I just got my puppy and.... - Page 6

Me too I think he thought this ole lady was too harsh....kor as a man to man reitterated what I just told him.....exactly...Thanks kor and I hope he listens.....why fight ur way thru with a dog that is not instantly ready and jumping at ur side looking up at your kong or face at 12 weeks old and u dont even need to command them its automatic with the right pup...I know I raise the right pups and if I buy a new one, hope never again...I would and have sold it before its feet hit the texas soil if it was the least bit slow or pokey (remember the golden book POKEY PUPPIE)? or not what mine are...I sold three two years ago and Ive seen what they became...glad I knew and not all people believe the same so just my advice but three of us agree...so thats a great start.....

Kor und leisungzucht, Good post. Or,at least I will say that I agree with it.

To correctly bond with the pup you need to let him out of that crate and let him into your lives...... Can't understand why the pup has to be inside a crate when its inside your house .... and then you choose to sleep next to the crate.

When I saw my current pup at the breeders she was fine, just like the rest, but then was more apprehensive than the others when they were brought individually into the breeders living room. She did not back off us, but did not come over immediately, sniffing around for longer, etc. I did not want to take her as I felt she was not outgoing enough & pups at this age should be full of fun. We got her home & my family came round & she was fine with them. Next day I took her into my neighbours & she was incredibly wary of them & did not want to go near them. I knew this would lead to problems. She continued this way as I tried to socialise her but would not let people go straight up to her. We have been unable to show her & it is sometimes quite dangerous that she is so fearful as if off lead & scared (by joggers for instance) she will take off. We are a very knowledgeable GSD home & yet we have been unable to get her out off this it is her basic nature/way of coping & is typical in kennel raised dogs that have been bred for profit. We had another dog like this previously (bred the same) & he was very nervous. I personally wouldn't buy a GSD pup over 8wks unless it had been kept in a really busy environment & was of obviously out going confident nature. We got a kennel bred bitch of 6wks from about 14yrs ago & she turned out fine because we were able to socialise her really well. If you keep this dog, which I will expect you will, as I did! you will have to accept that it will always be nervous. Train it well & it will gain confidence from you that will enable it to cope better. Start to gently socialise & build up. The problem with nervousness, is that with maturity, aggression can develop as a coping mechanism. Really good obedience will be the key. Train on a flat collar with plenty of treats & praise. Good luck, it's early days yet.

Good advice, Lily. I made similar mistakes with Blitz and I was an experienced dog person and should have known better. I should have taken him back too, but didn't. My first GSD was a social butterfly from day one. He never had any sort of temperament problems with any human he ever met. I assumed Blitz would be the same ....wrong. Yes, Fireguy shoulda, woulda, coulda, but he didn't. This may be his first GSD. This breed is alot different than many others. Not all breed pups need the intense socialization needed by so many GSD puppies, some just automatically adapt to their surroundings taking it all in stride. I've placed adult Malamutes that were kennel dogs for their entire lives; they climbed into the back seat of their new owner's cars and never had the decency to look back. They moved in as if they were born there. This is not unusual for that breed at all. GSD's are different and even people like me who have owned another breed for many years make mistakes. The breeders have to bear some of the responsibility of educating new buyers on the nuances of the breed.

Before you buy a puppy always take it to a location AWAY from the littermates/Dam.This place should be somewhere that the pup has not been exposed too. Should not be a threatening place but not familier. See how the pup responds...It should be curious and explore. If it acts scared, hides etc... I would not buy it...

Desert Ranger, ON POINT! and if the breeder makes excuses for the behavoir or frowns on your request...politely exit!

Good morning all; Many make very valuable points, and all their knowledge has been "earned" the hard way, such is how it goes sadly...we have all tried at one point I am sure to make the square peg fit the round hole..and the only one who really suffered was the dog/pup. It is my opinion that a well bred GSD puppy should not **need** to be "socialized", that their soundness of nerve and temperment should allow them to face life "head on". When you **need** to get that pup out and flood him with sights, sounds and people, you need to prepare yourself to face reality, this will never be a dog you can count on for anything other than being a lovely companion for your immediate family within the confines of your home. I think back painfully to the first time I attended a Schutzhund club with my beautiful Am bred conformation champion..I was so naive to believe he could "do it".. suffice to say, the first time the gun was fired, it was a good thing yours truly had a good leash and collar on said dog. This beautiful dog who had finished his championship at 8mos, several Best of Breeds, was nothing more than a "pretty face". This was in a time when the Ambred's were not near as bad as they are now. I promptly went home, made some cold hard realizations, and made the appointment to neuter the dog within the week..much to the dismay of the breeder whom wanted to utilize him in their program. I then went on the quest to locate a sound nerved dog..a "real" GSD. The old fancy show dog lived to a ripe age of 4, he died of bloat..but his years with me were as peaceful as I could make them for him..no loud noises if possible etc. Now...imagine my education when I did find that first well bred working line puppy! What a tremendous world of difference..there was no dragging him everywhere, he drug ME,,he took life on full blast by the horns! I remember recieving him at the airport cargo, and letting him out of his crate, he came out flying, latched on to a Delta's employees pants, tugged like crazy, then went running across to someone else..when it happened, the swinging door opened and smacked him flying! I was horrified..I thought this was IT! To my surprise, he simply picked himself up and carried on like nothing had occured..now THAT was a dog! I do wish Fireguy the best, and I hope both him and his breeder have learned from this thread..I am sure Fireguy will provide the best life possible for this youngster, and hopefully he will not set too lofty of goals for the pup..just learn from him, and make sure you take a more knowledgeable person with you when you select your next working prospect. We all started somewhere in this crazy sport, and most of us started the same with..with dogs not bred, nor capable in temperment of doing what we wanted, but we learned from them and moved forward. Welcome to the world of GSD's Fireguy, may your voyage be smooth, even through the rough times!

Thank you for one of the smartest and most sincere posts I've ever read on this board, Kor. Kudos to you for recognizing that some of us keep the dog no matter what and many of us have used poor judgement when we selected our dogs and their breeders. I had to revise my plans for Blitz and have come to not expect nearly as much from him as I had hoped for at the beginning. He'll never make a good Schutzhund or agility dog, I know that now, but he's here to stay and I think I have learned from my mistakes. If you are a breeder, you must be a very good one.

Blitzen; Thank you for your kind words. We have likely all been through what Fireguy is going through now..we have made the excuses, we swore we could "do it" with our dogs no matter that it was blatantly obvious we could not. Well, I take that back, some trainers will happily take a clients money, promising goals that are simply NOT fair to the dog! This is a big sore spot with me. We all know not every dog can do Schutzhund, so it bothers me when methods are used to "make" the dog do things it has no desire to do, nor does it have the temperment to actually perform what is being asked of it. Like many, when a dog comes here, it stays here till it passes, and each and every one has been an incredible learning process for me. Sometimes the lesson has been harsh, other times very joyous! Either way, a lesson was learned, and this journey with dogs has taught me as much about temperment in dogs as it has about temperment in people! Make the most of the dog you have, learn as much as possible, but be FAIR to the dog above all else! Realize his/her ability to reach YOUR goals may not mesh.. And Blitzen, no, I am not a breeder, it is much easier for me to spend time with just a couple dogs, and learn from them through trial and error, I certainly don't want the responsibility of producing them! I just enjoy (most of the time) the fruits of others labors by means of a puppy...