new to this forum and owning a GSD!

[Bear GSD]

He's still a baby and will be sleeping a lot initially. I know you said you just got him, but depending on how long ago (just a few days?) he may just need a few days to adjust.
The training thing will also come in time. Just keep in mind that when he does learn commands reinforce them and do the training in baby steps. Think 5-10 minute increments for right now.

[Jukebox]

thanks. yeah we got him last Wednesday. so that could be it. and yes he sleeps a lot. i am going to start obedience soon, im not sure if i know what puppy school is.

[MelodyCPDT]

Congrats on the new pup!

[JakodaCD OA]

he is adorable !!!

[utsavized]

This is the cutest thing ever! Mine will be coming home in July. These will be the longest 4 months ever!

[MichaelE]

He's really cute. Welcome to the forum.

[dOg]

Slow down! Nap with your pup, or read a book or two on training!
He's not lazy, he needs to rest, like an infant, but unlike a baby, he will wake up bigger, so need to stretch and navigate slowly until he adjusts to the larger vehicle he finds himself in.

At this point you just want to "mark" behaviors with command words.
For example, when he downs, you say "Good DOWN!" When he comes,
say "Good COME!" , etc. This will associate the que words with the behavior,
teach him among all the words, some mean something.

Pups will work for praise, so use it often. Staring is impolite, so he needs to learn when he looks at you, this is a good thing, as you want to develop focus, so when he does, mark it, "Good Watch me" or good "Look"

It doesn't matter which words you choose, it can be in any language, as long as the command que words are consistent from you. Don't mix them up, e.g. Sit down! Which is it, SIT or DOWN? Single words are best.

Pick a release command, preferably not "OK" because we use it in too many contexts oursleves. Example: You put him in a DOWN, phone rings, friend asks "How ya doing?" You say "OK", dog gets up, cuz you just released him. I use "free" or "FREEDOG", as it never means anything else.

Training, formally, should be limited to 5-10 minutes. Stop before he gets bored, to leave him wanting more, and to avoid him going into "avoidance"
from overload. If you want to do more, do more, later, but again, for a short period.

The most important command is the recall. "COME" can save his life, so lavish praise is in order. Even old schoolers who train with compulsion more than positive re-enforcement will tell you not to correct for COME.

A pup shouldn't be corrected until the command is known through marking,
as they don't understand why they are being corrected. It's just not fair.

They grow up very quickly, so patience, praise and play are the order of the day, for several months.

Hit my link, review "dogrules", "K9 Motor patterns", and "The Nose knows"

Somewhere between 8-11 weeks a confident pup can suddenly go into a 3-5 day fear period, where they act scarred. During this time, avoid a lot of situations where they could experience trauma drama, like dog parks,
vets, and shelter him from bad experiences, as when they occur during a fear period, they can create neurosis about the situation. Not a good time to meet a bully dog or person. It goes away, just be patient.

Just enjoy your pup. Toss a T-shirt you wore yesterday/overnight into the crate when you leave. (You are crate training, right?) The smell will be comforting and increase the bonding you are working on, effortlessly.

Hang some bells on the door, eventually, if he's gotta go, he'll ring the bell so you'll open the door, no "training" required!

Main thing is to simply have fun, get him outside before he piddles.
Figure about an hour per month of age at the max. Beyond that, you are training him to mess in the house.

Keep the self-rewarding bad behaviors to a minimum by putting a lid on the garbage can, or putting it in a cupboard, or up. Don't leave food on the counter, to prevent counter surfing. It's easier to avoid it than fix it.

These first few months will FLY by, so take pictures, and laugh, a lot!

Even when he's been a pistol all day, let the last words he hears be
"You're a good boy!" before you both nod off for the night.

Expect good behavior, rather than dread misbehavior. Worrying he'll do bad things will only encourage it, because he'll read you like a book, and
give you what occupies your mind.

Enjoy your new pup!

[Longfisher]

Thanks DOg.

BTW, how does one become an Elite Member?

LF

[dOg]

re: Elite
no idea, some threshold of number of posts, or years enrolled, not sure how that happens.

Guess I've been here awhile! Hosted than a few in 40 some years of sharing my life with dog.

[Jukebox]

thanks dOg. everything is very helpful. and for the most part im doing all of those things. im worried about every little thing because i havent had a big dog puppy in 13 years and i want him to be the best dog he can be. and i know that most of that boils down to me. thanks for all the advice!