Just got a 2 mo. old GERMAN SHEPHERD....WHAT NOW?

Question

Someone was giving away free German Shepherd puppies and it was my son's 6 B-day, so I got one. This dog has had no shots and I know nothing about him. He is very gentle so far and seems to already be house trained. When we take him outside he poops and pees. Please tell me, what should I do as far as training and such. I read about ill tempered breeds, How do I know about this dog or do I have to wait till he gets a certain age to find out he is mean aand vicious.... Please give any advice.

Answer 1

wow where to start first you should get a book about german shepards and learn about the breed, second you can do a temperment test yourself to let you know what your looking like with him... http://www.nrta.com/breedforfoundation/temptest.html then get him all his needed shots http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/index.php?nic=puppy-shots Note: most shots except for rabies can be bought online and injected yourself to save money,
then look for puppy kindergarden classes to get him some obedience and garner some respect for you petsmart has a good-onehttp://www.petsmart.com/training/index.shtml

then have fun with your puppy, I know it does sound like a lot of work, but it really isn't that much. One key thing is not to spoil the dog when he is a puppy, because he will become spoiled, he must always know that you are in charge and wht you say goes. We tend to think that dogs need all that love, but they need structure and disipline just *** much. Watch the television show The Dog Whisperer and learn a lot about dogs.

Answer 2

I have had GSD'S since I was 4. If you socialize the dog a lot when it's a puppy then most likely it will be a sweetie. Mine is a therapy dog. We visit nursing homes, shcools, etc. He is also very tuned in to my feelings. If we are walking down a road and someone approaches me that makes me nervous he will bow up and growl. When he is in his yard he is very protective. What I'm trying to say is you can raise your dog to be a gentle giant and know it will instinctly protect you and your family. You NEVER want to train a dog to be mean.
Now on to other things... You need to take the puppy to the vet ASAP. The vet will check a stool sample and deworm the pup. Also give it it's first vaccines. These vaccines are very important. While nursing the dog has natural immunities it gets from it's mom. Assuming of course the mom was vaccinate. Without vaccines the pup is not protected. Parvo is carried by flies and can be fatal to puppies and older dogs. Distemper is air borne and can also be fatal, or at the very least cause life long health problems. Your puppy will need vaccines every 2-3 weeks (depending on your vets protocal) until it is 16 weeks of age. The vet will start it on heartworm preventative at 10 weeks of age. This is also very important. Heartworms are carried by mosquitos. HWD is an awful way to die. Preventative is much cheaper than treatment. Treatment can cost as much as 700.00. Preventative is about 30.00 or more every 6 months or less if you use ivermectin which is the active ingredient in Heartguard. Most people don't know about ivermectin but being a vet tech of 25 years I have always used it. I have 6 large dogs and it saves me a lot of money. I buy a bottle for about 45.00 every 2-3 years. If you want the formula let me know and I'll post it here. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

It is a lot better for the dog if a purchase of a dog is a little more thought out than this.
It was quite a whim.
First, get the puppy to a vet!!! IT needs shots and worming. IT will no doubt have roundworms and they can be transmitted to kids.
Then find a puppy odedience class and enroll the puppy.
Also do some reading up either through the web, so go to the library and get soem dog books.
Or go and buy "Puppies for Dummies". It covers pretty much all!!

Then plan on getting the puppy neutered at 6 months. At the vaccine visit, the vet can tell you how much it is going to cost so you can be prepared!! There is NO reason under the sun that this dog should ever reproduce.

Now, go and make that vet appointment!!!

Answer 4

The first thing you should do is take him to the vet for his shots, worming, and to be checked out. He probably needs to be on a high quality large breed puppy food. Make certain you praise him when he poops/pees outside, but expect accidents in your house. After all, he's only a baby and you don't expect infants to be potty-trained until they are at least 18 months old. Larger dogs, to me, are easier to housebreak, so if you start off right, you should be having little problems by the time he's about 3-4 months old. I'm not a huge proponent of crate training, mainly because I think you can very easily create a neurotic dog. Many people abuse crate training and wind up leaving the animal in there all day, let it out for a few minutes and lock it up again. If you must use one, just use it at night. You can put the puppy somewhere during the day where it won't ruin carpet and has pee pads iif you won't be around. Ideally, we shouldn't get puppies if we are not totally committed to being there while they are young, so maybe you have the luxury of staying home with it. You won't have any way of knowing anything about the dog's temperament, since you got him from someone who probably wound up with a litter as a mistake...ergo the "free" puppies. The best thing you can do is socialize him with many people...especially children. Also, make certain he's exposed to other animals. Get him used to walking on a leash. Remember, you will walk him, not vice-versa. Don't hit or yell at him for making mistakes...just gently but firmly correct him and lavishly praise him for doing right. The last thing you need is a big dog with bad manners. If you spend a lot of time socializing and training him, you might be able to compensate for any genetic problems he might have in his temperament. Check out german shepherd sites on the Internet. Also, we have several yahooers who are knowledgeable about dog training and behavior. My husband and I rescue abandoned dogs and spend countless hours working with them and managing behavior problems, before we can place them. I've had 4 german shepherds over my life. Out of the 4, only 1 was a little bit of a behavior problem...the other 3 were totally awesome dogs. Just remember, it takes a lot of time, patience, and remembering that you're dealing with a puppy who will grow up to be a very large powerful animal. Treat him with kindness now, but establish from the beginning that you are alpha and that he is a dog not a person. He will grow up to be your son's best friend for sure. Good luck.

Answer 5

<>

Oh.
My.
God.

Thank you for being a picture-perfect example of what is wrong with people's attitudes towards pets today.

Get him to the vet for his shots, and schedule an appointment when the vet thinks it's appropriate to get him neutered. Not only will that help his temperament, it will prevent him from having puppies in the future.

Then get books. READ and RESEARCH the dog so you have a clue what you're doing and a little bit of knowledge about the breed. GSDs are very smart and learn well, but they need an owner who is consistent and willing to put in the effort to train them.

Good luck with your dog. Here's a clue - pets are NOT impulse buys, and next time do your research BEFORE you get the dog.

Answer 6

First of all, you have to take him to the vet to get his shots and get examined. Socializing a puppy is very important right now so have everyone come and meet him, not only people friends, but four legged friends as well so he will not be attacking other dogs later on. Then, I suggest you get a good trainer. Shop around and get referrals preferally from your vet. Check the trainer, or behavior specialist, for his training specialty and his references. German Sheperds are great family dogs, if given the right training and/or family love and care. Remember, it is people who sometimes make them aggressive by being aggresive towards them...so, lots of patience, love and socializing.

Answer 7

Sounds like this puppy has now not been dealt with very good .The indisputable fact that she is eight months historic and has had no socialization. My reply as to wither you must take in this puppy lies with you as a character .It is certainly not too past due to educate a a puppy however it's going to take time and it's going to take endurance.The disorders with this puppies habits...anxiousness and many others is as a result of overlook and it's going to be a assignment to show her crisis round however it may be became round . if she is introduced right into a loving house and knowledgeable within the proper approach then you're going to have an additional puppy a 12 months or much less down the road. For me ,my center could simply holiday on the approach she behaves, realizing that her habits is a effect of the house owners and her cure over the final eight months however that's me and we're speaking approximately you . Could you at this level for your existence take her on as a assignment? Every puppy is trainable simply take it one step at a time and don't anticipate miracles. permit her settle in her new house and socialize her slowly. Good good fortune! There is not anything extra pleasurable than taking a a puppy clear of a crap existence and rehabilitating her or him right into a pleased and healthful puppy.....have performed it commonly!

Answer 8

Animals are just like people treat them badly and they will become mean and spiteful. I grew up with German Shepard's they are a very gentle breed the do like to be one of the family though. So the more outside people you expose the dog to a t young age the more laid back he will be. If they ever do feel that any of the family is in any danger they will protect. Get him his shots and treat him humanely and he will be your extended family.

Answer 9

first of all , a dog isn,t mean or vicious unless he has reason to be or is trained that way . Sounds like u have a smart puppy on your hands! Now the fun begins ! when ever your dog does something good make sure to love him up and when he dosen,t listen to you , you have to be stern with him don,t give up and let him win! All dogs can be stubborn but you are dealing with a breed that can be outta control unless properly trained. First off i would train him to sit and stay . Also when out on walks don,t make him fear other dogs, let him scoialise and make this a routine for him to go for walks everyday . My gsd is so well trained i can tell her to pee on comand before goin out for walks so we arn,t stopping at every sniff . have fun and remember to be consistant!!!

Answer 10

Congratulations on your new puppy!You are very lucky because German Shepherds in general are an excellent breed.Very loyal,smart,playful and loving.They just need plenty of love and devotion from your side.You should take it to a vet as soon as possible to start its shots and later (maybe 3 weeks from now) you could start training!