What a good tips for a new 9 week old German Sheperd Pup?

Question

Any tips much appreciated.

Answer 1

If it's nine weeks old, you have three weeks left. There is a window of time where the brain is developing and you loose the opportunity right around 4 months of age. You have a lot of work to do. Away from home, expose your dog to:
1) Seven different containers to eat out of (examples: paper bag, plastic cup, cardboard box, grass, drop treats into a dish of water).
2) Seven different surfaces to walk over (examples: puddle/pond water, rocks, a bunch or crates lined up, a wooden bridge, tall grass, mud, linoleum, a huge tarp that makes noise, a small holed grate in a parking lot that is covering a hole in the concrete, a moving sidewalk).
3) Seven different noises (examples: train, fireworks, generator, lawn mower, leaf blower, motorcycle).
4) Seven different type of people (examples: children playing, old person with a walker, someone in a wheelchair, different ethnic groups, people wearing hats/masks).
5) Seven different animals (examples: cat, ducks, horse, donkey, sheep, goat - they don't actually have to interact ... just close enough to smell or notice for a sec).
6) Seven different building (examples: an elevator, flight of stairs, a WINDING flight of stairs that the bottom can't visually be seen, a balcony to look & notice the height, a pet store with doors that automatically open, somebody elses home where you can see if the pup will go into a small strange room like a bathroom with you & shut the door behind).
7) Seven different environments (examples: puppy class, sports game, airport arrival & departure traffic, where you work).
If you do all this, then you give your pup the best chance to be able to handle changes of environments (stress) when it gets older. You can't wait until the dog is older to teach this ... it's developed as a capacity as the layers of the brain grow one on top of the other. Have fun and be cautious about letting other dogs sniff yours and no swapping spit (just keep your pup away from other dogs until a couple weeks past the last shot of Rabies). Also do not allow your pup to wander around areas where other dogs go potty until all shots... you can find clean areas (I've been doing it for 15 years).

Answer 2

Judging by what my Newfoundland pups weigh at that age, I would say about 15-18 lbs. But a lot has to do with the lines that the pup is from. If he is from a big boned line, then he will weigh more than a lighter boned line.

Answer 3

Tons of socialization: the "prime time" ends after about four months. Just bear in mind that the first set of shots she has had are only about 10% effective and the second set about 80%.

Answer 4

Start potty training and teaching him the basic commands. Here's a site with info on both:

http://www.puppywonderland.com/pottytraining.htm
http://www.puppywonderland.com/basiccommands.htm

Answer 5

I would start training, especially potty training!
Make sure you're getting him/her good food!
Get pet insurance to cover expensive vet costs!
Have fun with him/her and introduce them to the neighbors and relatives!

Enjoy!

Answer 6

SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE.
my parents made the mistake of scimping with the socialization and their german shepherd is VERY aggressive.

Answer 7

make sure haf lots of chew toys for ur new dog... lots n lots... they especially like shoes