What type of GSD do i have.

[Nigel]

I can only guess (and its just a guess), that being owned by a senior(?) that he didn't have a lot of interaction with new people, places, and things. You might want to try having the people coming into your home give him a treat as they enter. If this goes well, try the same at petco/Petsmart. This worked for us.

[Castlemaid]

At this point I wouldn't worry too much about two years down the road.

Enjoy him, train him, get involved in the dog world. As you get to know trainers, breeders, dog people, talk to them about your future situation and what you could do about making sure that your dog gets enough exercise and mental stimulation while you are in school. You'll get ideas and suggestions to work with.

Worse comes to worse, you do what the vast majority of working people do: keep him at home during the day, and take the time and effort to work him, exercise him, and play with him every single day.

[YogiBear]

Yea i noticed he tends to bark more at older people ithink having a old woman training him as a guard dog didnt help him much

[YogiBear]

Thanks for all the advice. Ill just keep it to socialization. Guess im just being an overprotective parent as i know how an untrained Gsd can be very dangerous and seeing my little Yogurt being put down would be heart shattering

[Nigel]

We got our pup @ 3 months. He didn't get enough socialisation and would bark his head off at people. We enrolled him in OB classes at a club and started out socialising at petco and Petsmart. Lots of fellow dog owner and willing to help, despite all his noise. As he got better, we tried places like Lowes and occasionally, (willing) random people on the street. He got better and better with each session. He is 6 months now and rarely barks at people anymore, he is a confident and happy boy.

[YogiBear]

Yep hes getting his last round of shots in a week i think so im going to start taking him to the mspca for obedience it happens to just be .7 miles away so itll be great exercise for him. But the only concern i have is that i dont want him to learn the conventional commands. Ive been teaching him sensei for sit, which has been working wonderfully so far,so i can use bow to your sensei and chill for lay dowm. Would they be understanding of that or would they force me to the conventional commands such as sit down and paw?

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by YogiBear

But the only concern i have is that i dont want him to learn the conventional commands. Ive been teaching him sensei for sit, which has been working wonderfully so far,so i can use bow to your sensei and chill for lay dowm. Would they be understanding of that or would they force me to the conventional commands such as sit down and paw?

The only way to know the answer to that question is to ask them. I've used different commands that the class was using before, and it wasn't an issue. There was one time when a private trainer was pretty insistent that I change my release cue, and she had some very good reasons why what I've always used wasn't the best choice, all of which I was already aware of. Even so, I didn't plan to change and I politely told her so. End of subject.

[YogiBear]

Ok so ive been doing research on Yogis parents. Im not sure if it is legal to give out the name of the breeder but under google it came up with HOCKLANDENGE KENNELS and it came up with a myspace page but on his bill of sale it lists his sire as ROCCO VON Hochlandenge and dam as Chara von Hochlandenge. So im a bit confused at this point, was Yogi a product of inbreeding, and if so should there be anything i need to concerned about? If anyone is familiar with this kennel information would greatly be appreciated. I am also wondering if he is a DDR or a west working line, just something that would be interesting for me to know.

[k9barco]

You could use foreign commands if you want; especially helpful to get your dog to alert around questionable company. They won't have a clue of what you are saying.

In the summertime , I used to take Barco into Mpls and do obedience with him on the Mall; lot's of distractions and some landscape that was used as agility.

You would be surprised how many street thugs that would normally be in your face , suddenly get polite and out of the way of a 85 lb GSD.

[YogiBear]

Haha yeah hes already scaring the bejeezes out of people on the street when he barks at his own reflection. Ive actually seen a girl jump around her friends because she was so scared when he went up for a sniff and hes only a 40 pound puppster too!