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New GSD owner, Old Dog lover

765 views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  lcsparrow70 
#1 ·
Hello! I am so very excited. My son and I will be welcoming our GSD puppy at the end of February. Her name will be Riley! I already own a Standard Poodle who is getting up in age but is our cool and calm girl who loves to run. I also have a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel who will always be "the baby". The Cavalier is our outgoing diva. Both dogs are very grounded and get along wonderfully. We are hoping the new addition, the GSD, will be happy in our home. I have had a great deal of experience with dogs. All of my dogs have been well behaved. I pride myself in research and keeping up with the best way to raise each breed I have owned in my lifetime (Lhasa, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Standard Poodle, Cavalier). Therefore, my Standard is not expected to be a lap dog like the Cavalier, and the Cavalier is not expected to be able to run long distances. I also understand each breeds level of ability. For example, my Standard is the queen of obedience and is extremely intelligent and needs a job. My Cavalier is more of the show off who enjoys learning tricks and bores easily during obedience sessions. As for our future GSD, my son likes to jog so she will be joining him once she has finished growing and her joints can handle it. During the early years, I hope to give her a great deal of socialization. Our neighborhood is extremely dog friendly and child friendly so our GSD needs to know the neighborhood. She will understand the basic obedience commands and once we get a feel for her "passion", we will begin her training in that area whether it be obedience or agility or herding or whatever. Therefore, I look to the members here for any advice at all. I truly wish for my new GSD to be grounded and happy in our home - you know "One of the family" because she will be. She already has a space waiting for her with her own XL crate, toys, feeding area, and other supplies. No, I do not use the crate to put my dogs in when I am home (my Cavalier does use it when I am even though the door is never closed because she loves her crate- she is four and trained), and I have a dog door leading to a very large fenced yard. Thanks for reading and looking forward to chatting with you.
 

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#6 ·
Sounds like a great home.

Post photos when you can.

Welcome
 
#8 ·
I hope our new pup fits in well. I am always concerned when introducing a new member to our pack. I have been so lucky that all my pack members, including the cat, get along so well. Its a balance I would like to keep. The GSD will be my first "guard dog" type breed. Although, I do not plan to train it in any way as a guard dog. I have worked with working dogs so I think it will go well. I am just concerned about the dominance factor with this breed. I am sure I have nothing to worry about as long as she is well socialized and given the proper handling. I know the GSD is extremely smart, and the smarter the breed, in my experience, the more you have to give them a job to do to keep them happy. I am particularly concerned with the amount of children and dogs in our area so I hope we can get our GSD socialized with them on a regular basis so that she knows they are not a threat and they know that as well. I'm not worried about the GSD so much as I am my ability to make sure she is grounded and happy. I am a believer of the 99% rule: 99% of the time its the owner's handling that makes a dog behave a certain way.
 
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