It appears as though there will soon be a new addition to the Maxx family. Don’t worry, there will be pictures as soon as possible. I’m familiar with the rules of this forum.
I’m going to be picking up a 12 week old German Shepard puppy this evening. He’s a male, not neutered. He is partially housebroken, and seems to nip occasionally. I can handle the housebreaking and discouraging the nipping as I’ve had other dog’s before. I haven’t had a German Shepard however. I know they are intelligent, loyal and can be trained to do damn near anything a canine is capapble of doing.
What I’m asking you folks is for any info, stories, hints and/or tips that may be particular to this specific breed.
Socialize, socialize, socialize. The more contact with other people, dogs, and animals, the better. Oh, and get him neutered as soon as your vet recommends.
I plan on intorducing him tomorrow to all the neighbors and their owners. The people we are getting him from have named him Barkley, but I’m not sure if he’s too old to learn a new name or if we should stick with the one he has now. I don’t mind Barkley but I think I’ll expand it to Sir Charles Barkley, after one of my favorite players.
Dogs don’t get too old to adapt to new names. I have adopted adult dogs that have learned a new name literally within minutes. Those are dogs whose previous names I never knew though. And I changed my current dog’s name from Brutus to Brewster (he’s a black Lab, and I wanted him to have a friendlier sounding name). It’s up to you. If he’s been used to his name for some time, I’d let him settle in because his name may be the only thing he’s accustomed to. Later, after he feels comfortable in his new home, I’m sure you could gradually change his name.
Most of the time I don’t even call my dog by name, I just say “here, boy,” and he comes runnin’.
Keep in mind that your puppy will become very large soon, so if you don’t want him sitting in your lap or on the couch when he’s 75 pounds, teach him that now.
Also, if you’re interested, look up the German Shepherd Dog Club of Greater York in Red Lion (I think).
First of all, buy this book: How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend. It is a wonderful book and the folks who wrote it happen to specialize in German Shepherds, although it really applies to any breed.
Second of all, get a crate, a largish one, since your pup will probably grow fast. Crating is the absolute best way to housetrain your dog.
Third of all, be aware of hip dysplasia. An ounce of prevention, etc. German Shepherds are very susceptible to this disease.
Congratulations. Dogs are the greatest friends ever.
I would never want to have a dog in my household that didn’t have at least entry level obedience training. In my area there are numerous places where you can enroll a dog for basic through advanced obedience training in a group setting, usually 6 one hour evening classes for 60 - 100 dollars. At 12 weeks of age he could learn basic stuff (sit, come) as well as interacting with other dogs his age. They also help with advice on house breaking, discouraging nipping, etc.
It pays. The other day I was walking with my dog in the woods when a deer ran by. She initially ran after the deer, but when I yelled for her to come back, she did a 180.
I’d definitely recommend obedience training too. With a dog that size I’d recommend someone that specializes in training larger dogs.
This site sells stuff but he give lots of great information on his website about training dogs.
I think they’re wonderful dogs! My neighbor has two beautiful white German Shepards. I know they crate trained their dogs. They’re nice dogs and so well behaved. My westie sneaks over every chance she gets to play with them. She grew up with their youngest dog and they’re great together. Best of luck with him!
Kilcommons’ Good Owners, Great Dogs is very thorough, covers pretty much every problem I’ve ever come across raising dogs (this is our third border collie), and gives good working advice. German Shepherds are such a likeable breed. Good luck with your new friend!
Definitely have him x-rayed for hip dysplasia because forewarned is forearmed. Feed him a really good, high protein large breed formula dogfood that’s heavy on the omega fatty acids and preferably with glucosamine and chondroitin supplements as well. Joint support starts early and large breed dogs need good nutrition to build those huge bodies correctly.
Working dogs get crazy if they get bored. Keep your puppy busy with anything you can devise; obedience training is a must, but consider agility, advanced obedience, tracking or herding as well. Teach him tricks, smart dogs love to figure out new problems and show off their prowess. German shepherds are very intelligent dogs that can be taught almost anything given time and proper motivation. Tennis balls are your friend, as they afford the greatest amount of dog exercise for the least amount of human effort, hands down. Socialize the pup to a ridiculous degree–dog parks, outdoor cafes, parades, Home Depot, PetSmart, take him with you everywhere you possibly can because the more experiences your dog has the more confident he’ll be.
I grew up with a shepherd and she knew all her obedience commands in English, German and Japanese, knew left from right reliably and used to pull me all over hell and gone on my skateboard. She, like many herding dogs, had very definite ideas about pack hierarchy and I had to prove to her on several occasions that I was dominant enough that she had to mind me. Once we got that straightened out we got along fine, and I credit her with having saved my bacon more than once–there were some seriously creepy people around when I was growing up. Shepherds tend to be fiercely protective of “their” people and have to be schooled carefully to keep aggression to a reasonable level.
Sorry I didn’t reply earlier, but the boards were down when I got back from picking up the puppy and some basic supplies. He has had two trips to the vet with his previous owners, and I’m making an appointment for next week. I think we are going to stick with calling him Barkley for the time being, but we’ll see if he develops a nickname for himself. There is a new SPCA a couple of minutes from our house and they offer training classes all the time. My wife and I have already discussed getting him (and us) trained.
Squeeeee! Barkley is a fine looking pooch! Love his big ears, and those gangly legs! I see a small person’s legs in some of the pictures. How lucky your kids and Barkley are to have each other!
Now I want a dog…too bad my feline overlords forbid it.
I would have loved to have more pictures but between keeping the kids out of the picture and trying to catch the puppy in a moment where he wasn’t either behind something or moving around, three good ones were all I could get.
Once everyone has settled down some, I’ll get some more pictures. I’m sure I’ll have more questions as well. Thanks for all the advice above, Caridwen I spent a bit of time on the site you recommended, and I’m sure I’ll be back there again.
Glad to hear it. If you ever have a question just PM or IM me. My next door neighbor with the two german shepards is home all day and if you have questions I’d be happy to ask her.
The site gives excellent housetraining advice. I followed his advice to the letter to housebreak my dog.
A nipper, and from the pictures it looks like you have kids…be very, very careful there. A professional trainer would not be a bad idea. He’s a very cute puppy.
