# P.i.t.a gsd!!



## Tamara McIntosh (Jul 14, 2009)

Good Morning everyone,

about a month ago, someone in my area was advertising a GSD for sale in my local area. I am the curious sort so I went to check her out. It was a very nice dog bred by the RCMP and washed at 6 weeks. The dog was in a pet home and at 18 months the owner was realising that she was way too much dog for him. I told him I didn't want the dog but I would try to find a working home for her. Fast forward 2 months and I am the sucker that got stuck with her.

OMFG!! How do you GSD people deal with these dogs? She is driving me batsh!t crazy!!! She broke out of her dog run, ripped a screen on my son's window and crawled into the house. Now having owned sibes I expected her to run away, but she is breaking into my freakin' house! If I put her in a crate in the house she is breaking them left right and center!!! I am worried she is going to break her dang teeth off on the crate. And she is ripping down my fence, to get at my other windows. WTF???

She is a fantastic working dog... her first week of training she went from on a tug to on the bitesuit working pivots and recalls. But I might have to shoot her for the [email protected] behaviour off the field!!! AARRGGG!!

I can run her until she drops and she still has this retarded behaviour at home.

Does anyone have and advice on how to deal with this? If not I might have a dog for sale....


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## Lori Gallo (May 16, 2011)

I'd be interested in seeing her pedigree.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

stronger better built kennel...


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

Train a long down stay. Really long, several hours. Proof, etc. Train it over again in a crate with door open (or dogbed, rug, or kennel, some sort of designated dog place). Train again in a crate with door closed (or kennel). 

I am just guessing the dumbass behavior is insecurity? Can't blame her for being extra clingy as they tend to be a people oriented breed and she's already lost one home. And possibly she was raised as a housepet and has no clue how to cope with being outside alone? I would try clearly teaching her what you expect her to do instead...


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## Dave Martin (Aug 11, 2010)

LOL really funny post, Tamara. Joby's idea is the obvious solution but I agree with most of what Anna said. I would speak with her previous owner about how exactly he was keeping her inside or outside of the house, and what her tendencies were, good and bad. 

It sounds like you really just need to treat her like an overly rambuctious, oversized puppy. Let her be in her 'comfort zone' (if she has one) initially, then gradually begin training her to behave how you expect her to behave, and always be consistent. Although it sounds like she's pretty wild all the time when kenneled, I'd have to imagine if you are nearby she has to be quiet and settle down sometimes, even if only for several seconds. I would start by heavily rewarding that behavior with treats or letting her out and playing, and gradually increase the time you make her stay calm. 

If you really enjoy working her I'd stick with it, she may very well end up being worth it. It sucks 'cause you didn't sign up for raising another puppy, but it is what it is and maybe you'll find some advantages to raising an 'adult puppy'.


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## Marta Wajngarten (Jul 30, 2006)

Crate games and build value into the crate (all meals in crate, lots of snacks in crate, etc) I've been able to get a couple of anti-crate psychos like that become crate lovers, although that's certainly no guarantee and they didn't have separation anxiety just didn't like to be confined and were dumped into a crate with no proper training or introduction.


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## Kara Fitzpatrick (Dec 2, 2009)

you have a GSD? wtf???


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## Mo Earle (Mar 1, 2008)

everyone has great points-and I definately agree with Dave-you kind of have a big oversized puppy on your hand......I took a male GSD in that became a biter and to much for the people that raised him from a puppy...got him at 18 months old- he was very dominant, had no direction, and would do what he wanted when he wanted......what I had to do,-I treated him like an oversized unruly puppy-I already have big kennels indoor/outdoor runs that I was able to secure him no problem, I changed the language he was used to in his training, I changed his name,I started all his obedience over and had to be careful about any corrections- (got tagged by him twice the first day) so worked more of the positive reinforcement first, rather than causing a conflict and big battle ...after having him about 9 months, bonding with him..... the guys I train with, helped me with him-teaching him when to bite, when to restrain from biting etc....it has been a few years now-he is just about 5 and the dog is awesome!! a great transformation...I wouldn't sell him for anything now......hope it works out the same for you!

​


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## Ricardo Ashton (Jun 3, 2010)

One word comes to mind...Ritalin:twisted:


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

I took on an eleven month old bitch like this. Would try to break in through the windows when I put her outside....so I left the door open where she could come and go at will and she eventually settled. She was quite calm in the house, but would go mental if put outside by herself. I would put her out with the other dogs and she was fine, she lived in the house though and over time it ceased to become a problem.

I suspect if she didn't live in the house, it would have taken some time to settle down....she was pretty insecure.


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## Robin Van Hecke (Sep 7, 2009)

See below (duplicate deleted)


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## Robin Van Hecke (Sep 7, 2009)

That,s one the reasons the RCMP washed her out, that is not normal behavior, certainly not something you wank in a "working dog"


Tamara McIntosh said:


> Good Morning everyone,
> 
> about a month ago, someone in my area was advertising a GSD for sale in my local area. I am the curious sort so I went to check her out. It was a very nice dog bred by the RCMP and washed at 6 weeks. The dog was in a pet home and at 18 months the owner was realising that she was way too much dog for him. I told him I didn't want the dog but I would try to find a working home for her. Fast forward 2 months and I am the sucker that got stuck with her.
> 
> ...


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

interesting. i didn't know RCMP was breeding and raising puppies.
also strange that it appears to be great working dog when working; i would think that would be more desirable to LE activities that would over ride the "puppy stuff" problems, if that's what the problems really are .... so i would imagine maybe that wasn't the issue for washing it, but would expect the original pet owner would have been given some kind of an assessment and eval when they first got the dog. if so maybe they didn't follow the advice (if any was given) ,,,guess that's water over the bridge now tho

regardless, why not just give this dog more ONlead time (short and long) til it earns more freedom to be off lead ? that simple routine has worked well with dogs i have worked with that give off the same symptoms you seem to be describing.
- i don't think this develops a velcro syndrome if it's done right; i just look at it as a method of controlling a resource that is important to the dog
- DEFINITELY buy or build a crate it can't destroy when it must be confined, but reduce the time of confinement and make it fair time with a purpose the dog understands
- time consuming at first, but most dogs learn pretty fast that way
- an hour down/stay might never be attainable with this dog.....i haven't seen many that could, imo, but haven't tried that route either
- good luck; you'll need some of that too !


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

rick smith said:


> interesting. i didn't know RCMP was breeding and raising puppies.


http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/depot/pdstc-cdcp/sale-sal/breeding-program-eng.htm


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## Tamara McIntosh (Jul 14, 2009)

Thank you to everyone that wrote in, I appreciate it.

Joby... I have never had a dog rip my chain link down. Of course on this forum I have heard about it, and always wondering what kind of freak dogs people had... apparently they have GSD!!! LOL. I do have a welded wire kennel waiting for me, but it is 3 hrs away and just need to find the time to get down there with a flat bed.

Mo, thanks for your post. I do believe she is a extra large puppy, very mentally immature. There is a good dog inside her for sure and I believe if she is molded correctly she could be a great dog! She is very smart and a good working dog for sure - and very kind hearted. She is soft with handler aggression as well! I have to be careful with the corrections too, as I have seen the working end of her big ass white teeth already.

I do understand she is probably lonley. I did initially let her run with my male sibe (as he has never met a dog he didn't love on sight). However after I found puncture marks in his neck, she was cut off from running with him. She is not mean she is just incredibly dog dumb and never had her drive channeled correctly - so the minute my sibe runs she grabs him hard like prey. I have not let her run with my dobie cause I think there would definately be a dog fight there. I know she is probably lonely, however with 2 other dogs to train and a 4 year old son to look after, she just isn't gonna be the sun and moon here - like she was in her first home. So either she better adapt asap or... I just don't know if I need the extra stress.

In regards to why she was washed... I contact the RCMP directly about it and was told that the whole litter was very deep and consistant. They already have a brother and a sister certified and another brother going thru the training right now, as well as having kept 2 other sisters for their breeding program. They did not need to keep the whole litter, I guess the top 5 puppies fit their bill for what they needed.


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

rick smith said:


> - an hour down/stay might never be attainable with this dog.....i haven't seen many that could, imo, but haven't tried that route either


I teach a different command than the formal down, I teach to stay there until released, I don't release until the dog is calm and relaxed. I don't demand a strict position. The dog can flop upside down and sleep for all I care as long as it stays where I put it. I had a young high drive mali female that was allowed to run wild for the first year, and she was able to do it. At first you could see the wheels spinning but she stayed put. Then she even learned to sleep... First time ever her breeder saw a pic of her sleeping, he couldn't believe it.:lol:

My crate breaker is a mal(Havoc), and I have had better luck training him a down stay than locking him up. Crating in a sturdy metal box worked when he was younger, for a good long while, and then he had an episode when he snapped off part of a tooth. Training is cheaper than dental.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

thanx for the RCMP link.....interesting how the word their canine breeding targets on the type of dogs they look for in PSD work :

they state they are (Czech) gsd only breeders and 

pups are raised by cops who are interested in becoming K9 handlers, 
and regarding the type of dogs :

"In addition to being in perfect physical condition, they must have particular personality traits which make them suitable for police work: even temperament, hunting instinct and sound character are essential"

... no mention about "genetics" for manwork and loads of fight drive, which is what you read in a lot of other places, but maybe the majority of their work is SAR, avalanche recovery and tracking ??


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

anne writes : "I teach a different command than the formal down, I teach to stay there until released, I don't release until the dog is calm and relaxed. I don't demand a strict position. The dog can flop upside down and sleep for all I care as long as it stays where I put it. I had a young high drive mali female that was allowed to run wild for the first year, and she was able to do it. At first you could see the wheels spinning but she stayed put. Then she even learned to sleep... First time ever her breeder saw a pic of her sleeping, he couldn't believe it"

very similar to how i work with a long lead with the dog inside or out. basically a "chill out and stay put" ... most usually get it pretty quick, but i've had a much harder time getting the point across without a lead. i get a lot of "four in the air" moves too (lol), but it's usually them just trying to get attention


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## Adam Rawlings (Feb 27, 2009)

Rick,

The RCMP mainly use dual purpose K-9's.


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## Christopher Jones (Feb 17, 2009)

rick smith said:


> thanx for the RCMP link.....interesting how the word their canine breeding targets on the type of dogs they look for in PSD work :
> 
> they state they are (Czech) gsd only breeders and
> 
> ...


A few years ago the Fire and Police games were held in my city and the NCO of the RCMP breeding program came over my place. Her name was Cpl Whitney Benoit. She was a really, really nice lady and a pretty good dog person to boot. They breed mostly around Czech GSD bloodlines and really like Tom PS offspring.
I dont know wether Whitney still works there but I was impressed by her.


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## brad robert (Nov 26, 2008)

Robin Van Hecke said:


> That,s one the reasons the RCMP washed her out, that is not normal behavior, certainly not something you wank in a "working dog"


You do what to your working dogs thats sick!! 

sorry couldnt resist lol


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

rick smith said:


> thanx for the RCMP link.....interesting how the word their canine breeding targets on the type of dogs they look for in PSD work :
> 
> they state they are (Czech) gsd only breeders and
> 
> ...



LOL! I am not sure every police department around the world feels the need to brag on their dog's "fight drive" and on a public info page with a publicly funded program. But searching is a large, important part of any police dog's job of course.

As Adam said they are breeding for dual purpose dogs. 

Out of all the RCMP dogs in the country their are only about 5 PSD teams with the avalanche profile. But that is more of a handler training issue than a dog one.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

getting back OT 

Tamara :
you said you got it to find a working home for it, but since it was for sale i assume you BOUGHT it, so that doesn't make sense unless money wasn't an issue
so now it's in training and doing great on a bite suit, but a pita cause it can't stay outside
then you mention the other two dogs and the four year old that take up most of your time
then it bites one of the dogs so can't be trusted with that one and hint it would be worse if allowed to interact with the dobe
but nevertheless, you are getting a heavy duty crate for it 

go back to the beginning to the beginning of your post .....you said it was too much dog for the last owner, and this sounds like it is shaping up to be exactly the same situation 

so why not bite the bullet and do the best thing for the dog and SELL it to someone who will give it ALL the time it needs and end up with a nice working dog instead of creating havoc in your household while you juggle it between two dogs and a 4 year old kid ???

maybe i just get a bug up my butt, but i see too many people with too many dogs and not enough time to do what they need for the ones they have
- you may be perfectly capable of dealing with this and have plenty of time to bring out the potential you say this dog has, but your post doesn't seem to back that up
- but i'm pretty sure that's not the kind of advice you are looking for, right


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

if you want her to run with the sibes, ( which would probably be good for her mind and exercise) get a basket muzzle and let her out then she cannot bite them


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

rick smith said:


> getting back OT
> 
> Tamara :
> you said you got it to find a working home for it, but since it was for sale i assume you BOUGHT it, so that doesn't make sense unless money wasn't an issue
> ...





Rick is making some pretty compelling points. JMO!

_
"*I do understand she is probably lonley. *I did initially let her run with my male sibe (as he has never met a dog he didn't love on sight). However after I found puncture marks in his neck, she was cut off from running with him. She is not mean she is just incredibly dog dumb and never had her drive channeled correctly - so the minute my sibe runs she grabs him hard like prey. I have not let her run with my dobie cause I think there would definately be a dog fight there. *I know she is probably lonely*, *however with 2 other dogs to train and a 4 year old son to look after*, she just isn't gonna be the sun and moon here - like she was in her first home. *So either she better adapt asap or... I just don't know if I need the extra stress.*"_


I don't mean to be confrontational any more than Rick does, but all the great suggestions that people are giving require concentrated time spent with this dog, and you're clearly saying that the time is not available. Right?

Sometimes it helps to get it all down in black and white.


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## Jim Nash (Mar 30, 2006)

rick smith said:


> maybe i just get a bug up my butt, but i see too many people with too many dogs and not enough time to do what they need for the ones they have
> - you may be perfectly capable of dealing with this and have plenty of time to bring out the potential you say this dog has, but your post doesn't seem to back that up
> - but i'm pretty sure that's not the kind of advice you are looking for, right


That is a huge problem with many people and I'm suprised that it's an issue that is largely ignored in dog training . 

Rick , as to your comment about "genetics" how do you think the dogs with the characteristics the RCMP is looking for came to have those characteristics ?


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

Jim, re: the genetics issue : "how do you think the dogs with the characteristics the RCMP is looking for came to have those characteristics ?"

the short answer is i don't know 
a quick and dirty one would be selective breeding 

but i'm not trying to skirt the question  ... it interested me and made me think (usually bad for me)
- my first reaction was wow, they must have a lot of time and money if they can afford to be breeders as well as leos
- my next was, i wonder how long they have been breeding and if doing it in house has developed a superior line of working RCMP Czech gsds
- my last was why were these three characteristics the essential ones ?

per their website "<snip> particular personality traits which make them suitable for police work: even temperament, hunting instinct and sound character are essential" <snip>
- they seem to feel these are essential since they said so, but as another lister pointed out they might not want to state "all" the essential "personality traits" and are just being "pc".....there's probably some truth in that..... knowing beauracracies, it was probably just a carefully worded generic listing by the public affairs department, rather than the head of the breeding division 
- with that said, they also state these are "personality traits", which is a strange way to describe genetics, and if that's all they think is essential they might as well breed working goldens; it would be easier to get those personality traits, than use Czech line gsd's, which they also stated they base their breeding on 
- and of course i have no clue why they base their gsd's on Czech lines, but i'd like to know that reason too, if it wasn't just based on a good sales pitch or low bidder awhile back  ... i have never heard much about Czech gsd's, and i've only been around maybe 30-40 gsd's in my life and only 2 that i was told were Czech....one was a superb TOTALLY balanced confident dog, the other was a Highly reactive nut case (imo).... but i'm curious how many lines they evaluated to arrive at that decision. maybe the czechs don't show many gsd's ,so less "show line" dilution ??
- and i also have no idea if they are only line breeding, which might also affect how they develop their lines
- but i'll bet if i asked 20 mwd handlers what they would look for if they were breeding, those three wouldn't be mentioned as ESSENTIAL, except maybe for hunting instinct (course they are handlers not breeders and would probably base their opinions on the finished product, not how it got there). plus, even temperament and sound character mean kinda the same thing to me
- but regarding genetics in particular, it is my opinion, and i know VERY little about the complexities of canine or any other kind of genetics, to develop a line of dogs that consistently displayed those three traits would take MANY decades, if not hundreds of years
- based on that opinion, i think a lot of their success (assuming again they are breeding great dogs, and not just skimming a few good ones out of a LOT of litters) is probably due to a rigid program followed by their cops that do the puppy raising. this gives them total control and the ability to watch as the pups develop and not miss out on a late bloomer that turns out to have great breeding potential, which obviously most LE agencies can't afford to do......."if" that's how they do it 
- but that might enable them to develop their lines quicker to get what they want ... and would take the "crap shoot" part of the equation out of the picture. if so, it seems like a damn good system to me
- but since it's also common knowledge that psd's can be trained to do fine work, even if they come from poor breeding, crossbreeding and even prior owner neglect, maybe it's a moot point 
- but overall, i think total control over the process would be the primary reason for their success


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Just as an aside...isn't Tom Z PS responsible for throwing lots of bad hips ? I've read quite a lot to that effect on different forums over the time.. Don't how how much truth is in that, but I've stumbled across enough to make me wary for a potential purchase.


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## Jim Nash (Mar 30, 2006)

rick smith said:


> Jim, re: the genetics issue : "how do you think the dogs with the characteristics the RCMP is looking for came to have those characteristics ?"
> 
> the short answer is i don't know
> a quick and dirty one would be selective breeding
> ...


I'll speak for my K9 unit about the reasons we get dogs from people that breed dogs for the traits we need for the job . The reason we do is simply because THEY BREED DOGS FOR THE TRAITS WE NEED TO GET THE JOB DONE . 

We use primarily Czech GSDs and have since the late 90's . Because they are breeding dogs with the characteristics we need for the job they are expected to do . We get some dogs from other places and some different breeds like the Mal and Dutchie too . All for the same reasons . We stick mainly with the Czech GSDs because we've had success with them . Others use different breeds or GSDs breed from different areas too with success . But most of us share 1 thing in common . We are getting dogs breed for that reason . 

Why ? Increased chance of success . Not a guarantee but an increased chance since the dog was breed from dogs that have proven themselves as having the traits we are looking for . 

They choose dogs with the traits we want and breed them together with the hopes that they will produce more dogs with the traits we want . Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't but overall going to these sources gives us the highest percentage of successfully getting what we want . 

Sure there are exceptions to the rule and you can find some dogs out of the pound that can do it but it's still the exception to the rule . Believe me we went that route years ago and we had to wade through more crap dogs to get the good ones . 

You interpret what the RCMP states differently then I . I took "even temperment and sound character " as generic terms covering several positive characteritics we want in a K9 to included manwork and the drives you mentioned earlier . 

If it was as easy as just getting a dog from the pound and training it we would be doing that .


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## Christopher Jones (Feb 17, 2009)

maggie fraser said:


> Just as an aside...isn't Tom Z PS responsible for throwing lots of bad hips ? I've read quite a lot to that effect on different forums over the time.. Don't how how much truth is in that, but I've stumbled across enough to make me wary for a potential purchase.


I would not class Tom PS as a hip improver, but he is not a overly bad hip producer. 
Tom does throw alot of Pano in his offspring which people may take as hip/elbow issues.
However Tom is one of the top GSD producers for Police dogs thats lived. 
If I was still into GSD's I would go to Tom. I have a Tom daughter who is a very nice working bitch, and good looking as well. 
My friend in Sweden has frozen semen from him.


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## Adam Rawlings (Feb 27, 2009)

I have a Tom grandaughter that's line bred 3-3 on Tom's sire Cordon. She is a serious, civil dog with very good tracking ability and hunt drive. Many of her traits are passed onto her progeny and it's especially evident in the females she's produced. I've only had one pup from the litter prelimed so far and her hips look excellent. Out of the 3 pups I kept, pano was only a problem for one of them and it wasn't that severe. As Chris mentioned, it could easly be mistaken as bad hips.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Adam Rawlings said:


> I have a Tom grandaughter that's line bred 3-3 on Tom's sire Cordon. She is a serious, civil dog with very good tracking ability and hunt drive. Many of her traits are passed onto her progeny and it's especially evident in the females she's produced. I've only had one pup from the litter prelimed so far and her hips look excellent. Out of the 3 pups I kept, pano was only a problem for one of them and it wasn't that severe. As Chris mentioned, it could easly be mistaken as bad hips.


Here is one link to a conversation I found interesting where Tom was discussed...

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum/19089.html?mnr=19089


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## Adam Rawlings (Feb 27, 2009)

maggie fraser said:


> Here is one link to a conversation I found interesting where Tom was discussed...
> 
> http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum/19089.html?mnr=19089


I've read that thread before, lot's of good information packed in there. The kennel I purchased my bitch from in Czech, breeds with Chris friend from Sweden. This is the litter she had before she was imported.

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=687285

They now these lines very well and they went ahead with a 2-3 breeding on Tom, so who knows.


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## Christopher Jones (Feb 17, 2009)

Adam Rawlings said:


> I've read that thread before, lot's of good information packed in there. The kennel I purchased my bitch from in Czech, breeds with Chris friend from Sweden. This is the litter she had before she was imported.
> 
> http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=687285
> 
> They now these lines very well and they went ahead with a 2-3 breeding on Tom, so who knows.


Some of our club members have done 3-3 breedings on Tom with no issues. 
And the breeder of your Bitch was also the Police handler of Tom, as im sure you know. Alfred is a nice guy.


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## Tony Hahn (May 28, 2011)

Tamara I’ve seen you post on Dobermann forums. I’m a current Dobermann owner after many years with a GSD. 

I don’t know your back ground, but after reading Dobermann forums it’s become clear to me that many Dobermann owners think that a Dobie is really different from other dogs, that Dobermanns are Velcro dogs who need to be kept in the house close to their people, that they are extremely intelligent and need constant mental stimulation, etc, etc. 

Of course all breeds have their differences, but coming from a GSD background, I can tell you that Dobermanns are not that much different from a GSD as for as their social needs. 

Sure there are GSD that spend their lives in kennels and appear to do just fine. IMO this is NOT because GSD’s don’t need or want to be with their ‘people’ but rather it’s simply because it’s either all they’ve known or that over time they accepted it’s their fate. Given a choice, GDS’s will keep you in sight and follow you around just like a Dobermann. 

If this GSD you acquired has become accustomed to living and interacting with people, she isn’t going to be any happier kenneled alone than your Dobermann would be. 

Same with mental stimulation. If her former owner interacted with her (even if he wasn’t training or interacting in a way that was constructive), as long as the dog was being satisfied by the interaction with her old owner, she is now being deprived of the mental stimulation. 

You haven’t provided enough information to draw many conclusions or offer much advice. However, the first thought in my head when I saw you were having issues with a GSD, was that if you think a GSD needs less attention and stimulation than a Dobermann, you may want to reconsider that line of thinking.


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Adam Rawlings said:


> I have a Tom grandaughter that's line bred 3-3 on Tom's sire Cordon. She is a serious, civil dog with very good tracking ability and hunt drive. Many of her traits are passed onto her progeny and it's especially evident in the females she's produced. I've only had one pup from the litter prelimed so far and her hips look excellent. Out of the 3 pups I kept, pano was only a problem for one of them and it wasn't that severe. As Chris mentioned, it could easly be mistaken as bad hips.


Do you think the pano issues might be due to the size these dogs get? My pup's got one of Tom's brothers/sisters in his pedigree (also Sid v Haus Pixner and those lines) and he's absolutely the largest GSD I have ever seen. 
Approx 29 inches at the shoulder (I have a 30 inch inseam and can barely stand over his back - he's still lop sided so he's got a bit more growing to do, his ass is taller than shoulders still) and 101 lbs at the vet...ok I"ve seen big GSD's, but he's not even 10 months old yet. 

His growth was very rapid. I noticed at about 4 months old that he was getting huge really fast and cut him off the puppy food and onto a good adult food. We've never had any limping or other joint problems yet - however, soft ears seem to be an issue? His father has a soft ear and he has one that isn't standing consistently yet...it's still up and down and retarded looking. Anyone else have this issue with those lines?

To get a bit back on topic - the house breaking in - Grim does this too. He wants to be with you, he will go through a window (even if the glass is closed) if he can get in. I know I posted pictures back in February where he broke through my downstairs window at 4 months to get in.
Having him at my friends house has been a bit nightmarish, as we had to secure that place like Alcatraz to keep him in. He opens gates, windows, doors and let's himself inside the house. That wouldn't have been a problem, but my friends roommate has a f'ing nasty cat that Grim wants to eat so he has to stay outside. 
I don't know if that insecurity or just a strong bond with people. He doesn't show anything other than confident behavior the rest of the time and is pretty social for a GSD.


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## Oluwatobi Odunuga (Apr 7, 2010)

Does keeping puppies lean help? I think most GSD puppies are a bit too rolly polly i would say. I see a lot of mali pups with the ribs slightly visible, i think this much better.


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