The pet thread

Great to hear that your new family member is doing well! I think the larger than expected paws are some of the little things you'll notice with her pedigree. I seriously doubt that she will be over 70 pounds max when fully grown. The website you listed showed some very well bred GSD's that would conform to the breed norms. I see many U.S. GSD's that are too large for the breed standard but with paws that are small, and I see some U.S. GSD's that are too small and have wrong coloring. There is a local "breeder" who sells white GSD's. According to what I've read, in Europe there are no white GSD's. Any white to speak of, other than small spots like on a foot or right at the end of the muzzle, would be considered a flaw and would likely indicate some cross breeding. An all white dog would not be a German Shepherd Dog according to the true definition of the breed. Anyway, I'm sure you can find more than you would ever want to read if you want to research the true breed. Based on the breeder, you have a very well bred true GSD. Intelligence and a more predictable demeanor are only small bits of advantages you will notice.

Thanks for asking about Dargo. I'm almost ashamed at the amount of money, time and effort I spent to save him. Fortunately, it seems to be worth it. I'd say that he is about 95% back to normal now and continues to improve. There have been no further incidents at all and he knows all of his commands and his training. This helps quite a bit in training the puppy. The puppy is just about 3 months old now and can perform quite a bit on command. He can sit, shake hands (paws for those who don't consider dogs as people), lay, roll over, stay, and fetch. He will growl and bark on command as well, but he is only imitating Dargo at this point.

After a stressful day, it's nice to be able to have a nice conversation with Dargo or Bruno. They are always happy to see me and hear whatever I have to say. So far I'm not claiming that they talk back to me. At least not in words anyway. Post some updated pics if you have any. Here is Bruno trying to give Dargo a kiss. You can just see how thrilled Dargo is.

Oh yes...read quite a bit about the GSD breed on the web. Interesting that the all white are not really recognized, yet the all black are?

"Intelligence and a more predictable demeanor are only small bits of advantages you will notice."
I look forward to seeing the difference between Shelby and Maggie. Especially with the training. I'd like to think I did a pretty good job with Shelby, but there was room for improvement. The one thing that used to annoy me was when she would want to go visit the neighbors dog. Nothing was stopping her either. I'd call her til I was blue in the face...didn't matter, she was going. In fact many times she would stop 1/2 way, look back at me and laugh:StickOutT ...yep, that's what she appeared to be doing and then turn back and continue on. She did finally start to obey, but took a quite a few years. Maybe it was me who needed the training


Great shot of both of them and Glad Dargo is doing well. He looks great and very alert. Very fit looking too. I'll bet Bruno must be a handfull, he looks like he's having a ball. I take it they get along together? In a year or so, I'd like to get a second GSD for Maggie as a playmate. I actually inquired about getting two puppies now, but took the advice of the breeder to wait a year or so.

Damn...you trained the puppy & Dargo to growl?? Nice work!!
I like it too...gonna try that with Maggie for sure. Shelby could speak on command, as well as the paws....in fact thanx for mentioning it. Brought back a good memory. I would ask her for her paw, then her "other paw", then her "other paw", etc, etc, etc. She'd just keep switching paws as long as you asked her. It was so funny.

"After a stressful day, it's nice to be able to have a nice conversation with Dargo or Bruno. They are always happy to see me and hear whatever I have to say. So far I'm not claiming that they talk back to me. At least not in words anyway."
I know EXACTLY what your saying...the last week or so has been an extreme for me workwise. Talk about a 180 attitude change...within a few minutes(if that) of playing with her, I feel like I was never even wound up. In fact felt totally refreshed without a worry in the world.

I'll take some outside pics this weekend and post them. Here's one I just shot...check the size size of her paws

The kids look great.....BA...she looks like she's posing for a mug shot. Puppy's can be an absolute stitch and a great source of stress relief!! Jackson and Ginger have become joined at the hip. Ginger who is a traditionally spoiled and selfish pooch (She was an only child) has actually begun to learn to share. In the AM the Mrs, I and the dogs will be in the cpu room to have our coffee, check the news and get som cpu time in before work. Jackson and Ginger will lay on the rug in the middle of the floor, on thier bellies, sharing a single rawhide bone, each chewing on it's own end. I find them sitting butt to butt on the front porch scoping out the joggers that go by. And they grow so fast. Jackson's first visit to the vet last wk had him at 18 lbs. Took him yesterday for boosters and he gained 5lbs and grew almost 2 inches in just over a week.

BadAttitude said:

Oh yes...read quite a bit about the GSD breed on the web. Interesting that the all white are not really recognized, yet the all black are?

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I guess they don't have an ACLU.
From what I've read and been told, the breed was intended as working dogs and as guard dogs. Even though Germany gets snow, a dog with much white was too easy to spot after dark. Where I got Dargo, the breeder also has all black GSD's. I like a little color. Dargo was mostly black when a pup, but as he grew the black area of fur stayed the same size and the golden color grew in more. I think your puppy has very similar colorings to my dogs, perhaps a little more black? Bruno used to look more black than he does now.

Yes, Dargo has been trained to growl. The puppy just mocks him. It is actually funny to hear the puppy growl. My wife wants me to train the dogs to not ever growl because it may frighten people. As long as they are under control, isn't that the idea? That way they don't have to bite; at least that is what trainers told me.

Cool picture of your girl. Maybe we should start a thread for our favorite pet pics? Anyone else on here want to share pics of their pet?

Good pics guys! His feet sure are big BA!!
I have a Great Dane and unless you are planning to show them the tendancy is not to crop the ears. Their ears are thinner than German Shepards and you have to tape them and work a lot with them to get em to stand up.

Are you planning to have your pups ears cropped? Do you know if you have to do that kind of stuff with German Shepards ears to get them to stand properly?

Doc said:

Are you planning to have your pups ears cropped? Do you know if you have to do that kind of stuff with German Shepards ears to get them to stand properly?

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With GSD's, they stand up on their own; no cropping or "training" required. At a certain age, it is funny to see. They are sort of in between floppy and standing up. Right now my puppy has the windblown look. One ear lies over on his head and the other flops out to the side. It looks like the wind is blowing across him.

I didn't know about this stage when I got Dargo. I was scared for a while that he would have weird ears. I thought all the other dogs would tease him. After a little research and asking questions, I found that was normal for GSD's between 2 to about 5 or 6 months old.

Oh, I just noticed, BA's Maggie has that wind blown look I was talking about. I think they are really cute at that stage! At the next stage they look like their ears are way too big for the dog.

Dargo said:

I guess they don't have an ACLU.

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...great reply!!

Dargo said:

From what I've read and been told, the breed was intended as working dogs and as guard dogs. Even though Germany gets snow, a dog with much white was too easy to spot after dark. Where I got Dargo, the breeder also has all black GSD's. I like a little color. Dargo was mostly black when a pup, but as he grew the black area of fur stayed the same size and the golden color grew in more. I think your puppy has very similar colorings to my dogs, perhaps a little more black? Bruno used to look more black than he does now.

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I also read that the all white were hard to spot in the snow. Seems to me that would be a good thing for guard dogs? But as a working dog, probably not. I like the mostly black with mixed tan/brown markings. I agree, our pups do look similar. The Dam? (maggie's mother) was also mostly black as a pup. Now at almost 2yrs, she has alot of brown. The Sire is mostly black. Never knew they would change color that much. Shelby was also mostly black as a pup and retained most of it during her growth. I hope Maggie does the same, but regardless of what color changes happen, she'll always be a winner in my book

Doc said:

Good pics guys! His feet sure are big BA!!
I have a Great Dane and unless you are planning to show them the tendancy is not to crop the ears. Their ears are thinner than German Shepards and you have to tape them and work a lot with them to get em to stand up.

Are you planning to have your pups ears cropped? Do you know if you have to do that kind of stuff with German Shepards ears to get them to stand properly?

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Doc...I think her paws are gonna be as big as my size 12 are

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't cropping have to do with cutting...cropping makes them shorter right? How would that help the ears stand up straight? I've heard of cropping the tails and ears for Dobbies and some other breeds for show purposes, but thats about it.

Dargo's right, her ears will stand by themselves. In fact her right ear does stand quite a bit now. Just before I shot that last pic, both ears were standing staright up. They usually do for a short time right after she wakes up.

I've found several online forums that discuss the GSD and it amazes me how many GSD owners are concerned about when the ears will stand. Many of the owners do the tape deal, but I have no plans or interest in doing that. Shelby's stood up at about 10 weeks IIRC.

Cowboyjg said:

The kids look great.....BA...she looks like she's posing for a mug shot. Puppy's can be an absolute stitch and a great source of stress relief!! Jackson and Ginger have become joined at the hip. Ginger who is a traditionally spoiled and selfish pooch (She was an only child) has actually begun to learn to share. In the AM the Mrs, I and the dogs will be in the cpu room to have our coffee, check the news and get som cpu time in before work. Jackson and Ginger will lay on the rug in the middle of the floor, on thier bellies, sharing a single rawhide bone, each chewing on it's own end. I find them sitting butt to butt on the front porch scoping out the joggers that go by. And they grow so fast. Jackson's first visit to the vet last wk had him at 18 lbs. Took him yesterday for boosters and he gained 5lbs and grew almost 2 inches in just over a week.

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Thanx Cowboy, she just woke up. That is one of the moments when they are the so cute. After that, all He!! breaks loose, as I'm sure you already know. I had to go back and look for the pic of Jackson. Ginger I saw before, but missed Jackson. Nice looking pup! You mention that Ginger was spoiled and selfish. How long did it take for them to get along? How long before they could be left alone together? I ask because I will get a second GSD someday as a playmate for Maggie, and I'm curious as to what to expect. I considered it a couple times when we had Shelby, but as spoiled and greedy as she was...I decided it was best not to. Maybe I should have...

BadAttitude said:

.......
Dargo's right, her ears will stand by themselves. In fact her right ear does stand quite a bit now. Just before I shot that last pic, both ears were standing staright up. They usually do for a short time right after she wakes up.

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If you want them to stand erect all the time, try putting a Viagra tablet into the daily meal......

Junkman said:

If you want them to stand erect all the time, try putting a Viagra tablet into the daily meal......

Click to expand...

Sounds like you have experience using them
Can I stop by later and borrow a couple?

BA......Ginger and Jackson needed only about a day to get through the rough spots. For Ginger it was about her bones. She's 4 yrs and he's 4 mths. I think there has been some maternal influences at work here. The fact that Jackson is a male may have played a role too. No competition except to see who gets the bone first. Yesterday the wife and I watched them get into a "Make out session". They were licking each other on the mouth...Gross ( but funny). They still go round about the bones but it's become kind of hilarious. It's almost like they play musical bones. They also play pretty rough with each other but because he's getting so big and more agile , he's able to dish some out too.

Thanx CB

Sounds like they were meant for each other...
Any pics of them 'making out'?

Re: Humor and Clean Jokes

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