Well I do live very close by to some empty fields that I never see anyone at whenever I take my other dogs out to run. It's the best part of living on the outskirts of town near lots of railway exchanges/cargo holds. There's also several areas that aren't heavily trafficked within 30 minutes of my house. Tracking shouldn't be a problem, but I'll see how I feel about 4 times a week once we get to that point!

What are you planning on doing to start your obedience training?

Lots of patience and management. It makes me tired just thinking about it all, but I think I can do it. I plan on starting on his obedience as soon as I get him home. I'll use a clicker to capture the behaviors I want, and after he's finished his puppy shots, we're going to classes at the local obedience club that's affiliated with the local AKC club.

Whatcha gonna feed?

He's going to be eating Taste Of The Wild at first, but I'll transition him to raw eventually. I've been feeding my adults raw for 3 years now, but I'm uncomfortable about feeding it to a puppy. I don't trust myself to get the balance right, and I don't want to damage his growing body. It's been difficult to find a mentor (not the yahoo list) or solid information from experienced people to talk me into it and show me the way.

Got a crate?

I've got three wire ones to choose from, and I'm eyeballing the Ruff Tough kennels for when he's fully crate trained. I've also got an old x-pen from keeping ferrets a while back that I can attach to it to give him a play or potty space if I have to be out for too long. I need to find out where to get lots of news papers.

Avoid paper training if you can. I had to do it, and it definitely makes the housebreaking process take longer.

IMHO, an xpen is too small of an area to keep the line between sleeping and potty area clear. The last thing you want is for him to get comfortable sleeping in his potty area. When my dog was a puppy, I had a setup for her in a long, fully enclosed porch. I had it puppy proofed from floor to ceiling.

That way I could put the paper way at the far end and her open crate, water dish and toys at the other. Not the greatest solution, but it was my only option. I would have prefered to build a kennel back there but all the panels I could find were about four inches too wide.

If I had to use an x pen, I would probably at least keep an open crate in the pen for him to sleep in.

Honestly, I wouldn't trust an x pen for a puppy with drive as a way to contain them past three months. They are smart little guys who get bored quick, and I wouldn't be suprised to come home and find the pen either pushed across the house or escaped completely.

If you want help transitioning the puppy straight to raw, there are plently of people here who know all about it. They love to help people who are interested in making the switch.

I would connect the x-pen to the crate. I've done it before, and it worked great. The crate was huge and had lots of room for the pup to have play space, but he went out into the x-pen to potty.

That's just for times when I can't be home to let him out within the first few months of him being here, like when I have to be at work. That set up would be inside of a puppy proof laundry room with a door to block access from the adult dogs/rest of the house.

Sounds good to me!

A lot of people have no idea what they are in for with a drivey pup. Sounds like you have done your homework and have the experience to back it up.

I still want to see a picture as soon as you get him home!

 Quote: SamanthaTopper

What are you planning on doing to start Got a crate?

I've got three wire ones to choose from, and I'm eyeballing the Ruff Tough kennels for when he's fully crate trained. I've also got an old x-pen from keeping ferrets a while back that I can attach to it to give him a play or potty space if I have to be out for too long. I need to find out where to get lots of news papers.

I did this with JD and it worked great, but I'll warn you - he started climbing over the x-pen at about 10 weeks (or less). I took the divider (I had an XL wire crate I was using) out and attached it to the top of the x-pen as far as it would reach and then covered the rest with a gigantic piece of cardboard. I weighted the cardboard with a 5# soft leg weight so he couldn't push it off. That worked out great. Oh, I did this during the day when he was in the garage and I wasn't home to watch him

It does sound like you've done your research and are hopefully ( ) ready for what you're in for. Take all that preparation and multiply it x10 for the drive you're expecting I did the same as you...research, research, research which even included writing an article about Mal's. When I brought JD home - oh my!

But, it's worth every single minute that you spend with them. Mal's are wonderful dogs (my apologies to the GSD owners). I have a Rottie, too, and love her to pieces, but there is absolutely no comparison. I'll have a Mal until I'm no longer able to stand upright.

 Quote: dana martin

I did this with JD and it worked great, but I'll warn you - he started climbing over the x-pen at about 10 weeks (or less).....

Take all that preparation and multiply it x10 for the drive you're expecting

Tasha did a vertical jump over a baby gate at around ten weeks.

And she's only a "mild" German shepherd!

Drive in a young puppy is really a whole different world of puppy rearing. Its more like owning a little wild animal than a puppy.

Just remember that management and prevention in the environment are key. Always have him on a line, I like the cheap cotton long lines cut down to size. Keep a toy in your pocket and redirect for everything. Expect him to be able to do something new everyday. You will do fine!

I wish people had told me this stuff. I was convinced something was wrong with her until she was about six months old

When she came into my life I really didn't understand what drive is and how to work with it. I just decided I wanted a shepherd and got the best one I could find, expecting her to be like a show line dog only healthy.

That's why I love the "so you think you want a high drive puppy?" video. It made me realize that I wasn't crazy!

And not to be a snob, but I'm convinced Leerburg is the only place to find people on the internet who know anything. Just being on this board will give you an awesome start.

Great advice everyone! I'd already thought to myself 'What if he manages to climb out?' I figured drilling holes into ply wood and attaching it to the top and bottom with wire would work well to prevent him from being able to topple the whole thing over or climb out. Board is cheap, so who cares if it gets ruined?

I had an experience with a 6 week old lab climbing 32 inches to get out of her x-pen. Found her literally wedged behind the fridge. We couldn't keep her in anything besides hand made, welded crate because she always figured out a way to escape.

It's not my first rodeo with mals either, although my experience is definitely limited (unfortunately!). I've fostered two - a female that was kept in an outdoor pen once they bought her from a breeder and never messed with until she was basically feral. The dog she could have been was obvious, but she was absolutely ruined. Ended up finding a nice pet home for her after two years of behaviorist rehab. The other was a 6 month old female that was so focused on her desire to please and be with me that it was creepy. She also had what some would call an off switch. She wanted to play, but she was also lazy as soon as she hit the front door and saw the couch. I fostered her for several months to fix her issues after being sent to a shock treatment type 'board and train' at FOUR MONTHS which ruined her self confidence. That poor dog couldn't take any correction to save her life. She'd cringe and threaten to shut down. She was adopted by a great guy in central NC as a pet/agility dog.

I reserved first pick male, so I'll be getting exactly what I want. I've done so much research on how to pick puppies, and I've talked the breeders ear off about what I want. I think he's already picked one out for me, so it'll be fun to see what he's thinking.

What did you tell the breeder you are looking for? Just curious.

 Quote: samanthatopper

I would connect the x-pen to the crate. I've done it before, and it worked great. The crate was huge and had lots of room for the pup to have play space, but he went out into the x-pen to potty.

That's just for times when I can't be home to let him out within the first few months of him being here, like when I have to be at work. That set up would be inside of a puppy proof laundry room with a door to block access from the adult dogs/rest of the house.

Here are 2 Leerburg videos about how to use x-pen:

Managing Your Puppy in an ExPen
How We use Ex-Pens to Raise Puppies in our Home

Puppies that are properly trained are not supposed to jump out of x-pens but the training takes effort. You cannot just toss a puppy in there and expect him to know how to behave, just like with all other house manners.

And here is a LB an article including some information on "paper training"

 Quote: SamanthaTopper

It'll be refreshing to start with a clean slate.

I would be careful about starting out with the idea that your puppy is an empty slate that you are going to pour all this content into. You are getting a puppy who is going to have his own characteristics, no matter how controlled the breeding. Also - there are situational factors that you cannot control for, that are going to contribute to this puppy's emerging consciousness.

It sounds like you are well prepared and it will be a new adventure for you. Just be aware of what expectations you are placing on yourself or the pup and remember they are not the reality of you, your pup, and your life together.

May you enjoy the journey!