Michele, the only actual hard core working line GSD is the 7 mo pup I have now, so am speaking from still limited knowledge, but the 5 months I've had him have wised me up to a few things I didn't know when I got him. Namely (this is only my opinion), it's better to expect a high energy and dominant dog than to assume the opposite. That alone can prepare you. I just got Ed's DVD on Dominant and Aggressive Dogs and I would highly recommend it even if your dog won't fall into that category. It's filled with wonderful information based on Ed's excellent understanding of dogs and the multitude of different aggressive drives. One mistake I made was not getting this DVD much sooner. The understanding it gives you and the "what to do" and "what not to do" is priceless. To me it's the kind of understanding anyone who has a working line dog needs to know, aggressive or not. I've been able to pinpoint the mistakes I made with my pup now because of this DVD.

**Decide now if you're going to let the puppy chew on you or not. I know some people let their puppies do it but based on my 5 month experience, I don't agree with it anymore (at first it made sense to me since the pup would get protection training). And while playing tug or whatever, don't work him up to the point where he does begin to chew on you (another mistake I made that the DVD pointed out).

Biting has been the absolute issue with my pup - my mistake was to let him chew on me for about a couple of months before I couldn't take being cut up anymore and decided that no matter if I wanted him for eventual protection dog training, it just was not acceptable for him to ever put his teeth on ME. By the time I figured that out, it was an extremely hard habit to break, and had caused him to be somewhat of a bully toward me. I lost the leadership he needed - I figure in his mind he saw me as a littermate when he first came home and since I let him bite me for so long, he never lost his view of me as a littermate, and he saw he actually was able to control this littermate to an extent by the pain inflicted on my hands and arms, causing his dominance to grow in intensity until he actually was coming at me to bite me if he didn't like something I was doing with him. This is the biggest lesson I learned and biggest mistake that I made. All other mistakes were minor and easily reversed compared to this one.

Sandy, that's good advice. I'm not planning on training my dog for protection traing, but he was unreal with the biting. His teeth eventually became flat at the bottom because he liked mouthing me...and metal. I curbed that behaviour early...he's still mouthy at 15 weeks, but he knows what hurts now and he knows the signal to stop (some people forget that "drop it" or "leave it" can apply to your hands or clothes, too! )

And I have to say that I agree with your idea that it's a good idea for a first-time working line dog owner to assume the dog will try to dominate. While, of course, this is not true that they all are dominant, they are strong, high-energy dogs and smart and they are bred to be hard dogs amoung other things.

All of those things will cause a dog to "test" you, and if you are a milk-toast kind of owner, or one unfamiliar with these kind of dogs, chances are the dog will take advantage of you. Even a dog that isn't really dominant will be if they have an owner who won't be, IME.

This is actually why I chose a working-line pup. I have trained many soft dogs, but I don't enjoy it as much (I don't even enjoy soft people as much! )

I should add for anyone new to the working-line dogs that is reading this thread...there is a difference between "hard" and "dominant". I think they're often confused by novice owners or trainers and that misunderstanding can ruin a dog.

I haven't ordered Eds video on dominant dogs, (but I will...I also think it's a good idea to watch that before a problem occurs, before you make mistakes) but I would assume he explains that distinction.

Man, I'm starting to think that I might as well do direct deposit into Ed's bank account. Everytime I think I'm all set, something else pops up that I want.

 Quote: Amber Morgan

Man, I'm starting to think that I might as well do direct deposit into Ed's bank account. Everytime I think I'm all set, something else pops up that I want.

you & I both

 Quote:

there is a difference between "hard" and "dominant". I think they're often confused by novice owners or trainers and that misunderstanding can ruin a dog.

amber, i for one would love it if you would expand a bit on this concept. what is the difference, how is it confused, what are the ways that confusion can ruin a dog?

as many people here know, i'm in a breed that is known for being very soft and easy-going, in general, not a working temperament at all. because i wanted a healthy and sound dog, i went with a breeder of working lines. and the pup i got has a true working dog temperament (though he's not a GSD).

this was my first experience with this type of dog, and i have to concur with everything that has been said above. it's been a steep learning curve for me, and he's the reason i hang out here. he's very atypical of his breed (EM). i'd say more like a rottweiler (according to his first trainer, who bred rotties), than like a GSD.

he's very hard-headed, and i just did not understand this at all at first, never having encountered it before. i mean, corrections meant nothing to him. he could care less about pleasing me. i was really frustrated by it, and could not understand why the training methods that had worked with all my other dogs were simply useless with him. luckily, he's been very forgiving of my mistakes and has matured into a very stable dog. but for a while there i wasn't so sure he was going to be OK.

i made tons of mistakes! to be honest, i'm not even sure what all of them were. i'm sure if the experts here could see the past five years of my pup's life on video, they'd point out tons that even now i'm not aware of.

my biggest mistake was not understanding what leadership means in dog ownership. i have had to learn how to become an effective pack leader. i was letting him get away with too much, and coddling him.

another big mistake--perhaps the worst one--is i did not understand that it was my job to protect my puppy from other dogs, and he was attacked in puppy class, while out hiking, and while playing with other dogs. it's a miracle that he still loves other dogs. i attribute that to the 12 weeks he spent at his breeder's as part of a multi-generational pack that she leads very effectively. he's been super resilient!

i'd say number one most important decision you make is who to acquire your dog from. i am thankful every day that i chose the breeder i did. she not only follows responsible breeding practices but she's a very good trainer and great pack leader, and i attribute my dog's soundness and stability to her management and guidance.

keep reading here, get whatever books or videos seem appropriate, and keep asking questions.