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All of the pets in my life have been strays, rescues, or rehomes.

My last dog was a German Shepherd Husky mix. Best dog I've ever had in my life. But his past was being locked in a basement all the time by the first owner and let to run too free by the last owner before me.

The result was this dog which was so intelligent it was scary but didn't know how to not run wild when outside and would knock you through the doorway to dart outside. Yes, 60 pounds of dog charging you even when you expect will at least move you enough to let him sneak out. Because of this, he could never be outside without being tied down or locked in a fenced area. I could never just have him outside with me. Surprisingly, he never figured out how to jump the fence. I'd even trained him to do "tricks" by hand command. Sit, lie down, around, speak, and so on. He died at my feet next to my bed because he ended up with a liver tumor and refused to show that he was in pain or show any other symptoms until it was too late. The last thing he ever heard from me was me saying "You're a good boy." He made me his world. It's been seven months and it still hurts.

In any case, all of my pets where always extremely loyal and loving because either they picked me or I gave them a better home and care and all the treats and love (and usually meat) they wanted. But they always had some bad trait or another that I could never break them of. For example, my current cat was half feral when he chose me and feral never leaves a cat completely though he's plenty loving. If I move fast, he goes running. Someone comes to the house, he hides. I can pick him up for maybe a minute and then he's done but if anyone else picks him up, they're bleeding within seconds.

And the cat misses the dog too. Since my dog died, the cat has picked up and started doing what the dog would do. Stay by my feet. Sleep in bed with me. Let me know when it's time to get treats or meat (he would never do that before and always has food out). He has tried to fill the space the dog left. But he's lonely.

So I'm getting a puppy. A West German Shepherd. One generation removed from Germany. I wanted a puppy I could train from scratch. He (or she) will have papers and registration and will be on pet insurance the whole time he's alive.

House breaking is going to be chaos because wood floors turn black with dog pee if left too long. But I'm excited.

The breeder has already sent me videos. I can't wait.

All of the pets in my life have been strays, rescues, or rehomes. My last dog was a German Shepherd Husky mix. Best dog I've ever had in my life. But his past was being locked in a basement all the time by the first owner and let to run too free by the last owner before me. The result was this dog which was so intelligent it was scary but didn't know how to not run wild when outside and would knock you through the doorway to dart outside. Yes, 60 pounds of dog charging you even when you expect will at least move you enough to let him sneak out. Because of this, he could never be outside without being tied down or locked in a fenced area. I could never just have him outside with me. Surprisingly, he never figured out how to jump the fence. I'd even trained him to do "tricks" by hand command. Sit, lie down, around, speak, and so on. He died at my feet next to my bed because he ended up with a liver tumor and refused to show that he was in pain or show any other symptoms until it was too late. The last thing he ever heard from me was me saying "You're a good boy." He made me his world. It's been seven months and it still hurts. In any case, all of my pets where always extremely loyal and loving because either *they* picked me or I gave them a better home and care and all the treats and love (and usually meat) they wanted. But they always had some bad trait or another that I could never break them of. For example, my current cat was half feral when he chose me and feral never leaves a cat completely though he's plenty loving. If I move fast, he goes running. Someone comes to the house, he hides. I can pick him up for maybe a minute and then he's done but if anyone else picks him up, they're bleeding within seconds. And the cat misses the dog too. Since my dog died, the cat has picked up and started doing what the dog would do. Stay by my feet. Sleep in bed with me. Let me know when it's time to get treats or meat (he would never do that before and always has food out). He has tried to fill the space the dog left. But he's lonely. So I'm getting a puppy. A West German Shepherd. One generation removed from Germany. I wanted a puppy I could train from scratch. He (or she) will have papers and registration and will be on pet insurance the whole time he's alive. House breaking is going to be chaos because wood floors turn black with dog pee if left too long. But I'm excited. The breeder has already sent me videos. I can't wait.

6 comments

[–] GreenTreeFrog 1 points (+1|-0)

Its so great you're getting a pup, I'm so happy for you. There are absorbent puppy pads you can get and if you line their den room with them they do a good job. Lots of visits outside while saying some association word helps too.

Thank you! The puppies are large (there was only three in the litter) and they are sooo feisty.

Yeah, I figured I would put pads down in every room to start out as well as having a few extra hear and there. And German Shepherds are so smart. All that's usually required is some conversation and/or harsh voice/words to get the point across.

I'm so excited.

[–] 45Possenti 0 points (+0|-0)

Please consider "crate training. Dogs crave a "den" when they are young and will avoid soiling their den. Keep the crate near you and only have the dog out when directly supervised. Take them outside each time you release them from the crate and praise for potty outside. Read more about it. You can have virtually no indoor accidents while playing in to the dog's natural inclinations. I have done this with all our pups for 35 years and would never try to house train with pads or punishment. Good luck--they are great dogs.

Punishment only trains the dog to fear you, not learn the behavior. I've seen plenty of animals trained through punishment where they'll behave as long as a trainer/adult is around but revert to the behavior once they are alone.

Further, German Shepherds frequently only need a stern voice to understand that there is a problem. You correct "bad" behavior by training desirable behavior. For example, you stop annoying barking as a "bad" behavior by training them to speak on command thus ingraining that barking is a form of deliberate communication, not just "dog rambling."

Crates will only be provided while extremely young, mostly when I'm asleep or have to run to the store really quick or whatever. After that, the crate will be available should the puppy ever decide that it needs a place to "shelter" or hide or just have younger puppy comfort. Keeping an animal locked up overnight or while humans are away because of a lack of real training is cruel. The dog will have the run of the house once it is completely and properly house broken without anxiety, same as all the other dogs I've owned. I have never had a need for a crate for a dog. My mother, on the other hand, has like 7 cats and there are currently two dogs as well and they are all crated overnight, when they are away, or other "inconvenient" times. She's come to rely on the crates as an alternative to training and has effectively become cruel in her laziness.

[–] 45Possenti 1 points (+1|-0)

Sounds like you know the deal. I need to see if they left any room in the bed, it's late.