VERY IMPORTANT: Puppy Parvo; Puppy Mouthing; Puppy Socializing; Shipping and Other Info 3 06 When people come to pick up their new puppy I had been giving what I call the 'Parvo lecture'. In efforts to try to save some time I have decided to print out this info and send to people prior to their coming to get their puppy. Puppies are NOT covered in the guarantee against Parvo or other 'contagious diseases' if it was not acquired at the Breeders residence. Parvo is a disease that puppies and unvaccinated dogs can acquire. When you come to pick up your puppy you will be required to step the bottom of your shoes in a bucket of bleachwater and may be asked to wash your hands. When I take puppies to the vet for their I place them on top of their crate or I wipe the table w/a Clorox wipe if I dont see the vet or vet assistant wipe the table. Puppies are NOT fully protected against this disease until they have received the FULL series of Parvo vaccinationsat about 16 weeks of age. I advise puppy purchasers NOT to stop on their way home for 'potty breaks'. It is safer for puppy to 'go' in his/her crate or on newspapers or on a blanket (BRING W/YOU) in the car- if he/she has to go. Do NOT stop at roadside rest stops where it says 'walk your dog here' or even on either side of those areas since that is where a lot of dogs would have been. If you feel you must stop anyway-even though I advise not to- puppy can be put down outside on newspapers or try to find an area where you' think' doesn't look to be very frequented by dogs-which you really cant tell. Try to keep your puppy mostly at home till they have received their 12 week vaccine and then discuss with your veterinarian about taking puppy out at that time which would still be prior to them receiving their 16 week vaccine. Most people tell me that their vets say at that time-12 weeks- that puppies should be fine to take places. I myself would still not take puppy to any places where MANY dogs or people frequent - Example: Pet stores, dog parks/shows, the fair or the mall, etc. till after their 16 week vaccine. I do take mine out after their 12 week shot as they need to be socialized be the time they are 16 weeks old. Public places should be fine at that time just not places where there has been high dog/people traffic. Prior to the full series they can and most do enjoy going for rides in the car. The DILEMMA here as far as the shots are concerned is that puppies need to be socialized by the time they are 16 weeks old. They can be socialized to a lot while they are at home - Example: your family, friends, and children coming to your home, vacuums and other sounds/noises, different floor materials. etc. Then they can be exposed to MUCH MORE from the 12 to 16 week period like: meeting 'strangers', meeting other dogs and animals, new areas and situations. If you have a training question/problem: Best to ask after the FIRST occurrence rather that letting the behavior go uncorrected and being reinforced. Much more difficult to undo at a later date- if possible to undo at all! Please ask Breeder of your puppy or your veterinarian if you have other questions. SOCIALIZING: PLEASE READ about socializing your pup on this page on our site http://longcoatgermanshepherds.homestead.com/LongcoatGermanShepherdslinks.html SHIPPING: *Please do us the courtesy and call us after your puppy has arrived and you return home from the airport. Thank you. *The AKC registration and shot record are attached to the top of the crate in the Puppy Pack. If you inadvertently throw out the registration you will have to pay $15 for us to reapply to the AKC for a copy.(AKC fee) Here is some info about your trip home from the airport you may want to know. People tell me that puppies are usually standing at the crate door wagging their tails when they see their new owners there to pick them up. *Bring with you to the airport some WATER for puppy. I freeze their water trays but it doesnt last the whole trip. They will be thirsty. (and hungry - if you have along trip home from the airport.) Puppies have been bathed, nails clipped, ears cleaned. Puppies are shipped on thick news papers w/their toy and water(ice) in the crate. If they arrive in any other condition or with a blanket -They may have had an potty accident. The airlines are to change the papers if the Pup has had an accident before transporting Puppy to the connecting flight. In case of the RARE instance where puppy has had an accident in the crate you will want to bring w/you a large DAMPENED TOWEL and a LARGE DRY TOWEL- so you will be able to give puppy a BIG hug anyway! and then clean him/her up a bit. I find that putting the towel in the washer w/a bit of water and a very small amountof vinegar then spinning it out makes it damp w/out being too wet. Then put the damp towel in a plastic bag. Bring to the airport some CLEANER SPRAY and PAPER TOWELS in case you need to wipe out the crate and POTTY TRAING PADS or NEWSPAPERS for putting back in the crate. Then have a safe trip home and enjoyyour puppy! MORE info below..... We mark on the top of the crate w/permanent marker the airport destination so it is plain for the airport staff to see where Puppy is going to. We also write on the handle of their Nylabone, where they do not chew.(Somedisappear) Scrub off the Nylabone w/Comet after Puppy arrives. You may do the crate as well if you like. ***PUPPY MOUTHING and Other Info: Do not allow puppy to do puppy mouthing/biting behaviors. An older, bigger dog has a bigger bite! Giving a 'scruff shake' works or a collar correction if your puppy has a 'training tab' on his collar. When the correction is the right hardness for your puppy/dog the behavior will stop. Always start at fairly easy correction and then increasethe level till you find what works for your puppy/dog. If puppy gives a little yelp the point was gotten across. You need to let Puppy know that mouthing is not acceptable behavior. Loudly saying no only stops the behaviorat the moment will not work to stop her from doing it again. She needs to have a consequence attached with when you say 'No'. Can be scruff tug, spray bottle(with 1/3 yellow listerine, 2/3's water),etc. (Same for chewing furniture.) The scruff shake or better- the 'scruff pinch pull tug'- just grabbing a small piece of hair and giving a quick tug. If she gives a little yelp-you know you got her attention! but not absoutely necessary! but she will surely be more likely to remember the next time! When the correction is at the right level for the individual pup/dog- the behavior WILL stop!(This is for later training as well) It is very important as she may not out grow this behavior and when she gets bigger- the bite just gets harder. It also is a dominant over you behavior. She knows you don't want her to do it but she is does it again anyway. So she gets away with it. She needs to know you are the one in charge, Alpha, and that she must do as you say. NOT even a single tooth should not touch your skin! (must be consistent-every time) She really will stop very quickly after a few tugs at the right level of correction for your pup! It is not meant to injure the puppy! LOL! Just firm enough to get her attention. Of course you always start with a soft or medium correction. If that doesn't work - then you just increase it till you find what works for her. She wont come right back to bite again-... for awhile! After she get a few corrections- then she will remember! Gently restrain puppy when you are correcting her. If you correct and let puppy run away, puppy will learn to do what I call the 'drive bys'! Must praise as well after the small correction and offering your hand again if she 'leaves it'. Important to not let Puppy 'run' from you when you do this as then she will learn to do what I call the 'drive by',' hit and run' mouthing game! Gently keep him with you for a few seconds to see if he is going to mouth again and if he is you go through the process again. You should offer your hand or pant leg, move it around with no words and if Puppy does it again you repeat the process with 'No!' 'Give kisses!' and when he does lick or even looks away then you can say 'Good boy! Good kisses!' and his release command 'Your free!' 2 or 3 times right in a rowis a good learning lesson. FROM LEERBERG SITE....http://leerburg.com/articles.htm "QUESTION:Our puppy is very, very mouthy. It grabs my kids, my arms, my pants. What should I do to stop this? ANSWER: Many puppies younger than 4 or 5 months (especially in working breeds) are very mouthy. They bite pant legs, arms, rags, kids, etc. They are not doing this because they are mean. The fact is that 99.9% of them probably have a pretty sound temperament. When a pup does this it is displaying prey drive. If you would like to read more about prey drive go to the articles I have written on my web site on the Drives of Protection Training. Even if you have no interest in protection training you will learn what prey drive is from this article. This mouthyness goes away on its own("usually...not always!"- Sandy) when most dogs are 4 to 5 months old. But if you have a little 10 week old alligator that can seem like an eternity. Puppies can be taught not to bite the handler or family members by simply saying "NO, or PHOOIE" and then grabbing them by the scruff of the neck and shaking them. You usually have to shake them until they scream. Often a light shake only makes them think you are playing with them and they growl and try to grab you. So if this happens you are not being forceful enough. It normally only takes 3 to 5 times of doing this properly to teach the pup that when you say "NO, or PHOOIE" it means stop biting. Doing this also helps establish yourself as the pack leader. Dogs are instinctual pack animals. By using your head and a very limited amount of force or pressure you become the unquestionablepack leader. This helps control any later dominance problems with the dog." ****IF YOUR PUPPY GOES THRU- the commonly known as - 'FEAR PERIOD'(around 3 1/2 -5 months and then again around to 9 months-1 year) - Do not allow puppy to show aggression- ever! example: barking at strangers, other dogs, bikes, cars, etc. Do not pet or console and say 'its okay'. (that would actually reward/reinforce his inappropriate behavior) ONE EXAMPLE: Puppy would need to be told to sit and then to "make friends", corrected if gets up from the sit or barking again. Also told 'No quiet!' or 'enough!' PRAISE when 'making friends'. (If puppy doesnt know 'sit' command you will just have to correct for the barking. Do not let him avoid the situation. 0 tolerance for aggression. If it is possible, tell the 'strangers ' that you are socializing your puppy and ask them if they will 'pet/hold' your Puppy- not just hand him a treat- tho them giving him a treat too is fine. When puppies go through the fear stage and the 'issue' (whatever the issue is) is worked through the proper way, they gain confidence. If a puppy goes though the fear stage and isnt corrected properly -and shown how to 'make friends' puppy will continue to be this way. And behaviors intensify as they get older and get much harder to correct if they can be corrected at all! That is why I explain to all that if their Puppy goes thru that stage which many puppies of all breeds do- that is extremely important for puppy owners to learn all they can about 'proper socialization' and to have the puppy enrolled with a good dog trainer. People who come to our home see how friendly our dogs are and we just want every ones pups to be a joy to have around too! That is why we give all the info about the importance of continuation of socializing from 2 - 4 months old - and after that as well. And ALSO do NOT allow puppy, to show aggression in the 'fear period'(around 3 -5 mo.and then again around to 9 months-1 year) - example: barking at strangers or other dogs. Do NOT pet or console and say 'its okay'. (that would actually reward his inappropriate behavior) ONE EXAMPLE: Puppy would need to be told to sit and then to "make friends", corrected if gets up from the sit or barking again -PRAISE when 'making friends'. (If puppy doesnt know 'sit' command you will just have to correct for the barking, dont let him avoid the situation, tell him to 'make friends', PRAISE when 'making friends') When puppies go through the fear stage and the 'issue' is worked through the proper way they gain confidence. The 2 above mentioned behaviors are normal puppy behaviors but reasons for ALL puppy owners to be enrolled in puppy kindergarten classes to help them to understanding their pets behaviors and to learn about training them. Always be FIRM and CONSISTENT w/your new pup/dog as they need to know YOU are the one in charge - NOT them. If you are not in charge- they will be! Like children - they seem to be happiest knowing their limits and what is expected of them. Of course you may call your Breeder for help as well but classes are best for socializing and obedience training. A well mannered dog is a joy to be around. Dog Training Classes: MAKE SURE the trainer is experienced w/German Shepherds and uses collar corrections and praise. Not - treat training, halti's, harnesses, etc. Training Tab: For doing collar corrections when your puppy/dog does not have a leash on. You can make a training tab for your puppy/dog by buying an inexpensive nylon leash. Attach it to your puppy/dogs collar and cut it off where it is long enough for your hand to grab a hold of it with about and inch remaining below your hand. Take tab off when puppy/dog is unsupervised or in the crate or in a pen. A FEW of the RULES OF USING A CRATE: VERY IMPORTANT: If you can not actually keep your eyes on your pup he needs, to be in his crate. (And especially for housebreaking) His collar should be removed when he is in his crate for safety reasons. Do not put his crate where he is isolated from you. Dogs are pack animals and you are his pack. At night his crate should be in your bedroom with you. Never use his crate as punishment. It should be a positive place for him. Your puppy may cry, whine, howl, or bark at first. This is normal puppy behavior and should stop in a few days once he gets used to it. PUPPY FOOD: We feed our puppies INNNOVA ADULT dog food as we have found this to be the healthiest. Puppy should be on a QUALITY 'meat' - NO by products-based dog food. In the contract new puppy owners have agreed to put Puppy on 'Large Breed' dog food at 3-6 months old. Purchaser should contact Breeder by 3 months of age to inquire about when their Puppy should start the "Large Breed'(for their hips)dog food...or anytime prior to 3 months.Too early can cause the pup to be underweight as it has less calories, fat and protein. Great Books: Understanding the Dogs Mind by Bruce Fogle DMV Books by: Cesar Millan, Mathew Margolis, The Monks of New Skete, Expert Obedience Training by Winifred Strickland, Food Pets Die For by Ann Martin Great Link w/A LOT of Info: http://www.leerburg.com/articles.htm Contact Breeder about any concerns you may have. On occasion a vet, like doctors or all humans, may make a mistake and we can offer to contact 1 of our vets for another opinion.While most Veterinarians are useful in many areas of a dogs life, the Breeders are the ones who have been there when it comes to the development of this specific breed. The German Shepherd Dog is unique, and as such, has unique growth patterns and health and training issues that many Vets are not familiar with observing. Breeder strongly urges Purchaser to keep in touch with Breeder regarding the growth and development of their Puppy. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. 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