HI! New to group - Page 4

Then they deserve what they get.

The Journey

Someone once suggested to me that the life we share with a dog is not about dogs or dog sports at all.
That the interaction between us is simply a vessel to teach us the lessons we are intended to learn as we travel through life.
The lessons are always there, but not always noticed. We may be so wrapped up in “training” the dog that we fail to grasp what the dog is trying to share with us.
However, if we don’t take the time to see the lesson, you can be certain it will come around to us again.
This got me thinking about the dogs that are sent to join each of us as we travel along our individual journeys…and why we get the dog that we do at such specific points in our lives.
Our lessons will include those of friendship, love and loyalty.
There are those of gratitude, as we learn to look for the bright side in any situation.
And just as failure will not define our future, neither will we rely on successes to create our sense of self worth.
Some dogs will join our journey and completely change its direction. There may be one dog that joins us to teach a multitude of lessons, while another has only a brief stay, sharing lessons that include those of profound loss and recovery.
Our lessons may be about people: those passing through quickly, focused on their own journeys, as well as others who are meant to stay and share their lessons with us.
A dog may be leading you to one particular person…someone who is meant to continue on the journey with you.
We learn that the lessons of experience are often hidden…and that the limits of our own perception do not define life’s infinite possibilities.
There will be lessons that teach us how to recover from unforeseen struggles…and how faith and an unwavering belief can overcome every obstacle.
We will learn to become more accepting and less reactive, and to not allow disappointment to negatively impact our outlook.
Some dogs are sent to teach us lessons that we are meant to share with others.
We are learning to be less judgmental of those that cross our paths each day and also…how to make the best of any situation in which we may find ourselves.
And for many of us, the lessons may also include discovering the endless source of joy that exists within us…should we dare to strip away the inhibitions that keep this joy hidden inside.
For no start line is broken and no bar is dropped without a lesson for us, be it in patience, in humility, in acceptance or even in the realization of the need for more knowledge.
For in the end, when our dogs come to the last day of their journey with us, we won’t look back and wish we had won more red ribbons. But we may regret that we didn’t learn our lessons earlier so that we might have enjoyed our journey together more fully.
However, don’t judge your path – for all of these lessons are intended for you and for you to pass along. As you head out for your last few runs in competition tomorrow, smile at the realization of how many lessons have brought you to this moment.
And find peace in knowing that the outcome of the run is part of your journey… because it is not about dog sport, it is about the lessons.

And this is by no means

resending - the last sentence was cut short ;-0)

And this is by no means the end !

One can only hope.

We get this question alot, and we always chime in, trying to make them understand the bonding issues as the grow up along with once they hit their "teens/harmones run amuck" . "I can be the boss stage", "I am now willing to fight for top dog position". In all of these types of posts I think I can only remember one nut case defending a newbie to get 2 at once. I do not think any one that posted the question/or told us what they were up to, did they ever post that they did or did not listen they just fade into the wallpaper. Shame, I really would like to know either way. The ones that decide to gohead with the plan of two, I would be interested in following. The saddest part is right now there are way to many dogs in the rescues and shelters, anyone taking a chance on this happening (breeder selling 2 pups, same sex) is so wrong right now, not that it was not few years ago, but the pup as an older dog would have had a better chance at adoption. I find this really hard to stomach.
Lindsay, if you are reading this, stay with us whatever you choose to do. You are going to need the guidence of this board. There are those of us who may say, we told you so, but most will think of the dog before they open their mouth and try and give you assistance. The first things you are going to want to understand, are obedience and bonding. So start a thread asking questions. Also when watching them play together stop them when practicing dominance, you need to take on that role right from the start.

Ok, thank you all for your advice.  Some was a bit cruel, and some I could feel was from the heart.  The "breeder" isn't infact a breeder at all.  Like I said, he does it more for a hobby.  His dogs came from Poland and are all wonderful dogs.  After ours dies we took in one of his for a few weeks to ease some of the pain.  they are all very well trained, and listen wonderfully.  With that being said, I am not looking for a dog with papers or a fancy GSD.  My husband has 15 years with GS and it's the kind of dog he really wanted.  Our dog, Panzer, was wondeful at 7 months.  Noone could believe was an amazingly well trained dog he was.  he listened so well and responded to all of his commands.  he was friendly, had no aggression and was confident.  He was NOT by anymeans overweight at all.  He was just a massive dog.  His paws were the size of my 6 year old hands almost.  The vet, we took him to two differnt ones, was impressed with how good of shape he was in.  The vet thought he would top out at about 110 - 120 pounds.  He had a waist and had no bone or hip problems in the least.  Panzer was exercised everyday. We live on 287 acres of land of fields, streams, woods and trails.  A perfect place for a large dog.  It makes me so sad that anyone would speak ill of him or me without knowing the whole situation. 
Now I understand the feeling of most about our dog guy (not sure what to call him).  Yes my dog should have never died, but he was there for 4 days before anything happened.  Panzer played with all the other dogs and submitted immediatly to the whole pack.  But with two preggo girls, I can understand how a fight broke out.  It was poor judgement on our guys part, but it was an accident and nothing can be done to bring our amazing dog back.  My husband lost his best friend, my kids lost their playmate and i lost my foot warmer.  It is an awful thing to have to endure, but it was an accident and accidents happen.  I like to think we are understanding people, not ignorant, we sure as hell were upset and in shock over the whole thing, but not angry. 
Raising two pups does seem like an awful hard thing to do.  I understand about the training, separation anxiety and the bonding stuff.  I think it's a lot to sign on for.  I talked with my husband and his mind was already made up about the puppies.  Thankfully, he completed three courses in dog training. One offered by the college, one by the K9 unit and the other was with the Puppy Kindergarten instructor.  He has done a fair bit of research online and spoke to the vet for a bit about raising the two. Some advice was the same as on here, and some was a bit more reassuring.  We were told to keep the boys separated (crate wise) and take them out sepratly for bathroom breaks and training.  Basically we were told with a lot of hard work and determination, it was very possible. 
So with that being said, thank you all for your advice, and i hope evern though we did get two puppies, i can still be a part of this forum. 
Happy New Year

Best of luck, Lindsey, and Happy New Year. You're a good sport.