I know of a young couple in their early 20's. They just got married,
bought a new house (WITHOUT a back yard!), and have decided they must
have a dog. They have NO experience whatsoever with dogs. None. Zero.
Zilch. Since the day they were born.

They've decided to get a German Shep. from a breeder who specializes in
police dogs. He told them if they got a female puppy and spayed it, it
would be much gentler and easier to handle. Is this true, even if the
dog is from "police" bloodlines?

Their idea is that they'll just "have the dog trained" and everything
will be peachy. I don't know how they plan to exercise the animal,
especially after it gets fully grown. One of them will have to run it
up and down the street for 30 minutes every night, which I'm sure won't
happen when they get home from work at 7 p.m. on a cold, dark, winter
night.

I know the husband is determined to train the dog well and learn as
much as he can about dogs; he's VERY serious about it. But the wife is
a disaster in the making: a classic bunny-hugger who basically sees
dogs and cats as cute, cuddly "little people in fur coats" that walk
around thinking in English.

Incidentally, their house also has wood floors, and I think a dog that
heavy will scratch the hell out of them, true?

What's your opinion of this situation? Are they walking hopelessly into
total disaster?

And Jerry, your reply is NOT wanted here.

Ron M.

Ron M. wrote:
I know of a young couple in their early 20's. They just got married,
bought a new house (WITHOUT a back yard!), and have decided they must
have a dog. They have NO experience whatsoever with dogs. None. Zero.
Zilch. Since the day they were born.

They've decided to get a German Shep. from a breeder who specializes in
police dogs. He told them if they got a female puppy and spayed it, it
would be much gentler and easier to handle. Is this true, even if the
dog is from "police" bloodlines?

Uh, no. Dylan was female, spayed, and not from "police
bloodlines" specifically. And not our first dog. She was pushy,
bossy, very smart and a real handful. (And we adored her - but
getting through her first two years was a real challenge.)

Their idea is that they'll just "have the dog trained" and everything
will be peachy.

After struggling through two puppy classes, we engaged a
professional trainer to help with Dylan, but what was more
important was getting ourselves trained. "Have the dog trained"
might cover 10% of it, IMO.

Incidentally, their house also has wood floors, and I think a dog that
heavy will scratch the hell out of them, true?

Probably, unless they are religious about keeping the nails
trimmed. If the dog has joint problems, wood floors will be hard
on the dog, too.

What's your opinion of this situation? Are they walking hopelessly into
total disaster?

If they are serious about training themselves along with the dog,
not necessarily. Still, maybe someone should notify the local
GSD rescue to expect a "donation" within a year...

FurPaw


--
"...curious...that women would move from playing with Barbie to
denouncing Barbie to remaking themselves as Barbie."
Maureen Dowd, _Are Men Necessary?_

To reply, unleash the dog

On 13 Mar 2006 18:03:16 -0800, "Ron M." ,
clicked their heels and said:

They've decided to get a German Shep. from a breeder who specializes in
police dogs. He told them if they got a female puppy and spayed it, it
would be much gentler and easier to handle. Is this true, even if the
dog is from "police" bloodlines?

They're being fed a bunch of baloney. They should run from that
breeder.

Their idea is that they'll just "have the dog trained" and everything
will be peachy. I don't know how they plan to exercise the animal,
especially after it gets fully grown. One of them will have to run it
up and down the street for 30 minutes every night, which I'm sure won't
happen when they get home from work at 7 p.m. on a cold, dark, winter
night.

Failure to understand the exercise needs of young, large, active dogs
is what makes a lot of them wind up in shelters.

I know the husband is determined to train the dog well and learn as
much as he can about dogs; he's VERY serious about it. But the wife is
a disaster in the making: a classic bunny-hugger who basically sees
dogs and cats as cute, cuddly "little people in fur coats" that walk
around thinking in English.

Won't work well with a GSD. It IS possible to own a dog without a
yard - train the dog and therefore be able to give adequate off leash
exercise. But they don't sound like they are necessarily skilled to
do that.

Incidentally, their house also has wood floors, and I think a dog that
heavy will scratch the hell out of them, true?

Not really Weight has little to do with it. I've lived with wood
floors for my whole life, with multiple dogs of all sorts. Actual
wood floors (not prefinished ones) can be refinished if need be.

What's your opinion of this situation? Are they walking hopelessly into
total disaster?

Probably. The first thing they are doing "wrong" is not researching
their compatibility with a breed and researching breeders very
carefully.
--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

On Tue, 14 Mar 2006 07:51:51 -0500, Janet B wrote:

...Failure to understand the exercise needs of young, large, active dogs
is what makes a lot of them wind up in shelters...

Amen! That message should be posted in every shelter, because it can *not* be over
emphasized. I see failed results every week! :-(

Humans say things like, "He chewed up everything in the house! We can't control him." They
seem shocked as they return the puppy they adopted--sometimes, just the day before!

On the lighter side, I see folks who show up with no collar or even a leash; they pick out
a large, powerful dog. So, with flimsy kennel leash in hand, they try to figure out how to
lasso their dog and get it out of the shelter. So far, I've never laughed in anyone's
face, but it does tickle me. As they leave, I hope they are quick learners and they all
survive.

A dog's life is too short; their only fault really.

Ron M. wrote:
.... They have NO experience whatsoever with dogs. None. Zero.
Zilch. Since the day they were born.

They've decided to get a German Shep. from a breeder who specializes in
police dogs. He told them if they got a female puppy and spayed it, it
would be much gentler and easier to handle. Is this true, even if the
dog is from "police" bloodlines?...
What's your opinion of this situation? Are they walking hopelessly into
total disaster?


GSD's can be quite a handful. I grew up with small dogs, but "my" first
dog was a GSD. Did well with her, and decided to add a 2nd. Although I
did not consider myself inexperienced, my 2nd GSD and I spent 15 months
attending obedience training. We also attended private behavioral
lessons with a local trainer who I respect very much, so that I could
begin learning how to read her and anticipate inapropriate behavior
before it occured. We still go for private lessons when I feel that I
need some suggestions. She is now 3-1/2, and doing well, but she is
very high energy, with a lot of prey drive. Also, training is ongoing,
but now it is for search and rescue. BTW, she was spayed when she was 5
mos old.

Sheri