Also, Nick, how are Gambit's diarrhea and his diet?

 Quote: nick logan

I wasn't able to get to him mouth like I normally do when he decides to eat something he shouldn't. Yuck so far isn't working. He did it for awhile but then ignored me. err!

So yet another issue with this dog to watch for.

It's NOT "an issue with this dog"!

Nick I have pretty much been covered in every possible canine body fluid at one time or another and I have yet to catch anything from one of them.

Relax.

 Quote: Nick Logan

I told Connie this already.. But Gambit and I were playing tug with him on a long line. He ate a little bit of the stuffing from a soft toy we were tugging with. It's cotton, I wasn't able to get to him mouth like I normally do when he decides to eat something he shouldn't. Yuck so far isn't working. He did it for awhile but then ignored me. err!

So yet another issue with this dog to watch for.

 Quote: Nick Logan

I also think I may have the disease he has and possibly my wife and one of my kids. I haven't had a fever but my wife has. I don't know how we would get it.. I did kiss him and he licked me back getting a little bit of his tongue inside my mouth . (YUCK!!!!) So that's yet another concern.

 Quote: Nick Logan

The more I read about the weight these dogs should be the more pissy I get at the breeder! Maybe I'm right though a small dog with a good sch training program might be one hell of a contender if he can do it. I don't know. I think today is just a bad day for me and I'm frustrated, sick and coming to the realization that I should of checked out the breeder better. He also had another dog with pups so he's breeding a lot. I love my dog do I'm doing what I can for him but I really really really want a dog that can protect my family

I broke this post down, there is just so much in it.

I am going to be a little bit more blunt then I normally am but have you considered returning the pup to the breeder or rehoming him?

For what ever reason I don't think this is the time in your life and that of your family's for a new pup. And that's not a bad thing and it's not a failure on your part. The timing and situation is just not right.

To me puppies should kind of be an in the minute type of thing. You enjoy them, you laugh, you pull out your hair once in a while but there should be a lot more laughter then tears.

And you don't worry about what they may or may not be in two years. You just do what you can do to make the pup everything that they can be.

You are putting so much effort into this and I applaud you. But in my mind if it was right it wouldn't take this much effort.

And not trying to lay blame around but if anyone here made a mistake I think it is the breeder. For me to sell a pup to someone with two small children they would really have to have a lot of experience with the breed and I would have to know them very well.

Just my opinion and maybe something to think about.

 Quote: nick logan

I told Connie this already.. But Gambit and I were playing tug with him on a long line. He ate a little bit of the stuffing from a soft toy we were tugging with. It's cotton, I wasn't able to get to him mouth like I normally do when he decides to eat something he shouldn't. Yuck so far isn't working. He did it for awhile but then ignored me. err!

It's not that he is ignoring you, He just doesn't know what it means yet. It's time to switch to a tougher toy.

 Quote:

The more I read about the weight these dogs should be the more pissy I get at the breeder! Maybe I'm right though a small dog with a good sch training program might be one hell of a contender if he can do it. I don't know. I think today is just a bad day for me and I'm frustrated, sick and coming to the realization that I should of checked out the breeder better. He also had another dog with pups so he's breeding a lot. I love my dog do I'm doing what I can for him but I really really really want a dog that can protect my family

It doesn't matter because *you* wouldn't have listened. You can't blame the breeder any more than you blame yourself.

You were given lots of advice (including not to get a pup from this "breeder") that you didn't really listen too

You jumped in on the deep end and said you didn't need a life jacket. And this is the result. Everybody gets frustrated at one time or another with their dog. I still get frustrated in varying degrees at least a few times a month one or more of my dogs. And they're adults. That I've had for at least 1.5 years. It's just what happens with high energy working dogs sometimes. Good dog people figure out what is going wrong, then come up with a plan to work through it.

So you're going to either need to rehome the pup, or work through your tough days, because they're going to get worse before they get better. Sorry if that sounds blunt, it's just the reality of the situation.

Nick do yourself & this puppy a favor & rehome it. You don't get it & never will. You prove this with each additional post that you make. Now it's the breeder that you are blaming for all the problems that YOU have created with this pup. As far as the size of the pup...you picked him out, didn't you?!!! According to you posts you did. Blaming the breeder for that too,now. Even a less than steller breeder should never have sold you this dog. The puppy deserves better then this mess.

It is all supposed to be FUN..it's not for you. It is OVERWHELMING for you. That's not the way it is supposed to be at all.

If you really care anything about this pup...rehome it or return it to the breeder. YOU ARE RUINING THIS PUPPY & what ever potential to be a nice social family companion that he had.

BTW.,...most of the purpuse of a 'family protection' dog is as a deterent, barking to alert to a possible intruder. It is not to just BITE any intruder. That barking will in most cases send the ill-intented person elsewhere, where there is not barking dogs to alert the neighbors as to something being wrong. If it's not then not even a biting dog will do the job alone.

I have a unique perspective on the situation because I am in the midst of raising a pup...almost a year old as I mentioned before...and my husband had never raised a puppy at all before. This was a steep learning curve for him! I told him it would be hard, but he really had no idea how much work goes into the process. He just knew that my adult dogs are well-behaved and expected Vigo to be the same way. Ha! He quickly learned that raising a pup is a very trying experience...and there were more than a few times that he and I got into it about the way things were going. I would think to myself...this man talks big, but really has no clue and there is NO way he could do this without my help. Along the way, I had to train the pup and my hubby to be quite honest!

But the most important part of the whole process...my hubby trusted me to know that I knew what I was doing and he took my advice. Now he says things like "Vigo's recall is really coming along" or "Do we need rice too?" when V had an upset stomach and he was stopping at the store. He has learned so much and I am really proud of him.

He also learned to admit when the it was HIS fault the dog got into trouble...not the fault of the dog. Dog pees in the house = I wasn't watching the dog. Dog gets into the garbage = I wasn't watching the dog. Dog steals my wife's herb pot off the patio table and runs into the yard with it...that was Monday My hubby just stated..."I know, my fault" and went out to repair the damage. No anger, no frustration...just moving on.

P.S. My pup is just finally starting to reliably "drop it" when he has something bad. On the plus side, after month's of taking things out of his mouth (and trading him for something he should have), he has no qualms about anything being taken from his mouth Gotta find the positives in all of this...otherwise raising a puppy will quickly go sour. We both have learned to appreciate the "thinking" nature that Vigo has...and we have both learned to try to stay one step ahead of him!

 Quote: melissa hoyer

.... He also learned to admit when the it was HIS fault the dog got into trouble...not the fault of the dog. Dog pees in the house = I wasn't watching the dog. Dog gets into the garbage = I wasn't watching the dog. Dog steals my wife's herb pot off the patio table and runs into the yard with it...that was Monday My hubby just stated..."I know, my fault" and went out to repair the damage. No anger, no frustration...just moving on.

P.S. My pup is just finally starting to reliably "drop it" when he has something bad. On the plus side, after month's of taking things out of his mouth (and trading him for something he should have), he has no qualms about anything being taken from his mouth Gotta find the positives in all of this...otherwise raising a puppy will quickly go sour. We both have learned to appreciate the "thinking" nature that Vigo has...and we have both learned to try to stay one step ahead of him!

What a good post!

The difference Melissa, it that one of you had experience raising working pups. BIG difference then the blind leading the blind. Don't ya think?

 Quote: Anne Jones

The difference Melissa, it that one of you had experience raising working pups. BIG difference then the blind leading the blind. Don't ya think?

I agree 100%! Should have made that more clear...

Vigo is the third working line GSD that I have raised; however, the first that I have raised without living with my mom and having her help. I have also had dogs my entire life. I am really pleased with what a good boy he is and very proud of him