puppy for the first time

[monica]

I am currently considering getting a german shepherd puppy and have 5 children from the ages 1 - 9 any hints/tips how much work is involved etc. I think this will be like having another baby in the house!!!!

[marcella]

Hi Monique and welcome to the forum.
It was me who spoke to you earlier.

Here's a good starting point for learning how to treat a dog. This pack order info is invaluable and if you and all your family stick to these rules you'll have a much calmer and happier dog.
http://www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk/pack-order.html

I'm sure you'll find lots of helpful people here and loads of info to help you make your decision!

[John Thomson]

Hi Monique,

welcome to our forum............you will find lots of good advice here.

You are doing the right thing by researching before you get a puppy.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask..
_________________
John Thomson
www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk

[shirley c]

Hi and welcome

It is hard work at the start but not impossible, at the moment I am going through the puppy stage with Luka and its fun but hard work. Luka is 12 wks just now, we got him at 7 wks, they are like babies in the fact you need your eyes on them constantly at that age. They go from periods of sleep to waking up and needing out immediately as they cannot hold toilet long, the minute they get up and even before their feet touch the ground you whisk them out for peepees

A crate is ideal for times you cannot watch them....but not just to put them in when you cant be bothered, maybe for 1/2 hr to start with.....we are just getting starting to crate Luka for times like when im making dinner and such

thats what I can think of at the moment
_________________
lurchers Pixel and Zev and whippet, Fen
3 cats, Greebo, Yu and Lexx - 2 ferrets and Dales pony Jazz and adopted pony, April

[Lindy]

Hi Monique

glad you have come on the forum to find out more before you take the plunge, it's nice to see someone being responsible about getting a dog. You are right it's a big undertaking just like a child, you will have to feed him or her about 4 times a day to start with, and take him or her out side to go to the toilet nearly every hour through the day to toilet train at first. A lot of us on here crate training so the dog has a safe place and you can leave them at night or throught the day woth out fear of mess or destruction. The best advice would be to get a good puppy book I like the Book of the Bitch or the Doglopedia both you can get on Amazon and they are great at giving you all the info and advice you will need to know as well as explaining how to do stuff like toilet training. Good luck and let us know what you decided, there are quite a few GSD owners on the forum so they might even be able to suggest a good breeder.

[Suzanne H]

Book of the bitch?? haha

We got our first puppy last April - it is hard work, but a lot of fun. Looking back, the key things for us were:

Crate is a god send - was in there at night and at our mealtimes from the word go.
Go to training classes - found them really helpful.
And as a female owner of a larger, strong dog - the pack rules matter and so does being confident.
Decide on the house rules at the start and have everyone stick to them.
A tired dog is a calm dog - but don't over exercise too young, training and playing tires them out. We used five mins walk for every month of his life twice a day as a rule of thumb.
And there are good books out there...The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey was a good one.

And patience and understanding between 6 months and a year - they are just babies even if they look big. It all slots into place eventually!

[Ross/Ali]

if you are looking for a gorgeous german shepherd pup, let me know.
I know of a reputable breeder from Blantyre area.

as other have said, its hard work (and ive only been doing it for a week now! )

Ross

[Ashley]

Welcome to the forum!

My boyfriend and I got Holly (a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) in November last year and I really do think I underestimated how tough it would be with a new puppy. As already mentioned you do need to be there to let them out every time they wake, every time they get out their crate. You need to watch for signs that they need to go etc etc.
The nights were where it was the toughest only thankfully JayDee took care of her then. She would, in fairness, let us know she needed out, so JayDee would get up and take her until she was old enough to go all night.

We used the crate right away, as soon as we got her. It was a godsend! We knew she was safe if we had to nip out for a short period, and it also helped with toilet training!

It was tough sometimes, but still worth it. You just have to make sure that the pup would still get your time and attention... and the correct attention at that. Definitely read the pack order stuff.... that really helped us when we got Holly, and I was able to identify things that I was doing that was shaping her behaviour... things I wouldnt even have thought of before.

The forums a good place to stick to as well if you have any questions or worries or anythings. Always someone here to help!
_________________
Ashley with Holly & Murphy.
I hope to one day be as great as my dog thinks I am right now!!

[Claire/Mark]

Hello and welcome to the forum, you will get all the advice you need on here.

[geri carroll]

hello and welcome

I think its great you are taking the time to learn and think about getting a dog, before taking the plunge

involve all the family, and start as you mean to go on are my 2 tips....much the same as babies and children.