Hi Im new to Leerburg.com, and I am so glad that my breeder has told me about it.
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I do have some questions that hopefully some of you can help me with. I have recently sent off payment for a 8 week GSD puppy. He will be 12 weeks old when I get him. (He is being held until our new fence is put up)I am going to be training him in Schuthund, which I'm new to, and Im a little confused.

I know the most important thing to do is socialize your puppy like crazy. Mr. Frawley recomends socializing them to different situaions, but not to let people and children pet him. So Im confused. I have two children of my own, but have many children in and out of my home during the day.

Should I let the children pet him or not? Also Mr. Frawley recomends that children not be around puppies. I want him to be part of the family and still be able to do Schutzhund. Is that possible? Should he be kept outside or inside? I also was told that I should keep him away from the kids at first so that he doesnt feel "threatened" or "dominated" since I want to build his confidence. How soon should I introduce him to my kids, or any for that matter? I know right now he would be too young to stay outside, but when is a good time for him to start staying outside? Is it better for him to come in just at night? Im sorry for sounding like such a novice but I just want to make sure I am doing everything right.

Hes not here yet and I just want to make all the right choices for him. I dont want to make mistakes that I later have to try to correct, if I can avoid them this way. I would love any answers or comments on this subject. I also want to thank you all ahead of time for your responses.

Hi Chasity,
Boy you sound alot like me. My pup is 11 wks old. I got her at 8 1/2 wks. and was so concerned about doing everything right. Your last paragraph in your message sounds exactly how I feel. I also have children of all ages in my home, (lots of grandchildren). Some of them are very afraid of her. The smaller ones are just at the right height of my pup. This can be a problem. She is at her puppy biting/nipping stage. I had to watch her nipping at their ears or hands. I can tell she is just playing, but they definately don't understand. I also was told not to let her around small children. Sometimes I just put her in the crate when they come. It is easier. She then continues to bark the whole time. It is a vicious circle.
I commend you for already knowing that you are going to start her/him on SchH. I still am not sure. I have had so many comments. I wanted to go into SAR, but realize that I should be alot younger to handle that. That really depresses me! I still would like to get her into SAR training, though.
Good Luck on your pup. They can be a handful. One thing I notice though. She will listen to me more, because I seem to be the main trainer for her at this time. :rolleyes:

Im glad to know that Im not the only one that seems like I worry about every little detail. My oldest is Danielle and she will be 6 next month, and Chris is 14 months old. I know I will have to limit his time with Caesar. As far as SAR I think thats a great idea. When I first contacted my breeder I wasnt sure what I wanted to do with my German Shepherd but he recomended me go to this site. I read alot on Schutzhund, SAR and Therapy dogs. I know the training ahead of me takes alot of time and effort, but I am so excited. I cant wait for Caesar to get here! But like I said I have kids in and out of my house all day long and most of them are around 2 years old. My breeder sugests crating him during the kids active time of day and letting him out before they get here, during thier nap time, and after they leave. But I just dont know if I should wait until he gets past the nipping stage before I introduce them, or maybe I should put him outside when theyre here. The weather is really nice right now where I live and my sliding glass door is always open so that he can see and hear me. I hope I get more input on this. Thank You Suzanne for your input! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You need to make a decision about what the specific goals you and your pup will have.

What those goals are will determine the answers to most of your questions.


For instance, if the dog is going to be a pure working dog and has the temperament to handle it, there is a school of thought that says keep him kenneled and limit the amount of exposure to other people. You still need to socialize the hell of of him, what you want though is to socialize the dog in a way where he learns that you and only you are the source of everything good. He can still be exposed to every possible situation to learn how to cope with them, but that doesn't have to mean people touching and gushing over him. So you don't let him learn to seek out other people for attention, treats, petting, etc. The focus is on you.

Another scenario is if the dog is going to be a housepet AND a working dog, you may want to allow more free access to the dog, and in the case of children I think it is a very good idea to socialize the dog with your kids and let them play in a controlled environment.

You want to be aware of some extra things when raising your working dog in a home environment. You want to limit the the things that could impact the dog's working ability or that will squish the dog's developing drives. But with the housedog there needs to be a happy medium between that and teaching the dog the manners necessary to function in the home with family, visitors, other pets, etc.


Put together a set of goals, and then ask around about how to deal with socialization issues and puppy raising with those goal in mind. You will get much better answers with direct questions. If you ask general questions you get a whole lot of general answers from people who may not have the same goals you do and who's advice is going to be a bad choice for you.

You now Robert you are right! I didnt think to add that in. Well basically he will be a family companion. I want to get into Shutzhund because I find it very interesting and Im an active person that enjoys that sort of thing. I think its good for a working breed escpecially with his drives to be doing something active that they enjoy. But yes basically I want him to be a memeber of my family but still want him to be able to do well in Shutzhund. Thanks for all the input! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Have you contacted the local SchH club? That's always a good first step. Try to go meet them before you get the pup. Seeing what you will train the dog for in the future will help a lot. I didn't have a club in my area when I got Auster.

When I got Auster I thought socialize meant the whole cookie and petting thing (that's what we did for the pups at the vet's office). Now Auster cares more about everyone else than me. The vets like it but I don't. DEfinitely be selective about who you let pet the pup and let the dog know that not everyone wants to play. Now Auster will pull and the end of the leash to go see some one and do a few happy yips (if I tell her to heel of sit she will still look in their direction wag and maybe bark). She's always sad when they get scared and leave <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> . You have an advantage because Auster is showlines, but as long as you don't listen to the vet you should do okay.

My new pup will be trainded for SAR but I will also do a lot of bite work on a rag, toy, etc for his drive building. He's already learning to be a little softer with the wife and grandkids. My wife is also learning to redirect his biteing to a toy or rag. The grandkids, 5-3-2, are pretty much off limits for a while unless supervised VERY closely. I know the pup will learn the difference, but getting through till teething starts/finishes will require lots of supervision. I found a Schutzhund trainer in St. Louis (Steve Pettit) that trains with motivational methods very simmilar to Flinks, and that's where our obedience will be done.

Well I went to USA SchH Club online but I didnt really get any info on anything close by to me. I live in Stockton, CA. About 45 min. from Sacramento, and 1hour and 15 min. from Oakland

As far as the kids are concerned I know now that they will have to be kept apart, except my 6 year old. She knows already how puppys can be and we go over rules almost everyday until his arrival. But I still dont know if he should be inside or out. Like I said I know at this age he is too young to be out, but what is a good age for him to start going out? Is it ok for him to sleep out there on warm summer days? Should I put him out and inside at night through adult hood?

Also can taking him places I go be too much for him right now? (12 weeks old) My fiance plays softball and we go to the park to watch his games once a week in the evenings. Would that be a little too much for him to handle?

I used to have a Doberman and I loved taking him everywhere I could, although he was too hyper to be in the house. He stayed out side. And as far as a crate for him... well my fiance thought what good was it to have our Doberman in the house if he was locked up all night? He wasnt a puppy anymore.

Is there like a 1-800 number to call to get information on SchH clubs in a certain area? I imagine Sacramento will probably be the closest to me. Thanks everyone for your oppinions!

Get a crate.

It will make everyone's life much easier. House training will be faster. The dog will have a 'safe place' to go when things get too hectic. Having a dog that heads for the crate when you say, "Kennel up", makes life much simpler. If you do get involved in Schutzhund, the dog will need to be comfortable staying in a crate. He will be spending a lot of time there while everyone else takes their turns training.

When the pup is older, say about 18 months, you can think about letting him roam about the house without supervision. One of my favorite stories about pups and couches is of the dog that had his favorite ball slip between the cushion and arm. Being a smart dog, he reasoned the best way to get the ball was to go through the side of the couch. Ten minutes later, he had his ball. He also had great fun with the remaining couch fragments. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />