# About to get a Wendelin pup.



## pawtographz (11 d ago)

So, I spoke to Christina. Explained that this will be my first gsd and I have 3 young kids etc etc. She’s confident that she can provide me with a puppy that will be a good family pet with sound temperament and will have enough drive should I decide to join my local Schutzhund club. The pairing will be Incka and Norik.

I want to trust Christina but at the same time worried that working line would be too much for us. Maybe I am overthinking it maybe I am not. Please smack some sense into me if I am or tell everything will be ok.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

you need to meet (if you haven’t) and hang out with WL GSD…. as well as be realistic about your environment, time, resources, expectations, etc. because if you’re nervous going into this….. every little thing that comes up will hold the potential of validating those concerns. the first time the puppy bites or barks or snarls or hackles or growls - normal things that can resemble scary things but are typically just a part of development, exploration and communication.

_(disregard, just saw your other thread) what other dog experience do you have? how old are your kids? what’s their exposure been? have you read thru the puppy section in depth?_


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## pawtographz (11 d ago)

Kids are 9 and 5 yo twins. I should mention that I helped a family friend raising her pup from amalaberg kennels pretty much from the day he was picked up until 10 months. He’s almost 3 and he still visits. So yeah, I’m aware of the puppy nipping ( my arms and legs were shredded ) he growled at me once at 10 weeks when he was trying to protect a rock but that’s about it. He grew up into a very well balanced dog and great with kids. I’ve added a pic for reference 🙂


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## oink (Jan 31, 2021)

Since it's wendelin you could find owners of previous litters of that pairing by posting on Facebook. Then maybe talk to some of them and see what their daily schedule is like!


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## pawtographz (11 d ago)

That’s a good idea


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## Carter Smith (Apr 29, 2016)

What @Fodder said.. we recently brought a our first wlgsd home with two young children, admittedly I was on edge not truly understanding the breed and there can be a lot of things that may seem alarming. No one in our family could go near Ellie for months and months without a toy or tug in hands to play with, my wife said out of frustration after losing so many sweaters, at one point ”what’s the point of having this dog if you can’t pet it”. They are quite a lot as puppies in my small experience, they like to run, bite (a lot) and chase.. a lot, and they don’t stop much. I told @David Winners all the things Ellie was doing that was just.. new and honestly over whelming, and he said I’d be more concerned if she wasn’t doing these things lol, but I see now why.. if your committed and pup the time in, learn about the breed reward good behaviour discourage behaviour you don’t like, and give them proper outlets they’re amazing dogs. My 7 year old daughter puts Ellie through her own obedience sessions from time to time now and Ellie is happy to oblige. As for my wife and “the dog”.. she may end up being Ellie’s person.


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

To me, 5 and 9 should be manageable. We have raised 3, and our granddaughter was born the same month as the first, she was 3 for the second and 9 for the youngest. She is 11 now the respect the dogs have for her is wonderful. Her 5 year old brother has also grown up with them. It was on us to allow age appropriate interaction between her and each dog. Knowing the breed and what to expect are key and it sounds like you're on top of that. I couldn't imagine any better dogs to have around these kids.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

I will echo, if you are nervous now just don't! 
The Amalaberg pups I have seen and spoken to owners about are pretty laid back. Wendelin pups are a bit notorious for overwhelming their owners. There isn't anything wrong with them but they are definitely feisty. I have no particular issue with a pup throwing a fit and trying to eat my hands because it wants a toy, you might. And your children will. So again, if you are nervous now then walk away.


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## pawtographz (11 d ago)

Thank you for all the replies. I’ve also reached out to a couple of Wendelin pup owners on Facebook. I’m not really nervous for me as my wife and I went through taking care of twins and continue to do so. While they didn’t bite as hard 🤓 they were our second full time job. I’m just worried the kids might not enjoy raising the pup as much as I will.
Im going to contact George and see if he has any litters coming. I might consider getting an amalaberg pup now and a working line when the kids are bigger.
Thank you guys for the suggestions.


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## rotdocpa1 (Mar 19, 2018)

What sex are you planning on? By far the more serious problems tend to be males. So if you are getting a male I would look carefully. Not that there are PIA females but most of the re-homes among my schutzhund friends have been males when temperament was the reason.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

I don't think it's as much as a cut and dried m/F thing and the temperaments within the individual sexes. The feistiest GSD I had were female and excellent with kids.


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## pawtographz (11 d ago)

I went ahead and put a deposit for an amalaberg pup 🙂. I asked for a male. Thank you guys


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## rotdocpa1 (Mar 19, 2018)

I think females can be quite feisty but by and large the serious aggression issues in our training club have been males. I have seen dog aggressive females that were a PIA but I have not seen situations where the handler was seriously afraid of their females. Some females may be fear aggressive to outsiders also. Males OTOH it is not unusual to see dogs rehomed due to handler aggression or aggression to other family members.


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