education and desire adoption of great pets, but we can only reasonably handle serious inquiries. Try your kids out first, then look for the right dog for your family. Go to a local shelter and let your kids meet a calm, well behaved dog, or visit a friend's house with a nice, large dog.

If the kids are not ready for a large dog, a smaller pet or smaller dog may be a better option. Don't push the wrong pet at the wrong time into your family's life. The animal will ultimately suffer.