# What's your 5-6 month old GSD doing?



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

For those of you who have a 5-6 month old GSD, I'd love to hear about them! What kinds of things are you doing with them? What activities are they good at, what commands do they know? What are the things that bug you most about them? If you have a video of them doing tricks or whatever your usual activities are, post them here. Pictures too!

Saber is 5.5 months old and she is in a Novice OB class. She does pretty well at the basic stuff, sits, downs, stand, stay and is getting better at heeling (but needs food or reminders to pace herself with me and turn with me and such). She has great focus, about 30 seconds if I am just asking for "watch" and not moving at all. She has a good "leave it" for most things  Walks nicely on a leash about 80% of the time, but gets excited about stuff she sees and wants to pull a bit. Getting better at that every day!

She is tracking and is pretty good at that. Her favorite thing in the world is to have a toy in her mouth and someone chasing her. She will go circles around a table for as long as someone will follow her. She likes tug but we are being careful because of teething. She is spitting out teeth at an almost alarming rate! Getting big too, almost 50 pounds now.

Having issues with getting images uploaded so no pics right now.


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## jrod (Jan 10, 2011)

A lot of views but no replies? 

Well Shawn, Baron isn't quite 5 months old yet. We have another week but I can share what he is doing.

Right now he is doing pretty well with Down, Sit, Wave (kinda like give paw), Crawl, speak, spin, and roll over. I have recently been working with him on Heel and down/place.

He loves his  Tire Bitter PawTrack and kong squeaky tennis ball. They are like crack to him. 

Last Saturday at the vet he weighed in at 48lbs. He loves people and is always sweet, tail wages, and kisses to everyone he meets.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

Shawn you wanna bring Saber to teach her sister this whole healing and not pulling thing? Every once in awhile I can get a good heal out of her but definitely not for a walk or anything but she walks great off leash in the woods and lately she is testing ALL the rules.

She knows sit, platz, stand, stay (sit and down stay), wait, fuss (I use this when shes in front of me to have her come to my left side and sit) she is doing great in the hallway with heal and she'll walk by my side perfectly down the hall and when I stop she'll immediately sit. She knows "grip" (come bite whatever I have in my hands) she is really good with her leave it she is good with "out" (spit something out of her mouth whatever it is) she knows "back" which we use to have her move backwards away from us of course she HAS to be dramatic about it and jumps as high in the air as she can and does one giant leap backwards lol.

She is doing good at tracking, we can't enter her anywhere else for a more advanced obediance then just plain basic OB because of her age and the one place that does lots of obediace courses they don't hold class during the warmer months.

She is pretty good at roll over, she knows touch (nose to our hand) she knows high "five" and to shake. Might be something else not really sure at the moment.

Oh she knows come (testing that one outside as well) she knows "catch" (throw a ball she catches it in the air.. while sitting we don't make her jump) she is also doing pretty well at "quiet" to shut her up when the door bell rings or car alarm beeps when armed. 

She also knows off except for when it comes to strangers petting her (working on this darn jumping thing) "up" to jump up on things and pretty good at "kiss" oh and of course "watch" for focusing on us.

Forgot to add I don't know what she weighs I'm planning on taking her to the vet to get her weighed today I will let you know then.


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## zuma (Dec 31, 2010)

Opie turned 6 months on the 17th.At the vet yesterday, he weighed in at 72.2 pounds. He's had puppy class and is now finishing intermediate 1. He's learned sit, stay, leave it, drop, down, wait, and is doing real well with heal. Still has trouble with his focus at times around disractions. He gets along with people, dogs and cats. We've worked a lot on training and its paying off over time. He chases sticks and tennis balls and likes to swim. And he still hasn't chewed anything in the house that he's not supposed to, knock on wood. His behavior at home is nearly perfect, if he learns to take those manners with him in public he'll be just about perfect.

Mike


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## LijhaPup (Jan 9, 2011)

Well Shawn, you could have just as easily been describing Lijha as your own dog. The only thing that is really different is that she has all her adult teeth in now at 5.5 months. She was really active until she hurt her foot last week, and she'll have to take it easy for a couple more weeks, poor puppy. She os really good with "leave it" and "stay" suprisingly, not so mich with heel, though she walks in a heel really well when her halti is on, she has not made the connection between the command and the position.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

totally forgot about the teeth thing. Thats too funny about Saber spitting teeth out at an alarming rate.. sounds like her sister. I found the first one in our bed and now she'll be right next to me and starts moving her tongue like she has peanut butter stuck to the roof of her mouth and next thing I know she spits one out in my lap lol. She does have all of her adult teeth in or most of the way in except one stupid puppy canine on the top left. The adult tooth is about 3/4 of the way in and the puppy one is still there refusing to come out I REALLY *REALLY* don't want to take her to the vet to have a stinking puppy tooth pulled.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

LOL, I love reading about all your pups! Thanks for replying  It is kind of fun to hear about pups the same age, I think!

Saber just learned "catch" too, but only with long objects like her Loofa stuffed toy. She can't seem to catch a ball yet!

This is a fun age isn't it?


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

No puppies right now, but here's a thread about Halo 5 days before her 6 month birthday: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/braggs/108565-huuuuge-halo-bragg-long-sorry.html


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Debbie, that was very cool to read! Halo was far ahead of Saber in OB. I think you had a really great teacher by the sound of it. Our class is kinda boring, very basic, just a lot of heeling, figure 8's, heeling patterns, recalls, sit stays, down stays, and stand for exam. That's it. 

I think I will add in some of the things you mentioned in that post and work on them at home. Her 'out' is not very reliable and it does need to be.


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

cassadee7 said:


> Debbie, that was very cool to read! Halo was far ahead of Saber in OB. I think you had a really great teacher by the sound of it.


I did like the teacher, but Halo was far ahead of most of the puppies in the class and a lot of that didn't really have anything to do with the class. By the next class, which we started about a month later, she was already being referred to as the "stay star" by someone else in the class. 

We got Dena in November of 2004, Keefer in October of 2005, and then Halo in January of 2009, and I'd taken 9 classes between D & K before we got her, so there were a lot of things I just started working on on my own. I pretty much taught her everything I could remember from all the other classes I took, plus the books I'd read, the videos I'd watched online, and the training stuff on here that sounded interesting, whatever I could think of. If I were totally starting from scratch with my first puppy or at least my first puppy in a long time, it would have been different, but she got the benefit of that prior experience, as well as mistakes I'd made with previous dogs that I vowed to correct this time around. 

For the mat work, I'd done it with D & K, so when Halo's trainer said to bring a mat to class the following week I knew exactly what we were going to do, and I started working on it at home the next day. By the time we showed up to our next class, the other dogs were just learning what this mat thing was all about and Halo was running to it from several feet away, spinning around to face me, and dropping into an automatic down. I'd also done tons of focus work from the time we got her at 10 weeks old, and that made a big difference too. 

Saber is a smart easily motivated pup too, you can probably teach her anything you set your mind to!


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## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

Shawn, you are more than welcome to bring Saber out to the Schutzhund club and practice some OB as well as work on her "out" if you want. Something different besides the same old, same old. I will say that I found some of the classes boring as well. Maybe start retreiving with her etc.? I have a dumbbell you can have if you'd like it.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Thanks Courtney. I may do that sometime. I've been busy on weekends lately with tracking and other things but I should come give it a try when I have a slow weekend. Do you know if a dumbbell is ok to use while she is teething? I have no idea how heavy or hard they are as I have never seen one for dogs before


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## TXlonestar (Apr 22, 2011)

Brinkley can sit, stay(mostly), lie down, crawl, go around, close the door, jump, go over (jump over a rail), speak, shake, give me ten, back up, high five, bring it back, and is gettin good at a low teeter board.
I am at the beginning stages of teaching track.


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## TXlonestar (Apr 22, 2011)

What is the average weight for a five month GSD pup? Brinkley currently weighs 56 pounds and being half GSD I wondered.  I know he is certainly heavier than a Standard Poodle at this age.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

TX, when I looked it up the average weight for a FEMALE gsd at 5 months was 44 lbs, and I don't recall what it was for a male but it was a bit heavier.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Ok...my oldest *new* puppies are 4.5 mos old.
At this point, all we are doing with them is basic focus work, rag work & being taught to move correctly on lead for the conformation ring.

I wish that I had more to report...but I guess my life is just boring at this moment....*sigh*..


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## TXlonestar (Apr 22, 2011)

cassadee7 said:


> TX, when I looked it up the average weight for a FEMALE gsd at 5 months was 44 lbs, and I don't recall what it was for a male but it was a bit heavier.


Thanks, he's twenty-three and a half at the shoulder. It's lookin' like he's going to be a big boy.


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## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

The dumbbell that I have is a smaller AKC style wood one, the one end comes off. The middle of it has been chewed on quite a bit and you can tell. lol It is a light one though and just something to help her get used to one. 

The only thing I ask with the dumbbell if you take it is that you pass it on when Saber outgrows it. That is how it came to me! lol


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## decoman (Apr 28, 2011)

Our pup is just six months after reading some posts I feel little behind. She is around 40 lbs (going to vet next week again) she knows sit, down, paw, and working very hard on leave it, off (furniture) and heel. She's a smart dog so she's learning quick. Also still having problems with the cats...


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## deaninmn (Mar 19, 2011)

Max is 5 months this week. He knows sit, down, stay, kennel, hungry, outside, and get your ball. He was too young to start dog obedience class this spring, so we should have a good head start on the fall class. So far, he is the perfect pup... alert and aware of "his" yard, without being aggressive.... he loves everybody right now! He was invited to the In-laws for Easter, and he was a perfect gentleman. He walks pretty good on the leash... pulling just a bit once in a while when something catches his nose. He absolutely loves sticks! He lives to chase the stick, although he doesn't bring it back. You have to go get it, then throw it again... and again....and again... and again. Cardio for everyone! Weighed him yesterday.... 67 lbs. I was holding a stick when I took this shot.... focused, he is.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Oh look at Max's ears! I love them! People always tell me Saber has big ears but I just see "perfect"


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