Oh the noise!

[norm258]

My little puppy ain't so little anymore! 6 months old and as big as my daughter's full grown chocolate lab!

Enjoy the pictures

[Frenchy]

He's only 6 months old ?? he's going to be a monster

[norm258]

SHE is!! LOL And I thought females are suppose to be smaller!! hehe

[Melinda]

oh she is gorgeous!!

[hazelrunpack]

She's beautiful, norm! I love the chin pillow shot!

[Dee-O-Gee]

What a beautiful girl...Love the pointed ear shot!

Excuse me if I've missed this on another post/thread but what is the little 's name?

[Goldfields]

She does look as if she wants to blot it all out in that first shot. A bit like me in the mornings when all the shelties make a lot of noise barking. LOL.
What a beautiful Shepherd she is. There was a black one at a racing stables I worked at long ago, so I have first hand knowledge of how smart they are. My sister's had a couple too. Beauty and brains makes them hard to resist and I was toying with one as the next personal guard dog here after I lose my cattle dogs(14 years old this year) but it is the size that's the problem. Do you find they co-operate in the house and give you room to move?

[norm258]

Her name is Trixie

GSD's are fantastic companion dogs but you have to train them and teach them where they can be. I'm lucky I work from home so spend all day with my girl - she's in fact in my office behind me right now lying on a blankey I put out for her. She rarely wanders far from me and wants to be at my side all the time.

This can be good and bad. She does suffer some separation anxiety specifically with me - no one else in the house. I'm leaving for Las Vegas on the 1st for a 6 day vacation so there will be some separation anxiety for both of us that week!

She will be a working dog. At what I don't know yet Regardless I have been training obedience since day 1. She attended 'Puppy Kindergarten' and is socialized every chance I get with both people and other dogs. At about 8 months is when they become protective about their masters so I want to make sure she understands that I decide who she protects me from

I've thought about Schutzhund training but we don't have a big group here in Ottawa that trains in this. I was doing tracking for possible search and rescue work with Hunter, my previous GSD, but not sure if thats what Trixie is suited for yet. So all that to say ... I'll have to see what her talents are

Norm

[Goldfields]

Norm, I love the way they show where their loyalties are. The black one I knew was a male and a wonderful companion and guard when my employees left me in charge at the racing stable , staying in their home. However, same dog showed that my boss's wife was his person one day when she came home, tired from strapping horses at the races and , sitting on a bar stool, asked me could I help get her long riding boots off. The first time I took hold of a boot Cassius pushed in between us and stared me in the face. We laughed and agreed we'd see how far he'd go. The second time he jumped up with a foot on each of my shoulders, and the third time he gently took hold of my wrist. She sent him off then to fetch his ball while I quickly pulled the boots off.

Does Trixie vocalise when she's suffering the separation anxiety? The noises (heart rending)only a Shepherd seems able to make are something I'd find hard to get used to. Cattle dogs, or decent ones anyway, are usually a fairly silent dog. My sisters two shepherds both did tracking. The first was a TDX , no tracking Ch's back then, and I think her current one is a tracking ch. She thinks the world of the breed and although she keeps saying she won't get another, I'll bet she does. Good luck with Trixie whatever you decide she is suited to. Your reunion when you return from holidays would be something to see. Oh, I guess my male cattle dog suffers separation anxiety too in that if I'm away he just won't eat. His sire was like that too - sort of ties you down for 14 years or more.

[.unknown.]

I totally have a soft spot for GSDs. She is beautiful!

[BrownEyedGirl]

She is so pretty!!!

[babymomma]

Is she a working bred dog? If there arent many dogs in her pedigree that arent good at shutz, or if she is from a "show" breeder, chances of her (him?) having the drive to do shutz is pretty slim.. Unfortunatly, the proper drive for things like shutz isnt being upheld in the breed by SOO many breeders.. Its rather sad really.

[norm258]

Well her dam and sire do not have Schutzhund but every dog after that does as they come from Germany. German GSD's must have a Schutzhund title in order to be permitted to breed.

These are some of the things I need to see if she has the drive to do schutzhund. At 6 months I'm very very impressed on how good she is at obedience already!

For those interested, my blog for training and such is here: http://drunkendogcafe.blogspot.com/ there is also a link to her pedigree from there.

Norm

[Goldfields]

Norm, I mentioned Schutzhund to my sister, knowing our Canine Council disaproves of it, and she said it was actually the Schutzhund style of tracking she uses when training her shelties and Shepherds. It's very sucessful seeing most of her dogs have tracking titles.

[Chaser]

She is gorgeous!!!

[Tundra_Queen]

She is so pretty!