Raising a pup... - Page 2

Blkdog I am very happy I was able to help you. Good luck and have fun with your new puppy
Warm regards,
Michele 

I just purchased a new pup....I raise all my own.....my bitch latches on to my pant leg....jumps on everything....plays ball....eats...enjoys puppyhood. She is 4 months....I've had her 2 weeks....walks around the block....just started the find command....to introduce her to tracking.....feed her from my hand....teaching sit....down.....come....stand.....hold....her new name.....barking...letting her know all her fun comes from me.....bonding...that is it for now....I teach them to carry dumbbells now....lots of socialization.....everything through play

Hi!

This is my advice. I never had a puppy, and have been waiting for my dream shepherd. But the time is near when I will graduate high school, and finally college and I will be the  happiest person on earth :) But here is how I would raise my puppy.

First off, it depends what you want to do with your pup..either way whatever training I will do is with positive reinforcement and clicker training. I am a huge fan of it, and i know there is a lot of contraversey about it, but I disagree and think it's a great way to reach the animal mind in non forceful ways. look it up for more info..i suggest clickertraining.com its the founder of clicker training on that website.

Also, I would start with socialization the minute I get my pup, because shepherds are working and protective dogs and without proper socialization can become the opposite of what the breed was meant to be. A puppy that I will acquire will have 50+ positive encounters a day, ranging anywhere from petting, to meeting people, basic training, etc.

GSD's are also very smart; you give them  a finger they take the whole hand! :) Meaning, if you do not want them on the furniture at all then don't let them do it now. My suggestion is though, that you allow your dog on the furniture if you don't mind vacuuming the hair, but teach them the command off everytime you want them to get off. You are the leader and dominating the couch or bed can become a problem if you don't teach off when they are young.

As for where to keep the pup, definitely indoors! GSD's are pack animals and bond greatly to the person they see as the leader. They have to be together at all times...I understand letting them out a bit in the yard..but I wouldn't let my dog be an outdoor dog. I rescued a GSD and fostered him (my mom was nice enough to let me foster since I can not have a permanent dog :) and he was an outdoor dog with behavior problems because of it. It is very hard to keep a dog outisde and have it become a good dog. When we brought him indoors and he became part of the pack, behavior problems he used to have were fixed so quickly that I don't think if he were to be outdoors couldve been fixed.

And last but not least you said you wanted to do Schutzhund. If that is the case, like any other sport you have to start "foundation work" as soon as possible..in your case it would be to go nutzo for tugging, as well as obedience work, the grander stuff comes a bit later. Get some books to see on Schutzhund prospects and ways to build a dogs confidence without overly doing it. You should research the topic first and find a good postive reinforcement trainer in your area, and then start out asap with the foundation work..like children, they are very flexible when the are young, but if they don't continue to do something with the flexibility most likely it will die out when you get older. same as with a dog with schutzhund potential, if you don't continue to encourage tugging and other foundation works they can die off and will be harder to get a really good dog in schutzhund. some really great articles about schutzhund is on the breeders website vonlotta.com

well have fun with your pup, they don't stay young like that for long. enjoy and cherish every moment you have together, and remember training= fun!

I raise my pups to be and act like a dog,

they do not sit on my couch, I supply doggie beds,

they are not allowed to use me as a chew toy, or I give them a squeeze on the mussel like mom does when she weans them.

I also never get down on the floor & roll around and play with a young pup, my dogs have very serious temperaments, they are looking for  me to ok what their next move should be, and if I screw that up for them, than they will become confused & lost, it's kinda like they rely on me to point them in the direction for the job at hand, whether it's protecting me, or just plain doing what they are told, they want to please you, just make sure you don't give them mixed signals

Awesome thread! Confusing. You've done bite work, but not personal protection. You've never raised a working dog. If all you are doing is PP, I wouldn't worry about anything. As long as you're not going to beat the dog, I wouldn't worry. You don't have to worry about points, the dog being flashy, driven or have a full calm grip. Besides, when you get sued, do you think the judge will care if your dog bites shallow?

I am wondering why you want  a personal protection dog. Do you live in area where you feel that you need one? If not, my suggestion is to have fun with your dog and join a Schutzhund club. You will likely get plenty of good advice and guidance at the club and have a good time with your dog too. Having  PPD can be a real liability so you need to be aware of the consequences. If you are determined to have your dog trained for PPD, seek the advice of a good personal protection trainer now, so you can start him off right. BTW, some insurance companies will refuse to insure you if they know you have a PPD. I'm not saying it is right or wrong, but it is a fact.

 Quote: The dogs toys are YOURS. You allow them to play with them. If you let them lay about they will play with at their leisure and bore of them.

I do not have that experience. I do not allow toys in the house because the dogs go buck wild chasing each other about, or if only 1 is out, I get tired of getting battered with the toy. Nothing like dog spit all over your leg. I have had dogs that will dunk the toy into the water dish, and get my attention that way. No toys in the house for me, but not because they will get bored with them. 

Soda is the destroyer. We named her Upchucky on her paperwork because she can take a kong toy down way to fast and then she will barf up the little slices that she grinds off. Nasty. No toys in the house. : )

I have a bitch like that too with the Kong or any other toy. She smuggled in a rubber ball the other day, that she found outside, that wasn't put up. She is not allowed to have anything like that, unless we are playing with it.. I agree, toys in the house can be annoying as well. Constanly pushing the toy into your lap, "Here, let's play, here let's play, here let's play".

Undestructible toys? Dogs like this will wear their teeth down on them, they are such voracious chewers. I have to be careful with raw knuckle bones as well.