Why You Wanted a GSD

* Always remember why you wanted a GSD, especially when things go awry. Did it have something to do with this list by Leo K. Bustad? From “Compassion: Our Last Great Hope”, p50: “Dogs offer security, succor, esteem, understanding, forgiveness, fun and laughter and, most important, abundant and unconditional love. Furthermore, they make no judgements, and we can be ourselves with them. They also need our help and make us feel important.”

* The dog is not a person. This is obvious, and there are many similarities but don’t lose track of the differences. One important difference is that you’re always in charge.

* Treating a GSD well means

— Love & respect. And remember that an important part of loving a dog is, as much as you can, letting it be the animal that it was created to be, and providing the structure that it was designed to crave.

— The obvious basics, including good vet care, good food and plenty of clean water.

— No teasing – GSDs want to be taken seriously and don’t like to be teased.

— Setting up situations where dogs can use their SEEKING system – see “Dogs Make Us Human”, pg 6, by Temple Grandin. “Dr. Panksepp says SEEKING is ‘the basic impulse to search, investigate, and make sense of the environment.’ SEEKING is a combination of emotions people usually think of as being different: wanting something really good, looking forward to getting something really good, and curiosity, which most people probably don’t think of as an emotion at all. The wanting part of SEEKING gives you the energy to go after your goals . . .” You can set up simple SEEKING situations for your dog: allow your dog to sniff sometimes on walks (unless the dog insists it’s the best scent ever we usually give them 3 – 5 seconds and move on with a “let’s go!”), use a snuffle mat or scatter some kibble into the backyard and let your dog spend as long as it takes to find almost every piece, etc.

— Letting your dog be a dog, as much as possible. For example, given the chance most dogs would roam, mile after mile, day after day, preferably in a pack. This isn’t possible in our world today, but walks and the freedom to explore and sniff as much as possible delight a dog. See Play & Activity below to be sure you’re not overdoing it with a puppy.

— Regular playtime with other dogs

— Letting your GSD be involved in your life inside and outside the house, even on trivial things like running to the store. And they want to feel like they’re helping out – for example try teaching your GSD to put away toys. And they love sense of accomplishment or a job – this can come from learning tricks or an obstacle course or feeling like a good protector from being trained to handle household visitors properly.

— Letting them use their strength and their prime weapon. Tug of war is a favorite game for most GSDs.

— Providing them toys to chew and maybe (rarely) destroy. Sticks are a cheap chew toy.

— Setting up situations for them to use their nose. Walks are easy, but you can also hide treats for them to find. A scent trail outside of treats is exciting for a dog.

— Plenty of playtime, both physical such as frisbee or chasing sticks, and mental such as “find it” where a family member hides inside or out and the dog finds them.

— To be trained on how to behave so they’re not being told “No” all the time

— A good amount of your time, undivided and engaged.

— Etc. Dogs are individuals and like to do things they’re good at. Look for things that they like, either by knowing the breed or by trying different things with them.

* The GSD craves variety and new experiences – provide as many as you can!

* Excellent intro to pup basics – see Dunbar, “Before & After Getting Your Puppy”, p. 49-70: Short-term confinement – how & why, Long-term confinement – how & why, Housebreaking, Training to chew only the right things

* You have to communicate the “house rules” (Dunbar) to your puppy, which shouldn’t change across time. When they do most dogs will play dumb and ignore the stricter rules. For example if a puppy has been allowed to get on the sofa or in bed with you it’s very hard to change the rules if you later decide a 95-pound dog belongs on the floor.

* A word on training techniques: from “Bones Would Rain From The Sky”, there are three levels of training.

1) “How do I get you to do what I want?”, which treats the dog like a robot and leads to things like prong collars. Is this why you got a dog? Think carefully about your bond with your dog before you start taking shortcuts that violate that bond. And think about the problem. Is something missing? misunderstood? is the dog not ready for something?

2) “How do I get you to want to do what I want you to do?”, which leads to engaging the dog using treats and encouragement and enthusiasm. A significant advance over #1

3) “What can we accomplish together?” which leads to considering the dog as a partner and forming a team with the dog. It feels great when you’re both working together!

* Another word on training – don’t over-train. When the dog is improving on a trick but then starts to get worse it is probably bored. Smart dogs like GSDs are prone to this. Move on to another trick or wrap up the session, always on a positive note. The dog can sleep on it and will be even better tomorrow. We’ve seen major, easy progress with a simple, brief exposure on day #1, and then briefly revisiting the training the next day. Keep fine-tuning and enforcing on a daily basis, but you’ll likely be amazed at the progress on day #2. 

The Enrichment Window

The enrichment window is the period during which a puppy quickly learns to accept new experiences from a single or a very few exposures. The more positive unique experiences a puppy has during this period the better it will handle future stresses and the more open it will remain to new experiences. Enriched puppies become much more stable and creative adults. You’ll still want to keep actively exposing your dog as broadly as possible throughout its life, but the first 4 months are a speed-learning opportunity that won’t repeat.

* Enriched pups are smarter – there’s a measurable difference in brain size from age-appropriate challenges and stimulation.

* From whelping to 8 weeks, SL GSD works heavily during this period with entire litters and with individual puppies.

The enrichment window is generally open through week 14 or 16 weeks for enriched pups, but only through week 12 for non-enriched pups.. Owners can still take advantage of this wonderful training period to improve their dog’s confidence, curiosity, and problem handling. Suggestions for the owners:

* Meet as many different guaranteed friendly dogs as possible. Dogs don’t generalize well, so try to meet dogs of different ages, sizes, coats, colors, with different ear types, etc. For example, you could carry a small puppy around at a dog show, keeping enough distance to prevent fear, and expose your pup to the world of dogs!

* Meet as many different guaranteed friendly people as possible. Aim for different shapes, sizes & ages – especially children, clothing styles, etc. Again, dogs don’t generalize well. Expose to people with backpacks, hats, etc.

* Accustom pup to things you’ll do with him as an adult: hiking, water play, travel, learning tricks, going shopping, agility equipment, different areas of competition or working, weekend travel, meet family friends, etc.

* Caution: if you’re not completely confident in an outcome, safety first. A single negative weighs a whole lot more than a single positive. Give dodgy dogs and people a miss. We’ve seen adult dogs be friendly until the puppy is a foot away and then viciously lunge at the pup. Of course the owner either denies what just happened or says “oh, my dog was just teaching your puppy manners.” Keep your puppy safe.

* Variety – build their confidence in as many ways as you can: obstacles such as hopping up on a curb or a low rock or walking a narrow wall, ramps, jumps, barriers to crawl under, sniff walks, seeing the world, walks on different surfaces and in different places, human & canine socialization with guaranteed friendly people, tricks, games such as “tug” or “find” someone or a toy or a treat hidden in the house or outside, meet livestock (hold the pup till you’re sure it’s going to go well), etc. Even eating from different bowls in different places or with kibble scattered on the patio breaks down rigid expectations. Build a sense of “almost anything could happen, and it’s probably fun!” in your dog.

See also Exercise & Play

A Few Thoughts On Socialization

* Your first days with a new puppy are for building trust and a powerful bond. Socialization can come after the first few days or week that your new puppy is with you. This trust builds the puppy’s sense of security with you and when you’re out will make you a better source of comfort should the puppy be overly stressed. Of course the whole point of socialization is to build the puppy’s/dog’s confidence by stressing them very slightly, never so much that they’re frightened.

* Carry your dog anywhere sick dogs may have been, such as pet stores or vet offices until your vet says its immune system is ready. A rule of thumb is that a puppy’s immune system takes about a week to fully respond to shots.

* Good socialization results in your puppy/dog being able to choose between ignoring new dogs or people, or engaging in healthy play on its own terms.

* Good socialization is not exposure to as many dogs and people as possible, but rather a series of positive interactions that build the puppy’s/dog’s confidence. More is not better. A string of unbroken successes is better. Remember, you are the expert, and are asking your puppy/dog to trust you to introduce it to a huge world that is full of nice and wonderful experiences, but there are also plenty of dogs that don’t meet well, many well-meaning but annoying dog lovers, and more than a few weirdos.

* Comfort your puppy immediately if something causes it to start shrieking repeatedly. This can go on for a surprisingly long time, and will keep going for a while even after you pick it up. Untended the puppy may imprint a fear experience that could have long-term consequences. But don’t intervene in situations where your puppy/dog seems to be pretty much successfully dealing with stress by submitting, hiding, etc. If it’s repeatedly hiding and then running out and engaging it is building confidence. Hiding places (under or behind something, or behind you or between your legs) can be a part of learning that most dogs and people are friendly.

* Even just carrying/having your puppy within sight of other dogs and people has a socializing effect. It doesn’t matter how far away they are as long as your puppy is not tensing up about it. Your puppy should be calm during this, else move farther away. Being 100 yards away is still helpful. Your puppy/dog usually knows where other dogs are, especially if they’re upwind. If your puppy is calm, you can slowly move a little closer and closer.

* Sometimes your height advantage or better awareness of people’s habits can allow you to spot dogs first, especially if your dog is distracted, say by sniffing. If so, you can do a stability check by carefully watching your puppy’s/dog’s response when they spot the other dog.

* We’ve had great success distracting an anxious or even fearful puppy/dog with treats while walking them past unknown dogs. Start far enough away so your pup isn’t worried about the other dog and then while distracting, walk toward the other dog(s). Turn around well before your dog tenses up. This could be a 20’ safe zone or could require 100 yards or more. Watch your dog and find out. Repeat and get a tiny bit closer each time. Once your dog has spent some time ignoring the other dogs their fear recedes and they can approach more casually. Sensory overload can also be helpful. Winding your way through a large number of dogs, while keeping far enough away can sometimes work wonders, perhaps because their attention is split so many ways and none of the dogs will be paying much attention to them. Carefully observe your puppy’s/dog’s stress level and don’t set them back by overdoing it. Remember, they’ll be reading and smelling you with incredible precision – the slightest tensing up on your part can cause them to read threats into a situation.

* Introduce to FRIENDLY unknown dogs after yours has had final shots and also to FRIENDLY, but not too friendly, unknown people. Even just taking the puppy/dog with you on chores where they see people and dogs counts a little, even through car windows. Puppies start to become less open to new experiences at around 12-16 weeks, so have weekly or more frequent outings starting early and continue through at least 15 or 18 months. Keep taking your dog out, it just doesn’t have to be as often. If you stop for a couple of years, expect the dog to become increasingly stand-offish.

* Proper manners are a must. Always insist that your dog not bully other dogs, which is can be different than excited, rough and tumble play. It depends on whether the other dog is keeping up. Likewise keep your puppy/dog away from excessively obnoxious dogs. We sometimes cross paths with a certain adult small breed dog that appears very friendly and welcoming until a puppy gets about a foot away and then lunges viciously. It only does this to puppies, not adults. Time and again we’ve seen the owner allow this. We give this pair a wide berth.

* Daycares can be too rough for some dogs, especially puppies. Monitor if possible. If there’s no way to monitor be suspicious since this is the age of cheap internet cameras. There are plenty of horror stories.

* Choose playmates for your dog or puppy carefully. Mellow adult dogs and puppies of roughly similar age, size and energy levels are ideal. Opposite gender can be a plus.

* Dogs just exploring and hanging out together is great socialization. They don’t have to be running and playing.

* To reduce pressure on the puppies and give them time to feel comfortable you can distract the more experienced dogs by talking to and petting them.

*  Try to build a network of friends with friendly dogs and puppies for play, though a major part of socialization is meeting new dogs and new people.

* Always end sessions on a positive note, which means keeping them short, especially with small puppies. You don’t want anyone getting tired and have a melt down! If anything does go wrong, de-escalate and create some positives before leaving, if possible.

* Holding back a dog with a leash or dragging your pup toward another dog will increase fear and defensiveness. Try to socialize without a leash. Initially meeting on either side of a chain-link fence can give you a chance to observe body language and predict how things will go.

* When socializing older dogs that are running free it can help to distract less experienced dogs with treats or by throwing sticks or balls. Throw enough in different directions to avoid any resource guarding. One stick can cause competition, but 10 sticks or balls constantly thrown just gets the dogs running around, side-by-side. They’re still aware of each other, but also focused on you & what you’re doing. You need a lot of sticks and balls to pull this off!

* Remember, your dog has a personality. While they all need good manners and to be stable in almost all situations, we shouldn’t expect them to pretend to like things they don’t. A GSD breed characteristic is that they bond tightly with their family and can be a little stand-offish with other people.

* Your puppy/dog does not have to tolerate being gushed over by every passing stranger if they don’t enjoy that.

* Be wary of other people’s efforts to socialize their dogs using your dogs or children. Of course you have every right to refuse. There are horror stories.

* It’s a treat to hear Dr. Gayle Watkins on PureDogTalk (episode 555) discussing socialization and fear imprint periods/sensitive periods. From that episode:

– Socialization is building[, and building the ability to build,] social relationships with people and dogs, and with cats and livestock if possible.

– Socialization is not “a checklist thing”. Think through your plan for socializing and developing your puppy. Remember, you are not developing the puppy in the book, or your previous puppy. Your new puppy is unique. Watch and see what works.

– Avoid the expectation that every dog of every breed should be as friendly as a Lab. Not every dog will love every dog and person in the world.

* Jane Messineo Lindquist, author of Puppy Culture, also has a lot of great ideas on socializing your puppy:

– Puppies need to observe, feel safe, and be free to engage withdraw as they want.

– Allow puppies to engage on their own – don’t lure or encourage them. Successful decisions, self-made, are best for growing confidence.

– Giving the young pup lots of encouragement can reinforce their timidity. Don’t train them to wait for you to tell them to engage, train them to use their own judgement. Reward them after they do something hard or courageous. “Good puppy!”

– Introduce dogs in a spacious area so they’re free to approach or withdraw as they choose. Dogs only learn and grow from their choices.

– Give young dogs some way to hide, like a fence they can get through but the older dog can’t or low tables that only they can run under. Or squat down, allowing the puppy to run under you or hide behind you.

– Dogs don’t generalize very well, so you’ll want to expose them to different kinds of dogs & people – large & small, male & female, dogs with ears that stand and with ears that flop, people with hats and coats, etc.

Fear Periods

* Puppies go through different periods. They may suddenly be afraid of nothing or of surprising things or of things they weren’t afraid of an hour ago. These periods can have lasting effects.

* Fear periods can vary somewhat by breed and by a lot by individual so it’s best to watch your puppy’s/dog’s responses and be aware of when they’re uncertain about something. Train yourself to see puppy fear/hesitancy by watching their eyes and ears and tail, and watch for the puppy suddenly being afraid of things that used to not frighten him, and not getting over the fear within a few seconds. Let them retreat when they’re uncertain or afraid. We sometimes see a fear period around four and five weeks, and sometimes between eight and ten weeks. There can be additional fear periods till the dog is two years old, but by three-years-old dogs should be more unflappable.

* “Fear Periods” can last minutes or days or a week, can be more or less severe, and a single experience can hardwire the puppy to be extremely fearful of a certain thing or situation for life (“Single Event Learning”).

* It’s usually a good idea to not push a puppy to do something it’s afraid of – the learning is in the puppy deciding to do it by itself. However, it’s always a good idea to reward a puppy/dog once it’s done something brave! It’s common that a puppy will shrink back from something and want to just watch for a while from a safe place. Usually after a little while the puppy will either engage or will go off in a different direction, which is fine. There’s no need to rush new experiences for dogs of any age. Across time its natural curiosity may well draw it to the experience. And all the while it’ll be checking your body language for any tension, which it will interpret as you being afraid too. As an example, forcing a small or young dog to play with rough dogs may cause it to resort to “fight or flight” in future situations. Instead, build the dog’s confidence and decision-making skills by patiently offering them choices, rather than deciding for them with your superior strength.

Exercise & Play

* Don’t overdo puppy exercise, and don’t underdo adult exercise! 

* A puppy or a dog has been active and starts to slow down or sits, they’re asking for a break. Young puppies don’t have much stamina and recover by napping a lot longer than they were active. At five or six weeks they conk out after 15 minutes of running around and nap for hours. By 8 weeks they can go for maybe an hour if they are setting the pace, but then need to nap for a couple of hours. If you watch you’ll see them take numerous breaks at this age while they’re active. When you’re setting the pace, watch them carefully. Don’t overdo it.

* Puppies love exercise, and they’ll especially love to exercise with you! There are different types of exercise. For example, since 50% of a dog brain is devoted to scent, even short sniff walks can be very satisfying and very tiring!

* Any dog of any age will certainly enjoy a walk, but puppies tend to exhaust themselves quickly and then nap. It’s important for the puppy to set the pace. Expect young puppies to nap longer than they’re up & about.

* Overdoing it can be permanently harmful to puppy joints, which are not fully formed. One rule is that the walk should be no longer than 5 minutes per months of the puppy’s age. So a 2 month-old puppy can handle a 10 minute walk. Of course there’ll be variation between pups, so be sure to watch for your puppy asking for a break. They might slow down or sit. Your pup may be able to handle a couple of walks per day, just don’t push them past being tired. There’s no reason to rush things. In not so many months they’ll be outpacing you.

* Age appropriate obstacles are great fun – climbing, jumping exploring, etc.

* Concrete and blacktop can be hard on paws – try for as much grass and trail time as you can. And avoid anything else which could be bad for paws, like de-icing salt. Remember, unlike you, they’re walking barefoot.

* Keep your pup safe from unwanted attention from people and other dogs. It’s fine to decline any offer from people strange dogs to introduce themselves. Your goal is to build your pup’s confidence, not to have pushy people or badly behaved dogs frighten your pup. Any excuse works, such as “No thanks, because I’m just being protective for the first couple of months”. People tend to accept anything attached to “because”. If you tense up this will also tell your pup that fear is the right response to meeting strangers, which is the opposite of what you want.

* Stay in control and make it a great time by, as Caesar Milan says, exuding your “calm, assertive energy”.

* The human body and human clothing/shoes should never used as dog toys. The #1 reason dogs are put down is bite issues, especially with powerful guard/herding breeds. Puppies are going to need to bite and chew, especially between about 3 and 6 months (typically) when teething. Redirect nippy puppies to a chew toy or a game of tug-of-war.

— Dogs should not be allowed to nip or bite any part of a person or their clothing or shoes, especially during play.

— Puppies should never be allowed to chase people. The two can run together, with or without a leash, and running can be a part of many games, but the puppy/dog should never see the human as a target.

* Popular chew toys at our place:

— For puppies: Kongs, sticks, chew toys they can’t quickly destroy, (by 6 or 7 weeks they’re good at shredding water bottles so we won’t encourage those)

— For adults: Kongs, sticks, heavy duty chew toys. Some dogs destroy toys and so are harder to buy for, and others make their toys last. Good luck!

— Warnings

— Chew toys should not be eaten. This doesn’t tend to be a problem with the GSD breed, but do be aware of what your puppy is eating. Non-digestibles that are too large to pass can require surgery or even be fatal.

— Sticks or bark from certain trees, such as Black Walnut contain toxins that can cause diarrhea if little bits are swallowed. Familiarize yourself with the trees that you get sticks from. Also certain live bark can be tasty, so you might want to stick with dry/”dead” sticks.

— Familiarize yourself with plants in your area that are poisonous to dogs.

* Tug of war is highly recommended for GSDs of all ages. Studies have shown dogs to be more controlled immediately after playing, and also long-term benefits. A good tug toy will hold up to biting and pulling. Put tug toys away unless you want them to later be selected as chew toys.

* Treats can be as simple as tiny pieces of cheese or lunch meat or their normal kibble given from your hand. Or you may choose to use the expensive treats from the pet store. Whichever, you’re going to use a lot of them. Dogs love to eat from your hand though our GSDs are kind of picky. They’ll sometimes take the treat to be polite and then spit it out. Dogs don’t take treats when they’re panting.

* Arousal is an important concept. A great resource on the subject is Laura Reeves’ Pure Dog Talk podcast #507, with Denise Fenzi. Denise explains arousal as being wound up as opposed to drive, which is a built-in ability or desire to intensly focus on an item or task. The GSD breed was designed to be untiring, powerful, curious and to control situations. Daily physical and mental exercise is necessary to keep arousal low and prevent bad habits from starting.

* Wild play or an exciting stimulus can also get a dog wound up so they can’t focus on you very well. One way to help your dog mature emotionally, to be able to play at an intense level and not lose control, is to let them play hard for a minute or two, then call them back and calm them down with petting, treats and your voice. Then let them go back at it. Repeat.

* GVD (gastric dilatation and volvulus)/Twisted Stomach – if untreated, fatal to dogs in a few hours or less due to stopping blood flow to major organs. Incredibly painful. A twisted stomach is more common in breeds and individual dogs with a deep chest and a narrow waist. This tilts the stomach forward, making it easier to twist. Your vet can tack your dog’s stomach (Gastropexy), which is expectd to reduce future flips by about 75%. The most common cause is exercising after taking in lots of air or water. This surgery should also make Bloat less serious if it happens. In Bloat a dog’s stomach rapidly fills with gas.

* Training works best when it’s fun. Training works better after a light play session with you, probably because the dog is paying more attention to you and in a receptive mood. It’s obvious when you think about it – you can read the studies or you can just try it. The strength of your bond makes a difference during training.

* Let your dog be a dog, frequently and daily. Tugging, chewing, sniff walks, playing with other dogs, lying in the grass and being part of the neighborhood watch, chasing balls and sticks and frisbees, exploring nature or city-scapes, learning their place in their pack (your family), a couple of barks at a stranger, curious investigations of just about anything, running at break-neck speeds with other dogs – these (and more) are healthy dog behavior, and make a wonderful addition to living in our word, with all its snuggles, pets and rules. Half their brain is wired to their nose. When they are sniffing a mouse trail across the entire park, they are loving being a dog! Warning – plenty of annoying and gross behavior is natural for dogs too. You might want to pick your battles.

* Puppy Culture has an inexpensive resource that is a little more specific than what you’ll get free on-line: Age Appropriate Exercise Guidelines.

Tug of War

Some thoughts on Tug of War, a great way to strengthen your puppy’s/dog’s bite inhibition:

• It’s impossible to discuss tug of war without also covering bite inhibition and roughhousing with your puppy/dog.
• Ian Dunbar: “Bite Inhibition is the single most important lesson a [puppy/]dog must learn.” Before & After Getting Your Puppy, 2004, p13. See pages 135-151 of this book for an excellent treatment of bite inhibition.
• The window for teaching a puppy to have a “soft mouth” closes at about 4 ½ months (Dunbar, B&AGYP, p13)
• Rules for roughhousing with a puppy/dog
  • Do not allow out of control play. If you can’t get the puppy/dog to “come, sit, lie down, speak and shush” (Dunbar, p151) the puppy/dog is out of control. Control is a requirement for any roughhousing, which Dunbar covers in the above referenced chapter alongside bite inhibition. Out of control play, whether with people or other dogs, produces an out of control, less stable puppy/dog that is more likely to use its mouth inappropriately.
  • Do not allow people to play with your puppy/dog if they can’t get it to come, sit and down (Dunbar, p151). We may think of an out of control young boy in this case but there are plenty of people, young and old, male and female who are perfectly calm but who just don’t think about this topic deeply enough to do it well. Maybe it’s ok for them to pet your puppy/dog, but don’t let them play roughly with it, even if they’re your friends.
  • Halt the play and calm your puppy/dog down every 15 seconds or so. Have it let go of anything in its mouth, sit and calm down. After everyone is calm you may resume. This builds the puppy’s/dogs ability to stay in control of its feelings, and to retain its ability to think in spite of environmental stress or temptations.
  • Fear can reduce a puppy’s/dog’s bite inhibition. Your puppy/dog should never be afraid during play. Keep play fun, and build the puppy’s/dog’s sense of confidence. Posturing is fine, such as barking or growling during tug of war, as long as it is posturing. And remember, puppies/dogs can be rougher in play than people usually are, so learn to gauge your puppy’s/dog’s arousal level from its point of view. A little acting like an alpha predator goes along with the mock battle and display and testing of skills that is roughhousing.
  • Interspersing excited play with tasks that require thinking makes your puppy/dog better at maintaining higher-level thought even while wound-up. This is a good skill, especially for powerful-bite dogs like a GSD. Tricks make a dog think just stay away from anything involving teeth. You could have the dog, when calmed, find a treat hidden in one of your outstretched hands, or do puppy pushups, or work on any other solid tricks. Excited dogs tend to not learn new tricks well.
  • Be sensitive to the puppy’s/dog’s mindset for anything that might cause it to not stay in control during vigorous play. Common causes include
    • the puppy/dog is really wound up
    • being under stress, eg: the dog/puppy has just been corrected a few times or there’s a new dog in the house
    • the puppy/dog doesn’t have a strong history of confidence-building play
    • the dog is in season or is aware of dogs in season nearby
    • com has a generally good article on telling the difference between dog play and aggression and suggests studying dog non-verbals. You want your puppy/dog at least somewhat loose and relaxed during play, not rigid, and certainly not frozen. A powerful stance is different than a frozen stance.

• Tug-of-war is a great game for developing bite inhibition. Including the above roughhousing rules, below are some tug of war pointers:
  • First, be certain that the dog can be calmed down when they get a little wound up. If not, work with the dog in other safer ways first. Don’t assume that every dog is immediately a candidate for tug-of-war, especially puppies/dogs you don’t know well. You always want to leave a puppy/dog better off than when you started play.
  • What if the puppy/dog doesn’t like tug of war? Some don’t. But appropriate tug is great for dogs so see if you can get them interested. Perhaps have them watch another dog do it, if you have others. Maybe they just need a few exposures, or maybe you need to catch them in the right mindset. Make it exciting and give lots of “Yes!!” rewards for incremental improvement, such as looking at the toy, taking it in their mouth, etc.
  • Tug builds the puppy’s/dog’s control of its bite, even when wound up, which is one of the best things you can do for it.
  • Tug builds the puppy’s/dog’s confidence. Feeling powerful and successful is good for confidence, and biting and pulling is deeply wired into the canine brain. Also, winning sometimes is great for anyone’s ego. Make it feel like a real victory – don’t give up too easily. But when the puppy/dog wins, they have to bring it back to you to continue play. Don’t chase them, which is another favorite dog game that you don’t want to develop! Of course the instant they come you, reward them by restarting the game.
  • Tug builds the bond between you and your puppy/dog. They will be grateful for the playtime, and the entire time you play properly and under control they’ll be seeing you as the boss and following your rules, which is great reinforcement of your role and theirs.
  • Tug is great physical exercise for the puppy/dog.
  • Keep the person safe: 1) Have commands to start and end a 15 second tug instance, and have many instances in a session of tug. The puppy/dog waits for you to begin – don’t let them try to grab it out of your hand when you haven’t started yet. 2) Have a tug toy that’s long enough so you don’t get bitten, and don’t let them start moving up toward your hand, which is natural, just like when kids play tug of war. The more powerful side always wants to shorten the space between because it gives them more control, but with a dog it can also get you bitten. 3) There are variations to tug. One is to have the puppy/dog bite in a space between your hands, and across time, shrink the bite space so the puppy/dog must get more and more precise with their bite. Obviously use your discretion to not get bit!
  • Safety for the dog: don’t injure the dog. Tug fairly straight so you don’t hurt their neck, and don’t pull harder than they can easily handle, especially for puppies. Imagine if you got carried away and hurt your puppy!
  • If the puppy/dog accidentally bites you it should instantly release, hopefully before it starts to bite hard enough to really hurt.
  • Don’t play tug of war with multiple dogs so they’re all competing and leaping at the tug. This will teach bad habits and you might get bitten.
  • Tug is great for obedience and manners.
  • Don’t let them chew on and destroy tug toys. You want tug toys to be special and only for tugging.
  • If you watch online videos on this or any subject, think carefully about your goals for your dog and the above factors. And above all, keep everybody safe and make sure the dog stays under control.

Leash Walking

There are many training methods for introducing leash walking. This is one we like, which we found in Puppy Culture

— Below, “counterclockwise” and “left side” train the puppy to walk on your left. If you want to train the puppy to walk on your right, change to “clockwise” and “right”.

— Start in a safe place with your puppy or dog off-leash. Is it best for you and your dog to do this in a fenced in area?

— Walk counterclockwise. Your left side will be toward the inside of the circle. Have the puppy off-leash.

— When the puppy follows and is anywhere near your left side and is moving toward you, click & treat. From time to time the puppy will stop or go away to sniff & play, that’s ok, but reward again when he starts returning to your left side. Baby steps.

— Start to treat only after the pup has walked a full step with you, then 2 steps, then 3, etc.

— After the puppy walks with you for a few steps add a collar and continue.

— After the pup walks 10 steps with you, start using a leash, held very loosely. Older dogs might have to master more steps. Ideally, the leash is for safety rather than making the dog stay by your side.

— Avoid triggering the dog’s opposition reflex – pulling on a leash will cause a dog to pull back.

— When you think the dog is ready, start walking with a leash in a less controlled environment, such as a sidewalk with no distractions – other dogs, people, loud traffic, cats, squirrels, etc. Introduce distractions very slowly. Nothing succeeds like racking up successes daily. Failures are setbacks.

The Follow Instinct

Gayle Watkins describes a trait that is common across all breeds and can be used to develop your dog to stay near you off-leash.

From about 5 weeks to 16 weeks puppies have a “follow instinct”. They follow their mother or their owner closely. They want to stay by your side. If you run they will follow and run to you. You can use this to develop a dog that off-leash stays close and returns to you.

Starting at about 16 weeks they begin to exercise their independence and they begin exploring on their own. They are developing and becoming adolescents. They begin to stray.

To build that trait of staying close and returning to us, take your puppy on hikes or to an empty park and when they are distracted, perhaps by a scent, hide. When the puppy looks and realizes they’re alone they’ll start looking for you and maybe panic a little.

Of course you’ll be peeking at them from behind your bush, but make them go through a period of believing they’re lost and may never see you again. Wait to see if they head in the right direction. If not, help them out with a small noise or motion.

This “game” can become increasingly advanced, and more difficult as they start to always keep an eye on you, which is what you want. Repeat the game as much as you can to strengthen this trait.

This trains them to keep track of you and take on the responsibility of staying near you and moving when you move, instead of wandering off and not even thinking about you. Things learned deeply at this age are likely to be permanent.

Don’t treat them for coming back to you – their reward is the feeling of safety they have from finding and staying close to you, their source of protection.

Communication

* Your dog will constantly try to communicate with you through their language of non-verbals, and will read your slightest body language and vocal tones as if you were a dog. And then your dog will be confused, unless you’ve worked at learning their language, sometimes called “Doggish”. While it’s a major part of canine communication, before we start working at it we’re blind to this rich world of signals. But we can learn very quickly – watch and try to read your dog’s non-verbals, especially his eyes, ears, tail and posture, and know that most movements carry meaning. Little things like leaning slightly forward or backward are like shouting in Doggish. The “Resources” section below lists some excellent books on the subject.

* Please prioritize learning how to communicate with dogs, so your dog doesn’t feel as if nobody listens or wants to talk him. If you want a dog because of their amazing love and abilities you should know that communication will open up entire new dimensions with your dog. They blossom when you start responding to them! A cross species example: my daughter read about the cat slow-blink non-verbal that affectionately communicates something like “I trust you enough to close my eyes in your presence”. She slow-blinked her cat across the room. Her cat looked at her in shock and ran over and hopped on her lap purring and saying all kinds of things, probably “why didn’t you tell me that you speak cat!?!” But after a couple of minutes the cat realized that all she knew was the slow-blink, sort of snorted, and huffed off back across the room. Make a little effort to start learning Doggish and see what happens!

Nutrition

* The quality of the ingredients in kibble isn’t easy to verify but is as important as what the ingredients are.

* The base kibble we’re currently recommending is Annamaet. This company provides the best supplement science at a surprisingly reasonable price point – most brands don’t offer this quality for twice the price. We treat our dogs to toppers to keep the food interesting. See below for more on toppers.

* Peanut butter is great stuffer for Kongs and a good way to add a few extra calories to your dog’s diet if they’re looking a little thin from all that exercise. We think it’s best to use peanut butter that doesn’t have sugar.

* A dog’s diet can’t have too many probiotics in a world filled with Girardia and other hostile microbes

— L. Casei (also known as Lactobacillus Casei, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei or L. paracasei) – contained in certain yogurts. As of this writing, plain Member’s Mark (Sam’s) Yogurt has L. Casei, which moderates Giardia – the abstract of a 2008 study: “probiotics, particularly L. casei, modulate Giardia infection by minimizing or preventing the adherence of Giardia trophozoites to the mucosal surface, suggesting that probiotics offer a safe and effective mode to prevent and treat Giardia infection”, and particularly “L. casei fed 7 days prior to Giardia infection was more effective and efficient in eliminating the infection from mice.” Regular feeding would be best, unless you knew ahead of time when your dog would be exposed to Giardia.

— Sauerkraut (AVOID CARAWAY SEEDS – they’re toxic to dogs) is an inexpensive source of a wide range of pro-biotics (but not always L. Casei). We give our puppies a couple of teaspoons a day, and our adults about a tablespoon to help them hold their own at the dog park. Only kraut that has been fermented and has no preservatives will contain pro-biotics.

— Tripe (stomach lining), typically from cows, pigs or sheep, is very nutritious and a great source of probiotics. Dogs love it, but many people are put off by its odor and texture (apologies to Scots everywhere).

* How do you know if your dog is too fat or thin? Most Americans judge a healthy dog’s weight as much too heavy. Keeping your dog overweight is bad for their joints and heart. Consult a good Canine Body Condition Chart.

* Always introduce new foods to your dog slowly. GSDs are knows for less tolerant digestive systems. We typically take 3 or 4 days to switch to new kibble, though they adapt to new raw foods quicker.

* Immediately after spaying/neutering, Marty Greer says to permanently cut your dog’s calories by 25%.

Toppers – Is Fido bored with his kibble?

GSDs get bored eating the same thing day in and day out, just like we would. “Meatloaf again?!?” What to do?

• You can slowly switch back and forth between a couple of different foods, but the basic problem will remain – they crave variety. (If you rotate foods, figure out how long your dog takes to transition. It’s quicker with familiar foods.)
• You can go to more exciting diets, like quality raw. Most people feed kibble because it’s more convenient and cheaper than quality raw. Most dogs prefer quality raw, but then they’re not paying for it. A very good kibble can be of perfectly acceptable quality.
• You can make kibble more interesting by using a snuffle mat or by tossing it in your back yard so they have to sniff out each kernel. They’ll rise to the challenge with a wagging tail!
• You can feed them less at their main meals and feed the rest in tiny portions throughout the day as rewards for good behavior. It’s funny to watch a dog that just turned up its nose at its food dish eagerly sit and do tricks for the same kibble tossed kernel by kernel, or in small amounts out of your hand! This also teaches something about the human/canine bond.
• And finally, you can also mix things up with toppers!

About toppers:

• First, NEVER GIVE YOUR DOG ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS! Even in tiny amounts, artificial sweeteners can kill your dog.
• Second, limit salt and sugar.
• Third, make sure your dog likes a treat before committing a bowl of food to it! Sometimes dogs take a while to warm up to a new taste. You can typically juxtapose a new taste with a loved treat to train your dog to like new things (Classical Conditioning).
• Fourth, just use a small amount as flavoring. More than a small amount is called a “side”, as in “side dish”. Sides start to have nutritional impact, and so require some research on your part.
• Fifth, if you’re going to experiment, make sure the food is safe and healthy for dogs. They’re quite a bit smaller than we are, have a much more limited digestive system, and aren’t accustomed to our dietary eccentricities. For example, they probably can’t handle the 50 pounds of sugar that the average American eats annually.
• And sixth, you can rotate through a variety of toppers that excite your dog!

A few suggestions for toppers:

• Tuna or just save the juice when you make tuna for yourself
• Molasses – blackstrap has less sugar.
• Lately some brands have been adding sugar to honey, which a) you’ll want to avoid, b) is weird, and c) is an insult to hard working bees everywhere!
• Plain yogurt. Sam’s (Member’s Mark) plain Greek yogurt has no sugar, and is started with L. Casei (also known as Lactobacillus Casei, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei or L. paracasei) which in adequate quantities is useful in treating or even avoiding Giardia if given daily for two weeks before exposure. L. Casei doesn’t tend to survive long in digestive tracts, so give a little daily if you want the L. Casei benefit.
• Chicken broth – no or low salt
• Beef broth – no or low salt
• A little warm water is a fun change, and lifts the aroma. Watch your dog sniff the food with anticipation before digging in!
• Peanut butter (no sugar added, such as Smuckers). Making a soup with warm water makes a small amount go a long way.
• Sauerkraut – the real kind, fermented and without preservatives, and avoid caraway seeds, which are toxic to dogs. If your dog wasn’t started on sauerkraut it can be hard to get him interested. We start our pups on it because it’s a good, cheap probiotic.
• Coconut oil
• Eggs, raw or cooked
• Pumpkin (no sugar added). Generic Walmart pumpkin comes from China, if you can believe that. We try to buy food grown in America as much as possible, especially since the recalls on China-sourced ingredients started. There’d be a possible freshness issue as well. Our dogs love pumpkin, but it can loosen stool more than you want, so approach with care and start small!
• Banana – some dogs love it, some don’t. As always, small quantities.
• Tripe – all dogs seem to love it, whether from cow, sheep or goat. Tripe is such an excellent source of probiotics that most days we feed a few square inches of it as an unchopped side and let the dogs chew it up. It’s a lot of work to cut up finely, though we do that for the pups who go gaga over it. It warms your heart to see all those little wagging tails! A few days of Tripe also usually helps with digestive upset.
• Meat – finely chop any meat and stir in, or use the liquid left over after any meat preparation (no or low salt). Or how about a few ounces of raw hamburger, mixed in? Bacon fat is not really digestible and though it’ll be eagerly wolfed down, later it may come right back up just as suddenly. You probably want to avoid that, and also cooked poultry bones as they tend to splinter and can puncture intestines.
• Try whatever healthy food you have around to see if your dog likes it. A quick search against toxic foods is a good idea before introducing something new. Who’d have guessed that chocolate and grapes/raisins are toxic to our best friend?

House Rules

Decide on the house rules and enforce them strictly from day one. It’s easy to relax the rules later, but it’s much harder to tighten the rules. Below are some suggestions, but you’ll need to work out the house rules for your unique home and puppy.

* Where will your new puppy sleep? We suggest in its crate or on the floor rather than in your bed to emphasize the human/dog barrier. Besides, a 90# GSD in the bed might not leave room for anyone else!

* Is the sofa fair game?

* Is there a special potty area outside or is the entire back yard in play?

* How many times is it OK to bark at the mailman?

* What are the morning and evening routines, and what is the schedule for feeding, potty breaks, etc.

* Is it OK to jump on visitors, to chase or taste the cat, to try to sneak out of the front door? How about car doors? etc.

* Dogs aren’t people, and life is easier if everyone remembers that! G. K. Chesterton’s family-friendly murder mystery series, Father Brown, makes that point superbly in “The Oracle of the Dog“, toward the end mostly. Then it wraps up with a Chestertonian Christian Apologetics tour de force.

Grooming GSDs

* About brushes

— Brushes are scratchy, so be gentle and loving. Treats are always appreciated!

— Puppies: a “self-cleaning” brush works for young puppies, before their hair gets too thick and they start getting an undercoat.

— When the puppy brush can no longer get down to the skin you’ll need to graduate to a dog brush/rake when needed. We like the kind that has two rows of pins that are free to rotate and go up and down a little.

— Shedding – we brush more and treat because all this brushing gets pretty scratchy on the dog’s skin. Baths can help remove loose hair, but can also clog drains.

* Clipping nails

— You can use dog clippers or a Dremel. Clippers are quicker and easier if the dog has a tendency to move around at all but leave sharp edges unless you clip each nail at different angles. The Dremel are pretty rough for young puppies, but can nicely polish off the edges of adult nails.

— You can use regular human nail clippers for small puppies.

— Lots of treats! This isn’t a naturally positive experience but you need the dog to have a habit of not resisting.

— If you doubt the sharpness of your clippers, get a new set and compare.

— Wear a headlamp so you can see clearly.

— Clip the nail vertically to a standing pup. It seems like the nail isn’t as strong sideways so that hurts the dog more.

— How much to clip?

— There’s no hard and fast rule, but less is better when you’re unsure. Your job is to stop well before the quick, which has the nerves and blood supply. The dog will tell you when you get too close. Nails vary and it depends on how long the nails are and when they were last trimmed. Here’s a good post on the subject.

— White nails are easier because you can see the quick. With black nails you have go slowly and learn. A styptic pencil speeds coagulation when you make a mistake. Dogs are forgiving up to a point, but have lots of treats handy.

— With larger nails, many small clips may be better than one big one. Changing the angle and making a couple of small clips can also reduce sharp edges.

— As you clip nails the blood supply recedes. If your dog’s nails are too long, clip a little every 5 days.

— Clacking on floors means the nails are too long which can cause painful paw problems. Get clipping, and easy does it!

— How often? The nails of different dogs grow at different rates, and more active dogs may wear their nails down. We’ve had dogs that needed trimming weekly, and others that could wait a couple of weeks. Biking with dogs in the summer on pavement wears their nails down, but don’t overdo it – remember they’re running bareoot!