Our new little man is home as of two nights ago - he's a GSD puppy and
we've named him Oskar. He's the son of these two:

http://www.temarshepherds.com/Diego.htm
http://www.temarshepherds.com/karla.htm

We met his mother while we were at the breeder's. She was a
sweetheart.

My last puppy was quite a long time ago and was older when I got him.
Oskar will be 7 weeks old tomorrow...I was under the impression that
GSD pups were usually taken at 8 weeks and on, but the breeder (who
knows more than I) said that any time post-weaning was fine. However,
now I read on the net that 10 weeks is optimal and if you take them too
early, they miss out on some pack socialization...???? He's thoroughly
weaned (loves his half-hamburger, half Natural Balance food).

So we get him home, play with him, take him all over the house, and
finally decide to introcuce him to his crate. Wouldn't you know,
that's where he decides to pee...just about the last thing you want to
happen Fortunately, we could flip the pad and since he's devided
off from most of it (it's a 48" crate), he can't smell his accident.
We used Febreeze as an odor neutralizer - do people find that
effective?

Oskar howled like a lonely pterodactyl the first night, mostly I think
because (a) he didn't come home until 6pm so he was only in his new
environment for a few hours before bed, and (b) he couldn't hear or see
us (our bed is rather high and although his crate is in the same room,
it may have been too much of a mental stretch for him), so I slept on
the floor next to his crate. One night of that was all I was willing
to do, though! Yesteday we gave him some crate time (about 1 hour
each) and I slept in bed at night. He only cried when he needed to go
out...which is still about every 2 hours. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

We're working on housebreaking, with mixed results...and correcting him
when he tries to chew on things he shouldn't (e.g., furniture). He's
still learning his name (having been home only two days!) so that's
enough mental exercise for him now.

Oh, and he COMPLAINS nonstop My wife says we got a grumpy old man.
I was sitting next to him as he took a nap on the couch and shifted my
legs, which caused his cushion to jostle...he made a low ruffing noise
of discontent. Yes, life is hard, little man...

The breeder had some strong opinions on GSD rearing, specifically:

- She strongly feels Natural Balance is good food,
Iams/Eukanaba/supermarket food is tripe trash. We bought a bag of NB
so we didn't switch his diet. Whether we continue with that or not, I
don't know. I always thought there were two tiers of dog food - the
supermarket garbage and the quality stuff (Iams, etc.)?

- She said no tennis balls, which was quite a surprise...my previous
dog always had a half dozen around the house. She said the glue that
adheres the felt covering to the rubber is destructive to canine teeth
enamel...? Our guy couldn't fit a tennis ball in his mouth if he
wanted to right now, so it's a nonissue at the moment

- Most dogs are neutered at 6 months...my last guy we did around 8
months. She said wait until 18-24 months or you will stunt his growth.
My recollection is that if you wait too long, they develop sexual
habits that never go away regardless of the loss of testosterone and
they tend to do more territorial marking, which is a pain when you
walk.

Anyway, Oskar is home on quarantine for the next six-eight weeks until
he's had his last round of shots. He goes out into our backyard under
supervision. There is a neighborhood cat who periodically comes into
our yard (and I imagine she'll stop doing that in a couple months I
always make sure she's not around when our little man goes out, but I'm
curious if there are any concerns about disease that could move from
cat feces/urine to dog? He's been wormed and has had his shots to date
(including parvo).

Have to go...someone is dragging my belt down the hallway...
-andrew fabbro

On 26 Jan 2005 10:04:44 -0800 whittled these words:

My last puppy was quite a long time ago and was older when I got him.
Oskar will be 7 weeks old tomorrow...I was under the impression that
GSD pups were usually taken at 8 weeks and on, but the breeder (who
knows more than I) said that any time post-weaning was fine. However,

Many breeders are eager to get rid of their pee-poop-eating machines. 7
weeks is acceptable, provided the puppy was with the litter prior to that.

now I read on the net that 10 weeks is optimal and if you take them too
early, they miss out on some pack socialization...????

Correct - people seeking working dogs often prefer 7 weeks - they do,
however, have a focus on socialization. Most pet owners don't.

So we get him home, play with him, take him all over the house, and
finally decide to introcuce him to his crate. Wouldn't you know,
that's where he decides to pee...just about the last thing you want to
happen Fortunately, we could flip the pad and since he's devided
off from most of it (it's a 48" crate), he can't smell his accident.

Of course he can smell his accident. He is a DOG. He could smell it
across the room, no problem.

Remove the pad and launder it.

We used Febreeze as an odor neutralizer - do people find that
effective?

No. Use an enzyme based product e.g. "Nature's Miracle" or "Simple
Solution" or similar product. The goal isn't to avoid offending the human
nose but to change the chemical nature of the stain so the dog does not
continue to identify it as an OK spot.

Oskar howled like a lonely pterodactyl the first night, mostly I think
because (a) he didn't come home until 6pm so he was only in his new
environment for a few hours before bed, and (b) he couldn't hear or see
us (our bed is rather high and although his crate is in the same room,
it may have been too much of a mental stretch for him), so I slept on
the floor next to his crate.

Good for you.
- She said no tennis balls, which was quite a surprise...my previous
dog always had a half dozen around the house. She said the glue that
adheres the felt covering to the rubber is destructive to canine teeth
enamel...? Our guy couldn't fit a tennis ball in his mouth if he
wanted to right now, so it's a nonissue at the moment

Yes, although I don't think she is quite accurate about the cause of the
problem - the covers of standard tennis balls are abrasive to canine
teeth. Also tennis balls are dangerous for a full grown GSD because they
can be compressed then pop open again in the mouth and blocking the
airway.

- Most dogs are neutered at 6 months...my last guy we did around 8
months. She said wait until 18-24 months or you will stunt his growth.

Stunt his growth - no quite the opposite. Dogs neutered early tend to
grow taller and rangier.

My recollection is that if you wait too long, they develop sexual
habits that never go away regardless of the loss of testosterone and
they tend to do more territorial marking, which is a pain when you
walk.

Correct.

Anyway, Oskar is home on quarantine for the next six-eight weeks until
he's had his last round of shots. He goes out into our backyard under
supervision. There is a neighborhood cat who periodically comes into
our yard (and I imagine she'll stop doing that in a couple months I
always make sure she's not around when our little man goes out, but I'm
curious if there are any concerns about disease that could move from
cat feces/urine to dog? He's been wormed and has had his shots to date
(including parvo).

I would review information on the risks of disease vs the benefits of
early and thorough socialization. Keeping your dog at home for this
critical period of development is going to have a lasting adverse effect
on his ability to deal with strangers, new things and other points of
stress. My choice is to seek out environments such as home of friends, and
neighborhoods with a high vaccination rate for shopping centers etc. My
veterinarian says that inadequate socialization kills more dogs than
disease.

--
Diane Blackman
http://dog-play.com/
http://dogplay.com/Shop/

Hi,

You might consider checking out www.germanshepherds.com - it is a moderated
site with a web board where you can post all sorts of questions to a bunch
of dedicated GSD fanatics.

I had my GSD pup, Remo, neutered when he was five months old. He turned a
year old in September and he now weighs around 98 lbs and stands 28" at his
shoulder. We were going to wait until he was six months old to neuter him,
but then I had to foster a bitch who was in season and his hormones went
into overload, so we moved the date of his appointment up a month. We go to
a dog park on an almost nightly basis and you cannot pick out which GSD got
neutered at five months, from the one who got neutered at one year or the
one who has still not been neutered (unless you look underneath of him of
course!). He is not leggy and it did not stunt his growth. He is masculine
in appearance, has a muscular physique, a nice deep chest and he could not
have a nicer disposition.

Best wishes with your new pupper! There's nothing like a GSD!

Yours in GSDs and rescue,

Lea
www.shepherdrescue.org