Hello from OR

[Ursula]

Hello Everybody,
my name is Yvonne and we live in PDX in OR.
We, that are my bf and I are getting our GSD in April and I can't wait to pick him up - the dog not the bf

I grew up with GSDs in my childhood in Germany and I can't wait to have one again. Looking back at my childhood, I always will remember Ali, my uncle's GSD and how we used to roam the streets in our town together when my uncle was at work and Ali stayed with us at home - I was around 5-6 years old then. Later on, we had our own - Benjamin - and I did the same until I was 18 and left for school out of town. Nobody ever bothered a little girl and her friends roaming town and the surrounding woods with a companion like that at her side ;-)

It took me some time to realize that I needed a GSD in my life again. I lost 2 dogs and my horse in the past 2 years and I fell into a deep, deep hole.
One of these dogs, Lydia, a Pit Bull rescue started to do S&R with me, but my ex-husband demanded the dogs when we got a divorce and I haven't seen Lydia and her brother Cal (Border Collie) since I dropped them off at the airport to send them to him in NY. It was a wise decision in the end, since I was living alone in an apartment complex, trying to build up my life again and he had a house with a huge fenced in yard and much more time than I did at that time. I know them in good hands

The litter isn't even born yet and we don't even know if there is going to be a puppy for me when it is born, but I remain optimistic that I will be able to pick up a pretty little bundle of joy in April.
We already have one dog, Floyd, a Pit Bull-Border Collie Mix who came to me in very odd ways and turned out to be a blessing. He was formerly abused and starved and I am sure he will also benefit from having a little brother. He usually blossoms when other dogs are around and is less fearful and more outgoing.

I am amazed on how much information I was already able to find in this forum! I spent the last few days browsing through quite a few threads and I already learned so much! Especially about feeding a large dog puppy ;-) This is what gave me the worst worries ;-) (I just ignore the ear stories so far and wait until this is going to give me the jitters)
Thank you guys!
I hope with time I will be able to become a useful member, too.

Have a good one!
Yvonne

[Stosh]

Congratulations! April sounds like such a long time from now but it'll go fast. You've probably read lots of good advice, but I would say to get a crate, visit some training clubs/classes in your area now and pick the one you like best for puppy/basic obedience class, don't sweat the ear thing, and most of all- love love play and enjoy your pup because they grow up so quickly.

[Nigel]

Hello! 3 months to go! That will give you more time to prepare, so that's good. Good luck on the upcoming litter!

[Ursula]

Thank you
Yes, 3 months sounds like a a lot of time, but I feel once it get's closer, time is going to fly by!
I am currently looking for places to do some future work with my pup - anybody any ideas and/or recommendations in the Portland, Oregon area?
He is not going to be a working line dog - he comes from a West German Showline breeder (von Waldhimmel) and I was looking into maybe, some Obedience, Agility or some S&R work again.
This is all still in the stars, again, the dog isn't born yet...
The decision will be made on how the pup will develop.
One of my old dogs was a working line Border Collie who was absolutely unfit for S&R and I kept trying to get him to be interested in it and had to give up - he was quite happy chasing geese off Golf courses though and loved Agility
So, I learned from that and I will see what would be more interesting for the dog than vice versa.

Have a great day!
Yvonne

[MaggieRoseLee]

Welcome to the forum and can't wait to seethe photos and updates when you new pup arrives.

:-)