[DenverGirl]

Hello! First time poster, long time reader I have been doing TONS of breed research, and absolutely love hearing the stories about GSDs that follow their person everywhere and lay their head in their person's lap, etc. I truly want to find a GSD that is loving in that way.

So I am hoping to hear some personal stories of what was your affectionate dog like when it was a puppy? Did he follow you around at the breeder's? Was he lazy/energetic? Did he lick your face? Did he come when you called him? Did
he like to be held? Was he the most/least dominate of the bunch?

It is difficult to discern the personality of an 8 week old dog, but maybe we can discover a pattern?
Thanks in advance for the help!!

 

[Sunflowers]

Hehehe... He was a nippy land shark.
I had the breeder select him for me, I told her I wanted a laid back cuddler.
Took a while for that to happen, but it did. When he was little, no cuddles!
Find a good breeder and have him or her select for you.

 

[Courtney]

I was able to visit the litter when they were 6 weeks old. I didn't know which puppy my boy was. He was also selected for me. I spent some time with him at the breeders before taking him home. He was very social, curious and mouthy. However, he's always settled down in the house nicely, but he was also h*ll on wheels! As a pup he would like to lay with his nose resting on my neck. I spent a lot of time on the floor with him, not sure I will be doing that with my next puppy. lol

He's now 3 and will still get on the couch and cuddle with me...even the bed

However, he doesn't like affection when we are outside. He's too busy. lol

 

[doggiedad]

my pup wasn't affectionate. i would have my pup on the bed
and he would get off the bed and go to his crate which was
in the livingroom. i'm not sure when he started being affectionate
but he was older. now my dog will jump on the bed or sofa with you
or if your on the floor he lay next to you or put his head on you.
i like having a cuddle dog. we taught our dog "family hug". when my GF
and i hug one of says "family hug" and our dog will walk between us.
i can hug anyone and if i say "family hug" he'll walk between us.

 

[Sunflowers]

A shame, too, because they are so cute and fuzzy and irresistible!
I used to sneak in a pet or two when he woke up from naps.
Now he will push his bowed head into me and take all the affection I want to give.
He started to sit for love at about 5 months, after morning potty, and has been doing it ever since.
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/puppy-behavior/185213-all-you-who-have-had-landshark.html

 

[angierose]

Mine was all teeth. She wouldn't hold still. I remember being a little sad that she never wanted to cuddle with me, always preferring the floor or the other end of the couch. But she was also very smart, learned things quickly, and actively engaged with me, so I tried not to take it personal.

Now she's very cuddly. She leans on me a lot. She'll climb up and stretch longwise on the couch at naptime and let me sleep with my arm on her. She puts her head in my lap.

I would hazard a guess that part of their learning to be affectionate is learning "human" affection, which isn't always what a dog would find comforting or even comfortable. So as puppies they know more of their dog language and the constant patting and hugging some people try to do is not something they'd naturally seek out. But they learn that's how we show our affection.

 

[Shade]

I got to visit the litter at 3, 5, 7, and 9 weeks. Delgado caught my eye at 5 weeks when he snuggled in my arms and slept after his bath and he followed me around at 7 weeks and even the breeder commented on how attached he was with me. It was her choice however so I held my breath when I showed up at 9 weeks and she brought out Delgado and he officially became mine.

He never liked hugs, he would follow me around and his focus was great but he wasn't affectionate in liking hugs or kisses. Around 6 months he started tolerating them more, he'll cuddle on the couch mostly. He wasn't nippy as a puppy but he was hyper, his nickname was Mr. Destructo for a reason. He'd run right through things without flinching no matter what it was, he had no time to be gentle and nice with anything. He'd just as soon latch onto your hand then the food you were offering ("gentle" was a long work in progress lol)

Delgado prefers pets, he likes to push up against me and get his head scratched or his back scratched. When he's had enough he will walk away and I'm ok with that.

With strangers he's hit or miss, he's very affectionate with family and people he knows, he's much more standoffish with strangers. He'll tolerate pets if you offer food but otherwise will ignore you and won't listen if you try to command him to do something.

 

[marbury]

My Ultimate Cuddler was the exact opposite as a puppy. Breeder selected, and I was actually quite disenchanted when I went to pick her up. All she cared about was anything moving or eatable, bonus if both. I was just the thing that held the leash preventing her from getting where she wanted to be. She hated being held down, hated nail trims, screamed and cried in the crate, preferred to play with other dogs than with me, and was generally a pain in my hind end that I was worried I was regretting for the first three months.

Now magically she is one that explodes with pure glee when I praise her, would much prefer working for cuddles than for 'cash' (treats, ball, play), and is the one curled up with me in bed at night. I have no idea how this happened, but I am very grateful. I never forced her into cuddles, although I did work with her daily to get her over her aversion to nail clippings and standing still for whatever I needed to do to her. She's extremely affectionate and knows just how to cuddle and not be too pushy.

My male wanted nothing to do with people. He wanted to explore, and that was his only desire. He *might* bother to pay attention to you if you made a fun noise, but he'd wander off as soon as he confirmed that it wasn't fun. At a year old he is a huge cuddle monster on his terms. He'd rather go off and sleep in his crate at night, but during the day he's daddy's boy. What you see as a pup is not always what you get!

 

[jafo220]

Hello! First time poster, long time reader I have been doing TONS of breed research, and absolutely love hearing the stories about GSDs that follow their person everywhere and lay their head in their person's lap, etc. I truly want to find a GSD that is loving in that way.

So I am hoping to hear some personal stories of what was your affectionate dog like when it was a puppy? Did he follow you around at the breeder's? Was he lazy/energetic? Did he lick your face? Did he come when you called him? Did
he like to be held? Was he the most/least dominate of the bunch?

It is difficult to discern the personality of an 8 week old dog, but maybe we can discover a pattern?
Thanks in advance for the help!!

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Um, every GSD pup I ever had was included with sleepless nights, unrelenting days, energy filled fuzzballs that will drive you close to your breaking point day after day after day. None were affectionate, accept when they were extremely tired. The love I have for this breed doesn't make sense for all the craziness they put you through when they were pups. What drives me is the end result. The dog your left with after molding this nutty pup into something extroidinary. These dogs loyalty if raised properly knows no bounds. Thats what I get out of owning these awesome dogs. They will drive you crazy at times though.

 

[Capone22]

My one year old gets more affectionate with age. As a puppy she was a biting machine that refused to cuddle. Now she comes up for cuddles and love. Lots of kisses and leaning into me.


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[Bear GSD]

Bear was a great white landshark as a puppy. He's finally getting to the point now in the last 6 months where he's definitely been more affectionate and cuddly.
Welcome, BTW!

 

[wolfy dog]

WD was 6 months old when he first laid his ears back when he greeted me after I came home one day. (A friend once asked me if that dog could flatten his ears at all) It was a huge break through and compliment. I finally had earned his affection. And now he does it all the time, throws himself on his back when I approach him. And no this is not that popular Alpha insanity but a good relationship with a great dog. His land shark stage was pretty intense but he has a very soft bite now (when taking treats)

 

[Msmaria]

My dog was the total opposite from cuddlebug. Dexter didnt like hugs or kisses at all when we got him. He would move away from you if you tried. Wanted to play with my other dogs and was more interested in them. He didnt wag his tail when I came home or greet me like my other dogs did (although he did come to the door, maybe he thought that was enough) . All he did was bite me, chew on me, and bite some more. I was very worried about him being affectionate. I think I even posted about it. At 4 1/2 months he started to wag his tail and lower his ears when we came home. Now at 6 months and 65 lbs , he sits his whole body in my lap, comes to give kisses several times every night (even when your sleeping) noses my palm when were out walking. He's always touching me. In the evening when watching tv he comes over and rubs against me like a cat and then sticks his head in my lap. He is soo affectionate now that my kids call him a mommas boy. I dont mind.

 

[Carriesue]

My pup was not affectionate as a little puppy(technically he's still a puppy, 11 months), in fact he was very independent and would be happy to sit in the backyard all by himself if I let him. I had to keep him on a lead in the house because he would not follow me around, never mind getting into things lol!

The only thing he did was first thing in the morning when I let him out of the crate he would stop me and want hugs and pets for a few minutes, he LOVES hugs from me. As he's gotten older he's become more and more attached to me, he's still a bit independent and sometimes when I move from one room to another I will have to call him because he doesn't always follow me, he's a part time shadow.

He's not a big cuddler but recently he's started to just flop himself onto me when I'm laying down wanting belly rubs... I've literally had his whole body laying completely on top of me, it's awkward but I can never stop laughing when he does this, he always gets away with it. He will lay with me for a few minutes while I rub his belly then he's over it and moves off the bed. He will let me pet and hug him as much as I want though, he loves it... I think as he gets older he will become more and more affectionate. :wub:

 

[MilesNY]

Dante and I fell in love when I opened his crate door at the airport. I picked him up on a day I was working so he came to work with me for the last few hours of my day. He was always near me from that day on. He was not interested in other people at all. Even as a puppy didn't go up, didn't respond when they would squat down and try and pet him. He is still very much the same. I am his number 1, and he always wants to be near me. Paul, my boyfriend, is number two and if I am not around he adores him. Then he has a few friends, but most people he ignores completely.

Him the day he came home.

http://youtu.be/QGT6z1nnsKM


Khaleesi LOVED children, and would greet people with puppy wags when she first met them. With me though she was content to know where I was but didn't need to be close or get lots of affection after first seeing me. I use to joke the only way I knew she liked me was she would get upset if I gave her leash to someone else and walked away. She is almost six months and her affection for me has increased with age, while she is now pretty disinterested in anyone else. My friends call her feral. She seems to adore myself and Paul equally though..


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[brembo]

Banjo as a pup was a buzzsaw, his initial reaction to everything was "gnaw on it". Very little barking. Around 2 all that nonsense quit. From 2 to about 4 he was just a spastic idiot, some inhibition but generally just unpredictable. Somewhere around 4 or 5 he clicked into full GSD awesomeness. Extremely cuddly, very focused on me. I didn't have to check to see where he was or what he was doing, I KNEW he was within that magic 5 foot radius, being watchful and hoping I would suddenly flop onto the floor and wrestle with him, which I did often. Bedtime was a pain, being that he HAD to snuggle he would hedge his bets and take up as much as possible of the bed, any attempt to move him was viewed as possible overtures to roughhouse. He trained me to enter the bedroom in a certain way, hah. Still, hearing him sigh and fall asleep was wonderful.

I think the trend you are going to notice is that GSDs bond hard to their people and finding a GSD that is aloof with it's owner is a rare thing.

 

[The Stig]

Great thread! I do not feel so bad about Janka's puppyhood and missing out on the cuddles when she was cotton-candy soft & smelled like puppy muskiness.

At 5 years old, Janka is very loyal and attached to me. She still isn't a cuddly dog and can be quite independent, with that gung-ho attitude that borders on crazy. But she is very affectionate in her own way.

When we first saw her at 6 weeks old, she was a hellion. When the breeder separated her from her litter so we could spend one-on-one time, Janka did not miss a beat. She was dominant & brave (she was the only pup in the litter who stood her ground and looked around when a Harley Davidson rumbled by) with a lot of confidence. She was also very alert and curious.

In terms of birth order, she was the youngest of a litter of 11. In terms of personality, she could have been #1 out of the 11.

When we picked her up at 8 weeks, she was a hellion.. with more intensity. I remembered she tried to suckle a nursing bitch (not her dam) that was relaxing in the office, away from her nearly weaned pups. She tottered up to the black female and reached up for a drink. The bitch dealt a swift correction, and was Janka cowed? Nope. She skipped off, tail in the air and started gnawing & tugging on my husband's shoe lace.

I could not cuddle her w/o her protesting vehemently. When I tried to stroke or pet her lightly, she would either nip or drive herself into an excited frenzy where she completely shuts down... it was quite incredible to see. I could not even verbally praise her lavishly w/o turning her into the Tazmanian Devil. Everything had to be very mellow, because she will take whatever energy you exude and multiply it infinitely. And this was with appropriate and frequent exercise!

The only time she will be picked up was when I carried her down the stairs (I did not let her go down the stairs on her own till she was older), but when we got to the bottom, she would immediately wiggle free.

We keep in touch with her littermate (Klaus) and his owner.You might be interested to know that he is the polar opposite of Janka. Even at 8 weeks old, he was soulful with a devotion and love that seemed mature beyond his age. He cuddled and needed to touch his owner at all times: paw on foot, lap snuggles.. that sorta thing. He would stare at his owner for periods of time, and mirrored his owner's energy.. very mellow and sweet.

I wanted a SchH prospect & yea... there I have it. Not 100% DDR line, but the Force is definitely strong with that one. In the end, I couldn't commit to the sport after a while but raising Janka is definitely a valuable experience that I treasure very much.

~ Rei