# I got a (needy) puppy two days ago!



## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

Hey guys! I got a puppy two days ago! He is 8 weeks old.

I went up to the breeders and met my puppy, i have called him Dante. 

In the present moment, Dante is happiest when we out walking on the leash, and when he is close to me...this usually comes in the form of sleeping on me or at my feet haha. he is a complete natural when he's on leash. he naturally follows me, with or without the leash.

Dante hates being left alone..even for a few seconds! he becomes anxious and whines a lot. when we enter a fresh new place or situation, he whines, then he calms down, and usually curls up at my feet and then is fine. So i guess this is a good thing as he is getting used to me as pack leader and accepting that.

I wanted to get him into the crate on the first night, but after the plane trip he has a negative association with such a place... I will reintroduce the crate after some positive experiences...

He had a big big day yesterday and threw up in the car! and he met a few strangers but was happy around me. We had a relaxed night (apart from he decided he wanted to chew me at 3am haha, so i let him exert some energy and played with him before turning out the light again).

The next few days will be much more relaxed, I can remain at home all week if I wish (studying for exams! all food on site...perfect!) so I'll let him adjust! I'm fearful that I will do something wrong! but I'm reassured by his good progress...he is comfortable around me. ...and by the forums of course!!


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

Puppies are "needy" by default. I experienced everything you've described with my own pup - completely normal. 

Enjoy the adventure.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Uh oh...not to be an alarmist but... if you plan on using a crate start feeding the dog in a crate..."now!"


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

Chip18 said:


> Uh oh...not to be an alarmist but... if you plan on using a crate start feeding the dog in a crate..."now!"



I agree. Never too early, easier to start them in the crate right away rather than wait and start later on. Get it over and done with now, you won't regret it.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

hi -- relax -- you have a social puppy and if you want him to be secure he has to learn to be with you and without you.
even if you are home for this week , start moving towards what his normal life and schedule will be . 

as it is you are having him adjust to one reality , then next week there is another.

even if you are home put him in the crate in a private area where he won't be frustrated by seeing you . If he squawks let him , with in reasonable time . Good idea if you let him relieve himself first so that there is no pressing need . If you keep running to him then you create a reason for anxiety . 

when you take the dog out of the crate , put him outside immediately giving himself a chance to be clean in his toilet habits. 

this is a really bad idea ---- " (apart from he decided he wanted to chew me at 3am haha, so i let him exert some energy and played with him before turning out the light again)."

you are teaching the dog a routine -- bed time is bed time - see you in the morning . 
http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...0-rethinking-popular-early-socialization.html


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

you have a baby! It will all work out.


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## Darthvader (Jan 24, 2014)

Welcome to the forum be very careful taking Dante out to strange places and walking him on a leash being that he hasn't had all of his shots he's still to young to be out and about and he's subsectible to catching parvo which is deadly.


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## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

*puppy love*

great guys, thank you for all the sound advice! i'll keep everyone in the loop. he just ate a meal and went to the toilet outside afterwards which was good.

i'll start getting into that routine asap! 

and great idea, i will put his food bowl in the crate!


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## Jelpy (Nov 8, 2009)

Um....it's traditional to post a large number of photos of new babies so we can all vicariously experience the joy of puppy breath. 

Jelpy


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

That's right, pics or ban!!


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## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

Here is me and my side kick!


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

OMG.... He's precious. 
That's makes saying "no" and making them do things they don't want to so much harder. 
Have fun with him!


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Such a cutie! Enjoy


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

He is a sweetheart! Both pictures are precious but I love that first one where he is laying on your shoulder.


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## wick (Mar 7, 2015)

He is adorable! I agree with others, waiting to crate train just makes it harder!


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## Jelpy (Nov 8, 2009)

Oh. Those eyes....those ears. I can smell the puppybreath from here. 

Jelpy


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Your puppy had its mom and littermates 24/7. So yes, he feels all alone, when he is alone. He is transferring his social dependence on the litter onto you. That's what they do. Not a bad thing. 

At eight weeks, the puppy will cry some at night and will latch onto you and want to be near you. Crate him in your bed room next to your bed at night. It's sleepie time. If the pup woke you up at 3AM, take him outside to potty, then back in the crate. Sometimes it is helpful in creating a positive association with the crate to have a special, safe bone or toy that he has only in his crate.

The pup can make it through the night if you adhere to a strict schedule about when you feed him, and when you remove the water/food, and when you give him his last opportunity to potty. Usually if you feed him his last meal at 6pm, and then remove the dish, at 6:15, and then the water at 7pm, let the puppy out the last time at 11pm to potty, he should not be uncomfortable, and will make it through the night.

Be careful where you take him. Do not take him to places that have a volume of dogs, pet stores, dog parks. He has probably had his first set of shots, but they may not be effective whatsoever if he was still under his mother's immunity. We do not know when that immunity wears off. So we really do not know if your puppy will be safe from the stuff he can be vaccinated for, and then there is stuff there is no vaccination for that he is more susceptible to, as he is young. Protect him for now. After the second set of shots, sign up for a puppy class. 

A good instructor will be helpful in helping you recognize what is normal for the pup's age, and help you temper your expectations for your puppy. 

Good luck.


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## MishkasMom (Aug 20, 2015)

Dante is beautiful, cant wait too see him growing up.


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## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

perfect! we are going in this Friday for his second set of booster shots and a check up with the Vet. 

He's a cute wee guy, precious is definitely a good word for him.

We drove into town yesterday to meet a friend yesterday, it's a forty minute drive and he got car sick! but then he met my friend's two poodle's and they got along really well. 

he's quite sensitive and aware of what's going on, so i'm being gentle , on the way home yesterday I took it slow and smooth and he slept the entire way! which was a success.

slowly but surely getting there!


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## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

More photos of my side kick!


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

He is 8 weeks old . 

Slow down. 

Who is the needy one ? lol

Have you looked into any of the vaccination threads ?

A second shot at 9 weeks ? I hope someone else jumps in here and provides Dr Dodd's vaccination protocol.


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## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

*update*

hey guys just updating where me and Dante are at. he will be 11 weeks old on wednesday.

it's been a good two weeks, Dante is great on the leash when we are in unfamiliar territory, he confidently follows me which is nice. Dante is picking up all the basic commands, when he's focused he's great, but when he gets distracted its more difficult. but we are making good progress. he is improving around other dogs too.

however...

I went to the local german shepherd club, and there is a man there with a lot of experience with shepherds (50 years or so). he taught me some things which was good. one thing he taught me was 'nabbing' the lead; when Dante pulls on the lead he instructed me to pulse my finger until he snapped out of it. which has been quite good. however this morning today, he told me to do it more, then he took the lead to show me, and he was quite rigorous, rigorous to the extent where my pup flipped over. i didnt like this....he also had one of his dogs with him, and she is 5months old, when she didn't obeyed him he growled at her and yanked her lead and said 'that'll teach you not to listen to me!'.

i have read some 'being the pack leader threads'; some people like to be the 'alpha boss dictator' type, who is punishing, whereas I have noticed the 'calm confident leader' type is preferred. I felt like this man was a bit of a dictator to his dog and he said to me 'don't be afraid to use the leash'...i dont want to punish my dog for his bad behaviours, i want to ignore bad behaviours. i believe in the cool confident leader idea.

secondly, i met canine behaviourist, and i asked her about biting, and she said it was normal, and she said to stop him biting fingers etc, that I should grab his mouth/snout with my hand, and tap the back of my hand and say 'no'.

So i have done that, and he doesnt like me doing it and it has stopped him from biting as much. however another time i just said 'ow!!' because it was painful and he just stopped. sometimes i allow him to bite me, and i tell him if it hurts, and he seems to continue to bite but without the intensity. I read one of the articles in the bite inhibition thread and it mentioned that a dog needs to learn that biting hurts and to do that it needs to bite and see the consequences. I like this approach rather than smacking the back of my mind hand.

I don't really like this type of punishment. there seems to be a few schools of thought...

in conclusion;

rather than yanking the lead, i will stop when he pulls the lead, and aim for a different direction. so he learns for himself that his desire to get to X will not get him anywhere and then realizes he must follow me. as he lets go of his desire, i'll gently pull him more into my desired direction rather than giving him a forceful yank.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

It is your puppy. Trust your gut. I think you are right. What the man is doing will most likely work, but, it will work for all the wrong reasons. The dog will be cowed, and will provide a response that does not get the punishment. It will not forward the bond between you and the puppy.

Training a puppy has many components. We have to understand they are dogs and not furry children. But, we also have to remember that this is a baby with a set of emotions that mirror many human emotions, a personality that if encouraged will want to work with you, please you, etc. So, it is important to be the human in charge of the puppy -- that will net you a confident and obedient puppy, without being a bully. There is no good reason to bully a puppy. 

When we shout at our puppy and are harsh with them, we lose trust. We do not have the respect that a true leader will have. And puppies are so low on the totem pole, that it doesn't take much for us to get them to follow -- naturally, without bullying. 

Forget physically forcing a dog to do your will. To physically force a dog to behave you would have to abuse it. Sorry, but dogs have a high threshold for discomfort, and their natural play is with teeth and nails and bowling each other over -- that is natural. They are tough little boogers. But if we use our teeth (so to speak) or nails or bowl them over, and put that all in an angry tone, we are becoming the worst kind of leader. The kind of leader who in the wild does not last long, before it is over thrown. 

Dogs rarely overthrow a human bully. That isn't a consideration. But the whole point is flawed because we are not canines, and the dog, even a pup knows this. We cannot rule the pack like a rough, bully pack member. Sorry. All that happens, is a dog that requires a certain amount of strength and sharpness to do what we want him to do. Usually. 

We can cow a dog so bad that a sensitive dog will be shut down -- this often looks like stubbornness, and often the human reaction is to increase the bullying. It is horrible really.

We do not need to shove treats in front of our dog's nose and never tell him "No!" But we can set him up to succeed and praise him for doing so. We can teach them what we want, by telling him and then helping him achieve the position or task and then praising. We can use good timing, not repeat commands, and follow through, using corrections seldom and quickly getting the dog into the right -- always for learning, and our dog will learn that our consistency, fairness, timing, patience provides for him the confidence and will to trust us and work with us.

Don't let these people manhandle your puppy. They do not have to live with the results. You know your puppy better than they do, you live with the puppy. There is a better way. PLAY with your puppy, build up your puppy, praise your puppy, 

You have the instincts. Follow them.


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## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

*update*

thank you for the previous comment. it helped!

I managed to find another person to learn from. He has an exceptional Malinois and is a lover of dogs. He is the president of the local dog training club and is keen to help me along. His style is much more about honoring the dog, and teaching him with positive approach and letting him generate courage and strength in himself...he said he doesnt believe in 100% positive the entire time, he said there is a place for some punishment, but it is minor and not at all the focus for me and my 12 week old...it comes later..

we have been working on a tug toy to get his prey drive up a bit, which Dante is enjoying. however sometimes Dante will just lay down with the toy in his mouth. when im playing...if i want to i can just drag him around lol and he lies there...he doesnt let go! I'm not sure why he does this...

Dante doesn't seem to have a great food drive lol. however he loves green tripe and chicken necks. so training him with food isn't so easy...but...:

A part of me however is wondering if I'm making it too easy for him i'm trying my best to be a good owner etc, but i'm wondering if Dante is just like 'ah i've got it easy now...i dont need to work too hard to win my human over'.

So my next step on that side of things is to continue what i'm doing, but be a little less in his face...

on the positive side. he still follows me around everywhere. and when he does want food (aka green tripe or necks!) he becomes engaged and focused and is happy to train. I love it when he is like that!


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## annabirdie (Jul 3, 2015)

He sounds really sweet. Nothing to worry about really. I would keep the crate in a common area, make it really cosy inside and toss lots of treats toys and fun things inside. Especially delicious things. He will naturally explore it soon enough. Hold off on closing the door maybe until he accepts it as his little den. You will definitely need a crate when you cant supervise him and he will learn to love it as his own. Good luck!


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Glad you moved on from the earlier trainer. Seems like you found someone with some sense and a good, balanced approach. You might want to read Sheila Booth's "Purely Positive Training: Companion to Competition" - It's my favorite book for training.


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## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

Thanks guys. Yeah hes happy in his crate right now actually. I like to put a bone in there at the end of the day and he just goes in there cos its comfortable. So that's a good sign. And yup! Door is open too! 

We had a really nice walk today. We live in the country side. Such a good way to clear the mind! So cool watching the little guy noticing all thats going on. We were really relaxed.

Yeah its good. He called me up personally and invited me around for a beer to assess my dog. Cos he knew how many people have bought a working breed and they don't create the right foundation. Instead, they allow little viruses to grow haha. So its good!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

It should be fun for you and the puppy. If it is being fun for you and the puppy, you are on the right track.


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## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

*update; at 16 weeks old.*

Update! 

Well Dante and I are going well. i have had him for half his life now, and he is making gradual and stable progress.

He's getting better at being alone. last night i positioned his crate upstairs facing the window so he got a nice view of the fireworks. 7 hours in the crate with no whining until he gave me his toilet call at the end. so that's been good. he likes to go in there under his own accord, which is promising to know that he feels safe in there. he feels safe in the car too with his harness on.

training has been going well, he is developing steadily and is learning to think, he's slowly learning that he can't bite me when playing, and must reserve that for the tug toy, which he loves, we have a lot of fun playing tug, it's super good exercise for the both of us. im trying to focus on engagement between us. so that in between tugs, when the item is hidden, he is concentrating and waiting for the next chance to chase it.

i'm using minor corrections, i dont ever inflict pain on him, i usually create a bit of tension through the leash. another example is when we are walking, if he stops and smells something, i will quickly inquire as what he is looking at/doing (sometimes he will be peeing) and then just continue on. and pull him along for a second or two, and then he just comes.

we have a large property, and i let him explore on his own a little bit, however i will need to restrict this, some times he will not return when i call him and i have to go find him, and then he may know that im coming to stop his fun! and he runs away from me. so that is not a good sign, the fun should be on my terms, he should always return to me. he doesn't roam very far but the behavior is unacceptable.

i finish exams this week. so going to give him an upgrade and build a small fenced of area by the forest so that he can spy on the birds and snooze under the branches when im away.

raw fed diet is going well too. his food drive has increased a lot. i also include the orijen puppy mix, which i give him at random times as a surprise from my pocket .

i think things are going well! on a personal note, i'm more relaxed around him, i think shepherds have this weird deep understanding of how we feel. i cant quite explain it, but they really can sense how a person is feeling! i'm learning to be more indifferent around him, so he can come to me more and initiate engagement at the appropriate times.

so yuss. hope the photo is attached properly!


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I love those ears! He's very nice looking. Try using a 30' lead when he is exploring in the yard rather than giving him the full run. He is learning not to come when you call. Instead, go with him leaving slack on the lead until you want him to come back. Then when you call him to you if he doesn't come, start walking toward the house. He will eventually reach the end of the lead. Don't pull him but don't budge. Eventually he will have to come back to you. Then give him a reward or lots of praise.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Max first few days of adjusting were rough. It was during christmas break and glad we were all home. He was very very homesick. He had cried the whole entire time on the way home from picking him up at the breeders -3 hour drive of puppy cries when he was awake and he was sitting in the back on my daughters lap. He did get car sick -bile a little bit despite the breeder not feeding him to prevent it. We felt like monsters. As soon as we brought him to his new home he was in search for a doggy door like his breeder had and bumped his head near our sliding glass door. We let him out and he went potty. I said look he is potty trained-yeah right!!!! The first night we slept by the crate with the door open. The second night i was up all night wrapping christmas presents as he kept me company and slept on my lap. The third night we were exhausted and he did sleep in our bed and slept all night and so did we :blush:I will alway love that memory. Throughout those days we did have him in the crate during the day but with the door open and maybe shut for a few minutes at a time gradually increasing time and always take him out when he is calm. We fed him in there gave him treats. We got him comfortable with the crate. We had a crate in the kitchen and one crate upstairs next to the bed in our bedroom.the fourth night we got him nice and tired and put him in the crate in our room next to the bed. He protested a minute or two but i just put my hand on the crate and he went right to sleep. He did get up for potty breaks every 2-3 hours but did his business right away and went right back to sleep. He was a early morning riser for quite awhile though which did not matter during the week as our regular schedule but weekends were tough. He adjusted real well after a few days.


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## Rolisaac (Apr 16, 2015)

Glad things are working better for you!


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## Dhrmfirefox (Aug 10, 2015)

Limping


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