german shepherd

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Q: German Shepherd?
My wife brought home a german shepherd puppy this morning. It’s about 10-11 weeks old. You can see it has been mistreated but we will take care of it. The only thing that worries me is whether it’s too old for her first shot. I’m planning to take her to the vet tomorrow to clear her from parasites and give her shots but I have read that pups shpould receive their shots until they are 9 weeks old not later. Is it safe to get them now and can I expect to have a helathy puppy – it’s very important because I already have 2 dogs of my own and I don’t want to risk. Tnx

A: I would have this pup vaccinated now and then again in 2 weeks. Your vet might want to put a 3rd vaccine in it 3 weeks after that one when the pup then gets its rabies vaccine. With my pups, I vaccinate with Da2p+PV I use Vanguard plus 5. I vaccinate at 6 and 8 weeks, then 11 weeks 14 weeks and then rabies. Have the pup wormed, if you see her pass them , have her wormed again in one week.

Q: german shepherd?
i want to have a white german shepherd and our house is a condominium style.. is it suitable in our house?

A: I disagree with some answerers. German shepherds actually don’t bark much all and usually only when threatened. The small dogs are usually the big barkers in town.

Aside from that , if you want a docile dog then don’t get the German Shepherd as they like to move a lot and have “chores”. Even if this is something simple like fetching. Or you can train them to do more useful things.

You CAN have them in apartments or condos in one condition that I have read about it my dog books. That condition is if you are willing to speed walk with them 45 minutes a day, each day! On top of that at least 15 minutes of running and/or fetching is necessary to release their energy.
An exercised Shepherd is a happy one. I have one , and i can see a huge difference in the days he does or does not walk.

Q: German shepherd?
i would like a german shepherd, but im in school so i wont be able to spend too much time with each. my mum is home all day,, so she could do all that, but the dog wont have that connection with me, than what it would have with mum

so what should i do. should i put off getting a dog?

A: You should wait.

My husband got a dog for his 21st b’day. When we moved in together to pay for the house he had to work heaps. After a few months she was more my dog because I was the one walking and training. Also he would play with her a different way because he missed her while at work and it sort of brought him down to her level in the pack and he would have to say commands a few times before she listened. All i had to do was say her name and give her a look.

Even the dog now my husband lets on the couch and bed every now and then. All I have to do is walk in the room and he gets off. Be it very slowly with head down and tail down but he gets off. He’s use to small dogs I’m use to big dogs that should have that extra control. But my husband is really just a big softy when it comes to the dogs. The cats he hates.

Q: GERMAN SHEPHERD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?
I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT ONE AND SEARCH EVERYWHERE FOR ONE BUT I SUCK REALLY BAD AT SEARCHES. DO YOU KNOW ANY PLACE NEAR LAKELAND FLORIDA WHERE THEY SELL GERMAN SHEPHERDS? OR WHERE YOU CAN CONTACT A GERMAN SHEPHERD BREEDER IN YOUR AREA? OR ANY ACTUAL PLACES WHERE THEY SELL THEM. OH AND ALSO WHERE DO POLICE GET THEIR GERMAN SHEPHERDS FROM? PLEASE AND THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A: German shepherds are really good dogs, in the hands of an mature, responsible and experienced person. I wouldn’t recommend you getting one of those, it might be better for you to try and find an older, already trained and patient dog from the animal shelter.

Q: How many German Shepherd puppies will be born if this is the first litter?
I am just wondering about how many German Shepherd puppies will be born if this is the first litter? I know it will cost a lot of money to raise a litter. Her mother had 5 German Shepherd puppies. All Alive & Healthy. Anyways, some people are saying that the first litter will be small like about 3-6. I am not too sure about this. Any Help will be good. Thanks in advance.

A: Some.
None.
Many.

There is no certain relationship between age and fertility, other than a slight tendency to be highest between 3 and 7 years old.
Decades ago I was in charge of a data-table recording whatever GSD breeders wanted to tell us about their litters, and whatever owners later wanted to tell us about their dog. The Committee closed it after 644 litters were recorded.
From memory, the average litter size was 8 whelped, reduced to 6½ alive at 7-8 weeks old – most of the 1½ pups per litter that disappeared were due to pups being stillborn or “fading out”, but the better breeders also cull their litters so that their brood isn’t strained trying to feed and supervise too many pups.

The most GSD pups recorded in one NZ litter was 15 born, of which 1 was stillborn, 1 squashed by the dam, and 1 was culled, leaving 12 – this was a very minor kennel that did nothing for the breed.
Next biggest was my own 13, of which 3 were stillborn, 1 faded, 3 were culled, to leave a manageable 6.

There were 16 litters that started with a dozen births each. The results were:
12 raised by using rotational fostering
11 (1 stillborn)
11 (1 sat on by dam)
11 (1 culled)
10 (1 stillborn, 1 faded)
‘ 9 (3 culled)
‘ 9 (3 culled)
‘ 9 (1 stillborn, 2 culled)
‘ 9 (1 faded, 2 culled)
‘ 9 (1 faded, 2 culled)
‘ 9 (1 stillborn, 2 sat on by their dam)
‘ 8 (4 culled)
‘ 8 (4 culled)
‘ 8 (1 faded, 3 culled)
‘ 7 (5 culled)
‘ 4 (7 stillborn, 1 faded)
{ The ‘ is there because otherwise Yahoo swallows the spaces in front of the digits. }

And then your question got me curious. So I dug out that table and selected just the litters that were the bit.ch’s first, of which there were 244. Those litters contained 85 stillborns, 92 fading pups, 85 culled, and 1541 survivors – which works out at a whisker more than 6.3 pups surviving to be tattooed at 7-8 weeks old. So, as I said, the age of the dam and which of her litters it is makes very little difference.
What counts are the number if ova the bit.ch releases, the motility of the dog’s sperm, the timing of the mating, how healthy the dam’s uterine horns are, what toxins are in her bloodstream, whether there are any semi-lethal genes or damaged chromosomes in the mix, what bacteria and viruses are active in her uterine horns.

A bit.ch’s first litter should be by a very much-used stud, so that you have had a chance to check on how fertile he is and how his pups develop.
Les P, owner of GSD’Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD’Friendly
“In GSDs” as of 1967

Q: Why is German Shepherd the most popular breed of dog?
Almost everyone i know has a german shepherd. When i walk my dog or take him out i see several german shepherds being walked.

I have newfoundland dog, and it is very rare that i have seen anyone having a landseer newfoundland.

So i’m just curious — what makes german shepherd so popular and newfoundland kind of unpopular?

A: Publicity.
Cop dogs are just freaking cool.
Also,
German Shepards are supposed to be a “all purpose” sort of dog. Good as pets, guards, police dogs, agility, tracking. You name it, GS’s excel at it. (well, generally)

Newfies are known for their layed back attitudes and strength, but they aren’t as many of them around for people to see and get to know.

Q: What happens when a male black german shepherd mates with a female white german shepherd.?
I have this question because i wan’t stud service done on my white german shepherd and i wondewr if she mates with a black german shepherd. Will the puppies by black and white?

A: “~Chalbri~-etc”:
Your comments are true, but at no stage do you attempt to actually answer the QUESTION.

“Mom of Three”:
The dominant M^ that produces merle is not part of the GSD gene pool.
Too many GSDs have a chest blaze, but the only DNA-proven GSD line with Collie-like markings on face-&-neck are Frankie von Phenom and about half her descendants (only half because it is the effect of a dominant that is lethal when homozygous) – and that so-called “Panda” marking is banned in GSDs because of the amount of white it contains. All other splash-marked GSDs are assumed to be cross-breeds, although I hear tales of the odd line that carries the s^p allele for piebald spotting. Either way, those with more white than an inconspicuous chest spot and maybe some white toes (but the nails of those toes must be black) have too much white to be acceptable as GSDs

Okay, to “Kevin C”s question:
First thing is that, despite “Victor K”s comment (his awareness of GSD genetics is more freshman than honours at present, but he has a few years ahead in which to get it right.), there will be NO gray pups – (1) eumelanin (the dark pigment in canine coats) is not like the pigments used in paints, and (2) the dominant G^ for gray coats is not present in the GSD gene pool.

Next thing is to appreciate how the self-black GSD and the self-white pooches are created, so that you understand why there will be no black-&-white pups, either..

In GSDs, all actual self-colours (whether black or liver or blue; white is not a colour, it is a LACK of colour) are set by the recessive pairing a^ a^ in the Agouti Pattern series. The default colour from a^ a^ is self-black, but a pair of the recessive modifier b^ in the Black-brown series will convert that to liver; a pair of the recessive modifier d^ in the Dilute series will convert the black to the blue-gray referred to as blue. If the pup inherits both the b^ b^ and the d^ d^ their combined effect is a creamy-blue known as Isabella. (A pair of the b^ and/or d^ will also affect the dark area of dogs whose Agouti genes produce sable or saddle or bi-colour.)

In all self-white breeds so far DNA tested the recessive pairing e^ e^ is present. But its effect is not to produce self-white, just to prevent eumelanin (dark pigment) from being formed by the hair follicles – something else has to block the phaeomelanin (tan pigment). However, as the factors for self-white behave as though they were a simple recessive, we can be sure that the second gene involved must be on the same chromosome as the e^, and located VERY close to it. My guess is that it will turn out to be the Int^ postulated by Iljin about 70 years ago, his explanation for why the phaeomelanin (tan pigment) gets degraded to pale yellow or chalky white; but if its DNA has already been located the news has yet to reach me.

So the situation, were you unwise enough to continue with your foolish plan, is that you would be mating a self-black (thereby proven to be a^ a^ plus B^ ?^ plus D ?^ plus E^m ?^ plus ?^ ?^) to a self-white (thereby proven to be ?^ ?^ plus ?^ ?^ plus ?^ ?^ plus e^ e^ plus Int^ ?^).
(PS: That E^m could be an E, but that is very unlikely in our breed.)

The ?^s are where we have no evidence from your information as to which allele of that series is present to make up the pair of alleles that every individual inherits in every gene location except those on just the X chromosome. To work it out just remember that the series I am mentioning are A for Agouti, B for Black-brown, D for Dilute, E for Extension, and Int for Iljin’s Intensity series. There are other colour series (you’ll find all the known ones in the Files section of http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source/ but will need to become an instant-member, as Yahoo doesn’t let me make that section “Public access”) but they have no significant effect in your case.

You would find a Punnett Square too complicated – it is a marvellous tool for showing the possibilities from a single autosomal character where the genotype for that character is known for both parents, usable for the interaction of 2 simple autosomal characters, but after that you start to need a multidimensional “page” to draw on!

In this case, we have no idea what the self-white possesses in the Agouti series, but a high percentage of self-whites are genetically sables, so it is highly probable that she is A^w a^t (wolf-sable + saddle), very possible that she is a^t a^t. It is possible but unlikely that she is A^w a^ or a^t a^ – unlikely because people who understand genetics do NOT want the genes from a self-white degrading the depth & shine of the self-black’s all-over darkness, and those who understand genetics don’t want the all-over spread of eumelanin (dark pigment) making it harder for the e^ e^ to have its epistatic effect of blocking the eumalin from being formed (most whites have some “badger markings).

What it boils down to is that if the self-black is E^m e^ half the pups ( ± whatever random chance “decides” during the moments of fertilisation) will be self-white, about half won’t. If the self-black is the E^m E^m that is preferred, all the pups won’t be self-whites.

Either way, of the pups that are not self-white, about half are likely to be sables (assuming that the dam carries just one A^w) with the others probably being saddles. But they could ALL be saddles, or about half could be self-blacks. But if one parent is a self-black it is impossible to get all 3 of sables, saddles and self-blacks in the same litter, just any 2 of those.

And regardless of their displayed colours, ALL the pups will be carriers of an a^ for self-colour from dad and an e^ for no-black from mum, plus are almost certain to have an Int^ or an int^ from mum.
The effect of that last gene will be that all the non-whites will have poor tans – from chalky”silver” to a washed-out creamy-fawn. If the sire is carrying an e^, then about half the coloured pups will be “dirty yella dawgs” with no black – maybe when they’re born, but definitely by the time they are about 2½ years old.

To complicate it:
Many of the people who aim to produce pet-level self-whites are very happy to use carriers of liver or blue – either reduces the density of the black so can be regarded as making the epistasis (in this case, blocking of eumalin) easier.
Although the DogSport fanciers of blacks would avoid carriers of liver & blue, again, pet-level BYBs might include them. So it is possible that the non-whites might be blue or liver instead of black where black should be in whatever their Agouti pattern is.

The possibilities are predictable (always allowing for random chance when the pairing at a locus is not homozygous), but you haven’t given us enough evidence as to what alleles each parent is likely to possess, apart from the series that produced the black in one case, the white in the other case, for ‘us’ to work out the probabilities.

But all genuine GSD breeders know that the black-to-white mating is a bad idea on colour grounds.

In addition to the inadvisability of muddling those two sets of coat-colour together, I say your plan is unwise because I am certain that your bit.ch is not of breeding quality.
If she were, you would be asking her breeder, not asking here where a high proportion of the so-called answers come from know-it-all kids pretending to be adult & expert.
If the stud you had in mind was of breeding quality, you would be asking HIS owner or his breeder.

But in case I’m wrong about your bit.ch and that stud:
The ultimate proof of a GSD being of breeding quality is possessing a Breed Survey report (BS.Cl. in English, KKl. in German). No self-white is eligible for that, as all whites and blues and livers are disqualified in FCI#166: http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/166A1991_en.doc which is the ONLY GSD Standard approved by the WUSV (World Union of GSD Clubs, which has at least one seat-&-vote for every GSD nation and meets in conjunction with each SiegerSchau to sort out GSD issues).

If you live anywhere except Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, the USofA there is a possibility that – IF your bit.ch has a 6 generation pedigree where EVERY ancestor is a KC-registered self-white – you might manage to have her re-registered as a Berger Blanc Suisse (see http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/347a2002_en.doc ), but in those 5 countries no breed can be recognised that is based on what is a fault in its parent breed. In Australia and Germany your white GSD couldn’t even get registered as a GSD – they take the idea of a “disqualification” seriously, there.

But whatever the breed, the MINIMUM requirements for proving a medium-sized pooch breed-worthy are:
(1) recorded on the Breed Register without any limitations
(2) possesses official certificates for both hips & elbows
(3) possesses show certificates (placings or Excellent gradings) to prove that it looks typical of its breed.
Highly desirable are:
(4) a character certificate – BH or CGC
(5) a training qualification – for a GSD the ideal is HGH or SchH1, but all training qualifications prove that at least the pooch is highly willing to take notice of what its owner wants.

Sadly, almost every KC cares only whether both parents are in the same Breed Register – no checking on character or conformation or health or size or trainability…

Unless your bit.ch measures up, and so does the stud you choose to compensate for her flaws, forget about breeding from her.

And I haven’t even touched on the financial risks every breeder faces. Nor the time wasted checking up on liars who claim – sometimes even believe – that they are God’s gift to dog breeders but have no fences, no income, no intention of attending weekly training classes, just

Q: how do you train a german shepherd to shepherd and get rid of car obsessions?
My 4 month german shepherd puppy is obsessed with cars. Whenever i walk her she chases and barks after them. I punish her but she doesn’t stop she keeps on chasing the cars. And how do you train them to shepherd. We’re adapting her shepherding to moving goats from one acre of land to the other. But she doesn’t run after them until I chase them. And she’s scared of the goats but is getting braver.

A: •• Herding:
What you have done is akin to “training” an explosives detection dog by sending a puppy into a live minefield.
Do you even know that there are different STYLES of herding?

Keep your pup AWAY FROM all livestock.
YOU don’t yet have the necessary control; nor does your pup have enough self-control. Being attacked by goats will ruin her confidence.

Follow this thread: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly/message/9604 Yahoo hasn’t stored the photos, but the text ought to show you that you have started too young, and without a clue as to what you are doing.
That writer went to Germany to study under Manfred Heyne (the only person in history to have won the SV’s Herding Trophy outright), and to mate her bit.ch to his stud. Emma is a granddaughter of that mating. The German boundary patrolling style of herding is bred into her for generations.

In that group, Search for tales about Bria. She’s a GSD, taught to herd Collie-style by the farm’s BC. This month’s Home page pic shows her looking after a very young lamb. She also (self taught) considers it her job to: see-off a lurcher attacking the neighbour’s sheep, supervise new foals, kill crows in the fowl run, catch then bring to her mistress any fowls that escape.
(Another of my group’s GSDs thinks it is a Maremma….)

But first comes owner control-&-self-control, plus enough canine maturity to also have self-control.

You should still be rewarding her for everything she accidentally or on-purpose does that pleases you. Would you try to train a 2 years old child to control highway traffic??? Get into a training class that starts while she is 18-22 weeks old, where YOU are coached to improve your techniques; at the same time your pup learns to pay attention regardless of what other dogs & people are doing. Serious training is done ON-LEAD, so you can physically control your dog and prevent it from making an error – that “Prevention is better than cure” thing.
Your pup won’t yet have a clue about the “bubble” that it needs to stay just outside of if the sheep aren’t to be panicked into running – YOU haven’t a clue about that, either, so won’t be able to walk her on-lead around its outside edge!

Do you even know how to get a foot of slack into the leash when the pooch is trying to pull you along? Until you know THAT you have no show of convincing a pup that pulling on the leash is not worth it. THAT is part of why you need to be in a training class very soon. Preferably one run by BAGSDS, GSSCC, USCA, or WDA.

And then there’s your pooch – I’ll bet there isn’t a professional sheep worker in her pedigree!

•• Cars:
She will be obsessed with anything running away from her – cars, bikes, children. Part of the cure is to sit somewhere that has LOTS of activity – cars, skateboards, etc. Ignore her lunges after them – shut up & let her strangle herself a little (I hope you do at least know how to use a light-weight straight-link slip-chain). Praise & pat-or-rub her when she comes back to you, especially if she decides to just lie down and watch things happening. Most GSDs ARE intelligent – so give them a chance to work things out for themselves, then reward them when they make a right guess.

When she relapses while you are walking her, first let her have the length of the leash then, just as she reaches the end, turn at a sharp angle and use your arns & legs to DRIVE away from her – preferably have a grassy surface for her to fall onto as she is spun around off her feet. Whether she falls or manages to keep her balance, give her just enough time to get control of her legs before you continue in YOUR direction. Make sure you pat & praise her when she catches up. If she ignores you, repeat the treatment. A GSD should always have one ear cocked to hear what its owner is doing.

• Add http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source to your browser’s Bookmarks or Favorites so that you can easily look up such as feeding, vaccinations, clubs, weights, teething, neutering, disorders.
• Join some of the 400+ YahooGroups dedicated to various aspects of living with GSDs. Each group’s Home page tells you which aspects they like to discuss, and how active they are. Most allow you to include photos so that you can show what your pets look like.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly
“In GSDs” as of 1967

Q: How to stop a German Shepherd dog from acting like a pussy ?
I have a year and three month old german shepherd and a little younger chiwawa and the chiwawa always growls at him and he dosen’t let him go inside the doghouse. My german shepherd used to be the one doing that but now it’s the other way around. Why?

A: That was the most vulgar title I’ve seen today.

Calm down tiger.

Chihuahuas usually end up being the more dominant of the household. They are smaller, and typically have HUGE attitudes and are usually more aggressive.

If its the pack structure, thats how it is and thats how its going to be. Nothing you can do.

Q: How well would a German Shepherd get along with other dogs?
We are thinking of getting a German Shepherd puppy. We have a miniature pincher who is 11 years old. Will we have any problems with the two dogs getting along together? I’ve heard German Shepherds have low compatibility with other dogs, but if we socialize two together from when they’re a puppy will it be okay? Thanks for the help!

A: hmm…
they should get along together with no problem..
the gsd puppy should be fine and wouldn’t much need all that attention,
but the dog you all ready have might be the problem..
so that you don’t have any, make sure you intrudes then when they are most calm (example: while the dog is taking a nap, wake them up gently) then introduce them slowly (supervise them)

gsd does sometimes doesn’t get along with other dogs (if not well socialized) .. but when puppies, they might be scared at first from big adult dogs but they are mostly friendly and playful..

so don’t rush the dogs and just be patient and gentle.
let them play just see what the dog’s reaction toward each other and don’t forget to use tasty treats like cheese so that they know that being with the other dog is a good thing..

but if the reactions are shy or just avoiding each other,
then don’t push and force then together!
just lore them together with treats and let them be together in the same room (doesn’t have to be close but just in the same room)
might take few days or hours (or minutes) you never know

good luck~

Q: Can a german shepherd and a chihuahua be friends?
I have a chihuahua named Maya and I want to get a german shepherd because I have always wanted one. We already have one picked out but I am still thinking about it. I am scared that the german shepherd, when it gets older and bigger if it will attack maya.I dont know what to do. Please help.

A: First off, check what type of breeding you’re getting your GSD from before you buy-that in of itself is CRUCIAL. There are West German show lines, West German working lines, DDR(East German working), Czech/Slovakian working lines and American CH lines. The higher the prey drive, the higher the potential for problems later. The working lines are definitely higher drive and have stronger prey drives, which could lead to problems. This may require some time getting educated in the German Shepherd breed as a whole, which I strongly suggest if you’re really wanting to buy a puppy.
My suggestion would be to go with a breeding that produces a mild drive(WGR show lines and/or American CH lines). Ask about the litter’s parents and their reaction to cats and other small animals(and what kind of bloodlines they have). If the parents are ok with smaller animals, then you have a greater chance of getting a pup who is ok also. We personally raise our pups with our very docile resident male cat from the time they’re born so they learn to love him, not wanna hurt him.
That should help you avoid problems before you buy. Generally, if a puppy is raised with a small dog/animal, they will learn to respect that animal. Getting the opposite gender of what your Chi is would be wise, too. I would be equally concerned not to allow the Chi to bite/hurt/harrass the GSD, either! Best wishes!

Q: What is the difference between a German Shepherd and a White German Shepherd?
I know that there are kennel restrictions on the White German Shepherd regarding shows, but I want to know if there are any differences between the White breed and the “normal” breed (apart from the fact that they are differently colored). Are they separate breeds? What are the differences between the two breeds?

A: the white one doesn’t have to sit in the back of the bus

Q: How much should a full blooded German Shepherd puppy be priced?
We are hoping to get a male German Shepherd pup. Personally, I would love to adopt, but my mom is insisting on getting a full blooded German Shepherd from a breeder.

A: Nice to see someone with so much fore thought before getting a dog . I have a blog that will guide you through getting a pup and its first nights and training. See http://www.teachingpuppies.com/

You need to make sure that you are aware of financial costs and know how to spot a good breeder these will help.

To see if you are ready for a dog and general info

http://www.teachingpuppies.com/am-i-ready-for-a-new-puppy

Picking a pup out of a litter and breeder tips

http://www.teachingpuppies.com/picking-the-perfect-puppy

Bringing him/her home (getting your house ready)

http://www.teachingpuppies.com/bringing-your-new-puppy-home

To avoid the crying at night

http://www.teachingpuppies.com/my-puppies-first-night

The ever important housetraining!

http://www.teachingpuppies.com/8-easy-steps-to-housetrain-your-puppy

In order to introduce your animals to each other you must put in a little forward planning, but its okay you have already done it just start again. This guide is a step by step easy to follow write up so make sure you know what you are doing before beginning.
Try http://www.teachingpuppies.com/how-to-introduce-a-new-puppy-to-your-other-pets
You should also teach your puppy the ‘leave it’ command this is not only for objects but also helps them control their bite inhibition (become more aware of how people and other animals like to be interacted with). This will show you how (its really easy) http://www.teachingpuppies.com/how-to-teach-my-puppy-to-leave-it

Q: German shepherd has started to become afraid of strangers how do i fix it?
My new german shepherd i got about 2 weeks ago has just turned 6 months old. He is of good breed his father is a k9 unit from czlevakia (please ascuse spelling) and he started out as the confident, curious and protective GSD people look for. But recenlty he has been wary of strangers and after i greet them backs away when they attempt to pet him and wont come when they stand next to me.

Is there any socializing techniques to solve this problem? or is it too late?

A: 4-6 months is when the happy-go-lucky stage gives way to adolescence, when a pup may begin to view the world with more suspicion . Things as simple as a trash bin on the street, which may have had no effect before, are suddenly cause for suspicion and careful approach. This can be the make-or-break period for some dogs with an ‘edge’, to see which way the temperament will go.

Contrary to other remarks here, it’s genetic & has nothing to do with prior socialization/rearing mistakes (neglect/abuse aside). Particularly with working lines (and Czech dogs are well known for being ‘civil’ or ’sharp’), you’re dealing with a higher level of genetic suspicion and aggression than most show or ‘pet’ lines. Both are desired traits in working dogs, . HOWEVER they must be accompanied by strong , stable nerves/social confidence. Without it, suspicion and aggression become a liability rather than an asset.

This is the dilemma when breeding dogs for protection work, as even the most solid, accomplished dogs can produce offspring that ‘fall short’. Pups that fall short in suspicion/ aggression can still make excellent, social companion/pet dogs. Those that fall short in nerve strength/confidence rarely do.

Yes, you can absolutely attempt more socialization at this time. Letting them have ’success’ with that bad old trash bin, to continue acclimating to environmental stimuli, strangers, dogs, etc, is still quite achievable. But it must be done from a ‘neutral’ perspective. Meaning, you should ask strangers to act as if your pup isn’t even there, totally ignoring him until HE initiates contact. It’s just as important to practice good obedience and read his cues in every situation. Never push a dog through an uncomfortable situation, it only makes him more fearful.

Realize that dogs such as this have limitations and shouldn’t be expected to be super stranger friendly/social. But many of them can be neutral and obedient.

It would be wise to have your breeder or a local trainer/schutzhund club help you assess his temperament and bring him along. If he started out as confident & curious, he should have enough balance to work with. A responsible breeder will not want you to keep a dog that may be truly unstable/dangerous, and will offer you a replacement.
I wish you the best of luck with your pup!

Q: How much is to keep a german shepherd?
I want a german shepherd, can anyone tell me how much a full blood german shepherd is at like 2 or 4 months is, how much is it a month to feed it and how much is for the shots and all the stuff that dog needs. I need to see how much im looking at, to have an idea if i can do it. Thanks.

A: Find a GSD (German Shepherd Dog) rescue in your area and get on a waiting list for a puppy. They come up to date on shots and neutered which will save you hundreds of dollars. Most of them charge $100-$400 to adopt a puppy.

Here is a general search, since you didn’t mention where you are located. You can certainly to another search with your location. http://www.blingo.com/search?q=GSD+rescue

Expect to pay $40-$60 a month for mid-grade food (check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com) plus budget about $200 a year for vet costs. If you do not spend the full $200 a year, put the rest into a savings account for your dog in case she or he gets sick or injured in the future, so you have it. Initial expenses for an adopted dog include necessities like toys, bowls, brushes (I recommend a Furminator brand brush for a high shedding dog like a GSD), etc. will run you about $150 on the low end. In the beginning buy small bags of dog food until you find one that suits your dog the best, that way you aren’t stuck with a bunch of food that gives your dog diarrhea and you don’t want to feed her. Also, Frontline Plus costs about $50 every 3 months and Interceptor costs about $50 for 6 months.

Best wishes.

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