I'm picking up my puppy next week. His grandfather was a Leerburg dog.
He will be 8 weeks when I get him. What kind of behavior should I look for, and what should I stay away from? I know that I can't fully judge how a puppy will turn out, but any help would be appreciated.
I travel fairly frequently, and my wife stays home alone. I live in a city that has had home invasions and execution style murders over the past couple of years. I've seen footprints in the snow up to my basement windows. We want the dog to be a great family dog, but also want to train for personal protection.
When I do travel, it's usually for only a day or two at a time, and when I'm in town, I work from my home office. So I will have *plenty* of time to give the dog attention, socialize, and train.
I'm basically just looking for some input on what I should be looking for, and what I should watch out for when choosing the pup.
Will Rambeau Moderator Reg: 01-25-2003
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Loc: Idaho
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John,
I would strongly urge you to spend some time ( a lot of time, if you can spare it ) and peruse through the threads in the Protection area of this forum.
There are a lot of misconceptions about Personal Protection Dogs that have been discussed there and it would be well worth your time to see what has beeen talked about in detail.
And for now, hey, let your puppy be a puppy. Give it srong, fair and consistent leadership.
As far as the selection part, I'd review the Flinks puppy testing, maybe print it out and then discuss in detail with the breeder *exactly* what you're looking for - a good breeder should be able to steer you to the pup in the litter that will have the best chance in fullfilling your needs.
Also, when you're looking through the Protection forums you may see that a puppy may not be your best choice if your need for a PPD is high, just something for you to review and think about.
Sandy Moore Webboard User Reg: 07-25-2006
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Loc: AZ
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Hopefully his breeder is one who raises the kind of pups that were meant for that type of work. A Leerburg dog in the background is great, but what's been done after that is a bit of a concern.
At some point the GSDs become territorial. I don't remember what age we saw that in our dog, somewhere between about 6 months and a year. He is two years old now. If you were coming to our house with the intent to break in, and you heard him on the other side of the door (and you would, from the street), you'd probably change your mind and go somewhere else. For me and my family, that is all the protection dog we need.
Mary Velazquez Webboard User Reg: 12-24-2007
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Loc: Texas
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are there tests to go with the scoresheet? I know I must be incredibly dull not to find them but Ive been looking for them and even googled it but I found nothing...
Will Rambeau Moderator Reg: 01-25-2003
Posts: 5983
Loc: Idaho
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No no, you're not dull, this is a *huge* site!!
We have written about this test in the past two months in a previous thread ( and I did some PM'ing with a couple of really interested forum members ) and actually, the real test isn't written anywhere ( although Ed's discussion test is close ).
Bernhard goes into great detail in his seminars regarding this test, and after attending eight seminars with him, I think I understand the test, but to put it into words would take several pages of writing.
The advice I always give ( and don't hate me for saying this, please..... ) is to attend a Flinks seminar and hear it in person.
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Do's and Don'ts when choosing a GSD pup?
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Re: Do's and Don'ts when choosing a GSD pup?
) and peruse through the threads in the Protection area of this forum.
) is to attend a Flinks seminar and hear it in person.
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