Still Can't Talk About it...but he is here!!!

[rodriguezpoultry]

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just be sure that you don't say that on a GSD forum. They'll dip you in oil and burn you at the stake.

One of many reasons I am no longer a member of ANY dog forum. Entirely too intense for an average dog owner.

As for food, get the best that you can afford that your dog does well on. There are better foods than authority that are a similar price-range. If you have a costco nearby, check out their Kirkland brand. If you are near a TSC, try 4Health.

Sorry, I've had very good luck with Authority. It keeps Marley in shape and Vida from getting sick. It also has the added benefit of small bites for the Shih Tzu and comes in Lamb flavor for her poultry allergies.

This is just to educate anyone else who is considering a puppy. My only concern would be what type of breeder sends the entire litter home early? Of course there are certain breeders who will let a trusted and experienced GSD owner take a pup home a little early, but that is a vast difference between the breeder selling the litter. In my experience, this is usually the type of breeder who is simply tired of paying all the extra upkeep and the enormous work of cleaning up after a GSD litter. Each puppy should be worked with daily ALONE by the breeder. Daily handling of ears and feet, some basic manners. Fun time with the whole litter, teaching them to come by having following the breeder around the property. Daily exercise, daily poop clean up. At least a couple times a week the pups get taken for a car ride. Pups get taken out individually (or with 1 person per pup) to have a fun outing and socialize.

No breeder is going to be able to do everything every day because you need a day job to support this dog breeding hobby. But I won't give my money to any breeder who isn't working to produce the best pups possible. If they are breeding so that they have puppies that the public wants to buy, I'm going to pass. I want a breeder that is breeding for nothing less than having the greatest GSD that ever lived. They need to be working to better the breed and I want to hear how this pairing is going to do that. I also want the breeder to tell me what is WRONG with the dam and sire. No dog is perfect, so what faults do these 2 have that you are trying to correct? How do they compliment each other? What do you expect the pups of the litter to be like? What are the siblings of the parents like? What type of pups have the dogs produced before with different mates?

Thank you, I believe your stance on this issue has been proven. I understand your sentiments but do not feel the need to visit this area again. If you would like to address me privately, please feel free however also please respect my opinion as well and refrain from putting this breeder in a bad light.

Then I expect the breeder to grill me. What experience do I have with the breed? Why did I get involved with this breed (if I have past experience) or why do I want to, if I am new. What experience do I have with dogs in general? Have I ever titled a dog in anything? Do I plan to do so with this dog? Do I have children? Do I have a spouse? What experience do THEY have with dogs? Is the whole family in agreement with getting the dog and with how the dog should be raised? Do I have other dogs at home? Do I have other pets or livestock?

We were definitely grilled. He asked us about our intended use, our family life, our family "network", how long we are willing to spend with training on a daily basis, feed we intend to use, his recommendations, vet records, other animals in the house, etc.

I also, would like to stress that contracts are not always good indicators of "good" breeders. If the dog is what you are after, has the personality you like and the parents have no physical or temperamental issues, I see no reason to not purchase the dog without a contract. In OK, it is highly unlikely to purchase from a person with a contract. I have never purchased one and neither has anyone in my extended family. All of ours have been perfect companions. It could simply be a coincidence, but I do not see a contract as a reason to purchase or not purchase a dog.


Again, thank you for your opinions and insight.​

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

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She's gorgeous!!! Her face seems to say "What are we doing?! You gonna take this pic already?!"

 

[aoxa]

Why not on your FB?

Congrats! My parents would kill me if I got another dog

Have been living on my own for 6 years and they still try to make me feel crazy when I get more animals

I have 2 dogs & 3 cats. I am planning to move to a rural area in the summer, so I will most likely consider getting another dog at that time. SHH don't tell my parents!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

LOL!

My husband and I are gonna keep it a surprise until his parents come up for New Year's! lol! They're coming up from OK! Something about me being an enabler...

 

[aoxa]

Didn't read the whole thing about the 7 weeks. I can tell you I got my older dog, Koda at 5 weeks old (I was 15, so yeah), and he is much better behaved/adjusted than my other dog who I got at a much older age.

I did raise a litter of puppies and kept them to 10 weeks. I wouldn't recommend getting them younger, but they for sure will not suffer in the long run.

Chloe (the mother of the litter), was done with them by that time anyway. She wouldn't sleep with them anymore. She would let them play by themselves. As long as you have other animals to teach them and keep them company, I don't see any issues. 7 weeks would be way to early with someone who had a full time job. Puppies that age need attention and regular potty breaks.

 

[Tracydr]

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Congrats on the puppy. Why are they sending him home so young? Check out the raw prey model feeding. I feed all my dogs and my new kitty raw and they do great. My Doberman slimmed down, my two toy dogs gained a little weight that they needed, their coats look oiled and shiny slick. Teethe are clean, white and even my old chihuahua doesn't need dental work. My vet is always amazed by how great they look, he's a believer. Blood work is perfect.
They eat beef heart, pork heart, liver, spleen, raw chicken quarters or turkey neck, pork shoulders. I buy the meat from a coop in bulk so that it's very fresh and cheap. Weigh and put in daily sized packages in the freezer, take out enough to thaw for one or two days. Easy!
I didn't have any problems with diahrhea or vomiting while converting and starting young puppies is the very easiest.

 

[aoxa]

Quote:
Oh I see

I want to get a dog who will guard my chickens.

My dogs now do, but I don't leave them with them 24/7. They are not the types that could survive the cold that long

 

[dainerra]

strangely, the dog forums I frequent are probably 90% "average" dog owners. I don't mean "average Joe" who believes a dog is a dog and you just throw it in the yard and feed it whenever you get a chance, but not showing/working "fanatics" either. Just normal people who want to make sure that they end up with a good stable member of their family and want to keep in touch with other people who are familiar with the quirks of the German Shepherd Dog. On the other hand, they are also a bit jaded with the "Oh no, I didn't know that this dog was going to shed/get this big/have such pointy puppy teeth" questions of those who don't research before they buy.

Your statement was pretty much the GSD equivalent of "I turned all my birds loose in the back yard, why are they disappearing?"

I already stated that the things about a breeder were intended for everyone else reading the forum. It amazes me that so many people still believe that all that is necessary to purchase a good dog is to call the number in the paper and fork over some cash. I'm sure that there are other people who are reading this topic besides the 2 of us.

If Authority works for you, keep at it. I know that for many GSDs it wouldn't work because corn allergies are rampant in the breed. Even a food with a trace of corn sends my older boy into distress. Again, though, he is from a breeder who loved her dogs but didn't know perhaps as much as a breeder should. I love him to death, but he's the reason I did so much research before I bought another one.

Not all breeders use contracts, true. But I'd say the vast majority of reputable ones in the US do. In Germany, it's unheard of to have a contract and they would laugh you out the door if you asked for one. Perhaps it should have been worded to say "if your breeder uses a contract"? I know several dog owners from OK and I'd say that contracts are just as common there as in the rest of the US. It goes without saying that a contract is only as good as the person standing behind it. It's not a "run away" red flag, but a reason to question more. Why not?

I don't see any thing that is putting this breeder into a bad light. Simply addressing a simple fact that selling that puppy is illegal.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

dainnerra,

Perhaps its simply the ones that are breed specific I have visited. None of our dogs are outside dogs. All are inside and will continue to be so.

We have done our research on the breed, have contacted several breeders and were directed by another breeder to this person.

I believe your point has been made. Please feel free to contact me privately rather than posting in this particular thread, as I believe your advice is meant more towards the purchasing (which has already happened) than future. The feed will not be changed at this point in time, however I do want to thank you for your concerns.

 

[melodie_a]

Good luck with your puppy! I hope it turns out to be the best dog you have ever owned. We have a white german shepherd that we adopted from our local animal control and boy has it been an adventure with him. Our last dog was a golden retriever and he is constantly proving to us that "he ain't a golden retriever" Super smart... scary smart... and much harder to deal with than our golden... he doesn't just blindly follow orders so he has kept us on our toes.

Riot has to be on grain-free food or he has major stomach issues. We have found that cannidae grainfree works best for him. We have tried a few other brands and he has had issues with every single one so we are sticking with cannidae for now.


Again, good luck. We can't wait to see pics.