Newest family member

[Serenity]

Well, it took a 12 hour round-trip drive, but we brought our newest family member home!



Kaiser is a pure-bred German Shepherd, just over 10 weeks old! My whole life I've wanted a German Shepherd, so he's the perfect first dog! He's a real troublemaker already, chewing on everything EXCEPT the chew toys, but he's incredibly sweet and well behaved otherwise (He slept through the whole car drive home, and didn't give us any trouble). I'll be taking him in for a check up in the next day or two just to make sure, but he seems healthy and very happy!

[Coalcat1]

Very cute, I know a few people who own German Shepherds, they are very nice dogs if properly trained, like any other dogs. If I were to get a dog, it would be a German Sheared.

[morfiend]

 Get a proper sized cage and use it!

 It will help in training and keep the dog safe when you're not around.  As soon as it eats take it out,as soon as you are done playing or training take it out. If you do these simple things the dog will be trained in no time. But remember until it is 6 months old it's still a baby and doesnt have full control so accidents will happen.

  Some people think a cage is cruel but if it's the proper size and kept covered the dog will naturally go to it. The cage will become it's space,my dogs all sleep in their cages,the doors are never closed now that they are trained but a puppy often needs to be protected from itself!

   You wouldnt want to come home to a dog that chewed a lamp cord and electrocuted itself,or worse burnt the house down in the process.


   If you dont have a lot of experience raising dogs,go to a obedience course to train the owner how to train the dog!


   Good luck,a well trained shepard is always an excellent dog!


   

[Thruster]

Awesome breed. We raised Sheps in Dallas for years but that was a long time ago. Almost a different dog. Good lookin' pup there for sure.

Since we all seem to assume you're unable to care for your new boy I'll add the only advice I can. Be consistent and enthusiastically reinforce the behavior you expect. Put the animal in a cage and I'll strongly suggest an bellybutton kicking. Unless of course you're tryin to start a dog zoo.....Nevermind. Even zoos gave up on cages decades ago.

If you can't train the animal, trust him alone with your priceless possessions, or can't handle the associated effluvia of canine cohabitation...just get a freekin' goldfish. As far as that stupidity about how "they like their cage"..who wants to bet I can get any member of this board to "like" being caged with less than 6 months. My rules of course but I guarantee results. There's not a critter alive that would ever choose to be caged. If you have to cage your pet. It's not a pet and you don't deserve their company.

[Curval]

Awww.

We have always had Sheps, until the current Cocker.

Great dogs!!!

Congrats.

[DREDIOCK]

the resemblance is astounding 

[morfiend]

Awesome breed. We raised Sheps in Dallas for years but that was a long time ago. Almost a different dog. Good lookin' pup there for sure.

Since we all seem to assume you're unable to care for your new boy I'll add the only advice I can. Be consistent and enthusiastically reinforce the behavior you expect. Put the animal in a cage and I'll strongly suggest an bellybutton kicking. Unless of course you're tryin to start a dog zoo.....Nevermind. Even zoos gave up on cages decades ago.

If you can't train the animal, trust him alone with your priceless possessions, or can't handle the associated effluvia of canine cohabitation...just get a freekin' goldfish. As far as that stupidity about how "they like their cage"..who wants to bet I can get any member of this board to "like" being caged with less than 6 months. My rules of course but I guarantee results. There's not a critter alive that would ever choose to be caged. If you have to cage your pet. It's not a pet and you don't deserve their company.

  Geeze I must have been doing something wrong for the past 35 years raising dogs!

   I had no idea they dislike cages,funny mine is sleeping in her's ATM!  And it's not locked or is she closed in it.

  Having a cage isnt cruel!  A dog will live in a small hole in the ground,what difference does a cage make....  But hey to each there own,I offered some advice to help stop the dog chewing on everything.


   It's obvious you never raised show dogs,they are kept crated as a rule!



   

[Obie303]

Nice looking pup Serenity.

Listen to Morfiend.  Crate training isn't cruel.  Having trained in confirmation and currently own working dogs (Alaskan Malamutes), a crate is very important.  Any dog can be crate trained.  It's not a tool to punish like some people think. 

PM me if you want a few tips.  Congrats again, bud.

Obie

[Serenity]

Thanks for all the tips gentlemen! This is my first dog, so I have a lot to learn. He just got back from a vet checkup, weighing in at 19lbs at 10 weeks! He's in great health, and we've got him on a health plan with preventative visits. He starts obedience training this coming Saturday, and we're very excited. We plan to get a big crate for when we're not home to keep him safe (he'll eat his meals in there to feel comfortable) but considering I'm in pool, so I'm home all day, he won't HAVE to be in it much at all. I'm very excited! He's just great temperament-wise.

[Hungry]

Great looking pup, we've had three black and tan Shepard's in a row now, truly the best, all three we used cages with, in addition it gives them there own place to go when their tired or need a break.

One more piece of dog training advice?  Keep commands to as few words as possible and always use the same word for a particular command/request of the dog

Good luck and enjoy

[flight17]

Thanks for all the tips gentlemen! This is my first dog, so I have a lot to learn. He just got back from a vet checkup, weighing in at 19lbs at 10 weeks! He's in great health, and we've got him on a health plan with preventative visits. He starts obedience training this coming Saturday, and we're very excited. We plan to get a big crate for when we're not home to keep him safe (he'll eat his meals in there to feel comfortable) but considering I'm in pool, so I'm home all day, he won't HAVE to be in it much at all. I'm very excited! He's just great temperament-wise.

I hope you like vacuuming a lot... I swear Shepard's shed their weight in fur...

They are however a very smart breed for the most part.

[morfiend]

 


  The obedience training will teach you how to train the dog,just remember you must be atleast as smart as the dog and twice as stubborn.

  Working breeds make good first time dogs,they want to please the master!


   Be firm but fair,never punish the dog for your mistakes. If the dog soils in the house,clean it but save some of the paper towel and take that outside,then take the dog to the paper and let it smell it!  It will soon learn thats the place to do it's business.

  If you watch closely the dog will let you know when it needs to go,they have signals like circling around and sniffing the ground or floor while turning. Once the dog does it's thing outside give it praise and make a big deal about it,this will encourage the dog to behave as you want.


   Good luck,it's a nice looking pup,would be nice to see a pic of just the dog standing!


  

[Dichotomy]

listen to Morph he knows what he's talking about.  Very good looking dog you got there.  Enjoy getting 10X the love back that you put in.

[BaldEagl]

I had a pedigreed white female German Shepard raised from a pup when I was in college.  This was after having dogs my entire life growing up in the country.  At the time I lived with three other guys who teased her relentlessly.  This didn't go well as she mistrusted all humans (except me and my immediate family).  She was mean and should have been put down but, as with most owners and their dogs, we had a relationship that I couldn't let go of.  She had to be leashed or at least closely watched around any strangers.

I had her bred to a championship white male and she had 11 puppies which I raised alone in an efficiency apartment.  At eight weeks I sold nine of the pups, kept one and gave one to a girl I knew at which point I finally did have the mother put down after biting someone walking past a neighboring apartment building.

My pup (another female) was completely obedience trained at three months.  She was extremely friendly and always stayed in the yard.  Until one day.  I heard a yelp.  As I ran out the door she'd crawled up onto the porch after being hit by a car in the street.  I picked her up, put her in the back seat of my station wagon and raced 100 mph to the vet.  Her body was already stiffening by the time I carried her in.  That was the last (and best) dog I owned.

The pup I gave away to the girl won 2nd place in the Canadian National Obedience trials at 2 years.

Last summer I ran across someone walking a white male around the lake across the street from me.  He was a very friendly pup.  It made me think for a minute about getting another one but they are a big commitment.  I'd never own anything other than a Shepard at this point and probably nothing other than a white one.  They are extremely smart and loyal.

Take care of your pup.  Train him/her early.  You'll have the best and certainly the most loyal friend you've ever had and hopefully for years to come.

BTW, that part about having to vacuum A LOT is no joke.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

BTW, that part about having to vacuum A LOT is no joke.

Lol tell me about it. Our cat likes to jump to my lap and 'help' me type. I'm wearing a black polo shirt that used to look fresh off the shelf and 1 minute later I look like a cro-magnon man. 100% hair coverage.