SamanthaGSD

Got my 4 "sample" bags today of large breed puppy orijien today. Fed my 14 week old GSD it tonight and so far she loved it, ate the whole bowl in no time flat. Will see how it goes over the next few days. Regards, rob

Thanks for the replies guys and girls. I spoke too soon, LOL, we had a little accident in the house today, just wees (house is tiled) so we all missed the signs or her request to be let out. We are very proud of her, she will cry and stand by the door whilst she is outside of her crate. So far she hasnt cried whilst in her crate to be let out during the night. I just expected that it would take longer for her to be able to hold it so long. Will see how she goes, fingers crossed it will continue. Regards, Rob

G'Day Fellow Forumites, Just a quick question, our "little" 14 week old GSD Samantha has done wonderfuly since we got her with toileting. We have had a few accidents, nothing too much of a concern. She is crated at night and loves it. Put her outside when we go to bed about 10.30pm and until recently I have been getting up about 2.30 - 3.00am for wees and poos. Recently though I have opened her crate and told her outside, she has just laid there not interested. Take her out and a tiny wee no poos. The last couple of days I have not let her out until 6.30am where she does wees and sometimes poos. She never cries during the night to be let out, and first thing in the morning she is happy to do her business. She has never soiled her crate either. Am I being cruel not to take her out? That is making her "hold" it longer? Soon after she has dinner she goes outside for toilet, just before bed, I let her have a few licks of her water before bed and during the night when she was getting up. Samantha is doing really well, we are so proud and happy of her. Thanks Rob

Thankyou for all the great information and taking the time to submit a reply, I really appreciate it. It is not like getting your car serviced keep trying different mechanics untill you find a good one then stick with them. I would rather find a good vet from the start, someone that is honest, well trained and knowledgeable about my breed and has very clean sterile facilities!! Scottie, I have spoken to Karen, my GSD Breeder (Amberg - Hi Lee!!) only visits Karen, sounds like Karen is an excellent vet, especially when it comes to GSD's, trouble is it will take about an 1 hour to get there, not really a problem for a general checkup etc, but after hours emergency would be nice to have someone I could trust. On a side note, we had our first puppy preschool class last night, it went extremely well, with all puppies working very hard and playing well. Learnt a few things as well!! Thanks again.

G'Day Crew, Just wondering if you could recommend a great vet in the Picton, Tahmoor or Thirlmere area's of NSW. Would prefer personal experience and satisfaction on treating your beloved animal. Would prefer a vet that has good knowledge or experience with GSD's (probably asking too much!!). Hopefully will get some replies. Otherwise Samantha is doing really well, doing everything she shouldnt, but she is teaching me patience etc. We are finally off to puppy preschool tonight, as I understand it there are 2 other GSD's attending. Will be an experience I am sure......... Will be good to speak with other new owners. Regards,

I am located in Picton NSW. The local course does not really fit in time wise (Positive Paws), if it is the "better" of the two courses then so be it. What am I trying to achieve? Mainly basic obedience (sit, stay, come etc.) more importantly socialization and helping with/dealing with her play biting and jumping. My wife and children dont like to "read" training out of a book, they prefer more to see and do. Luke you are not being an AHOLE at all, all comments are welcome, this is a forum I am going to get replies I like and dont like, thats life! As with any "child" you want what is best for them, starting off on the right foot so to speak. I have already toilet trained Samantha, she also sits on command and comes about 50% of the time, I am blessed that she is a very smart and inquisitive puppy. It is not about which course is cheaper etc. I want someone that is REALLY going to help/train not just someone that is out to make money if you know what I mean. Please keep the replies coming. Thank you all for your time and input. Regards, Rob

G'Day Fellow Forumites, I have received excellent help in other parts of the forum, so are looking for help here. Our 9wk old GSD needs to go to puppy school needs to be multible breed type. Options are: Certificate IV trainer, 5 week course located from Delta website: http://www.deltasocietyaustralia.com.au/cg...wsouthwales.htm or Positive reinforcement training, Association of pet dog trainers, 5 week course: http://www.positivepawsdt.com/ Both have there "restrictions" that is days available and or distance. I can work around either issue hopefully. Your thoughts and or recommendations please. Regards, Rob

Thanks Guys and Girls. Yes the web can be a wonderful place, especially on a forum such as this where you have many like minded individuals sharing the same values of owning and having a dog or new family member as I like to call Samantha. "what have I done" was not in any way saying that I had any regrets in getting Sam at all. I have had puppies when I was a child and fully expected what is required. I think my wife and kids thought that it would be 'easier'. In saying that Sam is already learning very fast, is already toilet trained, sits and comes on command, ALL in 1 week!! Sam is a very happy and smart puppy, I am blessed for that. The only "issue" we have at the moment is the play biting. She responds to the "NO" command about 50% of the time, so it is improving. I really want to fix that problem, as she doesnt realise just how sharp those little teeth are! Boy do they hurt. We gave her a raw bone to chew on yesterday which she loved. Today I got her a chicken frame(raw) which she absolutely enjoyed! We are all really looking forward to puppy school, cant wait. Rob

Thank you all for your forthright and honest replies. No flame suits are necessary I sat down with my wife and children today and explained what will be required to keep samantha and for all us to enjoy her and enjoy her companionship. My wife explained that she was terrorised by a dog when she was young, hence her misgivings. We are all going to puppy school on Saturday, a 5 week course. I had a in depth chat with the instructor explaining our position. He was very keen to help and see it through for all concerned. In fact I might get called into work Saturday, my wife said that she would be happy to take samantha to the first class if I cant make it! I spoke with my breeder, she suggested a few things as well as a book which I have ordered. As I mentioned in my previous post, I have just finished reading "Marley and Me" and my wife has just started to read it........... Hopefully with a lot of hard work, discipline and love/affection from the whole family we can/will get through this. Thank you all so much for your considerations and help. Kind regards, Rob

G'Day Trish, Sorry I thought that any interaction with other dogs before she was fully vaccinated was a big no-no and asking for trouble. The LAST thing I want to do is risk Sam picking up something when it could be avoided. I am located in NSW, south of Sydney in Picton. As a after thought, one of our best friends in Perth has a beautiful female GSD that was well trained and my wife and children absolutely adored. The same as meeting the sire and dam when visiting our breeder. I dont think they expected puppy "behaviour", although I did warn them. Regards, Rob

This is just puppy stuff. Dogs don't have hands. They investigate everything with their teeth. There's a number of methods that do work. [*]Emitting a high pitched yelp when the pup bites. If a pup was playing with another pup, and one hurt the other, the hurt pup would yelp. This is the sound you a mimicking. It is a sound that lets the pup know that you are hurt. Some dogs get more excited by the yelp (so this doesn't work for all dogs). I use this method and encouraged wife and kids to do the same. [*]Say "NO", and press your hand deeper into the pups throat, so the dog gags and spits your hand out. The dog soon learns that putting his mouth around your hand results in discomfort, and will soon stop. This is also a good method as the dog learns that he controls his own behaviour, as he must let go of your hand, not you pulling your hand away. Will try this. Wife and kids avoid her to prevent getting hurt. [*]Ignore your dog when it bites. Leave the room long enough for the pup to forget he was playing with you. He will soon learn that biting means you go away, which he certainly won't want. [*]'Sin binning' does work, but is harder. Say "NO" and pick the puppy up, holding him away from your body, then put him in a boring place that he will never use otherwise (e.g. the bathroom) and leave him there for several minutes OR until he is quiet. [*]Say "NO", withdraw you hand, and give the pup a toy instead. Reward the pup profusely for chewing on the toy. We use this method ALOT, especially when she chews something she shouldn't be! [*]It may help to use a word for biting. For my dog, I used "Vicious". When I wanted him to stop biting, I taught him to become placid with "be cuddly". It may seem a bit backwards, but the dog will learn to stop biting on command. Many people advocate not allowing any mouthing at all, and it's important you have very clear guidelines if you are going to permit some mouthing. I know it is just a matter of time and effort till it hopefully settles down. I have explained that she is ONLY a baby and when the kids were babies they were just as "naughty"! I have just finished reading "Marley and Me" by John Grogan. I laughed and cried all the way through and have started calling sam, my little marley Thank you again for the replies. Rob

Thanks for the quick replies. Yes I certainly will be getting her to puppy school and obedience training as soon as she is FULLY vaccinated. Yes I did chose a GSD, on the basis that my wife did NOT want a small "yappy" dog (I love all dog breeds). I researched quite a few breeds and we settled on a German Shepherd based on some of the qualities I mentioned in my first post. I know and am fully commited to the amount of time and effort required to establish a young puppy into a well balanced, well trained healthy dog (companion and family member). My wife and children are heading over to Perth for two weeks and I have 3 weeks leave to look after the other pets as well as "train" Samantha. Looking forward to it on ALL counts. Regards, Rob

Its all my fault. I thought my family (wife, son and daughter) were ready to have a dog in the family. I grew up with many animals, mainly dogs and cats, also mice, gunea pigs and rabbits. It was a shared responsibility. I have worked and continue to work very hard to provide for my family. We recently moved from Brisbane to Sydney where we purchased 3/4 of an acre with a nice size house and fully fenced established gardens. Perfect I thought, heaps of room for everyone. When in Brisbane we had a 590m block with established and fenced gardens. I tried to adopt a large male golden retriever that came from a farm, but I was the only one that could "handle" him and look after him from walking to bathing, visiting the vet and cleaning up after him. It was ALL up to me. (That and I work full time as a shift worker and travel). It finally became too much for me so I had to relocate him to a more loving family (back to another farm!). Anyhow after much research I asked my wife and children if they would like another dog. My wife hesitated she is not a dog person or any animal person (except chickens). As I would be spending more time at home (not going away as much), I thought it would be a good idea. I have always admired and wanted a German Shepherd. They are very loyal, protective and smart dogs. All the traits that I thought would be good with a family. We have had Samantha now for just over a week (9 weeks old). She is crated at night, during the day I have had to set up a steel playpen, which has a nice bed with cotton futon, toys and water bowl. When I am not cleaning up etc I spend as much time playing with her outside with games and exercise. I get up during the night for her toilet and first thing in the morning. My wife and children are scared of her, as being a puppy has a lot of energy and VERY sharp teeth. Sam seems to only listen to me. She play bights my wife and children, jumps up at them and when not sleeping finds something to chew on, including our rugs, furniture, clothes and other household items. I know she is a puppy, puppies do these things. But I cant be there 100% of the time keeping her under some sort of control. I have purchased nearly every toy that I thought would keep her amused. Including rope chew, kongs and nylabones. I look like I have gone 10 rounds with a razor wire fence. My arms and hands are covered in cuts and blood from her play biting so that she leaves my wife and kids alone. When I tell her to stop or No she does. She has learnt to sit on command as well as toilet trained already. I have pleaded with my wife and kids to follow my examples in training etc. but they are too scared. I dont know what else to do. She is not ready for her next vaccination for another 2 weeks, so puppy school, walks etc are still a no-go. My daughter tonight (6yo) said she doesnt like Sam at that we should have got a poodle! Tonight I was cleaning up after Sams dinner, my wife yells "sam is under the table ready to go to the toilet". I said grab her and take her outside. My wife flatly refused and Sam had an accident. I feel so angry, upset and sad that I dont have a "dog" family. I feel sad for Samantha. I feel lost. I keep trying to convince my family that it will get better. I have asked my wife to read some of the books I bought on GSD's and traing, but she is not interested. Any suggestions? PLEASE help. Rob

Here are a few more pictures: Samantha surveying her new home! Samantha taking a break Some more pictures later. thank you very much for the replies so far. Should I re-apply the Advocate in 2 days time, seeing I put it on straight after her bath? Thanks again. Rob

G'Day, I have been browsing the forums and have so far found some wonderful information. We picked up our new german shepherd pup last Saturday. By Sunday she was chewing and scratching. I looked for flees and could not see any. I noticed some small "pimples" on her belly: These dont seem to be the problem, although they have recently developed into what is shown on the picture. She mainly chews at the base of her tail and back legs. I spoke with the breeder, she suggested AllersebT or Malaseb. I purchased it today, along with Aloveen shampoo and conditioner. I also spoke with my breeders vet and she suggested Advocate, which I also purchased. This afternoon I washed her with the Aloveen shampoo (did not leave it on for 10 minutes though) and then used the conditioner. Blow dried her and brushed her. I then put a vile of Advocate on her as per the instructions, but most of it "leaked" to her fur............ Tonight I noticed a lump near her tail. On parting her fur I noticed a flea! I killed it. The lump seems to be from the flea bight and her chewing? I explained to my wife that we now have to wash her bedding etc. (my wife is not very dog friendly). I will have to do it my self. Is it ok to wash it in our washing machine? Our house is 90% tiles, only carpet is in bedrooms which so far she has not had access. So far I have not seen our local vet. Sorry for the long winded post. Regards, Rob