new addition to the family

Rhlowe · 04-18-2010, 11:18 PM

We are scheduled to pick up our GSD next weekend, she will be 8-9 weeks old, very VERY beautful and comes from some great breeders and parents were good solid dogs as well.

my question is this....for Valentine's Day my husband bought me a chocolate cocker spaniel, he is now almost 5 months old, active but well mannered and catching on to obedience, potty training, etc at a very quick rate. He has had a lot of socialization around other dogs/puppies and loves to be around our cats and other "furry friends"

how are GSD's in relation to getting along with other pups as well as cats? This will be "my husband's dog" although we are both planning on sharing responsibility, training, etc for her, as we already do for my male cocker puppy. We thought it would be best to get them "both young" and raise them together as puppies, but I was looking at one website with regard to GSD's and it rated their ability to get along with other dogs as very low.

please advise, my cocker is the light of my life and all I want is for both he AND our new addition to be happy, healthy and good friends.

LaRen616 · 04-18-2010, 11:22 PM

Having 2 puppies at once is going to be very difficult and expensive, and GSD's can get along with any breed dog if they are very well socialized

codmaster · 04-19-2010, 01:27 AM

The pups should be fine together altho you will have to be careful letting them play together because of the difference in age (size).

It will be a LOT of work for you taking care of two puppies at the same time and you will need a lot of time individually so they bond with you and not only with each other. Each puppy needs "alone" with their peoplle.

Rhlowe · 04-19-2010, 10:23 AM

I'm not worried about the expense. Our Cocker has "pet insurance" (offered through my husband's work) and we will be adding our GSD to the plan as well, as far as food goes, I'm glad that they're both puppies so i don't have to buy two kinds of food, just a bigger bag! lol
for NOW the GSD is, of course, smaller than my cocker but I know that will change at a fairly rapid rate.
LaRen, i was interested to see that you also have a ragdoll. I have a 3 year old seal point lynx ragdoll as well....we have trouble with urinary tract problems and he's on a prescription food, but other than that he is SUCH a great cat!!
I am grateful for the reminder of making sure that we spend separate 'alone time" with the dogs...although it was something I knew....I hadn't really given that thought. I'm glad my husband works second shift....he will be able to spend time with his GSD before he goes to work, my office is in our home, so i will be there regularly to bond, take potty breaks, etc, and then we have two older (high school age) daughters who, once they come home from school will be anxious for some "play and responsbility time" as well.
all in all, what i was most concerned about, was the aggression factor of the GSD towards the cocker and my cat. the breeder was quite reassuring in that she felt there would be no problems, but all she had was an abundance of German Shepherds!!
thanks for the help....I'd appreciate any tips along the way...the largest dog I've ever owned was a Dalmatian.

LaRen616 · 04-19-2010, 10:33 AM

Rhlowe
"LaRen, i was interested to see that you also have a ragdoll. I have a 3 year old seal point lynx ragdoll as well....we have trouble with urinary tract problems and he's on a prescription food, but other than that he is SUCH a great cat!!"

I want my next kitty to be a lynx point Ragdoll but I want one with points that are blue or is it called lilac?

They are like the perfect kitten! I cant believe how wonderful she is, so sweet, beautiful, playful and very cuddley!!! I will have many more Ragdolls throughout my life. They are excellent! Do you have any pictures of your Ragdoll?

LaRen616 · 04-19-2010, 10:34 AM

You can see pics of mine right here
My New Baby Isolde!

HeidiW · 04-19-2010, 10:47 AM

The younger puppy being your GSD will grow up from day 1 with your Cocker spaniel, so this should be no problem at all. I have done the same thing and it all worked out fine.
I rescued Patches a CS and then Kasey a GSD puppy they loved each other. Some GSd puppies can play really rough and as they grow they don't realize they are bigger than the small dog as they see a small dog and think they are small themselves. This is the only issue for safety, but the smaller dog CS will give warnings to the GSD. also allow the puppy to see the cat from day 1 too so it is not a mystery.

Rhlowe · 04-19-2010, 10:55 AM

hope this works, LaRen, but in any case these are pictures of my Cocker, "Snickers" (born 12/13/09) and also of Remy Martin (born 8/3/06) my Ragdoll
My daughter has a photo of our "newest addition" the GSD (gosh, I'll be SO glad when she gets a name!!) and I'll post that for you later today.

LaRen616 · 04-19-2010, 10:58 AM

What gorgeous creatures!!!!!! Beautiful, both of them!

Rhlowe · 04-19-2010, 11:14 AM

oh thank you! and Isolde is beautiful! I hope that she is getting along better with her sisters now. Enjoy those "tiny days" as Ragdolls (as I'm sure you already knew) end up being BIG cats...my boy tips the scales right now at about 16 pounds and according to the vet he is very healthy, but could stand a bit MORE meat on his bones!!

Isolde is very beautiful, and Ragdolls are awesome cats, while mine doesn't always care very much for the rough play of his "brother" Snickers, I've caught him several times seeking out his attention and baiting him to play.

04-18-2010, 11:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
Rhlowe New Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Orlando, Fl. near Walt Disney World Posts: 4	new addition to the family We are scheduled to pick up our GSD next weekend, she will be 8-9 weeks old, very VERY beautful and comes from some great breeders and parents were good solid dogs as well. my question is this....for Valentine's Day my husband bought me a chocolate cocker spaniel, he is now almost 5 months old, active but well mannered and catching on to obedience, potty training, etc at a very quick rate. He has had a lot of socialization around other dogs/puppies and loves to be around our cats and other "furry friends" how are GSD's in relation to getting along with other pups as well as cats? This will be "my husband's dog" although we are both planning on sharing responsibility, training, etc for her, as we already do for my male cocker puppy. We thought it would be best to get them "both young" and raise them together as puppies, but I was looking at one website with regard to GSD's and it rated their ability to get along with other dogs as very low. please advise, my cocker is the light of my life and all I want is for both he AND our new addition to be happy, healthy and good friends.

04-18-2010, 11:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
LaRen616 Crowned Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 10,871	Having 2 puppies at once is going to be very difficult and expensive, and GSD's can get along with any breed dog if they are very well socialized __________________ Lauren Sinister ~ black male GSD 3.11.09 Cats: Chaos, Mayhem, Monster and Wicked

04-19-2010, 10:33 AM	#5 (permalink)
LaRen616 Crowned Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 10,871	Rhlowe "LaRen, i was interested to see that you also have a ragdoll. I have a 3 year old seal point lynx ragdoll as well....we have trouble with urinary tract problems and he's on a prescription food, but other than that he is SUCH a great cat!!" I want my next kitty to be a lynx point Ragdoll but I want one with points that are blue or is it called lilac? They are like the perfect kitten! I cant believe how wonderful she is, so sweet, beautiful, playful and very cuddley!!! I will have many more Ragdolls throughout my life. They are excellent! Do you have any pictures of your Ragdoll? __________________ Lauren Sinister ~ black male GSD 3.11.09 Cats: Chaos, Mayhem, Monster and Wicked

04-19-2010, 10:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
LaRen616 Crowned Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 10,871	You can see pics of mine right here My New Baby Isolde! __________________ Lauren Sinister ~ black male GSD 3.11.09 Cats: Chaos, Mayhem, Monster and Wicked

04-19-2010, 10:47 AM	#7 (permalink)
HeidiW Knighted Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 3,143	The younger puppy being your GSD will grow up from day 1 with your Cocker spaniel, so this should be no problem at all. I have done the same thing and it all worked out fine. I rescued Patches a CS and then Kasey a GSD puppy they loved each other. Some GSd puppies can play really rough and as they grow they don't realize they are bigger than the small dog as they see a small dog and think they are small themselves. This is the only issue for safety, but the smaller dog CS will give warnings to the GSD. also allow the puppy to see the cat from day 1 too so it is not a mystery. __________________ Heidi, human mom to Daisy, 6 yr JRT Bella, 3 yr GSD Bo, 2 yr GSD Rest in Peace, Kasey, GSD Shelter 8/96-12/07 at the Bridge Patches, CS Shelter 4/93-4/05 at the Bridge Keisha, GSD 12/87-10/96 at the Bridge Tarsha, GSD my sweet 16 BD at the Bridge

04-19-2010, 01:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
codmaster Banned Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: California, US Posts: 5,928	The pups should be fine together altho you will have to be careful letting them play together because of the difference in age (size). It will be a LOT of work for you taking care of two puppies at the same time and you will need a lot of time individually so they bond with you and not only with each other. Each puppy needs "alone" with their peoplle.

04-19-2010, 10:23 AM	#4 (permalink)
Rhlowe New Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Orlando, Fl. near Walt Disney World Posts: 4	I'm not worried about the expense. Our Cocker has "pet insurance" (offered through my husband's work) and we will be adding our GSD to the plan as well, as far as food goes, I'm glad that they're both puppies so i don't have to buy two kinds of food, just a bigger bag! lol for NOW the GSD is, of course, smaller than my cocker but I know that will change at a fairly rapid rate. LaRen, i was interested to see that you also have a ragdoll. I have a 3 year old seal point lynx ragdoll as well....we have trouble with urinary tract problems and he's on a prescription food, but other than that he is SUCH a great cat!! I am grateful for the reminder of making sure that we spend separate 'alone time" with the dogs...although it was something I knew....I hadn't really given that thought. I'm glad my husband works second shift....he will be able to spend time with his GSD before he goes to work, my office is in our home, so i will be there regularly to bond, take potty breaks, etc, and then we have two older (high school age) daughters who, once they come home from school will be anxious for some "play and responsbility time" as well. all in all, what i was most concerned about, was the aggression factor of the GSD towards the cocker and my cat. the breeder was quite reassuring in that she felt there would be no problems, but all she had was an abundance of German Shepherds!! thanks for the help....I'd appreciate any tips along the way...the largest dog I've ever owned was a Dalmatian.

04-19-2010, 10:55 AM	#8 (permalink)
Rhlowe New Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Orlando, Fl. near Walt Disney World Posts: 4	hope this works, LaRen, but in any case these are pictures of my Cocker, "Snickers" (born 12/13/09) and also of Remy Martin (born 8/3/06) my Ragdoll My daughter has a photo of our "newest addition" the GSD (gosh, I'll be SO glad when she gets a name!!) and I'll post that for you later today. Attached Thumbnails

04-19-2010, 10:58 AM	#9 (permalink)
LaRen616 Crowned Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 10,871	What gorgeous creatures!!!!!! Beautiful, both of them! __________________ Lauren Sinister ~ black male GSD 3.11.09 Cats: Chaos, Mayhem, Monster and Wicked

04-19-2010, 11:14 AM	#10 (permalink)
Rhlowe New Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Orlando, Fl. near Walt Disney World Posts: 4	oh thank you! and Isolde is beautiful! I hope that she is getting along better with her sisters now. Enjoy those "tiny days" as Ragdolls (as I'm sure you already knew) end up being BIG cats...my boy tips the scales right now at about 16 pounds and according to the vet he is very healthy, but could stand a bit MORE meat on his bones!! Isolde is very beautiful, and Ragdolls are awesome cats, while mine doesn't always care very much for the rough play of his "brother" Snickers, I've caught him several times seeking out his attention and baiting him to play.

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