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#1871341
Dericka
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German shepherd question 
That’s my fiance and my german shepherd, tre, first when he was a baby and then around a 7 months old.
So, to all who have had these marvelous dogs, I just have a few questions about the growing up process!
He is 16 months old now, and still acts 100% like a PUPPY. I have been told they don’t fully mature until about three years of age. He has literally endless amounts of energy, from the time he wakes up, which is always around 8/ 9:00 in the morning ( i feel like I have a baby, which I don’t yet!) till the time we go to bed, he is constantly playing with my other dog, running around like a mad man, wanting to go out, bringing you his toys, and unfortunatley, often getting into something, chewing up stuff, usually just papers or whatever fun thing he can reach, but he just never stops or chills out! Which is fine, I know they are very intelligent dogs who get bored easily, he gets a several good walks a day totaling around 4 or 5 miles worth, and we play ball or fetch in the yard alot. So really my question is, when do they calm down a bit??? What have y’alls been like and when have your shepherds matured/ grown up a little??
He is neutered, and he’s a very sweet boy, he’s actually a bit timid for his breed, and very submissive to other dogs, but he loves to play with other dogs. I don’t think he has a clue how big he is, just now 100 pounds. He is very protective at home, like if he sees or hears someone coming or walking by that he doesn’t know, and I’ve also been told that he will get more protective and aggressive with age, is that true?
Also what brand do you feed your shepherds/large breed dogs? We feed Tre Purina ProPlan for large breed dogs.
Oh and he had alot of growing pains, which have finally stopped, for his first year. He had them in all of his legs at different times, after they kept coming back our vet took xrays to rule out hip problems, did anyone else have problems with growing pains?
Any of your experiences would be appreciated!!!
deri
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09/30/08 09:56am
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#1871652
Reptile.man
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Message To: Dericka In reference to Message Id: 1871341
 German shepherd question
hes still a young boy try running him bafore bed.
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09/30/08 04:16pm
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#1872001
Patrice
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Message To: Dericka In reference to Message Id: 1871341
German shepherd question
we have a gorgeous gs, rocky, who is 5 by now. we had him neutered whe he was 2 b/c he growled... he’s perfect now, he rules the property, he is the guard dog, watches over my kids when they play, watches over the chickens and goose and ducks. we have our property w/chain link fence that he can jump if he needs to, and wood gate dividing up some of the property (we have two acres with the house in the middle) that he easily glides over. he is my first gs, have always admired their besuty, closest i think to wolves. i will never get any breed other than a germans from now on, andi have lad labs, boxer, rottie, whippet,sheltie, jack russel over my lifetime. and beagles. anyway, he is the it man. i don’t have a current pic to post but i’ll try in the next few minutes. he has boundless energy, he still chases dragon flies into the air, such a goofball.but very loving. we plan to get a female next yr. he mostly plays with out chocolate lab, and sometimes with the other dogs when we put him in the dog yard. you should google their origins, they were originally bred as a herd dog, they are working dogs. if you could buildsomekind of obstacle, ladder or such he would love toplay on that i bet.
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09/30/08 09:48pm
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#1872190
Ghastly
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Message To: Dericka In reference to Message Id: 1871341
German shepherd question
We had a shepard male a few years back he was called Denver he was only 2 but just wanted to do his own thing he liked to be petted and stroked and groomed but did not like to play with toys
On the other hand different breed my Dobermann who passed away this time last year i rescued her when she was 8years old and was play more than a kitten and puppy she never hindered you to play she knew when she could start to play and knew that enough was enough and never pushed her luck and was full of energy hense why i turned her into a herding dog with my Rottweiler which took both of there energy away needless to say my Dobermann Kimba was full of energy until she was 11 years old when she naturally passed away evan the day she passed on she was happy and out going only was a little sluggish but you couldnt really notice
But guess it is just down to the individual dog i guess
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10/01/08 06:17am
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#1878060
Rae rae
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Message To: Ghastly In reference to Message Id: 1872190
German shepherd question
i have a 2 1/2 year old german shep. his name is gunner. he was a holy terror. i took him to puppy classes when he was about 12 weeks old. he was the worst in the class to begin with. he graduated as the best puppy in the class. they are very smart. i had him neutered as soon as it could be done. after he was neutered at about 7 months of age he began to test me. he tried to be dominant over me. he was never ever ever aggressive with our son or really my husband. they never corrected anything he did. when i tried correcting his bad behavior he became hostile towards me and tried attacking me. so after speaking with many trainers, trying many techniques, and about to pull my hair out, i was ready to get rid of him for fear i couldn’t control him around my son. i worked with him for about six months and he was still unpredictable. one day i accidentilly discovered the dog whisperer. then it all changed. i realized what i was doing wrong. after about another nine months of working with him; proper dominant walks, obedience training, and always keeping my cool instead of getting angry and yelling, he became wonderful. now he is the best dog ever. he still gets really excited when company comes over. he is pretty territorial but is friendly when i invite someone in. i can take him anywhere without fear. he is VERY obedient in public. he heels off leash and everything. this breed is not for the weak spirit. it is not for someone who cannot be a pack leader. if you let them dominate (which is what they were bred for) you will lose control. also, each individual dog is different no matter what the breed is. most of the time pit bulls are very hyper and ready to go go go. i have one and she is very calm and docile. it’s half how you raise them and half how genetics programmed them to be. good luck!!! read plenty of books. a good one is called "cesar’s way" by cesar millan the dog whisperer.
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10/10/08 01:51am
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#1879199
Dragongirl6
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Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1878060
German shepherd question
Lol, I’m fostering a SEVEN YEAR OLD German Shepherd/Corgi mix, and she still hasn’t calmed down! Granted, Corgis are equally crazy, but still...
She wakes me up every morning by rolling on her back and pushing me out of bed, she can’t be trusted not to tear off like a mad woman if let off leash, she barks, she whines, she’s crazy!
Most of this I have attributed to her lack of training/discipline and the fact that she has been bounced around to so many homes that she hasn’t had the chance to calm down and mature and get used to the same routine with the same people. However, some I attribute to her breed : )
Obedience classes are a great way to spend a certain time every week working with all that energy in a positive way, and dogs generally love it. Learning to control the chaos is the most effective method.
Good luck!
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10/12/08 01:04am
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#1882079
Inuit
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Message To: Dragongirl6 In reference to Message Id: 1879199
German shepherd question
i had gsds when i lived in london and have got a red sable pup. i think they’re brilliant dogs.one of mine was nervous aggressive due to be being beaten as a puppy by her previous owner. they are sensitve dogs and need early careful socialisation or they can grow up fearful. large breed dogs take longer to mature than small breeds. my NI is a prime example, at 16 months she’s a big dog but still a puppy. she’s extremely well behaved and very well trained but i do treat like a puppy still as she still is in her head. most gsds like my NI still have nonsense in their head at that age. they need a firm owner or they walk all over you lol
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10/16/08 06:12pm
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#1883983
Rae rae
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Message To: Inuit In reference to Message Id: 1882079
German shepherd question
just wanted to brag on my germ shep today!!!! this morning i let my three dogs outside to go potty. i left them out there for about an hour. when i went back to let them back inside, i realized my gate was open. someone probably opened it last night in hopes of letting the dogs out to make it easier to break in!!!! that’s scary, but anyway... two of my dogs were gone!! they came back when we called them. but my germ shep gunner was still there he never left the yard. so as a reward (and i need exercise myself) i took him for a walk. i had him in a heel for the entire walk. we then strolled up into a pack of wild stray dogs. two of these dogs charged at us with their hair standing up growling and snarling. gunner went to turn around to go after them and i told him "no" and then put him back into his heel and he listened perfectly!!! we both walked calmly out of the angry pack and gunner couldn’t have been more perfect!! just thought i’d let you know there is hope for all dogs, no matter what the breed. 
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10/20/08 12:22am
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#1883989
Mk17rules
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Message To: Dericka In reference to Message Id: 1871341
German shepherd question
My friend just barley found a german shepherd /lab mix and she is extreamly hyper she will fun and play for like two days straight lol. so ya he is still very young so give him time i have a almost 12 german shepherd and when she was about four she was so hyper that it wasn’t even funny lol. But good luck with him he’s a beautiful german shepherd!
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10/20/08 12:28am
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#1885194
Mc.Ragons
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Message To: Mk17rules In reference to Message Id: 1883989
 German shepherd question
Well in my experience of having GSDs my whole life....they never calm down until they get hip displasia. You do know thast it is a common problem for GSDs to get it and if yours is 100lbs already then he is still not done growing! they dont really stop growing until they are about 2 years. Our last one, Strider was super hyper from when he was a puppy until he died at age 8 and 110lbs. the reason for his death is that he was obsessed with chasing his tail and after he ate a large dinner, he went out and chased his tail. his stomach got bloated and twisted and it just killed him during the night. =[
so make sure that your puppy doesnt eat and then play right after. purina large breed is great! moisten it a little bit so it doesnt expand in his tummy and give him bloat.
our puppy right now Rambo is 9 months. he is just FULL of energy. awe also have a VERY old black lab who is 14 right now. Rambo wanted to play with him and he got so excited that he knocked the old dog over and knocked him out! hes ok now though...still kickin!!
even at this age he is protective of everythingand it will only increase as he gets older. and he gets into mischief a lot. try and get your puppy into at least a basic obedience class...it helps a lot! it will make it easier to control your huge puppy.
rambo is also having problems with the "growing pains". he will grow out of it eventually.
it sounds like you know what you are doing with your GSD. they are great dogs and i could NEVER own a different breed.
here are a few pics for you to enjoy =]
the day we got him at 3 months old
4months
6months
most recent
--Taegan (matts girlfriend) and Matt
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10/21/08 09:57pm
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