[CatMan900]

I’m getting a 8 week old male pup this week from a reputable breeder

I have a few questions regarding his food and other items

The breeder says they only feed adult Orijen and Acana they don’t feed puppy food so should I just continue with the adult Orijen?

Secondly, how long should I crate train the pup before its ok for him to sleep in bed?

Lastly, what else should I buy besides food bowls, collars etc. any toys or bones in particular? Also are there any videos or articles on kindve the puppy basics? I know avoid strenuous exercise for a year etc but I’m not sure what else. Thanks!

 

[McGloomy]

Congratulations on your new pup!

1. No, you should feed him puppy food, especially when he is still 8 weeks old. You may change to adult food between 12 months-18 months. That being said, some people feed their pups adult food,, usually in multi-dogs house. That's probanly why your breeder feed adult formula, because obviously they have multiple dogs. I personally won't feed my pup adult food. Puppies need their own specific nutritions for optimum growth.

2. Don't know about other people, but when I took my puppy home, I crate trained him right away. When he was 100% comfortable with the crate, he now sleeps with my in my bed.

3. Buy GOOD QUALITY toys. Don't know how much I would've saved if I had invested on good toys right from the start.

 

[tim_s_adams]

Congrats on your new puppy! I'm including a couple links below that have some great pointers for new puppies.

https://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-puppy-stuff/726626-first-nights-so-you-sleep-well.html

https://www.germanshepherds.com/for...716730-lets-create-puppy-training-sticky.html

Naughty Dogge - Monique Anstee | Dog Training and Dog Obedience Victoria BC

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner

And for toys check out Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Toys

 

[Castlemaid]

I’m getting a 8 week old male pup this week from a reputable breeder

I have a few questions regarding his food and other items

The breeder says they only feed adult Orijen and Acana they don’t feed puppy food so should I just continue with the adult Orijen?

Yes, that will be fine. Puppy food normally is denser in nutrients to encourage fast growth, but this causes issues for GSDs. Growing too fast may cause musculoskeletal issues in adulthood. Slow, steady growth is recommended, and regular adult dog food is perfect to achieve that. Some brands offer spcific Large Breed puppy food, which is lower in nutrients than the regular puppy food, but might as well just save your money and feed adult kibble.

Secondly, how long should I crate train the pup before its ok for him to sleep in bed?
Depends on your pup. When they are solid in house-training and completely reliable out of the crate, unsupervised. Could be six months, 12 months, 2 years, or never. Use common sense and good judgement to make the call.

Lastly, what else should I buy besides food bowls, collars etc. any toys or bones in particular? Also are there any videos or articles on kindve the puppy basics? I know avoid strenuous exercise for a year etc but I’m not sure what else. Thanks!

Lots of soft toys for interactive play, like rope toys and tug toys. Always have something at hand to redirect land-sharking from human skin onto a fun toy that build interaction with you.

 

[BigOzzy2018]

I would not feed puppy food.i never have and all my gsds did great, never had pano and grew at the correct rate. Keep him on what ever the breeder has him on. Both kibbles are great choices but choose one don’t feed both.
Routine and repetition is best for a pup. New home environment no siblings can be stressful so focus on bonding, setting a routine.

 

[kaydub_u]

I'm right here with you. I have a little over 9 week old puppy. Let's see if I can think of a lot of the things I have learned. Definitely always have toys on hand to give him because as Castlemaid said, they are land sharks and I had never heard of German Shepherd puppies being called that until I had one. For crate training, I would start right away. Whenever I play with him, take him for a walk, train him, he eats, etc. he picks a place to fall asleep. After a couple minutes or when I noticed he was out I would bring him into his crate and go off to do my own thing. After a couple of days he started going in to his crate once in awhile when he was tired. Remember, when he plays bring him to the bathroom, after he eats, drinks, sleeps, etc. I'll try to find other posts I looked at about this. Based on another person on this forum's recommendation I feed my puppy Beaverdam Pet Food Hi-Energy which says Puppy Adult Hi Energy. He loves it, even my Yorkie who is an extremely picky eater loves it. I got Bully Sticks for my puppy. I got a small package at first but, he would chew through them so quick and I'd throw them away before it even got remotely small so now I buy him larger 6 and 7 inch ones so they last longer and are more worth the money. I still watch him whenever he has one. But he enjoys gnawing on them and it's another thing to give him when he is biting our legs, ankles, hands, etc. I got a pooper scooper for him because I caught him trying to eat his feces after a few days, now if I start seeing him go poo I run for the scooper and get it immediately. I got him a bunch of different texture toys that make different sounds too, so hopefully he never gets bored of them. Plus I always play with him with the toys so it's more fun. One of my most favorite purchases is a flirt pole! This is the one I have https://www.amazon.com/Squishy-Face...TF8&qid=1529982710&sr=8-4&keywords=flirt+pole
I got baby gates from chewy.com to seperate where he can go in the house, here they are https://www.chewy.com/carlson-pet-products-extra-wide-walk/dp/54889
I love them! I normally train him with his kibble but I got some really stinky good quality treats that I give him outside when he goes potty as more of an incentive and give him lots of praise!! He already close to potty trained. Someone else on here recommended bell training him, I started this on Saturday, as of today I'd say he is like 80% bell trained. He walks over to the door and knocks the bell with his nose when he needs outback!! Here is the bell I got https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KG9WMWI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
As for when to let him sleep in your bed, I think you'll know when the time is right. With my last puppy years ago, we crated him and then all of the sudden it was like one day we just stopped and let him roam wherever he wanted. We trusted him 100%. You'll know. Crate training is a life saver, it's nice not worrying if your puppy is quiet and up to something.

I'm no expert at all, but I hope my time with our 9 week old puppy helps you out some.

 

[CatMan900]

Ok guys op here. I got my 8 week old puppy tonight

My question is how often should I take him out? When we brought him home he had an accident but caught him in the act and he finished outside. Then we fed him and water and he again went outside. That was at 2am. I took him out at 3 and again 4 thinking he ate a lot around 1am he should have to go

However I take him out again at 430 and he just goes to sleep in the grass lol so basically should I take him out every 2 hours even if he doesn’t go? ALSO how long should I let him out before I call it as he doesn’t have to go... ten minutes?

 

[Mareesey]

Sometimes they want to play and they won't go to the bathroom. If that is the case make sure you make the walk as boring as possible until he goes potty and then you can be the most fun thing in the world. He'll get the hint. If he doesn't go potty recrate, even if it is daytime. Just recrate and try again in like 30 minutes or so. When he's gone you can get him out again. Some puppies require going out every 15 minutes during the day. It depends on the puppy. You can start from there and then work it up and see how long he'll hold it. Remember especially if you are playing with him he will need to go out more often. I suggest when he is out of the crate during the day don't let him run the house tether him to you so you've got eyes on him at all times. Post pictures, everyone loves puppy pictures.

 

[Pawsed]

Congrats on your new pup!

With our pups, they sleep with us from day 1. I know a lot of people don't agree with this, but it works for us. The puppies get restless when they need to go out, and since they are in bed with us, we can pick up on that right away. And I think it's comforting for the puppies since they have just been ripped from the only family they have known. No crying or whining to keep us all awake. We have never had any problems with doing this with several puppies we have raised.

We still do crate training and once the puppies get bigger and are taking up too much space in bed, they move to the crate. By that time, they are confident, secure little ones and the transition is an easy one. They are usually ready to have their own space by that time anyway.

 

[CatMan900]

How much exercise is okay? He’s 9 weeks now almost 10.

I haven’t taken him on any walks in fact he hasn’t had a collar on yet. There’s no need he follows me everywhere.

What I do to get him exercise is after he goes potty there’s a small uphill grade going back to the house door about 10 yards long and we sprint up that to go back in. At the top I let him lay down to catch his breath. We do this maybe 2-3 times a day. Other than this his only walks are around the yard for potty. Is this all okay?

Also I use my cat toys with him. His favorite is a cat flirt pole with a mouse on the end. He runs and chases that in short sprints in circles. When he lays down I stop. Sometimes I go left and right so he has to change angles quickly. Is this also okay?

I also always carry him up and down the stairs and we do zero jumping.