Collecting my German Shepherd puppy tomorrow. Any words of wisdom?

johnnypanic

johnnypanic

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Going to collect, my German Shepherd puppy tomorrow afternoon. Have read some books and watched youtube videos, so think I'm well prepared, but would be interested in any words of wisdom that would help me or the puppy :)
 
johnnypanic said:
Going to collect, my German Shepherd puppy tomorrow afternoon. Have read some books and watched youtube videos, so think I'm well prepared, but would be interested in any words of wisdom that would help me or the puppy :)
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Have you owned a GSD before? :-)
 
Have you owned a dog before ?
Find a good puppy socialisation class
 
johnnypanic said:
Going to collect, my German Shepherd puppy tomorrow afternoon. Have read some books and watched youtube videos, so think I'm well prepared, but would be interested in any words of wisdom that would help me or the puppy :)
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Puppy pads and a good mop and bucket maybe :). A few sleepless nights as well, perhaps. What you need is plenty of patience and time, a puppy does tend to wake up of a night and want feeding.
 
Mine slept with me on the sofa for the first week and a half, when she needed to pee she would get restless then I could take her out the back, never had much problem after that. Teach her to sit and stay when the grub is put in the dish, only to start eating when you say.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Let the b****r cry during the night- don't get up when it cries or you will be getting up for many many nights.
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May need feeding during the night, they do tend to get hungry. Provided they are fed at the correct intervals, and the right portions. Sometimes when pups cry, they could be hungry, and simply may need feeding.
 
When she was young, & prone to wandering off to explore, we would hide & let our puppy find herself alone. We were always watching out for her but she would panic, once she realised that she'd 'lost' us. She would find us & be happy again.

We did this until she learned that she had to keep an eye on us & even now, at 11yrs old, she still checks that we're still in sight & not too far away. It's great to know that she won't stray too far, when we are out.
 
Toilet training will obviously be a big part of your lives for the next 8 weeks or so. The best way to deal with this is to know in advance the following:

As soon as puppy wakes up, he will need a pee, so place him on a puppy pad.
As soon as puppy has fed/had a drink, he will need a pee, so place him on a puppy pad.
As soon as puppy has finished having a play on the carpet, he will need a pee, so place him on a puppy pad.

Have the puppy pads/newspapers dotted all over the living room and kitchen, and gradually reduce the number each week. Always have one beside the back door which ideally should be your target one, soon he will be heading for the back door when he needs to go out by himself. Now that you know this is what will happen, remember that it will be your fault when he has an accident in the house!

For big breeds like GSD, don't have him running up stairs when he's a puppy, and it should only be 5 minutes walk outside for each month in age he is, until he's 7 months old e.g. 35 mins walk at 7 months - this will help his hips mature and ensure there's no hip problems later in life. Don't have him running over rough ground. And as mentioned above, puppy socialisation class's are vital and highly recommend, as is basic trading classes. He'll love them.

I have three Golden Retrievers, sadly had to say goodbye to number one two years ago, but this routine worked very well for us. It's a wonderful, fun filled time, congrats on your new family member and have a great time!
 
When it gets a bit older it will probably try and 'push the boundaries' a bit. Many inexperienced owners will then get rid. All its doing is trying to find its place in the pack (family). Its place is at the bottom. You need to be very firm (clearly not cruel) in reinforcing this. Do this correctly and you will have a delightful dog. I assume you have met the puppies parents and been able to experience their temperament?
As others have said, puppy socialisation classes are a must, along with rigorous recall training.
 
davys said:
Toilet training will obviously be a big part of your lives for the next 8 weeks or so. The best way to deal with this is to know in advance the following:
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Thanks for the advice. Have him home today, so keeping him in a crate, in the kitchen as it's just thru the utility room and out the back door. He's dandering in and out of the crate, haven't even had to try and lure him in, with treats. He a wise boy, as his vet blanket and a few toys are in there.

Intend, hopefully, to toilet train him straight to the back garden. Have been taking him out, every hour and after drink / food, which has had 4 pees and a pooh, all in the garden. I'm lucky, to have a big garden, so easy to sit out with him and enjoy the half decent weather.

As regards socialisation, he's about 15 weeks, so has been very used to other dogs, both adults and pups. I'm more worried about him missing them but will work at keeping him socialised with other dogs and of course humans :)

Live in a bungalow, so don't need to worry about the stairs and he's also going to get "introduced" to other parts of the house over time. Sensible advice regarding the exercise, etc., so thanks for that.

Lastly, a quick mobile pic, of our newest family member - Lightning :)


IMG_1240[1] by johnnypanic on Talk Photography
 
He is gorgeous!
 
What a cracking pup..Just look at the ears and the way he is watching you..Super
 
thats a super pup ,well done
 
He's certainly a handsome chap Mr Panic! You sound as though you've got things well in hand, I wish you both a long and happy life together
 
Absolutely gorgeous, what you calling him?
One of mine develop an attraction to chewing electric cables,
thought we had the house safe, all cables hidden, came in one day
And found he had moved the fridge away from the wall and not only
chewed the cable into small bits but also destroyed the grill on the back !
Had to build frames round everything after that, was an old house
and this was in the utility room, he'd also tried to move a large chest freezer !!!
 
Gremlin said:
Have you owned a dog before ?
Find a good puppy socialisation class
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Agreed. Register with a good vet, most will do socialisation classes which is really good.

Then also get on a training course once your puppy can interact in the wild. Remember the training course is not for your puppy, a good one is all about you.
 
johnnypanic said:
Going to collect, my German Shepherd puppy tomorrow afternoon. Have read some books and watched youtube videos, so think I'm well prepared, but would be interested in any words of wisdom that would help me or the puppy :)
Click to expand...

Fine looking puppy. I have always kept Labs, but German Sheperds can make super companions.

Insurance .................... !!
I have used LV who were excellent. Currently with PetPlan.
Ask your vet. Vets have to sign and support their clients and know the companies that pay out fairly and quickly and the others who try to dodge paying out..
Remember to microchip.
 
Very good point. We've found the pet plan very good, also how the vet take it back to the original starting treatment and sorts out all the paperwork. To us that is well worth the money.
 
Microchipping sorted and vet appointment next week. Currently looking at insurance, which I assume people would recommend "life time", so can check with vet next week.

Just have to sort his and the humans in the house Sunday dinner :D
 
johnnypanic said:
Microchipping sorted and vet appointment next week. Currently looking at insurance, which I assume people would recommend "life time", so can check with vet next week.

Just have to sort his and the humans in the house Sunday dinner :D
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Yes. Go life time cover. Else in the unfortunate event of a condition developing you may find you're only covered for a year.

Another vote for pet plan. Not the cheapest but pay out fast. A friend had a dog with a very complex and expensive issue and they paid without question. Did you not get a months free KC insurance at first?
 
boyfalldown said:
Yes. Go life time cover. Else in the unfortunate event of a condition developing you may find you're only covered for a year.

Another vote for pet plan. Not the cheapest but pay out fast. A friend had a dog with a very complex and expensive issue and they paid without question. Did you not get a months free KC insurance at first?
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Thing to remember about vets fees is that if your dog has to be referred to specialists then you are into £1000's territory.

I have twice had dogs that had to go to Glw Uni Small Animal's Hosp. The standard of care etc. was 200%. However, that came at a very large cost.
 
arclight said:
Thing to remember about vets fees is that if your dog has to be referred to specialists then you are into £1000's territory.

I have twice had dogs that had to go to Glw Uni Small Animal's Hosp. The standard of care etc. was 200%. However, that came at a very large cost.
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Couldnt agree more. I had a dog that ended up at Fitzpatrick's (of supervet program) - the fees were eye watering. The care second to non but I couldn't have coped with the fees without insurance
 
boyfalldown said:
Couldnt agree more. I had a dog that ended up at Fitzpatrick's (of supervet program) - the fees were eye watering. The care second to non but I couldn't have coped with the fees without insurance
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Noel Fitzpatrick....swoon.
 
johnnypanic said:
Thanks for the advice. Have him home today, so keeping him in a crate, in the kitchen as it's just thru the utility room and out the back door. He's dandering in and out of the crate, haven't even had to try and lure him in, with treats. He a wise boy, as his vet blanket and a few toys are in there.

Intend, hopefully, to toilet train him straight to the back garden. Have been taking him out, every hour and after drink / food, which has had 4 pees and a pooh, all in the garden. I'm lucky, to have a big garden, so easy to sit out with him and enjoy the half decent weather.

As regards socialisation, he's about 15 weeks, so has been very used to other dogs, both adults and pups. I'm more worried about him missing them but will work at keeping him socialised with other dogs and of course humans :)

Live in a bungalow, so don't need to worry about the stairs and he's also going to get "introduced" to other parts of the house over time. Sensible advice regarding the exercise, etc., so thanks for that.

Lastly, a quick mobile pic, of our newest family member - Lightning :)


IMG_1240[1] by johnnypanic on Talk Photography
Click to expand...
Lovely :)
 
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