Hi Walter,
A big congrats on the new pup! Use the time before the pup gets to you to find a good trainer. Also this article will help http://leerburg.com/housebrk.htm , works everytime.

 Quote: Al Curbow

Hi Walter,
A big congrats on the new pup! Use the time before the pup gets to you to find a good trainer. Also this article will help http://leerburg.com/housebrk.htm , works everytime.

Thanks Al, definately will look into the link you provided. Actually I am planning to do obedience training my pup, can you tell me when is the good time to start training him for protection? What I really looking for protection training is bark on command and will automatic show aggressive when is being threat and that's all I wanted for my family needed.

hi
i dont post alot here mostly cause i am a beginner and about everyone knows more then me.
welcome to the breed and grats on your new inc puppy i am a accidental GSD owner i did not plan anything i did not research the lines i knew nothing about the breed infact i was researching another breed of dog all together a guardian breed i loved the idea of it i planned i studied blah blah blah.what i got was a poorly bred dumpster gsd who has taught me more about myself and and dog training then i could have imagined and no i am not complaining what i found out is how we picture how things should work and how they really are can be two different things and i was not as ready for the dog i wanted as i thought i was.

i trained my medium drive somewhat dog aggressive pup as best i could after spending reading this and that. i probley did better then many people would have but i could have done alot better. i ended up needing a e collar and several videos from leerburg to fix a few things.and no matter how hard i was trying i was not doing it right and now things are starting to come around and i have learned alot about my limits and my strengths i am still making mistakes but for the both of us its been a frustrating wonderful journey.
the point i am making is now my GSD is pretty laid back med temperament and that opened my eyes a little bit. and that was enough while learning if i had gotten the dog i think i should have gotten i might have been overwhelmed till i got the experience i needed to really deal with her the way i should and just because you have all the knowledge bouncing around in your head does not mean you can apply it the way you need to deal with a problem when it comes up and it will.
i dont mean to poo poo on your dreams and not saying you can not do it. but i think working lines can be a whole different ball game drives are so important when to encourage and when to shape it the way you want and when caution is in order that takes experience.
as for breeders and lines i agree with everyone here caution is the best way to go they always show a pretty package but what might be inside might not be to your liking later on. do you have a gsd club around you maybe just spend some time talking to different people become a regular on this board and others take recommendations from people you trust take it slow.

good luck i really hope you get the pup you want
= )
Ashley

Walter asks, "... tell me what you think about my future puppy..."

Hi Walter,
I don't know anything about GSD lines. I can tell you what I think about you getting a puppy in the future though. YAY! Congrats!

Before your puppy comes I would take the time to watch and read all the video's and ebooks available on this site. I highly reccommend the new CD with Michael Ellis about training your dog with food rewards. It is perfect for puppy trainning. All the puppy CD's from Leerburg are very helpful.

Also, writing and talking to the breeder lets the breeder get to know you as best as you present info about you and your family. Hopefully they are above reproach and know their stuff and will select a puppy most suited to you family's needs.

Keep us posted!

 Quote: Walter Chong

 Quote: Al Curbow

Hi Walter,
A big congrats on the new pup! Use the time before the pup gets to you to find a good trainer. Also this article will help http://leerburg.com/housebrk.htm , works everytime.

Thanks Al, definately will look into the link you provided. Actually I am planning to do obedience training my pup, can you tell me when is the good time to start training him for protection? What I really looking for protection training is bark on command and will automatic show aggressive when is being threat and that's all I wanted for my family needed.

Walter, if you have no idea about the lines that this pup is from....you need to do your homework befor buying a pup. There are people here to tell you that what you are looking at is going to be a handfull of a dog. Most likely far more than you need. And shame on the breeder for not recognizing your lack of knowledge & skill & being willing to sell this type of dog to you. From what you discribe as needed above you do not need this kind of dog to fill your needs. I believe that you will be taking on way more than you are ready to handle. Just asking when you can start protection training of a pup, tells us that you do not have the experience level for this kind of dog. There are many lesser line dogs that can & will be able to do what you are looking for....alert barkiing/barking on command, showing aggression (alerting) on command & will be far earier & safer to live with in a family situation, especially with the limited knowledge that you appear to have. Remember you are putting your family & others at risk if you take on a dog that you cannot handle. JMO

I would also wonder why this breeder is selling dogs for $950 when the puppies are usually $1500. Are they just saying this to make you think that your are getting a deal or what. If is is the present state of the ecconomy issue, why do the breeding.(since this breeding has not yet taken place according to the breeder site & the OP/buyer). Is it that the breeder is looking to get a couple of pups for their breeding program out of this litter & are willing to let the rest go whereever to attain this end? Or some other reason. One would have to wonder about this.

Not Friendly to strangers until properly introduced by his owner and produces dogs with a naturally protective nature may sound like a good thing Walter, but it could also be what will make the dog very difficult to live with. Remember obedience,control, and distance. Do like Al said and find the best trainer possible before you get him.

I strongly believe in using the breeders knowledge of the dogs like you are saying, but remember, you've never met, you've never seen the dogs,and the breeder has never seen you with a dog. You described yourself in an email. I don't know where you are located, but you should take advantage of the time before the pup arrives learning as much as you can. And in case you missed it, do like Al said and find a good trainer.

I am very thanks full to all of you honest anwsers, and yes is hurting my feeling but hey... making mistake is building more knowledge, right? Anyway, I never own or train any of protection dog before so I'm new in this phase, any recommandation would be greatful. So what is the reason finding a dog trainer ahead of time?? Any DVD's that you guys recommand me to buy?

While I hate to agree with Steve and ruin my image, he's right. Especially the part about the "naturally protective nature." I like this in a dog and I think a pup from that litter may turn out to be a very nice dog. Having said that, what Steve said is very important to think about.

You described your needs in an email; as a breeder, it is very hard to pick the right puppy for someone (especially if you really care about what you're doing!)after meeting them a few times, let alone just reading an email and perhaps talking to them on the phone. With Capri's litter, there were people who emailed and sounded like the most experienced people on the planet. I then talked to them on the phone for a while and realized that they had A LOT to learn and suddenly the pup I had in mind for them was obviously not the right pup.

So, before we jump all over the breeder for selling Walter a dog, let's keep this in mind. Also, the breeder knows those dogs better than we do. It's entirely possible that they will produce a dog Walter will be very happy with. I sold a pup to a first-timer with common sense and she is doing just fine. I tried to pick one that was a little more laid back and made sure that the buyer was capable of handling the dog. If the pup is balanced enough (and the breeder is a good enough judge of that!) and Walter and his family are all 100% on board with raising this handful of a puppy, then it might all work out beautifully. It's not impossible.

What everyone is trying to say, Walter (and I don't think anyone set out to hurt your feelings) is that you need to make sure everyone is on board with wanting this type of dog and that you REALLY know what having a dog like that entails. It's the little things no one thinks about- like what happens when the pizza guy shows up and things like that. That is where newbies get into trouble with a dog like they're describing a pup from this litter to potentially behave like.

Congrats on your puppy, and keep the lines of communication open with the breeder so you can have the best chance of getting the best puppy for you. And don't be shy about asking for help. It's better to ask a million questions and embarrass yourself than get in over your head with a puppy who turns into a monster in 18mos because of a combo of his/her genetics and your lack of experience. Everyone is new once.

Hi Jenni,

Thank you for your input and I'm feel much better now cause I think you more understanding what exactly how I want to explain my anwsers. Before I made my decision I already sat down with my wife and my kids why I want to add a dog in our family, then of course my two son really don't care much cause my oldest is 10 and youngest is 6, all they want is playmate for them, as for my wife, she understand knew that I'm a dog lover, and the main reason why I really want to have a dog is these day crime is everywhere, in our city before it use to be quite peacefull (IMO), not until 4 years ago petrolieum company have discovered in our province (AB) have a potential for oil, they all moved down to our city, off course our city is booming so were the crime, so that's why I decided to add a dog for my family protection.

Walter