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by mahon on 10 April 2009 - 06:04
Now lets look at a litter of pups. For a pet what do you want. Not the most outgoing leg grabbing, head shaking shark. Not the shy timid puppy that wont come to greet you. Look at the ones in the middle of these two ends and find a confident but not over bearing puppy that has some interest in playing and walking with you and pays attention to sounds and movement with out being aggressive or shy to both.
WATCH THE TAIL. UP FOR CONFIDENT. ( + ) STRAIGHT OUT OR HANGING RELAXED. ( + ) BETWEEN THE LEGS SCARED. ( - )
Test his interest in things like keys and a ball and plastic bag, water bottle, crush an aluminum can with your foot. Ask the breeder if he/she has a couple pans to bang together. Give a little pinch to see if he can handle a little stimulas with out squeeling like a stuck pig or if he bites out of anger, or has no feeling, not good either. Look for the one that's balanced. This is what is known as being ( mentally sound ) and you should have a nice pet to take home. Just be sure you are committed to do your part too! For the next 10-14 years.
BUY FROM A REPUTABLE BREEDER !!!!!!! NO JOKE !!!
Good Luck ! And have fun!
Just my opinion, mahon
by yellowrose of Texas on 10 April 2009 - 06:04
Go to bed Mahon...it's late and the dawn comes before the morning!!!
by Ryanhaus on 10 April 2009 - 11:04
I have had pups go into pet homes that are mouthy, and if the owner trains the puppy from day one, and
discourages the mouthy part, and redirect it to toys, balls & such, it does work, and the puppy is less mouthy
with kids, and their owners.
If they encourage the pup to be mouthy, and ignore him chewing on their kids, than it's
the owners fault for having his head up his butt, and not redirecting that sort of behavior.
Before people get their pup, I ask what do you intend to do with your pup, cause if they want a regular pet/companion,
then early on, when he is mouthy to me, he gets a gentle squeeze on the muzzle, and I tell him NO, I would not want to
do that to a pup the owners are considering doing bitework with.
All my pups are outgoing and confident with a happy demeaner when they leave for their new homes,
it's up to the new owner to follow through and socialize the pup correctly, beginning from day one.
The post should be "Signs to look for in a bad dog owner"
REALCOLD, You are spot on, I am dealing with a situation right now as you described, I never met the kids, only the parents, and it's
come back to bite me, just a turn your heads and let the pup chew on your kids, NO ALPHA DOG in that family
I did find it strange after 4 meetings with the adults, the kids never came along, only to pick up the pup, and they never
got out of the car, they were just strapped in their car seats.......I never got to see the parents interact with their children.
Live & Learn once more......
by Gustav on 10 April 2009 - 12:04
4pack, you are spot on.....everybody shouldn't own a dog and dogs of all breeds do these same things when left unattended. I go into people's home and "fix" peoples dogs with the exact things you mentioned. Digging, running amok, gripping the children's clothes, arms, tearing clothes and shoes, jumping on people, and the list goes on. I have about 15 clients and the dogs are usually pups that people have gotten from 4 t0 12 months. These are Boxers, Bullmastiffs, GS, Dobes, Pits, and many mixed breeds. In almost every case the problem is the owners. They have allowed the dog to live in their world on the dog's terms. There are no boundaries established, they treat the dog like people instead of dogs, (dogs are pack animals and thrive in an environment that models this scenario), and have not done any obedience. Within the first visit I usually have altered some of the behavoirs and educated the people as to what needs to occur. the people think I am a genius, but its really nothing more than "responsible" ownership. My point is these are the same problems that so called workingline critics say is the problem with pet owners having workinglines....ONLY MOST OF THESE AREN'T GS.!! I know too too many people that have workingline dogs that are home pets for this to be an accurate statement of fact. Everybody should not have a German shepherd, don't change the breed or the ability of the breed, have the b---ls to tell people that the dog is fine or they created the monster and either get some obedience in dog or rehome the dog. Sorry, but this is the reality as I see it.
by snajper69 on 10 April 2009 - 12:04
"Most good workingline dogs do not make good "pets"." Excuse me if I disagree, almost all workingline's GSD can make good pets. But you will need to channel their energy. It's simple get a ball and throw it around there is nothing that uses that energy better than that simple exercise, second thing to do start obedience, makes sure that your dog understands that all your commands are live or die scenario, ones owner is capable of that, any dog will make a good pet. I think is not the question of what dogs make good pets but what owners make a good pet owners. I seen people that owned only working lines and they are only pet to them nothing else, but these dogs had the best obedience I ever seen, so good that they would put some working people (so called working people ) to shame, it's the owner not the dog. GSD is highly intelligent (IMO) they can adapt to any situation with strong and balanced leadership. If you don't have that than you should not own a GSD at all, as a matter fact you should not own dog period.
by Bob McKown on 10 April 2009 - 12:04
It,s nice coming on to a thread and seeing almost complete agreement on an issue with well stated reasoning... Is the temp dropping in hell or something?
Nice work folks....
by Vikram on 10 April 2009 - 12:04
regards
by 4pack on 10 April 2009 - 13:04
Seriously, rarely if ever, is anything the dogs "fault". People are good at screwing things up, having entitlement issues or just being strait up lazy or ignorant. Most can't even raise their child, let alone a puppy. Anybody with some dog sense, will have great success with a mentally stable puppy of any lines, at home.
by Travel time on 10 April 2009 - 14:04
by sueincc on 10 April 2009 - 15:04
Take a look at the lifestyle of the average pet owner (USA). They want a dog that can be left alone all day in the backyard and house, and will not get into mischief or bark a lot and bother the neighbors. They want to have a dog that will be calm and content even though on most days, the people are so tired when they get home from work they just want to relax in front of the TV. They also want a dog that sort of trains itself, and is no trouble to the family, and is completely accepting of all their friends right from the get-go (but expect this same dog to kill any unauthorized intruders at the drop of a hat) and all of this with no effort on the owners part. Maybe on the weekends they will take the dog for a really nice walk, but during the week the dog will be lucky if they walk it around the block once or toss the ball in the backyard a couple times.
To me, the average pet owner is in love with the idea of a GSD but doesn't actually want to deal with a real GSD. So I do not think this is an appropriate home for any GSD, let alone a working line GSD!
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