What one item do you think is indespensible for a new ownerof a GSD? - Page 4

The 2 most important things for a first time gsd owner IMO a good sense of humor, and lots and lots of patience!!! I also have to question the silent treatment, what is that supposed to accomplish?

You know, this all sounds very weird and overly obsessive to me. All puppies need to be spoken to, touched and loved!!!! That is the essence of beginning your bond. I also find it terribly overbearing to MAKE a 12 week old puppy do a 30 min. down stay!!!! What a drive killer to say the least!! I'd like to see dogs that they have brought up like this do SchH! EVERYTHING should be fun for a puppy!!!  I just can't wrap my mind around this type of thinking.
Debby

I was beginning to think I was crazy and had never raised my puppies correctly according to this web forum topic.  Just because a dog has a long pedigree and comes from an expensive kennel and a long line of champions from the early 1900's does this mean we raise them differently? Come on now....playing mental mind games with a 3 month old puppy.  Who's crazy here??

I second RLHAR's suggestion of a long line. I've found a kiddie pool to be a really useful (and fun) item during the heat (can you believe it's in the mid-80's here in March?). I buy two and put one inside the other- this keeps the outside one from springing a leak due to teeth and nails during rough play.

I also find the silent treatment very odd and can't understand what it's supposed to accomplish (other than have the pup constantly whine for two days). I hope the OP reflects a bit more on this.

A crate!

a good vacuum cleaner......the one that can suck dirt from flower pots, ripped newspaper, chewed up pieces of carpet..... if you already have that..than you are ready! :)

second best thing that i got was a dog bed...i teach my dogs "bed" in the house and it's a must....crate work for some people, but crate is night time, put away, go to sleep.....bed is a place where he/she can sit, lay while still being part of the family, when strangers come in, dog is ordered to bed and they stay on it, when i want them out of the kitchen its - "bed"; when i want to send it out from under my butt - it's "bed" command and I know exactly where dog is even w/o me following to see...also my dogs eat on their bed..there is nothing worse than a chewed up, saliva covered bones, toys in the middle of the living room, kitchen, bedroom...so gross....my dogs get a toy and they go to bed to enjoy it...bed is a "good" place, it's a dogs place, its a safe place...i would never order them off their bed, it also helped a lot when I moved, dogs were uncomfortable on new slippery floors, new smells, etc...but their beds were theirs, it belonged to them and they adjusted a lot faster.

hmm...a bit rambling....but hope it makes sense...

Djc, your a hundred percent on the over bearing and a drive killer. Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment to me. Nothing makes a pup/dog happier than to hear the sound of his person's voice. Two days without having that might seem like an eternity to a pup, and make them feel abandoned (emotionally). A poop scoop is a must, and a furminator (shedding tool). Please don't make the little guy feel abandoned-- enjoy him and good luck.

This sounds like the leerburg method of pack leader training but I don't think it's meant to be used on puppies that young. The point is to make the dog look to you for all of the good things in life, food, walks, water, etc and is done on older new to thei kennel dogs from what I understood? As for indispensable anything small you can keep on your person to redirect those crocodile teeth onto.

I agree with beetree. I've heard to not greet them the second you walk in the door. Give them a few minutes and then go to them, only if they are calm and patiently waiting for you.

Good luck with your new pup, but I have to agree with the others. I don't think I could ignore a new pup for two minutes, let alone two days! :)

Oh, and I'd say a crate and some chew toys, for sure!

a box of dvd's - to educate yourself
the power of training with markers
the power of training with foodt
he power of training with toys
8 weeks to 8 months

crate
food and water (and easily cleanable dishes)
wide flat collar (with of 2 vertibrae) and leash (simple leash not a mechanical one)
chew toys (durable and easily cleanable)
training tug or toy
training treats and a clicker
brush and grooming rake

cleaning supplies for those occaisional messes (eco-88 is amazing)

vet's number on speed dial on your phone and taped to your refrigerator
emergency 24 hour vet - ditto

health records including; worming, vaccinations, and physical exam specifics

breeders info - name, address, phone number, email address
puppy guarantee signed by both you and breeder - read it first

sorry, not "one item" but a list of important stuff.....


i cannot agree with not talking to your puppy for 2 days, that's crazy...