I would love to hear any advice of what i should expect from Ace as he "matures"
I would just like to know what i should watch for and what to expect from a male gsd going through puberty. I had somehow forgoten how quickly they grow up, and how some things can change when they start to feel the weight of whats between their legs.
kinda just preparing myself incase there is something i need to prepare for. Maybe a battle for leadership?

I am also wondering this... I would like to keep Keiko intact but am wondering if this is going to work with females in heat around. Does a male become uncontrollable in that situation?

Jager is an intact seven year old GSD service dog (mobility assist). His mate Lili, my bride's dog (My mate's dog) is also intact. I do not have problems with Jager during estrus. Having said that we have a solid pack structure and everyone is comfortable with their position. Worst case scenario had me tell my dog "No" once and repeat the command. I am unaware of any female dogs in heat while we were out and about.

I would say that as long as you're in control you shouldn't have problems. In the wild only alphas mate and they prohibit the rest of the pack to do so. Thus I'd say your male's genetic memory is set up for you to do well as long as you're the actual alphas.

This is something that I posted a while back on a thread...I copied it here. Just some thoughts....

Some dogs coming up on mental maturity can be a rea PITA. Some just push a little here & a little there & others all out forget all the rules & realy have at ya & some are somewhere in between. Physical maturity & mental maturity are two different things. Physical maturity is when they reach their full stature & finish filling out. Mental maturity is when they reach their full capacity & attitude as as adult canine. They often become more serious, intense, more aware of their enviroment, intact males get alot more challenging to other males, especially, protective of 'property' which can be home turf & humans, just get 'forgetful' about rules & commands challenging authority etc etc etc. Most large breed dogs go thur this somewhere around 2 give or take a few months & 3 years old. Small breeds mature more quickly & go thru this sooner...haven't had small dogs in many years...but I think around a year or so give or take.

Different dogs & lines of dogs can be very different going thru this process....from your hardly noticing any change to out & out right handler aggression issues testing authority.

During this time you may need to reinforce all rules & even make a few new ones that require more absolute obedience & practice a NILIF(nothing in life is free)attitude if you don't already. Some dogs need to 'earn' everything from food to a pat of affection. Don't give a command that you can't inforce. Handler aggression issues need to be dealt with immediately, calmly & without emotion. Not going to go into dealing with this, as most people will not have this issue & if they do they need professional help, if not experienced & this is truly going on. It is not something to play with as you can get badly bittten if not handled correctly.

Most males are more ready to 'test' during this maturity stage then the females are. Althought there can be exceptions.

Most dogs just get pushy & test the rules & boundries. This process of maturing & testing can go on for weeks or months.

My male constantly pushes & tests (but no his is NOT a dominant dog just s VERY pushy one). He was at his worse between 2 1/2 & 3 1/2 (from very slow to mature lines)& became very HA at times. Mostly he was a PITA. My female would just 'turn a deaf ear' to commands & get pushy when she wanted affection & became more intense when protecting property.

When going thru this stage of your dog's growth you need to stay firm in your rules & be consistant in all that you do, because your dog will be watching for those inconsistancies & will be ready to take advantage when they happen.

You want to make clear to your dog that the rules are the rules & you as leader make those rules to be followed by all pack members(in multiple dogs homes) but you don't want to destroy your bond with your dog in the process.

 Quote: Elizabeth Anderson

I am also wondering this... I would like to keep Keiko intact but am wondering if this is going to work with females in heat around. Does a male become uncontrollable in that situation?

Depends on the dog. My male that I have here now is a PITA when my female is in heat. Crazy dog! Can't even think straight.

I had another male that was fine & just wanted to be near here...in a crate in the same room & he was fine with that...not crazy at all. He would work around her in heat also with no issues.

Zuki is a little pushy all times, seeing if I am going to make her or not, some days better than others. As for in heat she could not be trusted at all.

My boy is 14 months old, intact. He has gone through phases of being a jerk, but I just step up the obedience and we get through them. I am planning on having him neutered in the coming months, but that is not because of behavior issues. He is my first male and is a pretty relaxed dog, compared to my females. His biggest "issues" would be marking on of my female's urine and trying out little dominance moves within the pack occasionally...I consider that to be a dog thing, not an intact male thing.

ok..so just keep up on the consistancy. i can handle that. If i can get through 8weeks-8 months..i think i can tackle a few months of pushy behavior
can teritorial signs be observed at this age?
today while picking out potatoesfrom my garden ace was laying by me and watching me, when he stood up and charged the fence behind me barking in a way i had never heard before. he alwasy barks when he is excited andit's always high pitch. this was a deep bark. at first i didn't even think it was him.
some people were looking at the house for sale behind ours. and it caught me quite off guard. my first thought was defensive behavior? i quickly said "here" and he came right back and didn't appear to care anymore..just laid right back down by me as i kept working.
i guess the whole reason i brought this OP up in the first place is because he has started to be a bit pushy. he has tried a few times to run right through my legs to go inside..when usually he waits till i give him the "ok". and has started to down instead of the "sit" i had asked of him in the first place.

I wont be fixing him until after i get his hips exrayed at 2 years of age. and if they arn't great hips he will be fixed. so i really appreciate all the advice given on what to expect!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j269/harleysea/elsa2ndbirthday102.jpg

look mom i can fly!

hahaha I love that picture! I don't seem to ever be able to get good pictures... I always have to tie Keiko down to get a good one of his face, so on. And if I put Zuki in a sit or down she always looks so board...

Zuki does the sit when told down or vi versa too sometimes. I am hoping it won't be to challenging with Keiko. I would have to say so far 8 weeks to 8 months is by far the most challenging (hopefully it stays that way) .