German Shepherds

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Natebishop3

Natebishop3

Don't tread on me!
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So I bought a German shepherd. He's only six weeks old so I have to wait a couple weeks before I can pick him up, so that gives me some time to prep. Anyone have any experience with shepherds?

I want to get him a crate. I'm not sure how big of a crate I need though. The 48 inch crates are almost $200 from Petsmart. I'm hoping I don't need one that big.
 
I had 2 German Shepards growing up. I can't remember what size crates we had, but I know they only were put in the crates as young pups. They are great dogs, very loyal sometimes over-protective.

Only downside to the breed is hip dysplasia and the average Shepherd only lives 9 years.
 
Natebishop3 said:
So I bought a German shepherd. He's only six weeks old so I have to wait a couple weeks before I can pick him up, so that gives me some time to prep. Anyone have any experience with shepherds?

I want to get him a crate. I'm not sure how big of a crate I need though. The 48 inch crates are almost $200 from Petsmart. I'm hoping I don't need one that big.
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Look on craigslist free section. People give used crates away all the time.

Also you and him need to take a dog training class, it will help you both and to also get him socialized around other dogs and people.
 
SlyPokerDog said:
Look on craigslist free section. People give used crates away all the time.

Also you and him need to take a dog training class, it will help you both and to also get him socialized around other dogs and people.
Click to expand...

There's also a dog park at Gabriel which is not far from where I live.
 
Natebishop3 said:
There's also a dog park at Gabriel which is not far from where I live.
Click to expand...

Dog obedience classes are not the same as taking your dog to a dog park.

But they do hold dog obedience classes at some dog parks.

Remember, he is a dog. (Many owners actually forget this) That means he thinks of you and everyone in your family as dogs. Throughout his life but especially when he is a young and teen dog he is going to try and find his place in your pack of dogs (meaning you and your family.) You need to know and understand these behaviors and more importantly know how to respond to them correctly when you spot them. Hint, beating the dog isn't always the correct response.

Also you should remind him daily how much his life sucks because he doesn't have thumbs. Can't open doors, use can openers, drive, etc all because he doesn't have thumbs then remind him that because you are a dog that does have thumbs you can do all of these things.
 
SlyPokerDog said:
Dog obedience classes are not the same as taking your dog to a dog park.

But they do hold dog obedience classes at some dog parks.

Remember, he is a dog. (Many owners actually forget this) That means he thinks of you and everyone in your family as dogs. Throughout his life but especially when he is a young and teen dog he is going to try and find his place in your pack of dogs (meaning you and your family.) You need to know and understand these behaviors and more importantly know how to respond to them correctly when you spot them. Hint, beating the dog isn't always the correct response.

Also you should remind him daily how much his life sucks because he doesn't have thumbs. Can't open doors, use can openers, drive, etc all because he doesn't have thumbs then remind him that because you are a dog that does have thumbs you can do all of these things.
Click to expand...

Oh we're planning on doing the classes. For sure. Maybe the ones at Petsmart.... we'll look around.
 
I've had Shepherds for about 40 years. If you raise them right, I think they are the best breed there is. If they don't get the training they need, they can be a huge pain in the ass.

There are lots of effective training methods. The important thing is to choose one and commit to it. You'll enjoy your dog so much more if he's well behaved. He'll enjoy being trained by being allowed to go more places if he minds.

My brother in law used a training method that claimed that it is imperative to start training on the first day of the seventh week. His dog was well behaved using this method, and iirc, it was all positive reinforcement training. If this is the way you choose, you need to get the book soon. You'll probably need to show the people that have your pup the book to help convince them that you need to take him home a week earlier than the traditional 8 weeks.

About the crate, it somewhat depends on the training method you use. I know a lady that trains search and rescue dogs, and she uses a large crate as part of the training. I don't use that method, so a medium crate to transport him when he is a puppy works for me. You might have a decent shot at buying one on Craig's list.

You probably know this, but don't take your pup anywhere until get him his shots. Iirc, this is a series of 2-3 shots, with some time between.

Go Blazers
 
oldguy said:
I've had Shepherds for about 40 years. If you raise them right, I think they are the best breed there is. If they don't get the training they need, they can be a huge pain in the ass.

There are lots of effective training methods. The important thing is to choose one and commit to it. You'll enjoy your dog so much more if he's well behaved. He'll enjoy being trained by being allowed to go more places if he minds.

My brother in law used a training method that claimed that it is imperative to start training on the first day of the seventh week. His dog was well behaved using this method, and iirc, it was all positive reinforcement training. If this is the way you choose, you need to get the book soon. You'll probably need to show the people that have your pup the book to help convince them that you need to take him home a week earlier than the traditional 8 weeks.

About the crate, it somewhat depends on the training method you use. I know a lady that trains search and rescue dogs, and she uses a large crate as part of the training. I don't use that method, so a medium crate to transport him when he is a puppy works for me. You might have a decent shot at buying one on Craig's list.

You probably know this, but don't take your pup anywhere until get him his shots. Iirc, this is a series of 2-3 shots, with some time between.

Go Blazers
Click to expand...

What's the book for the positive reinforcement training?

Thanks for all the info btw :)
 
The book is Family Dog, by Richard Wolters. They have it at Powell's. A lot of his book is a study of his young son (6?) training the puppy.

Most training methods start about 6 months, and are some combination of positive and negative reinforcement. If it was me, I would use the Wolters method when he's really young, then find a place that gives classes for 6 month old dogs. You will get a lot out of the class because you'll have confidence that your dog already knows most of the stuff you'll be doing.

It's hard to train a dog that there are times that he must mind, this instant, even if he REALLY doesn't want to, with all positive reinforcement. Training with a group of others will help with this training.

The dog park is a good place for socialization. You should take advantage of that if you live near one. Having a 100 lb german shitbird that wants to tear up the male golden retriever next door every time he sees him is a major headache.

Just my experience, but my sheps have lasted about 12 years when we've had to put them down.

Go Blazers
 
For a crate, try to find a wire crate (Precision is the brand I got for the Rotty/Cane Corso mix) that comes with a puppy training divider. You can expand the size of the crate as your puppy grows. You're gonna want to get the biggest one that you can find. Your dog is going to be huge & that way you only invest in one crate & your dog will grow attached to it as it gets bigger.

Patience. You're going to need lots of it. Don't ever yell at it or spank it.. I ruined my first dog. It fears me & it really bothers me. I made sure I didn't make that mistake with my 2nd dog.

You're going to need to walk your dog a lot. It's the best thing for them.

I urge you to take your dog to some obedience classes at PetSmart. I think it's around $100 for 8 sessions. They give you loads of coupons too. It's worth every penny.
 
EL PRESIDENTE said:
are they going to be guard dogs?
Click to expand...

I don't want a guard dog per se, but I want a dog that will protect my family when I am away. Even if he is the nicest dog in the world, a German Shepherd is still one of the most intimidating dogs on this planet.
 
I grew up with Shepherds, and have had them all my life. My family used to breed them, so I think I know a lot about the breed. Here are the most important things to do, IMO.

1. Make sure the dog has all it's shots.
2. IMMEDIATELY take the dog to obedience school.
3. IMMEDIATELY take the dog to "social events". Remember, you want a dog that can protect, not that is over protective.
4. Buy the book "The art of raising a puppy" There is a great website for working dogs http://www.workingdogs.com/book008.htm
5. Do you have kids? If so, get all of your kids friends over as early and often as possible. This also goes for your friends, but not as important. Introducing the dog to any and everything is the key.

German Shepherd are the best dog on the planet, IMO. You just have to be sure the dog is trained and controled early. I have seen people who can't handle their shepherd, and it's not good. I have a neighbor who's shepherd is constantly barking at kids coming over, or at other animals. My dog literally just sits at attention until she is told to do otherwise. My dog is a large breed shepherd that weighs 123 lbs, and not one person on the street is affraid to come up to him. My neighbors dog is fairly normal at about 75 lbs, and constantly barks at everyone.

The only time my dog has ever "acted up" was when a meter reader came into our backyard. First of all, they aren't supposed to do that if signs of a dog are posted. Anyway, he went back there and ran into my dog, and freaked. He started running, and my dog barked and snarled. He froze, and I walked outside and said "ausrushen" or relax in German. My dog sat down and stopped immediately. I fully expected to have a big hassle on my hands about this, but I never heard a word about it.

My point is, make sure the dog is well trained, or you could be in for all kinds of issues.
 
Pardon my ignorance (I'm a cat person) but what is the crate for? Can't you just move the dog on a leash? Cats need carriers since 1) they won't walk on a leash and 2) when nervous they seek small confined places.

My family had a shepherd/collie mix when I was a kid. GREAT dog. Never went to doggie school, don't think they had them back then, but was well trained and smart and VERY protective. Funny what you say about a dog finding his/her place in the "dog" hierarchy that we call a family. My cat, all 7 lb of her, had been there first and she made it clear she was head animal. So when the cat passed, the far larger dog would flatten herself against the wall to let the little cat go by. My grandmother visited once and she & the dog just fell in love. My grandmother was very frail but still liked a short walk in the morning. The dog would walk with her. Even though normally my brother, young and active, walked the dog, ran with her, etc. the dog still instinctively knew that this human was frail. She would walk very slowly sticking close to Grandma's side. If any moron had thought of grabbing Grandma's purse, that dog would have torn the moron to pieces.

There was a time when there were a series of home burglaries on the block. Everyone knew it was this one scumbag kid doing it but for a long time no one could prove it. My mother trained the dog to be wary of this one kid. Normally we wanted the dog to know who the neighbors were and allowed neighborhood kids to pet her. But if this kid came near my mother would tug the leash and say in a warning tone "Stay back. Vicious dog!". The dog could not understand the words but picked up the tension. When anyone passed on the sidewalk in front of our house, the dog would give a token bark and we'd all tell her to shut up. But when this kid passed, we'd all say "Bark louder! Louder!" It got to the point where he'd walk on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street and the dog would let loose full volume barking. Ours was the only house on the whole end of the block not burglarized. My mother said she almost hoped the brat would try, as she'd love to come home and find this scumbag pinned to the wall unable to move a muscle for fear the dog would tear his throat out.

Dogs can open doors. One night my cat died. By a strange coincidence, since I'd gone off to college, I was visiting, something I did not do frequently, when she died sleeping on my bed. I guess the dog scented death since she opened the door and woke me up whining in my ear. I asked her what the hell she thought she was doing in the middle of the night, turned on the light and saw my cat, who had obviously just died (still had muscle tension but no heartbeat) a few minutes go.
 
crandc said:
Pardon my ignorance (I'm a cat person) but what is the crate for? Can't you just move the dog on a leash? Cats need carriers since 1) they won't walk on a leash and 2) when nervous they seek small confined places.

My family had a shepherd/collie mix when I was a kid. GREAT dog. Never went to doggie school, don't think they had them back then, but was well trained and smart and VERY protective. Funny what you say about a dog finding his/her place in the "dog" hierarchy that we call a family. My cat, all 7 lb of her, had been there first and she made it clear she was head animal. So when the cat passed, the far larger dog would flatten herself against the wall to let the little cat go by. My grandmother visited once and she & the dog just fell in love. My grandmother was very frail but still liked a short walk in the morning. The dog would walk with her. Even though normally my brother, young and active, walked the dog, ran with her, etc. the dog still instinctively knew that this human was frail. She would walk very slowly sticking close to Grandma's side. If any moron had thought of grabbing Grandma's purse, that dog would have torn the moron to pieces.

There was a time when there were a series of home burglaries on the block. Everyone knew it was this one scumbag kid doing it but for a long time no one could prove it. My mother trained the dog to be wary of this one kid. Normally we wanted the dog to know who the neighbors were and allowed neighborhood kids to pet her. But if this kid came near my mother would tug the leash and say in a warning tone "Stay back. Vicious dog!". The dog could not understand the words but picked up the tension. When anyone passed on the sidewalk in front of our house, the dog would give a token bark and we'd all tell her to shut up. But when this kid passed, we'd all say "Bark louder! Louder!" It got to the point where he'd walk on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street and the dog would let loose full volume barking. Ours was the only house on the whole end of the block not burglarized. My mother said she almost hoped the brat would try, as she'd love to come home and find this scumbag pinned to the wall unable to move a muscle for fear the dog would tear his throat out.

Dogs can open doors. One night my cat died. By a strange coincidence, since I'd gone off to college, I was visiting, something I did not do frequently, when she died sleeping on my bed. I guess the dog scented death since she opened the door and woke me up whining in my ear. I asked her what the hell she thought she was doing in the middle of the night, turned on the light and saw my cat, who had obviously just died (still had muscle tension but no heartbeat) a few minutes go.
Click to expand...


Crate's are for housing the dog indoors while sleeping, or while you are away for a bit. Most dogs love their crate because it gives them a sense of security when they are in it.
 
crandc said:
Pardon my ignorance (I'm a cat person) but what is the crate for? Can't you just move the dog on a leash? Cats need carriers since 1) they won't walk on a leash and 2) when nervous they seek small confined places.
Click to expand...

Crates are for indoors. It's like a dog house but inside. When they're young, it's good to keep them in there when you are away from home or else they'll pee, poop, and chew everything up.

Plus they're great for obedience training. They're not used for punishment but to keep them contained. I keep my dog's crate open when we're home & she goes in there all the time to nap or chew her bones. It's her little cave.

Thanks man. I actually saw one on Costco's site for 125 and it's a 48 inch.
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Nice. That's the size I got. My dog is probably about 100lbs now & she just turned 1. She fits in there perfectly length wise. In fact, she's resting in there right now after she did some running.

Be sure to get one with a puppy divider or else they'll go to the bathroom in there. My dog put on a pound every few days when we first got her. It seemed like I was adjusting the size of the crate every other week.
 
A few more thoughts for NB3:

Have chewy things, like pig ears (careful with the dyed ones, they can stain), cows hooves, or leather chews, available for your dog. This will give him something besides your dress shoes with which to satisfy his chewing cravings, especially when he's teething.

I had a guy that attack trained dogs tell me that only about 5% of dogs are willing to take on a full grown man, unless they had training to do that. Personally, I think that number goes up with Shepherds, but he insisted not so. His claim was that most dogs, when a puppy, have been manhandled in some way, and that they understand that a grown man is a formidable opponent. I am 99.99999% certain that he was wrong on this, at least with the three male sheps I've had. They would definitely defend their family and property. I'm not nearly so sure that my four females would have taken on a man.

Another use for the crates, that I don't see above is that many training methods say to confine your dog before a training session, and the crate is a good way to do that. Also, the lady I know that trains search and rescue dogs says that she confines the dog, with the door of the crate to at wall, when he doesn't obey her, i.e. runs off when she is calling them. I'm not sure how the dog makes the connection, but she swears that it works.

I don't agree that you never spank your dog. I always started very early with a smack, if for example, they growled for acted aggressively toward a kid. A dog must know that there is absolutely NO reason to EVER bite a kid.

Here's something I wish I knew sooner. I noticed for a long time that, when we had someone at our house that we didn't really like, the dog would always lay within that person's sight, and never took his eyes off of them. He somehow picked up that we didn't like them. That's probably not a revelation for many dog owners. What took me a very long time to figure out was when he would 'bad vibe' someone at my house that we liked....that was not his normal personality. Over the course of years, we found out what the issue was. The people he did that to didn't like US, and we didn't know it. It took the passage of time to find out that they were backstabbing us to others, and we were unaware, party because we didn't pay attention to what our shep was telling us.

Go Blazers
 
Here's something I wish I knew sooner. I noticed for a long time that, when we had someone at our house that we didn't really like, the dog would always lay within that person's sight, and never took his eyes off of them. He somehow picked up that we didn't like them. That's probably not a revelation for many dog owners. What took me a very long time to figure out was when he would 'bad vibe' someone at my house that we liked....that was not his normal personality. Over the course of years, we found out what the issue was. The people he did that to didn't like US, and we didn't know it. It took the passage of time to find out that they were backstabbing us to others, and we were unaware, party because we didn't pay attention to what our shep was telling us.
Click to expand...



Hahaha. Classic shepherd trait. Our dog also let's us know if somoene is sick or just worn out. He will constantly lay on or by somone if they are sick. I also love that our dog sleeps in an open area between our kids' bedrooms. He loves them so much, and would easily destroy anyone who tried to hurt them.
 
Mediocre Man said:
Hahaha. Classic shepherd trait. Our dog also let's us know if somoene is sick or just worn out. He will constantly lay on or by somone if they are sick. I also love that our dog sleeps in an open area between our kids' bedrooms. He loves them so much, and would easily destroy anyone who tried to hurt them.
Click to expand...

I want to meet your dog after hearing this.
 
Funny, cats have that instinct as well. My current family are very timid, but in the past I was owned by a very friendly cat. If there was someone she did not want to make friends with, it usually, no, always, turned out there was something really wrong with that person.
 
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