Hates "Restraint"

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by ladyfreckles

He seemed more scared that "oh when he gets bigger yada yada". When he gets bigger what? He'll attack you? No he won't, he just doesn't like being held. He didn't nip once.

I think I see what the vet was getting at--if you don't get a handle on this pup when he's little, he's going to be a holy terror when he gets bigger. Which of course most of us on this forum know, but a lot of the general dog-owning public doesn't realize. An 11 week old puppy has a lot to learn, and fortunately you have the time and the desire to work with him and teach him appropriate behaviors. As long as you keep doing that, you'll be fine.

You have to understand that GSDs do not have a good reputation with vets. Unfortunately, most of the GSDs they see are poorly-bred, BYB dogs which do not display proper temperament. My vets are always astounded that my two GSDs are not complete idiots, but if everyone would get well-bred dogs and take the time to train them, our GSD wouldn't have a bad reputation.

[msvette2u]

This is very true!
Our vets have always commented on how good our Yaeger was. I was amazed people would or could own a dog that would bite someone unprovoked off it's own property!!
Ruger's the same way. He knows no strangers and I'm happy with him that way!

[selzer]

Personally, the pup is 11 weeks old. I would relax. The best thing you can do for your puppy is to relax, and not read something into every shake and every wriggle. Take the puppy to puppy kindergarten, and work with your pup in a class of other owners working with their puppy. Try not to do all kinds of extra training. Just relax. If you are calm, your dog will be as calm as your dog can be. If you are nervous, or angry, or worried about what the dog might do, or why the dog is doing this, the dog is going to spazz too.

[ladyfreckles]

Thanks guys!

And yeah, I could see where he was getting at, but the tone with it was more fearful than "be sure to train him now when he's little". I had to tell him about four or five times that I did plan to train him because he just kept repeating himself.

[BlackGSD]

If you like the female vet, use her. Make appointments with HER, if you are going to drop in for shots or something, call and ask if she is working that day before you go. If it's her day off, go another day.

My vet has 2 others that work in his practice.(I don't like either one of them.) He is the owner of the clinic and has 20 years more experience and he knows ME. I do what I posted above.

[KZoppa]

Riley is not vet tolerant. He used to be amazing at the vet until we took him in for treatment to find out why he was ripping himself up and they dragged him in the back away from us to shave him down. Found out they were unusually rough with him and none too nice with him in general. He is horrible at the vet now despite efforts to show him not all are bad and he won't be taken in the back again without us. Shasta is very good until they pull out the shots. Then she just screams like youre trying to kill her. Now Zena... She was a holy terror. Snarling and spitting and just a very scary dog going in. she doesn't act that way with the vet back home.

I would have been pretty ticked with the vet and said so. It's behavior like that which can cause trouble with the dog at the very in the future.