Apartment, school, young GSD less than a year told.

My vote is wait. There will be another litter at a better time.

 

Agreed. I am also eying litters but I need all my available dog time for Deja who is only 1.5 year old and there is so much to teach her.

 

Thanks for the reply! I know I have to stop thinking that it's "now or never" and there will always be more litters.

Just to clarify, I am 23 so an older student. However I am not very involved in campus life..I prefer to do my work and go home to do different things with my shepherd..
So I am fully confident that my lifestyle wouldn't be an issue..

Mainly just the combination of apartment and bein the only human in the pack..

But yes very true. I intend to forget that my girl is still just a puppy cuz she's so big! ?

 

Well I"m 44 and work full time. And I have two. I'm telling you, from experience, that you will not have enough time to work both puppies properly. I don't care about the apartment. Many people live in apartments with animals. My main concern is time for both a puppy and a young dog.

 

but you are in an apartment -

probably not all of the other tenants are thrilled -- two is really pushing it - and what if you needed to leave your premises , for work or personal reasons and find another apartment -- with one GSD that would be hard enough , never mind two.

not a good idea .

you may even find that the litter of Czech pups is not so ideal -- if you were to post the pedigree I bet some people more experienced in Czech lines (that's not me) would be wondering what you see in the litter

 

Yikes! I am incredibly busy trying to train one 16 month old GSD. Maybe you could join a Schutzhund club or do a dog sport with your year old GSD. Getting more involved with something organized (besides hiking) may be fun for both of you. Two young GSDs looks like a nightmare to me, personally, in an apartment.

 

We live in somewhat small house, and have two GSD. We're good, but what took me back was the sheer size of 2 big dogs. While we don't let them roughhouse inside. They do take up extra room, and I think the hair volume is squared not doubled.

 

Try to fight the urge it may pass. If not you can always go on breeders list for future pups. More time gives you time to shop around and really decide what you need and want.

 

I live in a house and have a yard.. That being said two is the max you can work effectively.
I can own more dogs but to actually train and work the dogs to a competitive level in a demanding sport like IPO?

Two is the max in my opinion if you work or go to school full time. If they are just pets then the sky is the limit..

 

I have two GSDs in a 500sqft studio apartment one of which is a puppy. I wouldn't recommend it for a student. I say that as someone who just went through it as a student. Last month I graduated with my second degree. Efa is only just now turning 7 months old.

When I was not at school or work I was housetraining her, walking them separately, training them separately, playing, smoothing over possession issues, cleaning up double the fur and feces, making excuses to my friends why I couldn't hang out.

The only time I did see friends was really if they agreed to come on a walk with me and my male GSD. He'll be 3 this fall. I can't imagine trying to bring up a puppy without a fully trained adult dog. Not having to worry AT ALL about Cafall is the only way I made it through late nights working, early morning classes, and a puppy chewing everything in sight.

Potty training in an apartment isn't fun. I was constantly cleaning my carpet because I was terrified of having to pay for replacement carpet. Every 15-30mins I took Efa out and reset the timer. It was constantly in and out for the first while. Plus early morning trips outside since she couldn't hold it all night. Didn't make for easy mornings in class.

Additionally, 23 may feel like an older student but in a short while you'll graduate and have huge life decisions to make. It's much easier to move for a job, future spouse, save to buy a house, etc. with only one dog to worry about.

Plus, by that time your female will have had time to fully mature and you'll know for certain if she'll be okay with other dogs to even be able to get a puppy. There are people on this board that rushed into a second pup only to have the first dog develop serious aggression issues when it matured.

I say hold off. If you're having to rationalize things it's not the right time to get another dog. Invest your time in your current pup. Get her fully trained up in rock solid obedience. Look into some other classes rally, agility, dock diving, etc. Become the most awesome GSD owner you can through experience and it'll make you a much more prepared prospective puppy owner down the road.

 

Not to take over your thread, but here's a weekday schedule I came up with for someone asking about puppies/lifestyle a few months ago. Keep in mind this was when Efa was 3 months old, so this was an even easier schedule than what an 8 week puppy would entail:

I currently have a 13 week old puppy as well as a 2yr old adult GSD and work similar hours to you. Here's the break down of my weekday:

5:00am- wake up to screaming puppy in crate needing to go out, take puppy out
6:00am- go for morning walk with both dogs
6:30am- take out puppy again to potty. feed breakfast in crate. listen to puppy scream about wanting out of crate after breakfast
7:00am- trap puppy in bathroom with me as I get ready
7:30am- take puppy out one last time before leaving for work.
12:30pm- pet sitter comes to let puppy out, clean crate, and stays to play for awhile ($20 daily)
5:00pm- rush home and let puppy out (no time for stops or errands along the way)
5:30pm- clean crate, feed dinner in crate and listen to puppy scream that food's done
6:00pm- take dogs out for walk and clean up puppy mess along the way
6:30pm- spend 30 mins with basic puppy obedience training
7:00pm- take puppy out again to potty
7:30pm- crate puppy and take adult GSD for run (yes, daily!)
8:15pm- take puppy out to potty
8:30pm- dinner (me!)
9:00pm- take puppy out to potty
9:45pm- take puppy out to potty
10:30pm- take puppy out to potty, crate her, listen to her scream, fall asleep cursing

Sprinkle in there constantly redirecting puppy (Efa) from eating my shoes, electrical cords, bathroom rugs, etc. I have to watch her CONTSTANTLY when she's out of the crate to make sure we don't have a house training slip inside and also to catch when she does signal to go out (yay!). I pick up water at 8pm so she can't keep refilling the tank and have to watch to make sure she doesn't try to eat my other dog's dinner. Efa will also bark and bristle if other dogs walk by so I have been correcting that as it occurs. I don't need an alert every time the sidewalk is used.

Other things to consider with puppies is the frequency and scheduling of puppy vet appointments. I was able to get a weekend appointment but only because I scheduled in advance. Puppies also cost a lot (dog, crate, puppy pads, food, vaccinations, heart worm meds, flea tick monthly meds, toys, bowls, training classes, etc.)

 

Just speaking from a perspective of been there..

3 years ago.. Titan was 2yrs (duh ) and I lived by myself... I HAD to have another dog. Just had to. Did my research, found a breeder, and I was going to have her pick pup. I worked full time 45 min away, I left for work no later than 6am and that was pushing it. I also got home at around 5:30/6 pm. Now I did have a house and big yard with a fence.. luckily had an amazing neighbor who helped with her during the day.. which I had planned on before getting my new puppy.. but you living in an apartment isn't a HUGE concern for me.. only because it's certainly doable with 2 trained GSDs and ample time for outings and such. It was hard, but I made do. Finances were really tight though. I didn't do anything.. literally. And there were times I bought them food and had to ask my mom for gas money... not good financial planning on my part. All my money went to them and with all the new puppy expenses... shipping from the breeder, good quality food, crates, vets, collar after collar, heart worm and tick medicine for both dogs, etc. you know the drill..

My concern for you would be the time and money.. it is so hard with a new puppy by itself, you have to spend SO much time with them in the beginning (well always, but you know what i mean) you have to lay the foundations. I feel that with your other pup under a year, you are still training and dedicating time to her. I think it may be different if you had an older dog that was trained and bonded, then you could manage to spend a little more time with the new guy.

If it were me.. and I were to do it again (which I am this winter, but I'm now married Titan is 5) I would wait until you have a good few years on your current pup and get things pretty solid with her. There will ALWAYS be more litters.. I mean always. And there is going to be another that's a perfect fit for you.

Should you decide to go with this litter anyways, it might be good of you to post something about your current routine with your girl and have people help you figure out a good schedule and how to manage your time properly with the new addition.

 

I am in your same boat. I go to school full time; however, I work from home. my boy is 7 months old and I want another one so bad. I have a friend who comes over with their 5 month old shepherd and these two together are up and down my apartment barking and playing rough. It's awesome to watch them play but if that was going on 24/7 in my apartment, I would go nuts.

+1 on looking into the future. Landlords will hate the fact you have two german shepherds so unless you're going to buy a house, good luck.

 

I was on the same boat... everyone told me to wait but i couldnt so i put down deposit this january, i got first pick male but there were no male so i got a second chance and im relieve cause it would be a handfull . i also live in an apartment 1 bedroom with my wife but i do all the work with the dog. One thing that opened my eyes was that i had to take puppysit my friends dog. The first one was a 18 months old Female GSD. Definitly more work to have 2 dogs.. you pick up the poop 2 times more. feeding times takes a little more work. Also when one bark the other one follows so u gotta work on that ( u dont want those cat loving dog haters neighbours of yours get psycho ). They would play ALL DAY in that one bedroom apartment of yours thats another thing you gonna have to work on. Imagine that not only for 2 weeks...'

Now the second time i puppysit was a male 11 months old GSD... Its doesnt help my boy is only 14 years old... still a puppy too. The plays is 3 times crazier and they dont know when to stop either. They are jealous of each other more ( maybe same sex ). So in the morning if my wife pet one then the other one kept barking asking for his turn.. Now the dog that being petted would love to rub it on the other dogs face by rolling around on my wife feet as she sit on the carpet.

 

An important thing that I think is imperative to bring up is that these two puppies will absolutely need to be trained separately. If they are together all the time, there's a good chance they will become too dependent on one another. You'll need to make time to train each one individually, socialize the puppy, etc. I have two puppies and make sure they spend as much time away from each other as possible. I even crate them in different rooms in the house. Does your apartment setup allow them to be crated away from each other? I would also consider the other residents in your apartment. I'm sure they're not going to be happy to hear your puppy cry while he is learning to be crate trained and both of them will run around very loudly together while playing. Think of your plans after school. Many apartments have breed restrictions that GSDs are on, or only allow for one dog. It will greatly limit your living arrangements down the line.

Others have brought up finances as well but it's certainly something to think about. Food adds up, adding another dog doubles the chance of something happening that requires an expensive vet trip. What if you need to work with a trainer down the line? That too can be expensive.

I had two GSD puppies while in school too but also was in a house that I owned, with 2 people watching them and it was very taxing on both of us. Physically, mentally and financially.

 

Thanks everyone for taking the time to give me advice..I'm glad I told the breeder I had to do some research first because I was already there with the pups with the intention to pick one up...

As of now I've decided I'm going to invest my time and money in my shepherd now but no doubt when the time is right and she's where I want her to be i WILL get a czech working lines!