# New puppy coming to our home...



## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Our family is going to get a new puppy the beginning of next week. DH has always wanted a German Shepherd and we will be getting a girl that will be either about 8 weeks old or 10 weeks old depending on which litter she comes from. The breeder (Cindy)does personality testing and chooses the best match based on the puppy and each family the pup is going home with. Our girl will be coming from here:

http://floodfarmgermanshepherds.com/

(there are a few Youtube videos in this site that are especially fun to watch)

We are very excited and are working to prepare our 8+ year old Corgis for the new addition. We have been a little bit lax with reinforcing our training and have been getting them (really us) back on track.

I know that there will be a lot of questions over the next year or so and there are so many people here that have good experience with dogs and dog behavior. My first question is related to bringing the new pup into our home with two other dogs. We plan to introduce the three away from the house and give them all a chance to get acquainted before bringing the three into the house. To get the puppy used to Cooper's and Belle's scent, would you recommend that I put an old towel in their beds over this week and then bring it in the car when we pick her up? Or is that overkill? FYI, Cindy had us send her a dog mat that she will make sure has all the scents from home so that we can transition well.

We are so excited and a little nervous...we know we have a very busy summer and our lives will never be the same, but we welcome it. The timing is about right for our family.

I plan to post pictures here and let you know how it is going...


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I love these threads...

Betsy


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Yes, good thread.  Burke will be 3 years old on April 14.  Kind of hard to believe he's a BIG boy now.  Sometimes I call him Pupsi.  He'll always be a puppy to me.


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

I love the idea of personality testing! How do they go about this?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Sandpiper said:


> Sometimes I call him Pupsi. He'll always be a puppy to me.


I like "Pupsi.!"

I call all dogs "pups." When we walk by someone with a dog, I always say "Hi, pup!"

Betsy


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

So guess what my soda of choice is?  That and 7-Up.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Bethany B. said:


> I love the idea of personality testing! How do they go about this?


Cindy has asked us to read the book, "The Art of Raising a Puppy",by The Monks of New Skete. She follows their processes and philosophy quite closely. They have a chapter about testing the puppies and basically they test is based on sociability, dominance and obedience. The evaluation is done by a stranger to the litter and they test based on a puppy aptitude scale. Nothing is determined good or bad. It is just what is a good fit. A high energy pup is better for an active person or family and a lower energy pup might be better for an older adopter. 
Cindy asked us a lot of questions about our family and we filled out a survey. These will be compared to give the best fit between the pup and the family. I am sure she will be able to choose a good match for the puppy and us.


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Tripp said:


> Cindy has asked us to read the book, "The Art of Raising a Puppy",by The Monks of New Skete. She follows their processes and philosophy quite closely. They have a chapter about testing the puppies and basically they test is based on sociability, dominance and obedience. The evaluation is done by a stranger to the litter and they test based on a puppy aptitude scale. Nothing is determined good or bad. It is just what is a good fit. A high energy pup is better for an active person or family and a lower energy pup might be better for an older adopter.
> Cindy asked us a lot of questions about our family and we filled out a survey. These will be compared to give the best fit between the pup and the family. I am sure she will be able to choose a good match for the puppy and us.


Love it! I'm putting that book in my list of wants for when we buy a house and can adopt a dog. What a great way to do things.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

In honor of puppies...


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## Sienna_98 (Jan 26, 2009)

<SNIP> My first question is related to bringing the new pup into our home with two other dogs. We plan to introduce the three away from the house and give them all a chance to get acquainted before bringing the three into the house. To get the puppy used to Cooper's and Belle's scent, would you recommend that I put an old towel in their beds over this week and then bring it in the car when we pick her up? Or is that overkill?<SNIP>

For question #1, just make sure it's not in an area where your dogs are routinely fed. 
For question #2, I think it's a very good idea to get your dogs' scents on the pup before she comes into the house using the towel.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I hope the puppy is doing well!


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Balaspa, thanks for asking.  Sorry I haven't posted for awhile.  We don't have the puppy yet.  We go to pick her up on Sunday and it is getting close.  I will post her first pictures as soon as I can.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Well, our puppy is finally home.  It has been quite a roller coaster ride.  We picked up our puppy on Sunday and got home to a house of chaos.  Dogs trying to deal with the new pup (Pink) and my son's friends coming over to see her.  She yapped and whined a lot and DH spent most of the night downstairs with her trying to get her settled and to sleep.  He was quite concerned about the pup because he felt like there was something not quite right.  He came to the conclusion that she was deaf.  I Googled dog deafness and she fit almost perfectly.  We tried to get her to respond to noise and she just didn't give any indication that she heard anything.  

So, we took her to the vet and he looked her over.  She was whining and crying quite a bit and seemed to be greatly distressed.  However, when he clapped his hands behind her, she didn't even move a muscle.  Because she was so distressed, there is no way she wouldn't have startled if she was able to hear.  There is no positive way to tell without a test called a BAER test and we did not want to go that far. 

We called the breeder(Cindy) and she was stunned, she had never had a deaf puppy in 45 years.  Due to Pink's deafness, we were struggling with any of the basic commands and training.  I knew that our family was not right for her and she needed someone who could have the time to work around her disability.  She was so sweet and it broke my heart, but it was for the best. Cindy was more than willing to accept that and take Pink bac

So, we took her back home yesterday and got another puppy from the later litter.  This pup is so sweet and is already practically house trained.  She can hear us fine and we are thrilled to have her with us.  Her name is Minna (pronounced ME-nah).  It means warrior and is short for Wilhelmina.  

Cindy is going to look for the perfect situation for Pink.  She has already been researching and found out that she may be a good candidate for Search and Rescue.  She also has a man interested in a pup and he lives on his own little island.  That would be perfect as there would be no need to worry about her not hearing cars or any other potential accident happening because she couldn't hear.  Cindy has promised to let us know where Pink ends up as we already fell in love with her and care about what happens.

I will post pictures of Minna as soon as possible, but it has been a really difficult weekend and we are now working on getting our new family situation settled down.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Oh had sad that you had to give up Pink, but you did what is best for the pup. It takes a double dose of training to train a dog with deafness. Happiness if found again with Minna. Keep us updated on her training progress. How old is Minna?


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Minna is just a hair short of 8 weeks old.  She is young but very confident and busy.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Here she is, our little Minna










Minna and Cooper, sleeping side by side.










Minna and Belle. She is finally accepting her new sister. This is the first time I saw them side by side, relaxed.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)




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## Basement Cat (Dec 12, 2013)

Well done, you made the right decision for Pink, you acted responsibly. I wish you every joy with your new puppy Minna. Lots of pictures please!


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Minna looks such a sweetie! And it's great that Cooper and Bella are accepting her.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Both are cute.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Well, yesterday was a challenge.  We had a lot of heavy rain and Minna didn't seem to like it.  She pee'd a lot in the house and right after I would take her outside.    Well, we live in Western Washington, she is going to have to get used to it.  Today has been sunnier and we have had much better results.

DH and I took her for a car ride to Starbucks drive through today.  She wasn't too sure about it and whimpered off and on.  We intend to keep this up so we can take her everywhere with us.  I can't wait till she has her series of shots cause then we will start taking her into some dog friendly stores.  And start some puppy training classes too.

The ride took a lot out of her.  DH and Minna are napping together right now.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Tripp said:


> Well, yesterday was a challenge. We had a lot of heavy rain and Minna didn't seem to like it. She pee'd a lot in the house and right after I would take her outside.  Well, we live in Western Washington, she is going to have to get used to it. Today has been sunnier and we have had much better results.
> 
> DH and I took her for a car ride to Starbucks drive through today. She wasn't too sure about it and whimpered off and on. We intend to keep this up so we can take her everywhere with us. I can't wait till she has her series of shots cause then we will start taking her into some dog friendly stores. And start some puppy training classes too.
> 
> The ride took a lot out of her. DH and Minna are napping together right now.


Bring Minna to central WA where she can get some sunshine! Our dogs do not like to go out to pee in the rain either.

As soon a Minna learns that banks and coffee drive-throughs have dog treats, she will be willing to play the game. Jack is all over a car ride because he knows almost always the bank or a coffee kiosk will happen before the end of the trip. He is very confused about the car wash, though. He thinks the money machine should spit out a treat.


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## Kay Bratt (Dec 28, 2011)

Tripp said:


> Well, yesterday was a challenge. We had a lot of heavy rain and Minna didn't seem to like it. She pee'd a lot in the house and right after I would take her outside.  Well, we live in Western Washington, she is going to have to get used to it. Today has been sunnier and we have had much better results.
> 
> DH and I took her for a car ride to Starbucks drive through today. She wasn't too sure about it and whimpered off and on. We intend to keep this up so we can take her everywhere with us. I can't wait till she has her series of shots cause then we will start taking her into some dog friendly stores. And start some puppy training classes too.
> 
> The ride took a lot out of her. DH and Minna are napping together right now.


Just following along and want to say that I agree, you did the right thing for Pink and your family. As a child, we had a German Shepherd and it was the best dog ever. Neat story; my dad saw the dog chained to a tree and offered the owners $50 to let it free. It followed Dad and became a part of our family for the next 12 years before he went blind and then died. That dog was amazingly intelligent and loyal.

About the rain, just a tiny tip that may or may not work for you. I'm by no means a dog specialist, but I've found that with dogs I've had in the past, they pick up on my mood. So if I am grumbling and cowering from the rain when I take them out, they follow suit. Until she is used to it, pretend that you just LOVE the rain and it's just great to go out in it with Minna.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

LOL, Minna probably does pick up my dislike of the rain.  I will try to be happier to be cold and wet...fake it till you make it. 

We got some bells for the door and she has it figured out already.  I would say she is 90% house trained and some of the 10% is our fault for not paying attention to her signals.

Now we have to deal with the biting...those puppy teeth..ouch!  I try to divert her and provide toys and bully sticks to chew on and when she nips, I scold her.  Right now, I will take any other suggestions...

I will try to post more pictures later.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Tripp said:


> Now we have to deal with the biting...those puppy teeth..ouch! I try to divert her and provide toys and bully sticks to chew on and when she nips, I scold her. Right now, I will take any other suggestions...


Burke recently had his 3rd birthday!

















The photo of him is from his puppyhood. The teeth are, of course, puppy teeth. He never has been destructive in the least. Virtually never chewed on anything he shouldn't. But as a puppy -- he was an ankle nipper. OUCH! For 2 - 3 months, I walked around with a spray bottle. He eventually quit that. Those puppy teeth are like needles.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Sandpiper, I remember when you had problems with Burke biting your ankles but forgot how you handled it.  I have used the spray bottle a couple times but it didn't seem to have any effect.  But my son used it yesterday and said it worked.  I think it might depend on how hyper she is.  And she gets hyper to the point of being frantic.      I will try it again.

It is my Bday today, so DH took care of the dogs and let me sleep in.  But he woke me up with a puppy in the bed...it was so cute.  Minna patted me on the face with her puppy paws.  We are now going to the coffee drive thru so she gets some car time.  Just two more weeks and one more set of shots and we can take her out of the car and out among people.    She really needs the stimulation.  And we will also get her in puppy training classes.  Hopefully that will hep with the nipping as I think she might be a little bored.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Here is a new picture of Minna:


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

Absolutely adorable!    Hope you have lots of fun with her!


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Nancy Beck said:


> Absolutely adorable!   Hope you have lots of fun with her!


Yes, she has been great. She is the first big dog I have ever had, let alone a GSD. I am finding out a lot I never knew. She is definitely putting DH and me through our paces. DH spends time training her in the morning and I work with her in the afternoon. She needs it or she would probably tear the house down around our ears.

She knows sit, down, come (when the reward is worth it) and off. I am working on stay and leave it. I took her to the vet today and the tech said she was well behaved though she is stubborn...yeah, I totally agree...

I did find a a GSD forum that seems like the Kboards for GSD's. There is lots of good info there. And I found out that Minna is very normal. I guess GSD puppies are very bitey...in fact they call them land sharks and fur gators...LOL.

Puppy classes start June 15. My goal is to get her the Canine Good Citizen certificate...then, who knows, we will see what Minna lets us know what she needs and wants.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

So, I took Minna out today to Petco for a nail trim and socialization.  She was good for the most part, struggled with the nail trimming and a little barking at other people until she got comfortable in the store.  I was purchasing a few things just before going home when some people came in with some small dogs.  Minna went from about 3ish to 9, barking, hackles up and pulling on the leash.  If she could have gotten loose, it would have been a really bad situation.  

I know the solution is to expose her more and get her used to everyone and all situations, but she was so extreme, there was no way I could have corrected her today so she would calm down.  I cannot change what happened, but I am willing to take any suggestions on how to handle this in the future.  She starts her puppy training on June 15 and I will be sure to ask the trainer to help us with the behavior.  

By the way, while my husband agrees that we need to work with Minna, he is so afraid to take her on walks or to puppy play time because he is afraid it will damage her hips or she will get hurt.  It has been a source of conflict between us.  This has been the hardest part of raising this puppy.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Burke is 3 years plus.  I got him at 9 weeks.  Some of what they do is just puppyhood.  Grow out of it.  When Burke was younger, he would pretty much bark at any another dog on the street.  He's grown out of that.  If the other dog barks good chance Burke will, but it's rare for him now to be the first to bark.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Sandpiper said:


> Burke is 3 years plus. I got him at 9 weeks. Some of what they do is just puppyhood. Grow out of it. When Burke was younger, he would pretty much bark at any another dog on the street. He's grown out of that. If the other dog barks good chance Burke will, but it's rare for him now to be the first to bark.


I hope this is the case for Minna as well...thanks for your reply. I just have to remember this is a long haul and Minna isn't going to be perfect, we both have to learn as we go along.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Tripp said:


> So, I took Minna out today to Petco for a nail trim and socialization. She was good for the most part, struggled with the nail trimming and a little barking at other people until she got comfortable in the store. I was purchasing a few things just before going home when some people came in with some small dogs. Minna went from about 3ish to 9, barking, hackles up and pulling on the leash. If she could have gotten loose, it would have been a really bad situation.
> 
> I know the solution is to expose her more and get her used to everyone and all situations, but she was so extreme, there was no way I could have corrected her today so she would calm down. I cannot change what happened, but I am willing to take any suggestions on how to handle this in the future. She starts her puppy training on June 15 and I will be sure to ask the trainer to help us with the behavior.
> 
> By the way, while my husband agrees that we need to work with Minna, he is so afraid to take her on walks or to puppy play time because he is afraid it will damage her hips or she will get hurt. It has been a source of conflict between us. This has been the hardest part of raising this puppy.


Puppy kindergarten cures a lot of ills.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Jane917 said:


> Puppy kindergarten cures a lot of ills.


Puppy kindergarten and obedience class in general. When we first got Monday (in 2011) we were very diligent about taking her to obedience class, then some Wag It games classes (sort of like agility but less structured). When Dempsey came along in 2012, the classes sort of faded away--just too busy. Recently, we've started having a young woman come to the house once a week to get us back on track with some training. We talk about having Monday do the Canine Good Citizen test but it is not a super-high priority that she actually completes it.

As my husband likes to say, the classes aren't just for teaching the dog, they are also for teaching *you* about the dog. It helps you get into the dog's head and understand how they see things and how you can get them to do the things you want them to do. For example, Dempsey's worst habit was jumping up on people (primarily me). With just 3 weeks of working with Michelle, he's 1000% better in this department.



> By the way, while my husband agrees that we need to work with Minna, he is so afraid to take her on walks or to puppy play time because he is afraid it will damage her hips or she will get hurt. It has been a source of conflict between us. This has been the hardest part of raising this puppy.


Dogs are like people--they're pretty tough. I am not an expert and I know hip dysplagia is a problem in GSDs, but I really don't think her hips will get damaged from puppy play time and certainly not from walking! If she doesn't get enough exercise and gets fat, that is probably going to have more potential to damage her hips than running and playing. My 2 cents.

L


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Well, it is a gorgeous day here today, so I walked Minna to the park.  I went loaded down with treats, a lickety stick and a squeaky toy.  When we first started, she was all over the place and wanted to go her way.  At the park, there were a bunch of high school kids playing volley ball.  She barked at them and her hackles went up.  So, I worked on training and treating (look, sit, down, come and leave it).  We stayed about 100 feet away from the kids and once she settled down, we walked around the perimeter of the park.  Eventually, she ignored them and sniffed all of the tall grasses by the power line trail.  Then we headed home and it was mostly loose leash.  Huge progress.  

Puppy playtime tomorrow.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

It has been awhile since I posted here.  Between the dogs, traveling and canning, I have been having a very busy summer.  

Minna is doing well, but is in the juvenile bratty stage.  She will be about 6 months old on the 14th.  She has a big dog bark and her hackles go up even though she only wants to greet other people and dogs.  She is actually very nice, sweet and gentle.  However, she barks a lot when we take her places and people are scared of her.

Besides this, we have a few obedience and manners issues with her and the other dogs.  So we hired a dog trainer to come to our home and work with all of us (humans and canines alike).  One lesson and things are already getting better.  I was amazed cause she had all three dogs quiet and sitting at the front door in two minutes.  We have a long way to go, but I see where all will be calm in and out of our home someday soon.

She did recommend that I get Minna a pink bandana to wear.  She said that a lot of people have preconceived ideas about GSD's being aggressive and that the pink would help to soften that opinion.  So, she is now pretty in pink.  I hope it helps.

We took her to the dog park today and it went fairly well.  Coincidentally, our neighbor brought her cocker spaniel puppy at the same time.  He got really aggressive with Minna and our neighbor had to pull him away from her.  She was hesitant to play with any of the dogs after that until a Scotty puppy came. It was instant love between the two of them.  Then a boxer came and attacked the Scotty and it was pretty bad.  The puppy was ok, but the owner decided it was time to leave and brought her over to Minna so that her puppy could leave on a good note.  Glad to know that my baby is considered the good dog.  We left at the same time as I didn't want Minna to have a run in with the boxer either.  

I will post a new picture soon.


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## Basement Cat (Dec 12, 2013)

Try not to stress too much. It's easy with a young puppy to get all caught up in the fact they aren't how they are supposed to be. My puppy, Emily, is 11 months now and just starting to settle down. She has a high level of aggression (not that she's nasty, but she is oh so  comfortable with confrontation  ). One thing I learned with her is - don't be afraid to discipline her. If Emily shows me teeth, I grab her by the loose skin on both sides of her neck, lift her up till her front feet are right off the ground and shake. Or I take her right down to the ground with my hands around her throat. Whichever is more convenient in the situation. And I get right in her face and show her all my teeth and growl. This is something a dog understands. I had to overcome a great natural reluctance to do this, but you do not hurt your puppy and they NEED this firm guidance from you. It may seem overly harsh at first, but you will end up with a happy, relaxed, comfortable dog.


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## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

We are doing puppy training with our new puppy right now.  Yesterday we learned how to relax a dog that is overly excited.  The trainer demonstrated massaging the upper chest and neck area and explained how it releases serotonin.  The overly anxious dog immediately relaxed.  You may try squatting beside your puppy and doing this.

I highly recommend puppy training as early as possible.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

Thanks for the encouragement.  I totally agree with being the one in charge and good training.  Minna is our first GSD and I want to make sure she is the best she can be.

Someone, I plan on using that massage technique.  I know all the puppies in our house will love it.

Basement Cat, funny you should say that you have growled to your dog.  I have actually done that with Cooper.  He is a very strong willed and dominant corgi and he took a lot of work when he was younger.  Now he is slowing down but still tests us.  

I am sure that our training with Gina will get us the good dogs we want.


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