Before & After Getting Your Puppy, Ian Dunbar, 2004

p. 1, “Many first-time puppy owners are surprised whey they discover their new companion bites, barks, chews, digs, and marks the house with urine and feces. yet these are all perfectly normal, natural and necessary doggy behaviors.
Your canine newcomer is just itching to learn human house manners. It wants to please but it has to learn how. It’s no good keeping the house rules a secret. Somebody has to tell the dog. And that somebody is you.” [Our experience isn’t as bad as all this with GSDs, but the author makes the important point that it’s best if you hit the ground running.]

p. 1, “It takes only a few days to start ruining an otherwise perfect puppy”

p. 145, “. . . teaching bite inhibition is the most important part of your puppy’s entire education”. We highly recommend reading at least chapter seven of this book “Learning Bite Inhibition (by 4 and a Half Months of Age)”

Bones Would Rain from the Sky, Suzanne Clothier, 2002

p. 26, identifying a good trainer: At the trainers’ insistence Wendy had been using harsh training methods with her dog Chance and things were getting worse and worse. But she met and listened to a trainer who emphasized positive techniques and communication. Things began to change.
“For Wendy, the repair efforts of the next few months required concentration and focus, but it was work she gladly embraced. With each day, their relationship grew stronger. In Chance’s resistance, she no longer saw a dog with “a will to displease.” She saw a beloved friend saying ‘I don’t understand’ or ‘This bores me’ or ‘I can’t do that.’ And then she helped him to understand. Or made it more interesting, or switched to something more exciting, or asked for something he could do. She opened her eyes to the subtleties of his every movement and began to understand what a flick of an ear or a glance really meant. Chance no longer needed to bolt away or lie down to be heard. He began to trust that Wendy saw the quieter messages written in the slight drop of his talk or the folding of his whiskers against his muzzle. Confident in her support, he began to try harder, now willing to work with her in partnership as they joyfully mastered new skills together.”

SUPERDOG, Raising the Perfect Canine Companion, Michael W. Fox, 1990

p. 126, “The next problem category is that of the German Shepherd or Doberman Pinscher. Such breeds need obedience training so that they can be controlled and will not bark excessively when someone is at the door, or react aggressively and protectively when they meet strangers.” [Socialization also plays a large role in dealing with the latter.]

Development of puppy’s tastes while still in the womb is widely documented. Here is a USDA link on the subject (see the blue sidebar): “A dog’s preference for certain smells or tastes begins to develop before birth. At the time of weaning, puppies will prefer flavors associated with the diet fed to their mother during pregnancy and lactation. Maintaining a consistent, high-quality diet throughout late pregnancy, lactation, and weaning will decrease maternal stress and promote an easier transition to solid food for puppies.”