Look how much he's grown!! PICS!

[Humble308]

Hey guys just wanted to give yall an update on Achilles. It's been a few months now since I posted asking for different advice on some things. First I'll add some things that I learned that may help others in their GSD journey. I had 3 big problems when I first got Achilles. Probably the most annoying is him screaming like **** when came to bath time. Well the last bath he had he only had one big freak out which is a big improvement. Usually he screams so much I'm afraid animal control will show up on my door step. Still doesn't like baths but he loves playing in his water bowl. Second issue was he didn't like the leash, he'd plop down and refuse to move...just a couple days of working with him and he took to it just fine. Finally he had a problem with using his room as a restroom area, finally I stuck his ass in a kennel during the night and haven't had a problem since. He also knows that when he's in trouble that his kennel is his "spot". He's grown so much, he's only about 8 months old right now. For the newer GSD owners if you're having similar problems you just have to stick it out, most of it just improves with age. Not all the advice I got on here worked for Achilles, you have to tailor your training to each dog. Anyways here's the pics as promised.

Here's the day we got him! Just 13 weeks old.


I came home one day to find he'd played in the brief down pour we had one day


And here is a picture I took today. I picked him up to try and cuddle him like the good old days...He wasn't very fond of being treated like a baby. Wife got a good laugh though


I've been thinking of moving him to a more raw diet but I don't know if it's ok in his age range. Prolly 4-5 days out of the week I'll crack an egg in with his dry dog food and he just yums it up, coat looks better too. Not sure if I can afford to go full on raw though. Any input on this?

Semper Fi,
Derek

[nitemares]

Can I just say he's a cutie!!!
And a dog is never to old to switch to Raw. go for it, he will thank you later. And your pocket will thank you for less vet bills.

[Humble308]

LOL thanks I think he's adorable. Wife doesn't appreciate him as much though. He chews all her things...that's my boy. Is it much more expensive to go to a raw diet? He's got an appetite like a lab but stays slim. Right now I give him 2 bowls of dry food daily. I usually go through 2 20lb bags monthly at the rough cost of $20 per bag. Started him on kibble with lots of chicken, but he really likes Beneful which has Corn or rice as it's #1 ingredient. Sometimes I think I should give him more food as he's so slim but he looks healthy so I'm not sure. He'll eat anything if I'm not looking...including raiding the cats litter box ugh. I guess I'm kinda lost on the whole raw diet thing. In my head it makes sense it's better for dogs, I mean that's how they did things before domestication so their bodies were created for raw. Just not sure of what to buy him. Thanks for the reply

[LissG]

hahahaha he's such a cute dog!!! i LOVE those giant ears in the puppy pic sooooo cute!!! i'm starting my puppy (7months old) on a raw food diet. there's so many health benefits for the dog, it's actually cheaper per meal or just as much as kibbles. there's a great section on this forum on raw food feeding here: B.A.R.F./Raw Feeding - German Shepherd Dog Forums

and you can join in on the thread i started-alot of good info for beginners here Newbie-need advice :)!

[Humble308]

Thanks a bunch Liss for the link, I really would like to do my research about it. LOL yea his ears tripped me out too...I didn't really notice at the time but looking back I'm sure he could tune in radio stations two states away. . He had pretty huge paws too that he's just learning to use correctly. He use to be so clumsy, but I'd say he's half graceful when he's in a mellow mood and half a bulldozer when he's excited. Nothing in the house is safe from his tail.

[Ninamarie]

"him screaming like **** when came to bath time."
i have a WGSD Chewy (I will post recent pix of him) and he loves the water, this is the first WGS that I heard of that doesn't like bathtime. I have to say he is a handsome man how much does he weigh? Chewy is 93pounds and 2 yrs old.

[Humble308]

Hey Nina I'd guess he's around 70-80 lbs right now. His father was 130lbs when I got him and the breeder said he'd just lost 15 pounds! Achilles was the big boy of the litter so I'm guessing he's well on his way to that weight. He's not overweight at all, I'd say he's right at the pefect weight ratio. The WGS I think are easier to tell that weight line. Thanks for the compliment...I think he's really handsome. Many times I second guessed getting into this breed orginally being a Lab guy. But I just love how GSDs can look so noble and well behaved at times. Kinda weird to call a dog noble but thats the only word I can think of.

I sure don't know why he hates baths so much. It's only the bath tub though. When he was around 5 months we'd bring him down to the river and chuck a tennis ball into the water and he'd just tear after it. But as soon as the water is coming from a faucet it sets him off. Howls, barks, whines, crys, does some weird pigeon or dove cooing sound LOL. It's like you'd just stuck him with a branding iron. I'm starting to wonder if his first bath tramautized him or something. I thought I was being gentle enough, but he really hates having water poured over him. I don't know. He does ok now, but I still have to really ease him into it. Cupping water in my hands instead of cups or pitchers. His ears get filthy but he hates water on his head...any way around this? He prolly needs a bath tonight, maybe I can convince the old lady to help hold him down lol!

[LissG]

my GSD Wolf is 7 months old and about 70 pounds. his dad was also a big boy...i think you and i are gonna have some heavy weights hahahaha. Wolf doesn't mind the bath too much, but it's hard for me since he's so big. when we go outside if he gets dirty, muddy, stinky, or just has junky ears (lol) i use pet wipes-no brand in particular, basically whatever is on sale and doesn't smell too girly. i once got Wolf these in "mango tango" and the poor guy looked at me like "really, mom???" hahaha!

[Humble308]

HAHA mango tango... Wofl sounds awesome lol.I think Achilles might just go roll in a mud puddle if I put that on him. The pet wipes sounds like a great idea, I think I'll pick some of those up. Cause from what I've read you're not supposed to bathe them super often.

Well the good news guys is I just finished his bath and OMG he didn't whimper once...just stood in the tub shivering (water is warm) and then got used to it. I guess he likes being pretty now lol. And somehow I stayed dry. This is indeed a New Year.

[Ninamarie]

Do you have a walk in shower? he might like that better. We have a walk in shower and chewy always wants in whe we take a shower lol

As for the ears clean them with a damp wash rag making sure not to get water IN the ear. for washing his head pour the water from the bump in the head down the back that way he won't freak out. either that or just wash his face with a wet wash rag also easier if say so.