# Tidmore's Rising Star - review



## Jambo (Apr 24, 2014)

So, many people around my neighborhood have been asking me about Luna and where I got her and etc. So I thought it would be nice to write a review/expectation for a puppy from Tidmore’s Rising Star.

Website: http://gsdnet.org/

*A little bit about myself:*
I am a 26 year old male, live with 4 roommates in a house with a good sized backyard, and work full time. I have had several dogs growing up but Luna is my first dog that I am completely 100% responsible for. Prior to getting Luna and even looking for a breeder I did 6 months of research on German shepherds and read several books on dog training. When I found Cynthia and Tidmore’s Rising Star it took roughly another 3 months before I got Luna, during which I continued my research both on forums, other internet articles, and watched countless episodes of Ceasar Millian’s “Dog Whisperer’s” (waiting for eye rolls, even if you don’t like the show you have to admit there are a few good training tips on the show).

*Why I choose Cynthia as my breeder:*
1)	During my search for a breeder I felt most breeders were a little overbearing, as if I would not be a good enough for one of their pups. Which may be good in terms of weaning bad owners but also does the same for some good owners too.
2)	With some contracts the other breeders require, I would legally be forfeiting some of my rights as a purchaser and owner. Whereas Cynthia does not require a contract but if you as a purchaser would like one will draft one up for you.
3)	Cynthia was very understanding about what I wanted, my history with dogs, and very knowledgeable about Shepherds, breeding and training.
4)	Cynthia is logical about guarantees and while she does guarantee that her litters are/will be good quality she makes it clear that sometimes nature picks the short straw, in which case she will do what is necessary to make sure you are satisfied with your pup.
5)	She came recommended on Germanshepherds.com forums

*Why I picked a GSD over any other dog. *
1)	I spent 6 years in the Marine Corps and had come into contact with a couple GSD’s and loved those service dogs and wanted one for a long time now.
2)	Being a runner and having run a marathon, I want a running buddy. (Yeah I’m not making Luna run 26.2 miles, nor am I doing any kind of long distance running with her until she is at least 1.5 years old; I’m not a dumb dumb.)

So since that taken care of here we go about Luna and what you can expect.
Luna:
Sire – Tank
Dame – Honey
Birth: July 8th 2014

*Energy Level*:
First things first do not expect a lazy dog, period. This will be your warning / “I told you so”.

If you are looking for a dog that will lay down in the corner or sit at your feet while you watch an entire football game or movie these pups are not the choice and probably not the breed for you. Luna and probably any pup from Cynthia’s kennel not to mention the bred in general is not a sissy bred.

Luna is a _HIGH_ (I cannot stress this enough) energy puppy, and I would think her littermates and future puppies bred by Cynthia are/will be around the same level of energy. 

A single walk a day is not sufficient for Luna. She needs to be provided with something to do almost constantly and needs a combination of both metal and physical stimulating activities throughout the day. These activities should be supervised.

To give you an idea about Luna’s energy level, this is the ABSOLUTE BARE MINIMUM that I do in a given day (many times this is not enough for her and she will still want to play more):
-	TWO 30-45 min walks a day
-	A 10-15 min hard play session prior to the walks so that she is not crazy on the leash.
-	During the work week I come home (since I am lucky that my office is only 10 min away) and have a 10-15 minute hard play sessions. Weekends we play on and off almost all day. 
-	She receives a minimum of 15 minutes of training a day (weekends she receives a LOT more, especially Saturdays when we attend puppy class, around 1-2 hours spaced throughout the day).

*Temperament:*
Luna’s temperament is absolutely wonderful, she is an incredibly social dog to both humans and other dogs. Although she has always been wonderful with people (of all ages, including babies) she was very fearful of other dogs until she started attending puppy socialization classes. It only took 3 classes before she was VERY friendly with other dogs.

Although her temperament is great and being social is a GREAT thing, Luna does come on a bit too overfriendly. When I first got her she would bum rush people to say hi and then pee from excitement (same with dogs in her socialization class). Although that’s cute when you have a 10 pound GSD puppy, it no longer becomes cute when you have a 40 pound puppy jumping up at people to great them or pulling on the leash to meet people or other dogs (we are currently training on polite greeting).

*Training/Learning Ability:*
Smart, smart, little smarty pants. At a week short of 5 months I am simply AMAZED at what Luna has learned. I raved to Cynthia about how Luna made all my previous dog’s look incredibly stupid (even though I was never directly in charge or training), but here is a list of what she has learned:
Sit
Eyes (watch me, only used when she does not focus on me when I call her name) 
Down (lay down)
Leave it (drop what you have / stop focusing on what you are)
Kennel (go into crate and lay down)
Mat (go lay down on training mat)
Here (come and sit in front of me and watch me)
Come
Wait (stay in position until Come, Here, or Free command)
Stay (stay in position until I return)
Free (release from here, sit, stay, or wait)
Off (front paws off people and furniture)
Up top (high five)
Paw (paw in hand and shake)

She also has learned that she is not allowed out of her crate until I call her out (exception is when she crates herself she can come out anytime she wants). 

She sits and waits at doors to be invited in or outside and does not dart out. 

Potty bell training took about 1 weeks before she picked it up and now actively noses the bell if she needs to potty. It took her about a little over two months to be completely potty trained. Meaning she not only doesn’t make accidents in the house but is able to hold it and ring the bell over and over again until I let her out.

Luna also has learned to politely ask (sit and make eye contact) for a toy that I am holding, she never jumps and tries to take it from me.

*Best part about Luna:*
-	Learns super-duper quickly
-	Does not ever beg for food, has not begged once for table scraps since we got to the house. Does not ever bother me when I am eating.
-	Had very good leash manners from the get go (although she sometimes tries to lead, she quickly comes back and heels when called / corrected)
-	After 1.5 months with me, stopped all mouthing with humans and will ONLY play with toys / things that I give to her (took some training), she is teething too right now FYI. 
o	Only chewed on 2 different laptop charger cables very minor damage no wires showing, and my shoes which none of them were damaged
-	Very social and loves people of all ages and other dogs
-	Loves and wants to be near me, has a little separation anxiety every now and then but is very minimal

*Worst part about Luna:*
-	Is not food motivated and instead is environmentally motivated, thus makes training much tougher.
-	Very social. Even though this is a GREAT thing it gets her in trouble because she wants to meet everyone and every dog, jump on them and go crazy. Sometimes makes it so that other dogs get scared.
-	Doesn’t want to cuddle when I want to, wants to cuddle when I don’t want to (which is rare)

*Conclusion/Recommendations:*
Luna has been a wonderful little joy for me, and I am sure that her littermates are the same for their owners. I would highly recommend Cynthia kennel (Tidmore’s Rising Star) for people looking for a GSD with great temperament. 

However, I would not recommend people who are iffy on their schedules that are not prepared to take the time necessary to patience for training these pups or give them enough exercise both mentally and physically. A different breed would probably be your best bet in this case.

Here is what I learned and what I recommend working first when you bring your new pup home (these are the 3 commands I think will be most useful to begin with):
-	Focus training (pup makes and holds eye contact with you when you call its name)
-	Sit
-	Leave it. 
For manners:
-	Making sure your pup always is quiet and calm when coming out of its crate when only coming out when you say for it to come out
-	Sitting and waiting at doors to be invited indoors / outdoors.
Potty Training
-	Crate train is a must
-	Setting boundaries and not letting the puppy have the run of the house. If your puppy has frequent accidents you are:
o	A. not letting it out enough
o	B. giving it too much freedom
-	Bell train to signal that it needs to potty
Obedience/Puppy school is a MUST even if you have experience with dog training this is vital because you puppy needs to be able to socialize with other dogs and learn to be friendly / greet them appropriately.

I think that sums it up pretty lengthy, so for those looking for a breeder good luck to you.

Picture of Luna can be found on her instagram: Instagram


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## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

Wow! I read it all!! 

You are a fantastic dog owner and a great writer. I appreciated all that you said. The pictures are fabulous. Luna is one lucky girl. So glad you have each other


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Hey Jambo, can't remember if I referred you or not. 

I liked the Honey/Tank litter when I had the chance to go over and play with them. 

My Mayhem is Tank's half sister on the sire side and Honey is a half sister on the mom side. Small world! 

No dog is perfect, they each have their own idiosyncracies. I have had GSD's since 1989 and they have come from many different breeders. I have considered sizing down for the next dog but if I decide on one more GSD it will be another Tidmore dog. No Mayhem is not perfect but she is probably the best all around GSD I have had. 

Sounds like Luna found a great home.


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## Dennis. (Sep 27, 2014)

I have a Tank daughter as well, she's just 12 weeks but they seem pretty similar. She is far more praise/play driven then food driven which has been tough but I'm switching up the treats to find stuff she likes. 

She was raised around big dogs and wants to play a ton but the ones we've met so far havent been as friendly. 

We started bell training this week but she has a hard time making it from her crate to the bell and then outside. I've been carrying her from the crate, ringing the bell with her paw and saying "Ring the bell" and then we go out, I have to pick her up again and take her down the hallway so we can actually make it out of the apartment..


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Hey Dennis! Geuss there are a few of us online here.  

I will have to go look at your older posts to see if there are any pictures.


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## Jambo (Apr 24, 2014)

Kayos, yeah I agree with you. Definitely well balanced dogs. I think once Luna reaches around 3 or 4 years I may get another pup from Cynthia.

Dennis, yeah it is quite hard for little 12 week olds to hold their bladder to the door. I started bell training Luna when she was about that age too, sometimes she would make it some times she wouldn't. I remember having to wake up around 2 or 3 am and letting her out so that in the morning she would be able to get to the door and hold it.

Luna had a hard time with socialization at the beginning too, she hit a fear stage and started running away from other dogs all the time until I started taking her to puppy socialization class and now she is wayyyy too friendly, so I'm working on her politely greeting other dogs.


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## Pepper. (Oct 11, 2015)

Thanks for great info!! 
I am picking up my GSD puppy from Cynthia in 3 weeks and I am wondering if you can recommend good obedience training in Dallas area? I look dup few and so far 'What a great dog" in Frisco is at the top of the list (based on reviews). Where did you take Luna?


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Hey Pepper you must be getting one of the Honey / Nikon pups!!! You lucky dog!!!! I was over there on Saturday with my hubby and sister to play with the pups. Every one of them is perfect! 

Are you getting a male or female?

I have not seen Jambo on line lately so I don't know if you will get an answer to your question.

I just posted a HUGE brag for my Tidmore girl in the braggs section. We had a great time competing at GSDCA Nationals. She is also the dog in my avatar.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Pepper I just looked at WAGD!. I realized I already had it bookmarked as a place to possibly take an occassional agility lesson. I have watched Jody and her BC, Skillz, for a long time in agility. She is awesome. I don't think you can go wrong there.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Kathy please steal Unique and ship her directly to me, kthanks!


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Oh Unique is going to be beautiful!!!! But Uraya is so sweet! And Utah! What a nice dog. He will be wonderful in any endeavor his new owner chooses.


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