New puppy - now or September?

[bella29]

Am adding to my brood - 11 yr old mongrel and one year old lab Also 2 dc (5 and 7) plus DH.

Have been stalking liaising with a good breeder for my new pup and I now have a choice: a litter ready now, or one in September.

Very very teeny tiny chance we'll go away for a week in summer, but quite unlikely. Otherwise, no real fixtures/events to work around, and no real change in my routine between term time and schoo holidays.

Please vote for May puppy or September...

TIA

Bella

quite all right bella-i saw a burmeses one in the street and fell in love with it

db actually wanted burmeses/long haired and mb said no way - too much hair moulting

did test - seemed to get a lot of 7/10's

bernese, sweetie, like Berne, the place in Switzerland.

Unless you know of some strange exotic Swiss mountain dog I haven't heard of?!

It is an interesting test isn't it? I know what you mean, KC, about the laddishness but I think that levels off, once puberty has been and gone

Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT) is under resources too, I think. Very complicated though and involves checking puppy's heart rate

I did find it in the end Bella, it is interesting although, I guess aimed at pups of 8/10 weeks ish?

I did run through on what I thought his responses would have been then (we did do pleanty of lift, hold and what have you) and came up with the result I expected, a few 1s loads of 2s and a few 3s - not ideal but then the person who selected the puppy in the first place thought it was cute that this one wouldn't let any of the other dogs eat the food - even when he had finished and thought Aww isn't it lovely that he has come up straight away and started biting our toes...

I just hope I know enough to make sure he does not grow up to fulfill the potential he has to be a difficult and dominant dog. TBH I am more than a little nervous that I will get it wrong and I sooo want to get it right as he is a proper little character!

Nah, you'll be fine, KC! You've had one before and presumably you'll be doing classes to get him well socialised.

IME yes, their puppy personality determines a lot about what they turn into but I think the owner and training methods are a very big factor too.

Just promise me you won't do Cesar Millan on him

Lol - I am not sure, I think I would look pretty good with bottox, orange skin and shiney white teeth

He is well socialised - in fact he is probably the most socialised puppy you will have met of his age. Our last one was not (I didn't train her ) and it made life a nightmare, she could never go off the lead and so on, attacked other every other bitch. He was off the lead and out with other (vaccinated) dogs as soon as he had his first injections. His recall is fab already - although I am certain his hormones may lead him to test that soon!

My method of training is simple, food, firmness and consistency pretty much sums it up - oh and plenty of contact with other well trained dogs - there is nothing to teach recall quite like a big brother who does it without question

So quit worrying then!

I will have to because I am also worrying that worrying is making me uptight which affects the way I behave with him - which may cause problems on its own... See - bonkers that's me

Yup, you're bonkers.

If it really is affecting you though might it be worth getting a good behaviourist in on a one-off basis if only to reassure you that you are not messing him up (as I am sure you are not)? Bit like babies when it was sometimes just nice to get a bit of reassurance

Didn't realise though - you still have an adult GSD? And you got another?

Makes me look positively restrained

Blondie - you just knew I'd google Burmese mountain dogs to be sure, didn't you?

here

I want one!

BELLA im blonde - what did you expect with my spelling

how cute and fluffy and furry puppy am i?

but i grow in to this furry monster

pmsl at first pic of puppy

Still want one of those Burmese skunk-chasing tree-climbing ones though

No Bella a close friend has a nearly adult GSD so we spend time with him most days, he does come to our house occasionally and it takes about 3 seconds to convince me that having two at once is something I would never want to do
My other GSD was years ago, of course she is sadly missed but she was a real nightmare

Blonde, that first picture is hilarious! They ar rather special! What are they like temprament wise? I suspect they make calm adults and nutty pups?

he is a loving dappy mutt puppy

very faithful, a bit too loving sometimes -if i dont shut the loo door, he will follow me and lay his slobbery mouth on my bare knee

and gaze into my eyes

he tries to get on sofa in evening and cuddle squash me

he drove me insane in the beginning with his eeing everywhere ( bella was my saviour) as well as sorting out 3mth baby, 2.11 and 5yr old

but now i do love him - though just sometimes i wish he wouldnt follow me everywhere

hes a great guard dog, barks at postie/delivery men that falls to fall and gets tummy tiggled

he is massive but scared of hooover - pmsl

Mine spent 20 minutes working up the courage to go near a cuddly toy yesterday
In fairness it did have a noise box thing (a quiet one) that was stuck on but it was very funny - eventually he got up the courage to grab its tail and shake it, sadly he accidently flipped it up in the air - and it landed on him... cue large puppy trying to hide in small gap under sofa

It is ok now though, he has mastered the cuddly toy and even disabled the noise box

aww bless him king