New Puppy Arriving Soon - Page 1

Hello all. I'm new here and I thought by joining a forum I could get some expert advise on raising a GSD. We have had two German Shepherds and just had our last one put down 2 weeks ago. She was a beautifull 11yr. old Long Hair and my best friend. She was diagnosed with Ostiosarcoma. We are now working with a breeder and should have our new pup sometime in Sept. This will actually be the first GSD we will own with an excellent pedigree. Since she will be raised growing up with our 18 mo. old grandaughter and our family pet I would appreciate any advise you could share on raising her and the correct way to socialize her. We have not had much luck in properly socializing our past GSD's. They were always timid and shy around people. Since our new pup comes from an excellent background of police and military training I want to make sure it will be properly socialized and a obedience trained along with being a loving family companion.

Love to see puppy pics when you get her!  Welcome to the forum.

Yes, Hi and welcome 'aboard'.  You should be able to get some
guidance here, although at times you will possibly get too much (!)
and sometimes conflicting comments to sort through.  Most people
are well-intentioned, and many people are truly very experienced.
It will help if you ask particular questions about queries you have as
you go along,  for this your first post I would say the only stuff we
can help with is the broad generalisation that if you are getting your
next puppy from truly working / law enforcement stock, you should
start with much less of a problem re nervous behaviour,  but the dog's
development is still largely down to the work you put in.
There are threds on here about socialisation / habituation;  I believe
there is also a general Training article on the site which covers the
basics.  I would always advise anybody with a new GSD pup to buy
a good book on the breed; and to find a Training Class (or Trainer)
close to home, which the new owner feels comfortable with.
Enjoy your pup, and best of luck with her.  And yes, please, lots of
pics as soon as you can !  
 

Welcome, Some of the problems you had in the past might have been due to breeding. Temperament is largely inherited but environment also plays a factor. The behavior of a puppies parents is a good predictor of your puppies temperament. If you do not like the parents behavior don't expect the puppy being anything different. The socialization period closes around 4 months of age, once the pup has been through it's shots and has gotten used to you, take it places such as a coffee shop and sit outside and let people give your puppy treats. Supervise all contact with strangers especially children. At this age ignore bad behavior and reward good behavior.