# How to bond with GSD



## volkeyn (Nov 25, 2015)

We will be getting our 8 week old male puppy in two weeks. I live with my girlfriend and we spend most of our time at home. My question is, how will the bonding process will work out. Some say male GSDs bond with females and females bond with males but I would disagree with this statement since each puppy has different personality. I am sure my girlfriend will baby him but I am more kind of dominant type. I will play and spoil him but at the same time I always dictate rules and train him. I don't want him to be spoiled and do whatever he wants. Is it possible that he will bond with us evenly? Or he will bond with one of us but love both.
This is our first GSD so I have not much clue about GSD bonding process.
I would appreciate if you can share your experiences with GSDs and living several people in the house.

Thanks,


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I personally believe in the whole male dogs/female owners and female dogs/male owners bonding better thing. Just because I have personally dealt with that and I know quite a few others that have also had that happen. But like you said, every dog is an individual.

I would just make sure everything is equal. You both walk, feed, play, train, pet, etc. 

When Sinister was a puppy, my ex was unemployed so he was with him all day long, every day until Sin was almost a year old. My ex was more of the dominant one and I was more soft with Sin. It didn't matter that my ex spent more time with him, Sin loved me more, he always chose me over my ex.

I think female dogs and male owners are more serious and don't care for much nonsense and that's why they get along better. I think male dogs and female owners are more sensitive, more affectionate and that's why they get along better. Kind of like Daddy's girl and Mama's boy. JMO.


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## MayzieGSD (Aug 28, 2006)

I think they usually will bond more with the person who spends the most time training, exercising, feeding etc. 

I have both a female and male shepherd. Both dogs love us both but I think they are both a little more bonded to me (follow me into the bathroom, want to lay near me in the bed etc). My male dog snuggles with me and wants me to pet and hug him more and he seems to see SO as more of a playmate (he plays rough with him - wresting, tug, etc).


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Lucky is my dog ,truly mine. he didnt really ever want to go with anyone else if i was around. Daisy was shared w/ my husband but she chose him but would still check in on me at night. I exercised played and trained. He just cuddled and hugged her and she was his from a puppy. OCharlie is more hubby's but still wants to be with me but that mightbe b/c Lucky is there. Chevy and Thunder who were adopted at age 10 were mine but not the same way Lucky but I had three GSDs folowing me to the bathroomI was always tol that GSds cross bond but Ithink they pick their heart person.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

MayzieGSD said:


> *I think they usually will bond more with the person who spends the most time training, exercising, feeding etc.*
> 
> I have both a female and male shepherd. Both dogs love us both but I think they are both a little more bonded to me (follow me into the bathroom, want to lay near me in the bed etc). My male dog snuggles with me and wants me to pet and hug him more and *he seems to see SO as more of a playmate *(he plays rough with him - wresting, tug, etc).


My experience is very similar. I do all of the formal training (lessons, classes, and practice at home) with both of our shepherds, and always have since they were puppies. My husband will ask for behaviors (sit for dinner, wait at the door, play fetch, etc) but I'm the one that does 100% of the training new behaviors. I'm also the strict enforcer, and the one that corrects sloppy or half-hearted responses. He's the fun one, I'm the boss.

Both dogs will listen to my husband, they love him, they're thrilled when he comes home and will play with him for hours. However.... they almost _always_ look to me for direction if something isn't clear, and if we both tell them to do something, they'll listen to me - every single time - regardless of what comes out of his mouth. If we're somewhere new, traveling, in an unusual situation, or they just don't know what's expected, they both look at me to tell them what to do. My husband is content with this (he enjoys them, but they're my passion), and it works well in our household.

If you want to have equal relationships (or, as much as possible) I agree with the above recommendation that you both need to train, feed, groom, interact, exercise, the puppy. I don't think that gender is a big deal (both of my GSD's are female).


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## FourIsCompany (Jan 29, 2008)

I agree with Mayzie and Backpacker above.

We just got our third GSD puppy. The first two (one male, one female) bonded with me (I'm female) simply because I did all the training, exercising, feeding, grooming and most of the playing. My male is a "mama's boy" all day long. But the female would follow me from room to room, so had a close connection with me. We always said she had a 'crush' on my husband and wanted to please him more, and saw him as more of a playmate, while I am the disciplinarian. 

This new puppy (male) has both of our attention, but I'm still the major interaction he has, as hubby is working during the day. But he is committed to have more interaction with this one. 

I think they will bond with whomever does most of the care. Oh, and I advise making sure you and GF are on the same page, as regards the rules of raising the puppy.  

Good luck! You're in for a real adventure!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

MayzieGSD said:


> I think they usually will bond more with the person who spends the most time training, exercising, feeding etc.


That has not been our experience. I've always done the training, exercising, feeding and grooming, and every one of our four females in the past 29 years have been daddy's girls. Our one male is a mama's boy. 

That being said, all of our dogs have bonded strongly with both of us. It's just that if each of them HAD to choose between us, they would choose the opposite gender. But we each adore both of them and they adore both of us too.


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## volkeyn (Nov 25, 2015)

Thank you all for the replies...it is really helpful to hear real life experiences than reading articles...I really appreciate...I think each puppy is different, what I understand from the real experiences is, while gender may/may not affect the bonding, spending most of the time with the puppy may/may not affect it either. Training him may do the trick...
I think I will spend more time with training him and GF will be more kind of a "mommy" to him...so hopefully he will bond to us evenly  we are both excited...


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

LaRen616 said:


> I personally believe in the whole male dogs/female owners and female dogs/male owners bonding better thing. Just because I have personally dealt with that and I know quite a few others that have also had that happen. But like you said, every dog is an individual.
> 
> (snip)
> 
> I think female dogs and male owners are more serious and don't care for much nonsense and that's why they get along better. I think male dogs and female owners are more sensitive, more affectionate and that's why they get along better. Kind of like Daddy's girl and Mama's boy. JMO.


Interesting - the top paragraph on its own would certainly hold at our house. I did EVERYTHING for our female pup and she loves me, but her One True Love is my husband, and that's never been a question. Being the one who did all the grooming and feeding and care and training has never fostered an unequivocal "I am her person" bond. Has it fostered a bond, yes. We love each other very much. Would she choose me if she had to pick between my husband and me? I don't think so.

The second paragraph is definitely not true at my house, though. I'm the more serious and less emotionally open human, and my husband is the more sensitive and affectionate one. This difference is why I think my pup is more bonded to my husband and why I would predict that a male dog would bond more to my husband as well.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

I spend the most time with our 14 week old girl and she is bonded to mom better. My husband is more strick with her but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. He didn't want her on furniture at all and I kind of talked him out of it and now I regret it. Although it was cute the first time she was able to jump on the couch by herself, having her fly on and off all day isn't cute. My kids lost their "place" away from the puppy. Also she growled the other night for the first time when I tried to get her off the bed. She officially lost all furniture privileges. Anyway I can't really answer ur question for sure since our girl is so young. We bonded a lot over little Youtube training sessions, feeding, exersizing her, I take her everywhere with me. Gas station, kids school, etc.. Pretty much anything that includes spending time together.. The other thing I was going to say is you guys should agree on rules and both should equally enforce them, just like with kids. Good luck! Congrats on your puppy


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## maxtmill (Dec 28, 2010)

Our dogs have mostly bonded more with my husband, except for two of them. I think it is because he does the feeding. I do all the bathing, grooming, nail clipping, ear cleaning, medication administration- which the dogs are not always wild about, so...even though I do 99% of the work, Daddy gets all the credit! Haha! My future GSD is going to be MY baby, I am determined! So I will do all the feeding for him. I have never noticed a difference in bonding based on the sex of the dog.


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## Tulip (Jul 31, 2012)

I feel like any breed and sex of dog will bond to whomever spends more time with him or her. This has been my experience at least. With our first dog, a male maltese, he bonded to my mom because she was a stay at home mom, and my sister and I were at school all day and my dad at work all day. Our second dog, a female Yorkie, first bonded to my mom because of the same reason- she was the only one home all day. However, I did all of her training and spent a lot of time with her, so I became her second most favorite person. My mom had to move away so Miley became my dog, and she is now bonded to me. When I got my male GSD, he bonded to me because my parents were divorced at this point and both working, and I have always spent the most time with him because he was the first dog that was *my* dog, not the "family" dog. I agree with what someone said earlier about making sure everything you guys do is equal. Maybe one of you feeds in the am, the other feeds in the pm, for example. Good luck!


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

I got Sabi for my husband. I didn't want another dog. I ignored her.
She waged an all out war for possession of my heart from day one. She won. That dog was mine, heart and soul to the day she died. And I was hers.
I brought Bud home. I tended his injuries. I cared for him. I trained him. I comforted him. He loves me I'm his mommy. He lives and breathes for my husband.
They choose. And nothing anyone can do or say will sway them once they have.


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## Arlene/Archer (Mar 7, 2013)

Archer loves everyone in the family, but he's my dog, no question. He chose at 14 weeks and that was it.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I always had males but ended up with a female, Deja, whom I have a very strong bond with. She has proven that it was just a myth on my part. She truly is a soul mate and has changed my perception of female dogs.
Maybe it is the other way around: they bond stronger with the person who feels strongest about them too.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

I don't think you can generalize based on sex. I've had males and females and have become far more attached to the females than the males, so....


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