Edgar

My GSD pup used to have similar ears as in those pictures. One floppy one up. He grew out of it and now they both stand 24/7, however they do stand different when he's alert. Its funny he can actually turn each ear individually like radar if he wants to!! You could probably test it when she's sleeping. Surprise her a bit, call her name and if both her ears perk up then its probably an alertness thing.

pwrpuf - I agree! He is a little bit of a spoiled pup but its only cuz he's so cute :) no worries though I just hand fed him that one day (had no choice otherwise he wouldn't eat). He's started eating on his own now, wolfing down his food as usual. I do things like making him sit and stay for 2-3 minutes before he can even touch his food. Obedience classes start this Saturday, and when he does something bad we're sure to let him know.

Her part about unscrupolous breeders seems okay with me. I think I'm undecided on the issue as I'm sure theres plenty "good" pitbulls out there. But then again to dismiss the mauling and death (not bite statistics) statistics that the media loves to mention would be outright silly.

Not slamming other breeds but I don't see how they can compete with Malnois, GSD's or Giant Schnauzers that are bred solely for protection work. APBT and AB are great dogs but they simply were not bred for this purpose. Another thing about the three breeds I listed is that they are highly intelligent. Not saying Bulldog breeds are dumb by any means, just saying that they might not have what it takes to assess and handle the types of situations these dogs have historically proven to excell in. Bulldog breeds have been around for hundreds of years and yet they were never really used as wardogs or protection dogs. I've even spoken with Czech border patrol guards and they've said that other breeds don't compare to the well roundedness of the GSD and Giant Schnauzer (Schnauzers weakness is his nose hence the replacement by the GSD in DDR dogs). That being said, of course not every GSD will prove to be a good protection dog. However in general the DDR lines especially are known for these characteristics and have been bred for them over the generations. Bully breeds as we know were bred for different purposes. But then again there definately are some rare ABPT's and Bullies who are used in this area and excel at it. In terms of apptitude dogs bred for herding or specifically for this sort of work do seem to have the advantage i.e. GSD's Malinois Rotties Doberman etc. I think the Chinese army has also bred a dog for work in the field, it looks strikingly similar to a GSD... :wink:. Forget the name, i'll try dig it up.

Hmmm - I think he's had Distemper, Parvo, Rabies and Kennel Cogh vaccines + one more (not sure which). I don't think I'm going to go with any boosters in the future except Rabies. He still isn't eating and drink a lot but he has started barking and running again (even though he's pretty weak and gets exhausted when he does it). Compared to yesterday he seems much better. I wonder if he picked up something at the dog park.

Thanks mei mei I'll call the vet tomorrow and ask him about the liquid diet stuff. Right now I have Blitz eating some yogurt out of the palm of my hand (literally!) as soon as he sees the bowl he turns and walks away *sigh*. He only eats small amounts but its better than nothing.

My 5 1/2 month old GSD pup is really sick :( . I took him in for his final round of shots on Saturday (Rabies and Distemper (2nd) ) plus two Drontal de-working Tablets. He was his regular self all day. The next day at around 6 am he started vomiting and had a big diarrhea accident as well. Between 6 am - 11:30 am he vomited 6 times (the first time was actual food, the rest were all a sticky white fluid). So I took him to the vet and the gave him an anti vomit/diarrhea shot as well as some anti-histamines. I left him there for 4 hours of observation and they said that he didn't vomit after the shot. Doc gave me a bottle of anti diarrhea /vomit/anti biotics and some "bland" food to give him for the next couple of days. The problem is he is soooooo weak right now and is not eating or drinking. He especially doesn't like the "special bland food" my vet has provided. He can walk up and down the stairs but I can tell its difficult for him. He's not barking, just wants to sleep.... But the vet said it was okay to take him home. I'm pretty worried. How can I get him to at least drink so he doesn't get major dehydration? He licks up a little from my hands now and then but its not enough. P.S. I'm also a little upset that I spend a few hundred dollars at the vet to have him checked up and vaccinated and instead of prevention it looks like he gets majorly sick instead. Any helps/suggestions would be appreciated. If he doesn't improve by tomorrow afternoon i guess i'll have take him back to the vet.

You definately should look into this some more. Usually in contractual based employment there is a clause that allows you to cut someone off as long as you give 30 days notice. Doesn't matter if the contract was for 10 years or 10 months the 30 day clause usually applies. At lease thats how the big companies do things. If your contract was drawn up by a good lawyer it might have that clause in there. Make sure you check it out!

Gotta agree with KP. I know that it has almost become "politically incorrect" to put your dog in his/her place using forceful methods. Imagine if a wild wolf pack leader subscribed to this thinking he'd been at the bottom in no time :o . That being said its obviously best to use it the same way the wolf pack leader would. Sparingly and only when absolutely necessary. Biting would definitely fit this category!!

His weight is actually pretty good, I'll post some shots of him in the pictures section. I got pretty paranoid so I went through the garbage and found the poop in question. Definately not a worm, it actually was a piece of string *sigh* I have to keep him away from every little thing! Especially socks... I'll still have him checked for any sort of critters though.

I'm wondering what tapeworms look like. Today my pup Blitz pooped what I thought was maybe some sort of string or piece of cloth he managed to eat (he eats everything). It was white (about as thick as a shoelace), about 5 inches long, and had a lil chuck of poop attached to it. I should have inspected it much closer because now I'm thinking maybe it was a tape worm?? I guess I'll have to take a stool sample to the vet. I hope its not tapeworms cause I'm always snuggling with the little guy which could mean I'll get them too!! eek

Black GSD - That is one bautiful looking pup! Classic Czech GSD looks. Thats pretty much what my pups sire looked like but hehe I guess the looks didn't carry down to the pup. Right now Blitz (my pup) looks black and tan like any other GSD. Did you have him imported? I'm interested in a first hand account of his temperment, fill me in if possible! What was he like at 4/5 Months? Blitz is a very loving dog so far (but he's only 4 months), barks if the door bell rings, barks when he hears sirens (but not to other loud noises, weird!) and is confident around any dog until they push him around then he chickens out =) hehe. He's not very hyper for a puppy, very well behaved... Likes to chase his tail or chew things and play games but nothing too crazy.

If you're getting a GSD as a pet I wouldn't worry so much about what continent they are from. What you need to research the most is making as sure as humanely possible that you get a pup without Hip Dysplasia. If you're going for a "Champion" bloodline do what you can to make sure both parents have certified "good" hips. All German shepherds are extremely loyal and loving dogs. The European lines are typically of bigger build (but not always the case). Many of the American lines are geared towards show events whereas the European lines especially the Czech and Eastern Euro lines are originally geared for work in the military, police or border patrol. Many of the American show lines have those weird sloping hips (I personally don't like them) while a European working dog probably will not. The Czech GSD can look very different than the American or some of the German lines. They are bred to work and not for things like colour. There is one Kennel in the Czech Republic responsible for the true Czech lines. During the communist days their dogs were used as border patrol. Occasionally they would lend their dogs for stud service or introduce new blood into their lines to keep them strong. Again the key here being that these dogs were all bred to work and most likely their temperment will reflect this. You'll also fine that many breeders here have mixed their lines with Euro stock or vice versa. Whatever decision you make do your best to get a pup with a family history of good hips. Also remember that a GSD is the type of dog that really needs socialization and attention. He will follow you to the bathroom, bark when people knock at the door, they can also be dominant or "bitey" if not obedience trained. But in the right environment I don't think you'll find a dog with more solid tempermant and intelligence than a GSD!

Majies - I wish I had taken pictures a couple of months ago when one ear was floppy and the other was standing =) way too cute. He was actually an accidental breeding. A slovakian fellow who had recently come into the country had brought his dog with him. The day he went to the vet to have his female GSD spayed the vet said he couldn't do it because she was already pregnant! So he was sort of an accidental breeding. Borderline BYB except as mentioned this was accidental, the female is now spayed. His daddy was actually trained to be a police dog, but I'm not sure on the details. *sigh* This was before Dogomania and before I had any detailed knowledge on Shepherds. We ran into another 4 month old shepherd the other day and I could really tell the difference. Blitz was much thicker and a little taller, his paws/forelegs are also pretty perhaps hinting at his Euro lines? I'll post some pictures ASAP!!

Hi everyone, My best buddy (Blitz) is a little 17 week old Czech GSD. He's been a good lil guy so far but recently I've been worried about Hip Dysplasia. He hasn't shown any lameness (although he is lazy sometimes!) and he's able to run pretty fast. Although when he runs he looks more like a cat then a dog, kind of runs like a cheetah. When he walks, actually he trots, all four legs move independently (no bunny hopping) its very cute =). I've read about 2 precautions wrt hip dysplasia 1. Regulate diet to slow down growth. He has been gaining weight and growing pretty quick. I feed him a big bowl of kibble, cooked meat, or raw food 3 times a day. I let him take as much as he can within 10 mins and if theres something left at that point I take it away (usually there

[quote name='pei obssessed']1. I like the look of this dog. 2. "The rare dog" site isn't very reliable--did you look at the tens of "rare breeds" they've listed? I don't know if this breed even exists or it's just a made up mix. 4. And last thing, I don't get it why anyone would need a "protection dog". I don't understand why anyone would need a human-aggressive dog and live with the fear their dog would bite somebody and be PTS... so I don't get it why anyone would create a breed that is "highly aggressive."[/quote] Its not a made up breed. I think the only people that actually breed them are "The Rock of The Ages Kennel" or something like that. Pretty sure they are the original people who combined a bunch of breeds to come up with these guys in the 70's. As to why someone would want this breed: i.e. protecting a warehouse or some sort of property. My Czech German Shepherd's parents were full fledged working dogs. He was born on the land they protected, his daddy was also trained to be a police dog... Some dogs are made to work in some form or another while others are not. As for Dogos and Presa both of them have bull and terrier as well as other fighting lines in their blood. Do they have differing personalities and traights? I'm sure they do but its not exactly "hysteria" lumping in into the same category.

I've actually thought about getting one of these guys. So cool looking. I wouldn't say they really look pitbullish however they are pretty muscular. Seem to be way bigger though i.e. 130 lbs. So how they would add to "pitbull hysteria" I don't know. They are probably a rare breed only suited for specific protection type work. i.e. Guarding! Definately not a breed you take out to the dog park, unless you want a lawsuit on your hands! Anyone here have experience with this breed?

Oops last post was from me... Forgot to login. Thanks again guys.

Hi, my boy's a three and a half month old GSD. He's pretty well behaved overall (just a puppy), I've taught him to sit, fetch and even stay sometimes but no matter what I try I can't get him to stop eating his own crap!! He's out in the yard while I'm at work so sometimes I don't manage to clean all his mess up. And when I'm out with him he always finds it and takes a chunk down. It's so gross and annoying. A loud no doesn't seem to stop him in this case, neither does the good boy positive reinforcement thing. I've even grabbed him by the scruff of the next a few times and pulled him away... That