new owner/puppy - Page 1

Hello, looking for any advice as very confused, we bought our puppy as a pet and joined a local club we were told he is a very good dog and as far as we know i think he has a good pedigree, that got me thinking that possibly we could try and  look into doing extra training with him in the hope of being able to compete with him someday, could anyone explain the different options so far the only thing i have been able to figure out is i think his pedigree contains both working and show lines {i think i got that right} i will try to add photos later if this will help any help would be appriciated, than you

What type of club did you join?  What types of competition did you want to do with the dog?  You could show the dog or do any dog sport that you like and the pup has the ability for.  Super cute pup in your avatar, BTW.  

It might be a good idea to post his pedigree so that others can give you feedback in that regard. Of course, the pedigree is only a "piece of the puzzle", but at least you will know if there are some good working dogs in his lines. He is a very handsome boy! 

Without having more details on the puppy (age, your life style), here is my recommendation.

Start with the basics, obedience.  This builds a wonderful bond with you and your puppy and is the foundation for any activity.
Go to different shows, agility, IPO, rally, confirmation.  Find one that looks fun (fun being the key word) and start talking to people.

Remember, the dog does not care what it does.  It only cares about spending time with you.   All of the sports are really more for you.

Pictures are always welcome. 

thank you for replies,we joined a german shepherd club but only do the puppy classes,they do a competition class later in the night but i am not sure what they do,i think my next step should be to stay behind and see.lol. he is doing all the basics quite well,sit,stay,come leave,down,watch ect,he even barks when we say speak,lol,the only thing he does not like is loosing at a game of tug, he holds on as if his life depended on it, he has been well socalised and does not seem afraid of anything,yet at the same time shows no aggression. he is 18 wks now,and i only work part time,so have quite a lot of spare time for training,i have tried to add photos & pedigree but i am not having much luck (argh) hopefully manage soon, thank you all again for the replies,i really appriciate it.

One more thing I have learned by reading the different posts on this site.

A "working-line" dog does  not  mean you cannot put it in conformation shows.
A "show-line" dog does  not  mean you cannot put it in an IPO sport.

Since you did not get the pup for any special area, why not forget about whether it is a working or show line?  Once you put a label on something, it is too easy to stick to that road and not explore the other options.

best post I think I have seen from you fawndallas! yes that about sums it up. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201352674486084&set=pcb.10201352675726115&type=1&theaterhttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201352674886094&set=pcb.10201352675726115&type=1&theater

not sure if this will work but here is a couple of photos

 

The dog should win at tug of war and you should encourage that.  It's a game and as long as you have no other issues the dog always wins.  Think of it like a child playing a game and always losing, after a while the game is no longer fun.  

Thank you GSDNewbie.  That is one of the nicest compliments I have gotten.   I am learning a lot from many of you on this site.  All of it has made me love and respect German Shepherds as a dog breed even more than before.