If I was moving the last thing I would want to worry about is a new dog, whatever age it was, the less I had to deal with the better!

The best place to find a reputable GSD Breeder is the breed club(s),.

Their members will have to abide by their codes of ethics which usually involves:

HAving the relevant health tests done on breeding stock.

For GSD these are:

Males - tested for haemophilia A

Males and females both Hip scored to less than the Breed Mean Score with is 19, well below preferably in single figures.

Males and females both elbow scored (these range from 0 - 3 and ideally you should not breed with any score over 1 maximum)

Hereditary Cataracts - both males and females should be eye screened annually.

It is generally recommended that a bitch not be mated prior to 2 years of age at the earliest and no more than one litter in 12 months.

There are thousands of poorly bred GSD born each year so it makes sense to go to a breeder that has the best interests of the breed at heart.

If you want just a pet then don't overdog yourself by getting a pup from very strong working lines.

It impossible to know till it happens but the best advice I was given was to expect the worst

Basically introduce them slowly, like you are saying spend time with them crated in the same room

Have no toys or anything about for them to fight over

Give them each their own space so they are able to get away from each other

Walking them together helps to bond them (careful not to overdo it tho - plenty of alone time with you too)

Chances are if you do it gently in a few weeks he will love having a buddy

I have an 8 year old CKC and have just got a new pup. They love each other to bits, it only took 24 hours for them to start playing together

The pup has a crate but during the day he chooses to sleep in the older dogs bed with him.

In my case it has given my old boy a new lease of life and it is lovely to watch him acting like a playful pup again.

Having said this my older dog wasn't an only dog, we lost his companion 7 months ago He is also a very friendly dog anyway.

I find most dogs, no matter what, tend to have a natural softer side when it comes to tiny puppies and the most grumpy of old dogs can tolerate a surprising amount of being chewed