The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly?

Cool. Just remember, German Shepards are prone to hip dysplasia. This can usually be found when the dog is about 6-10 months old. If you buy from a breeder make sure that they will take the dog back (if you choose to do that). Also, when training the dog, never use negative re-inforcement. Always reward good behavior. This works much faster than punishing the bad behavior. I have tried both and this is what I have found to work the best. As for the puppy phase, they will chew everything. Do not get angry with them when your favorite shoe is dripping with drool and looks like it was put through the shredder (I had a very hard time with this), just ignore it and wait for the puppy to grow up. The puppy phase can be frustrating but the dog's "teenage period", around 9-14 months are the worst. They will rebel a little on you. They might revert back to old habits that you thought were long gone. Again, positive re-inforcement will work wonders. I have found that every dog that I have had liked to "pretend" that they can't hear me when I give a command and just do their own thing during this phase. As for cratte training, NEVER, EVER use the crate or kennel as punishment. This should be a place that the dog can go to "get away" from everything. Remember, the dog will think of its kennel as a den. But not if the dog associates the kennel as a place of punishment. As for the ears, if you want to have the ears stick up you will need to have the vet "crop" them, They usually do this when the dog is still young, like 6-9 months. They can be done anytime after that. You should consider getting the dog "fixed" unless you plan on breeding, cause the female is "messy" every month, (and VERY popular around the hood) and the male may want to "mark his turf" more, esp. in the house.

squidgrunt,
Thanks, but I didn't think you clipped a German Shepherd's ears. I had one when I was growing up, and the ears looke just fine natural.

May I suggest after the cat training, "Tuco! LIBERALS!"

Frank, if you find yourself looking for help in training or end up getting interested in "working" your dog (training and/or showing him in retrieval, obedience, etc.), my aunt does this sort of thing up in New Smyrna Beach, and may know other trainers closer to your area.

I think squidgrunt gave a good overview of the positive reinforcement view (which is also my aunt's method), but if you have further questions I'd be happy to pass them along to my aunt. Just email me at the link above.

My parents have traditionally owned shepards and we've always had pretty good success, though the hip problems have plagued two of our dogs. It is very tragic to watch, as they lose mobility and quality of life, so it's something to watch out for. Of course you probably already know this if your family also had a history of shepards.

Still, great dogs, with just a touch of the rebel to them!

Frank - I have a white German Shepherd and she is just the best dog ever -I'm even going to breed her next time she goes into heat. BUT - why crate train a dog that is 1) great home protection, and 2) has a very strong desire to hang out with it's pack/family? My dog takes turns sleeping beside my bed and my kids bed. She would be very sad if forced to be away by herself :((((

I suggest a shepard mix. Much less prone to hip displaysia and other diseases than pure (in-) bred dogs. And I really, really, REALLY suggest getting a dog from the pound. A puppy might sound nice in theory, but they're a lot of work and there are a ton of really great dogs just waiting for someone to take them home.

I got my 3-year-old beagle from the pound a year ago, and he's been the best dog I've ever had. He's bonded with me better than the lab mix I raised from a puppy (who just died last year).

Everything that's been said about positive reinforcement is true. As for crate training... the dog stays in the crate unless you can watch him like a hawk. Cause the puppy WILL pee wherever he feels like. Chopper (my beagle) was the same way when I got him from the pound. When you open the crate and let the dog out, the first thing you should do is let him outside on a leash, and praise him when he does his business in the grass. Give a treat every time the dog poos. Trust me, the dog will eventually get the hint.

Back in the house, watch the dog like a hawk, because he will mark his territory or try to go in the house. Immediately rush the dog outside. (I found it useful to leave the leash attached in the house).

Also, with my beagle, I put a small cowbell attached to the wall near the door to go outside. When he's about to go out, i pushed his face into the bell and made it ring, right before I opened the door. He got the hint there too, and will ring it now when he wants out. (Beagles are really smart though. Not sure if a Shepard is smart or not)

Anyhow.... good luck with whatever you choose... but I really recommend the pound. You can test-drive the dog for as much as a month at most places, and take him back if you decide you don't like him.

And with any dog, be prepared for a LOT of work initially, and a LOT of stained carpeting. It will get better.

Charles.

Frank - you don't have to clip the ears. I personally like the natural" look of the ears. But they sometimes need it. Depends on the dog. Clipped ears can help with keeping the ears cleaner and free of ear mites if the dog's ears are overly pronounced. Unless you plan on showing the dog in the ring I wouldn't worry about it.

first time the dog pees on the carpet, we're getting hardwood floors.

and we're not clipping the dog's ears. that sounds cruel.

Something huge I learned about a dog that chews stuff up...PORTABLE KENNEL...you know, the ones you use at the airport? If you insist that the dog must be kept indoors while you're away, buy the BIG one and lock that monster up in there during his puppy days. He can chew the hell out of the walls and his blanket while you're gone. Yeah it sounds mean, but $600.00+ worth of carpet damage to an apartment taught me that the kennel was a great option.

Will your dog's nickname be, "the rat"??
I think Hitler's German Shepherd was named, "Blondie". How about a cat named "Angel Eyes"????

I'll agree with Charley on the shep mix choice to avoid the hip problems. And for training and such you could check out the The Monks of New Skete books. My wife bought a couple when we got our most recent addition. (Of course, I ignored them and turned him into a monster like his brothers that realize they need to listen to her, but understand I'm Alpha in this here pack.)

Hey Frank and Sarah. My mother has been connected to the pet biz for years and she recommends these books as a way to aid training your dog.
if you know what motivates your dog you can train it more easily.

Unrelated to the actual trining of the dog, that looks like the kinda dog Chuck Norris would have.

Personally I'm more fond of the Chinese Shar-pei. Great family dog, very protective, will practically house train itself and (for sarahk) they generally ignore cats. The down side is that they are VERY stubborn, and they can run like the wind if they get out without the leash. I've never had one that I could train to not run, but I could always trick them into coming back without too many problems.

Don't get stuck on the dog breed Frank, look at all of your options first.

PS. I also second the "pound puppy" suggestion, some of my best dogs have been from the local animal shelter.

AIC

You might also want to avoid inviting Glenn Reynolds over for the first few months.

One of the best of many beloved pets we've had over my lifetime was our "Leo," a Shepherd and Golden Retriever mix that I got at the pound. He was just about a year old and was turned in to the pound because his previous owner "didn't know he'd get so big." He was already housebroken and had been through obedience school.

I recommend taking every dog thru obedience training if for no other reason than to teach them to stay and stop on command for the dog's safety.

Training a dog to look at his kennel as a safe haven is a good thing, especially if you travel with the dog.

I have a new 5 mo. old Minnie Pin and I discovered with her that the disposable bed pads like they use on hospital beds are really great for paper training, although I doubt one would want a dog the size of a Shepherd to train to the paper. They are good for emergencies, however, and waterproof and disposable.

Our Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix looked like a Shepherd in his markings and build except for his muzzle, which was more Retriever than Shepherd. He was a marvelous dog who seemed to get the best of both breeds. If you don't go pure bred, I would recommend this mix.

Good luck. Be nice to the kitties.

A mix is the best way to go. Go to the pound or the Humane Society in your area. I have four great dogs (two australian cattle dogs, an aussie shepard, and a cow-dog/Papillon mix). I didn't pay anything for them. One was 'free to good home', two choose me (I'm a sucker for a cow-dog) and the aussie I found on Craig's List in Austin. None of them are "pure" bred.
Don't get an in-bred freak! Go with a mutt. They are much better tempered and MUCH cheaper (health wise) in the long run.

Be aware that going to the pound is really depressing. I can't emphisis that enough.

Get a mix. My Doberman/Rottweiler mix was the best dog I ever had -- gorgeous, smart, fast as the wind and intimidating as hell (never mind that he'd just lick you to death -- no one needed to know that). And he hated, absolutely hated cats. Go to Petfinder.com to see listings and pictures of all the dogs that rescue groups in your area have for adoption.

i have a shepherd mix you are welcome to. (okay, not really, but she does like kitties, if only they liked her.) i highly recomend the shelter, that's where roxie came from (with her name already attached and everything) and having a crate handy is good for when you aren't there and the dog can't be outside. yes, they can be destructive. roxie once ate my glasses when i wasn't paying attention for all of like two seconds.

You might check with the crew at Ankle Biting Pundits.
http://www.anklebitingpundits.com/
Their mascot looks like the perfect playmate for a kitty cat.

I have had shelter dogs, and purebreeds. I am the last to talk people out of getting rescued dogs, but my purebred is ten times better than my muts. In my personal experience, the mixes were neither as smart or as loyal as my purebred. In addition, my shepherd collie MIX had dysplasia as well.

I had a German Shepherd-Malamute mix, and he was the best, smartest, most loving dog I’ve ever had. He was named Bear because he looked like a teddy bear as a pup, and grew to make bear noises as a dog. He had one droopy ear his whole life that gave him a lot of puppy cuteness even at 125 pounds. It only went up when coyotes were in the garden and needed chased off.

BTW, love the battlemech additions to the last picture. Ironically, this appears to be the MadCat weapon configuration.

Well good for you Frank. I had to buy my wife a new house to get her to let me get a dog. They break ground on the 20th and we get a dog next Christmas.

BTW, since I was born in South Africa I was interested in getting a Rhodesian Ridgeback. They use them for lion hunting. All of this I already knew.

But once I started researching the breed I discovered that they have a natural agression toward ALL CATS! If they're not socialized with cats properly, they'll attack and kill them.

THIS is your breed Frank!

Frank..Tuco hmmmmm...................... one would think that possibly........ The Good (Frank), the Bad (Tuco), the ugly (katz) have made a sequel...go refresh your memories on the name Tuco!

WK

first time the dog pees on the carpet, we're getting hardwood floors.

You'll end up with pee-stained hardwood floors. If you must go with a hard surface, go with tile.

You might also want to avoid inviting Glenn Reynolds over for the first few months.

Now, that is funny!

Re: Crate training. I highly recommend it. Lab-of-azlib loves hers. If I could only find a way to get her to quit shedding like a self-trimming sheep, she'd be a great dog to have in the house. There is no greater love than what a dog has for it's owner (however, there are days when my Lab might love her Kong a bit more than me). If I could only be half as perfect as she thinks I am.

Training of all kinds--crate, "house", obedience--requires one thing, and one thing only...consistency on your part. Let the dog on your bed or furniture just once and you'll have wasted all your time training the dog to stay in it's crate. Decide how you want the dog to behave, enforce those rules, and the dog will live a happy life.

So, in the house, I'm stuck with Mrs. Azlib's two yippy Chihuahuas, a blind-in-one-eye Yorkie, and a dumb-as-dirt poodle mix. She's a good wife, but some days I wish she wasn't so much in love with these useless dogs.

I've had 2 great dogs (and many great cats), one a Shepherd/Lab mix, the other a Sheltie/terrier mix. Your drawings are very Thurberesque - maybe you'll get his dog?

http://dmc.ohiolink.edu/OMP/NewDetails?oid=2481742&scrapid=2768&format=yourscrap&sort=thedate&searchstatus=0&count=1&hits=1

I have great pets, but am lousy at computers. :-(

http://dmc.ohiolink.edu/OMP/NewDetails?oid=2481742&scrapid=2768&format=yourscrap&sort=thedate&searchstatus=0&count=1&hits=1

I have great pets, but am lousy at computers. :-(

http://dmc.ohiolink.edu/OMP/NewDetails?oid=2481742&scrapid=2768&format=yourscrap&sort=thedate&searchstatus=0&count=1&hits=1

Crate training is very easy, you shove your dog into a crate. There's not much he can do about it. Yes, they get to like the crate, it's their 'space'.
I don't like crate training, it's the lazy man's house-training. Most dogs are trained early on by their mothers not to crap or pee where they sleep so it's not that tough. House training, on the other hand, is tougher but I do it. Besides, I like beating dogs. I can't do all my brown-shirting digitally.
My dogs are like my buddies, I don't like the idea of shoving them in a cage. Of course, my dog is sleeping on my bed right now, the little bastid.
As somebody said above, wouldn't you feel stupid if your home was invaded and you were tied up and your guard dog was stuck in a cage?
On the other hand, you would probably feel even more stupid if you shot at said intruder while your dog was ripping his throat out, I mean, you wouldn't want to shoot your dog too.

That also reminds me of my moral-dilemma-solving question:
What would Tuco do?

I don't like to speak for Jesus so asking WWJD? seems a little blasphemous, but I can tell nearly perfectly what Tuco would do in any situation. Then, I do the opposite.

My Mother in law is a professional dog breeder, and crate trains all of her dogs when young. As adults, one or two will eventually get to sleep outside of their crates in her room, but *All* pups sleep in crates for at least the first year or two. This makes them very manageable at home, and when traveling she will often have 4-5 in a van, with 2-3 in crates and the rest loose. (Her breed, Belgian Tervurens, are about the size of Shepherds)
Definitely use the crate as the sleeping place, and take poochie out to potty asap after an extended time in the crate. I've know dogs who will go to their crates to sleep at any time of day - or go to hide from noisy visiting kids, etc. - it's their Happy Place!