shanna66's dog update

[Shanna66]

so its been decided that my future dog will be a german shepherd and we will be getting a puppy. using petfinder to find the future baby. the fiance wants a male and the name i picked out before will be the dog's name if we do end up getting a male.

and now for the bad news. the fiance says that since we are getitng apuppy ill have to wauit until after the honeymoon to get it gonk thats all the way at the end of august and we are planning on having the house around the end of may. thats so long to wait! but ive waited nearly 9 months so i guess i can wait a little longer.

so, time to buckle down and do some puppy research. ive been doing plenty of research on the breed as an adult but i dont know what to do with a puppy. ive never gotten to choose how to train my own puppy before.

we are planning on crate training
the fiance is agasint choke chains and stuff so none of that for the future baby hund
i plan on taking the puppy everywhere and going to petsmart with him a couple times a week so he can see doggy strangers and lots of people

so tips on training? things i should get? i want to go ahead and make a shopping list for him  

[Mistress of Rain]

i would try to socialize him to cats as well. (took my kitty out yesterday... people were looking at me weird for a cat looking out my car window... and walking on a leash in the store....)

but yeah read read... puppy proof... read some more... get the things around for the puppy. For the crating are you just going to let it be his little safe place? that is what is happening with my cat when I move, she is getting her own crate to hide away in.  

[JosephineReally]

I don't figure you will but don't yell at the puppy ever or use negative training, instead use positive reinforcement. German Shepherds tend to have a lot of anxiety so yelling or marking things negatively does not do well for them. Make sure you don't use their crate as a punishment either otherwise putting them in it when you leave or go to bed will make them think that they are in trouble. Instead make a designated time out area.

The kong toys that are at petsmart are great. smile We have one you fill with peanut butter though I don't like them too much because they tend to get gross and are pretty fattening for my older dog though they were really good when it came to keeping them occupied while we were out and we have one that you put little treats in and they have to figure out how to get them out. It really wears them out mentally which is great.
Also make sure you get them plenty of chewies since puppies love to chew on things.  

[JosephineReally]

Oh, I forgot, if you do want to be able to let them know that they are doing something wrong but not in a mean way get a squirt bottle and give them a shot with one stream. Gets my dogs to quit bad behavior pretty quickly smile and if you're a hiker you might want to pick up a drinking bowl that like flips shut (I'm sorry I forgot the name and can't think of a better way to describe them sweatdrop ) They're pretty handy when you're out in the middle of no where with a thirsty pup.  

[LuvByrd]

If you have the time, read Karen Pryor's book "Don't shoot the dog". Fantastic book that covers the psychology and methods behind all animal training. Using primarily positive reinforcement and shapping (clickers really help), you can begin training earlier. Things like choke chains, and other negative reinforcement is too hard on puppies (and by 'hard' I mean psychologically). "Old fashioned" methods usually began around 6 monthes of age, but you can begin at a much younger age w/ clicker training. The Ffor Dummies" series is also decent.

Gots to go, will try and post potty tips in the next few days or so. I want a German shepherd puppy!  

[Shanna66]

the crate will be a happy place only. the house we are working on getting has alot of spare rooms so im sure i can find someplace for a timeout area

and its been so long since ive trained a dog that i nearly forgot about the amazing clicker training, thanks for the reminder mrgreen

@ jiti
that book looks so cute. ive got spare small notebooks i could use, but something that does the organizing for me sounds much better

@ JosephineReally
thanks for the tip. my friend has one of those waterbotles for her westie that we use whenever we go for long walks at the part and i love it


@luvbyrd
potty training tips are needed. what should i expect from an untrained puppy? how ruined will my new floors be? how should i potty train?


also can i give the puppy raw chicken bones? or should i wait until his big teeth come in?


and how do i kno whwne my house is puppy proof? do i just keep all the important stuff on high shelves? or so i need to get locks for everything like when you get a baby?  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

If you get a pup from the SPCA there's a few "tests" I would do to ensure a submissive dog. I will go through my notes to recall the spefifics, but it is a list of things breeders do to asses a dog's temperament before homing them.

The one I do remember well is that you pick the dog up by the belly. And just kind of hold him above the ground, and if he goes limp, then he trusts you, and if he stays stiff, then he is very nervous. Then there's the eye contact test. I will find a good link to explain the process.

Obviously socialize lots and puppy classes would be ideal. Even if Hubby thinks he knows everything, the socializing alone is worth it.  

[Shanna66]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

If you get a pup from the SPCA there's a few "tests" I would do to ensure a submissive dog. I will go through my notes to recall the spefifics, but it is a list of things breeders do to asses a dog's temperament before homing them.

The one I do remember well is that you pick the dog up by the belly. And just kind of hold him above the ground, and if he goes limp, then he trusts you, and if he stays stiff, then he is very nervous. Then there's the eye contact test. I will find a good link to explain the process.

Obviously socialize lots and puppy classes would be ideal. Even if Hubby thinks he knows everything, the socializing alone is worth it.

thanks. i have no idea how to pick out a puppy  

[DeeSpark]

i woud also even use treats when out to socialize. And socialize to EVERYTHING. Seriously. I had no idea what to do with Sparky when he was a pup. Now I'm trying to deal with bad dog aggression, trying to get him used to the new cat, and trying to get him to be less stiff around certain types of people...

If your lucky you'll have only a small amount of potty accidents, which is only to be expected. Always have the dog crated, or supervised. If it starts sniffing the ground, outside. After a meal, outside. After a sleep, outside. After play, outside. And it depends on age and size, but probably take the dog out every hour or so (Unless your using a puppy pad or something, but same rules apply). When the dog pottys where you want to, possibly praise the dog as it's doing it (though be careful as some dogs will get distracted by you and stop), and afterwards, get all happy and give the pup a treat. Possibly let it roam around outside for a bit longer if it wants, then go back inside.  

[Shanna66]

DeeSpark

i woud also even use treats when out to socialize. And socialize to EVERYTHING. Seriously. I had no idea what to do with Sparky when he was a pup. Now I'm trying to deal with bad dog aggression, trying to get him used to the new cat, and trying to get him to be less stiff around certain types of people...

If your lucky you'll have only a small amount of potty accidents, which is only to be expected. Always have the dog crated, or supervised. If it starts sniffing the ground, outside. After a meal, outside. After a sleep, outside. After play, outside. And it depends on age and size, but probably take the dog out every hour or so (Unless your using a puppy pad or something, but same rules apply). When the dog pottys where you want to, possibly praise the dog as it's doing it (though be careful as some dogs will get distracted by you and stop), and afterwards, get all happy and give the pup a treat. Possibly let it roam around outside for a bit longer if it wants, then go back inside.

thanks  

[Skeksis]

Yep, pup sure can have raw chicken bones, just make sure they're too big for the pup to swallow in one gulp so he has to chew and get used to eating without bolting it. Chicken thighs should work well, especially if you hold one end the first few times until he gets the hang of it.

Take pup everywhere and let it meet and see everything. 3nodding  

[kennychesneyfan]

Taylor was raised as a raw fed dog, he was started with chicken drumsticks at weeks old. Potty training, outside after meals, naps, play and anytime he/she starts sniffing suspiciously. You will have accidents. Trace (my other golden) loves his crate and goes into it on his own for naps now. Crate your pup when you go to bed. Putting the crate in your closet will definitely cut down on howling at night, if not prevent it. And don't forget to pick up water after about 6 or 7pm. And do the potty dance for a job well done! LOL  

[squeakygirl]

Shanna66

@luvbyrd
potty training tips are needed. what should i expect from an untrained puppy? how ruined will my new floors be? how should i potty train?

With puppies, you can expect them to have to potty first thing in the morning and after naps, within 20 - 30 minutes of eating/drinking (watch for signs), after rigorous play-time and before bed.

Even if you have a fenced in yard, until puppy is familiar with what is going on, it might be best to leash up puppy and take him to an area of the yard you want him to use. Repeatedly tell him to go potty. As soon as he does, reward him. A reward doesn't have to be a treat, but could be something as simple as a "Good boy!" or "Good potty!" along with some love.

I tried the potty pads and they were okay, but most of the time Roxie missed them, so I stopped using them. When she realized the routine, she'd start sitting by the door waiting to go out. Without any training, she started nudging the door handle to tell me she had to go.

Hope this helps a bit. It's been awhile since I've had a puppy in the house.  

[LittleMissMich]

I got my shepherd when he was 8months. He chewed everything that he could find. I wish I had crated him. He was also a master of escape and selective hearing. He to this day has little recall; it's a chance with the breed. He also pulled like mad and nothing seemed to help; the day he pulled a 300lb man over and kept running was the day he got a head halti. It's painless and works wonders. I trained my collie who is a service dog with it and both of them were angels in seconds. Males tend to wander as is their nature and buck like broncos when what they want and what you want are different things. If you can help it, don't let him learn to lift his leg. After that, mine decided he didn't have to listen. The males I know who don't lift their leg mind really well. Still, by nature, males wander. Mine loves tracking games, he even has a specific harness for it. Teach plenty of games and always make training fun, not hyper, but fun. Both my dogs are trained in English, German, and ASL; my collie knows Spanish and is learning Hungarian. They are smart dogs, GSD's are no exception. They do know how to outsmart their owners. When we adopted my male, they told us he was too stupid to learn; he outsmarted them to get cookies the easy way. First thing to teach is that small critters are not prey, you want to avoid lawsuits with this breed. Have you made sure your insurence company allows this breed? A lot don't cover families with working breeds or bully breeds.