hi snowy,roony and patsy we have 2 small children and our dachshund is ok with them but she is still mouthing at the minute and they get her a bit excited but i do tell them to calm down and not her because its not her fault, but if and when we get a german shepherd it will be treated as part of our family just like our other dog. i agree with you about how any dog can be nasty if its treated badly.