Koch, a German Shepherd Dog

Koch's toys

I know it's been ages! Koch is almost 11 months old :) And it's taken almost 9 months to figure out what toys she likes and what toys she doesn't care for (in general, balls) and what toys she'll be able to destroy in under ten minutes (anything with fuzz/fur/stuffing like stuffed animals and unfortunately certain Nylabones). So I wanted to let owners of dogs with destructible habits know which toys have stood the test of time. (Most of these goodies can be found on Amazon.com for reasonable prices and free shipping on orders over $25.) I'll also share some of her favorite treats (of varying reward levels). Here goes!

Treats!

Super high lever reward: BULLY STICKS!!!

High level reward: Duck fillets (by the Best Bully Sticks company), Dogswell Veggie Life Vitality Chicken and Apple and Dogswell Happy Hips Beef Liver Jerky

Medium level reward: Peanut Butter Molasses Soft Training Treats (by Leerburg), Dogswell Vitality Chicken Breast strips and  Zuke's Mini Naturals - Chicken flavor (also available in peanut butter and salmon flavors)

TOYS!


* Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball (large size, Koch LOVESSS this one! She also likes the similar Atomic Treat Ball.)
* Bob-a-lot (by Starmark... again, Koch adores this toy!)
* Orbee Toys!!! (they all have a great minty smell and various sizes of the toys for different sizes of dogs): Tuff Orbee Bone (we have medium and large), Tuff Orbee (globe ball), (we have a smaller one on a rope too) and Tuff Cosmos (we have "Luna")
* Deep Freeze Arctic Bone (by Dogzilla, we have x-large and medium! they also make a popsicle shape. Koch gets so excited when these come out of the freezer!)
* JW Pet Toys: Ruffians Chicken (lots of other shapes/animals... fun if you don't mind the squeak!) and Sphericon Rubber Dog Chew Toy (8", we also have it in 5")
* Busy Buddy toys (all purple): Tug-a-Jug (medium/large size. It's so much fun, but sometimes Koch gets out of control and we're afraid she'll swing it into the tv so we have to take it away!) and Twist and Treat (large)
* Jolly Pet Teaser Ball (we have this in a large and small size- a bit pricey but definitely worth it... Koch likes to play with the two at the same time!!)
* Crazy Pet Bumble Ball (Koch went crazy for this when we first got her... so much fun to watch her try to figure it out for the first time!)
* Nobbly Wobbly ball (without the bell)
* Multipets Nuts for Knots (very durable. Koch likes the brand's Boingo Ball too, also in various sizes.)
* Buster Food Cube
* Meteorlight Ball (fun in the dark!)
* Nylabone: Gumabone (liver scented), Wishbone (not the gummy kind), Souper (chicken scented, also available in gummy) and Rhino 
* Extreme Kong (extra large, black... Koch likes ALL kongs, especially filled with peanut butter or cream cheese and treats!!)

Labels: dog toys, dog treats, training

posted by Lizasan at 6:45 PM 1 Comments

Over 7 months old!!!

We can't believe how quickly the past 5 months have gone with Koch! And she's huge! Just over 65lb and still growing noticeably every week. She's starting to get a bit taller and her body is already very long (as are her legs). Her head is slowly catching up to her ears in size and her coloring is getting significantly lighter and redder in some places. She's a beaut!

But we can't forget, she's still a puppy! While she's learning to master tricks like "roll left" and "roll right," there's still a spill or something in her mouth that shouldn't be every once in a while. There's still fussing when we clean her ears or brush her (and when the vacuum monster comes out of its closet lair). And she's a barker! We are working very hard at teaching her "quiet" and working on getting her used to the vacuum. She still lunges a lot on the leash but Harold's been great at working on training while taking her on walks. "Walk with me" is our code for "heel" and she's getting much better at walking by our side when we shorten her leash.

Everything takes practice and definitely patience. And we are so proud when she gets excited when we get out the clicker for training time or when she smells her high-reward treats in our pockets or hands. Frozen turkey liver pieces and dehydrated chicken are her new favorites. And I just bought a food dehydrator to make her treats ourselves, which will definitely save us money (most treats we get are $6 a bag and last us two weeks on average).

Koch got spayed last week and I have to say, she did very well! It was hilarious (and also kind of pathetic!) to watch her coming down from the anesthesia and on her pain medicine. Her protective plastic collar didn't last very long though! On day 5, we left her in her crate for probably 5 hours only to come home to it in a bunch of pieces. Silly girl. She chewed a bit on her sutures but luckily they didn't get too infected. Instead of letting her go through one heat, Harold decided to just get it out of the way. Too bad we missed our chance to buy her a stylish doggie bikini/diaper! We're still trying to not exercise her too much but hopefully next week, we'll get back outside with her for frisbee, fetch and training.

As for independence, we're still working on encouraging Koch to enjoy her toys peacefully. No more new toys for a while. We're trying to encourage her to enjoy her old toys by spacing out how often she gets to play with them. She definitely still prefers some to others and gets more excited over some than others. She loves her squeaky toys and anything cold like ice cubes or her icebone. She still finds ways to exert herself like spazzing around the apartment, running back and forth from one room to another and hopping on and off the couches, sometimes taking a quick break for a sip of water or even knocking over her water bowl completely in excitement. It still cracks us up! But we try to discourage the spazzes after she eats or right before she eats meals.

Recently, we drove down to Myrtle Beach to meet a new friend, Cooper, a Goldendoodle who's a month younger than Koch. They bonded instantly and fought playfully over the bully sticks we brought. Definitely, the highlight of the trip was Koch's first time in the ocean! She loved jumping through the small waves and getting soaked! We love seeing her personality grow stronger and play postively with other dogs and new people. Little things like the way she turns her ears and twitches her eyebrows and lips make us so happy. Seeing her be calm and quiet (in or out of her crate) makes us realize that she is truly starting to mature. Of course she has to get through her adolescent phase first though!!

Overall, we're very happy it's almost summer and the weather is nice. Sometime this summer, we plan on taking Koch to some basic training classes to master some more tricks and for further socialization. And probably by the end of the summer months, we will have started Schutzhund training. I know the three of us will have a great time and create even more precious memories. It's hard to imagine our home life and weekends without having a puppy around. Our lives are full of surprises and smiles. We've had so many great times so far and every day is a joy to be with our pup!

Labels: frisbee, koch, mature, spay, summer, training

posted by Lizasan at 1:13 PM 0 Comments

Do dogs pant when they are happy?

While I am certainly far from an expert on dog's behavior, this has been one of my biggest questions - what types of panting do dogs have.

I certainly have noticed Koch "happy panting" at night (and other times) when we go "cuddle" next to her. She will lay on her own couch (yes, she has her own couch) and just lay here (typically chewing her bully stick).

One of us may go over and sit with her on the couch, almost instantly her fat tongue will fall out of her pretty mouth and she will start panting away. I truly believe this is an indication of her being "happy." She will wag her tail a bit, but overall she will pant and "smile" a bit.

A link was given to me on another board about a rescue that would play panting recorded when dog's greeted someone at the door of a house. It would instantly calm the entire collection of dogs at the rescue - here is the link.

So, if you are like me, think your dog is extremely happy when it is panting like crazy for no reason when you get close to it. It is EXCITED to be near you! Note your dogs behavior, we sure have!

Labels: puppy

posted by Smith at 10:40 PM 0 Comments

Long leashes, more fun!

A few weeks ago I took the plunge and decided to get a longer leash for Koch to play - our retractable 16 foot leash was nice, but that has some severe limitations.

I talked with someone who has a 150 foot leash and became envious - I wanted one for myself.

I searched the web high and low for one, still couldn't find one. So, I ended up buying three 30 foot sections and tying them together - while it isn't quite 150 feet, 90 works for now.

If I had to do it all over again, I believe I would have gone to Home Depot and gotten 150 feet of quality rope from them, a nice snap on the end, and a good loop on the other end. Maybe I still will (the 30 foot sections were $20-25 a piece!).

But, there are a few "gotchas" to this though...

Biggest PERSONAL gotcha - rope burn. Koch started to dash in the opposite direction from me when she was about 40 feet out, I tried to slow her down by grabbing the leash and that did HURT like no other. Two weeks later I still have a scar. I would suggest stepping on the leash or getting a pair of leather golfing gloves so you can manage the long lead.

Stepping on the leash CAN have some issues though, if your dog is sprinting away at a fast speed, you stomp on the leash, you could do some damage when they hit the end - so be careful. I fear this is how I hurt Koch's leg in the post below!

The leash gets pretty tangled the first time you get it out, I suggest detangling BEFORE you head out to play. Once you get your "spot" to play on, I suggest "snaking" out the leash. What I mean by this is basically lay the leash on the ground and let it out, but don't let it overlap. This way the dog can run around and you don't need to worry about holding on to the leash the entire time.

There is very little chance the leash will get tangled once it is all on the ground (at least in my experience). If your dog starts to run and won't heed the recall command, it is quite easy to get them to stop by grabbing or stepping on the leash on the ground.

The long leash is just great. I use it to train her with recall and playing fetch. It is astounding for recall, just simply because it is so long and has so much slack you can just walk away from your dog and let them goof around doing whatever, then call them when necessary.

Fetch is the same way, you have little to worry with the longer leash. Now, you still need to keep the watchful eye on your dog. I like to take Koch to parks out where there aren't a whole lot of people for recall - but enough distractions so she can learn WITH distraction.

Labels: german shepherd dog, play, positive training

posted by Smith at 4:18 PM 1 Comments

Hurt legs, things to watch out for

Last Friday, Koch had an accident somehow while we were out playing and hurt her leg. We played for about an hour, towards the end I noticed her limping a little bit and quickly ended play time.

I figure it was a stretching problem (too much running too quick and no warm up), she twisted it somehow, or her long leash got tied up around her leg and twisted it somehow.

Either way, she was hurt - and of course I was worried. It wasn't as bad as when she got a cut on her pad, she would put weight on it this time, just not a lot (the other leg was more "flat" - she wasn't keeping the injured one level. I took her back home and did some "feeling" around the leg to see if she reacted (to gauge the level of "hurt" she felt) - she didn't wince at anything, so I wasn't all too worried. (Pano can be a "pain" thing - the dog will wince).

So, we rested her up for a week and we plan to let her go outside and play again starting next Monday (will be 10-11 days of "rest") - boy is it hard to keep a rambunctious German Shepherd Dog STILL for a week!

She will run inside our apartment back and forth - we try our best to keep her from doing so, but it isn't the easiest thing. I tried to catch her once when she was sprinting back and forth and I was unable to accomplish that feat.

Labels: german shepherd dog, puppy, training

posted by Smith at 4:10 PM 1 Comments

Eager Beaver (dog)!

Oh joy, oh joy! Koch is one ball of friendly fun energy! Coming home to play with her during lunch and after work is a pleasure. And her morning greetings simply make my day! The first two months were not easy, but all of Koch’s growth and maturity in the past few weeks almost makes me forget about the hard times. A couple weeks ago she was so excited to see me, she couldn’t eat her dinner! We make sure now that she has ample time to hang out with us before she chows down. And she is SO much better about going in her crate. That’s Harold’s favorite thing he taught her so far. Mine is “kisses” (except after a good bully stick munching session).

This past weekend, we took Koch to six different pet shops in our area (three in McLean/Vienna, three in Arlington). My personal favorite was Wylie Wagg (www.wyliewagg.com) where Harold bought Koch a marrow filled bone to gnaw on. SHE LOVES IT! And I mean looooooooooves it… the only thing is, she has trouble keeping it on a blood-safe blanket. Gonna have to invest in some Arm & Hammer carpet cleaner. I’m sure Harold will describe the teething process in greater detail but Koch has lost a lot of her baby teeth recently, especially chewing all her goodies. We try to rub her jaws frequently to ease some of her discomfort.

With all of our new treats for Koch, we’ve been trying to spend more time training her. Two commands she’s doing well learning are “couch” and “off” (or basically get on the couch and get off the couch). Harold is working on fetch with her when they go to the park in the afternoon (well, he calls it "go get it" and "bring it to me;" even thought we're trying to use one syllable commands, he just says them quickly! "bringittome!"). He uses an 100 foot leash so she can run as far as she wants (he combined three 30 ft. leashes to make the long one; actually he wants to get two more now!). Mainly, the leash serves as a great way to work on “come;” we just have to watch out for leash burns!!

Koch’s still doing great on car rides. We’ve had to start teaching her “back” when she pokes her head too far up front. She loves looking out the window. Unfortunately, Koch has developed a recent bad habit of barking and lurching at cars (even when she’s inside the car!). We’re trying to nip this in the bud ASAP! Harold invested in a pair of dog boots to protect Koch’s paws and paw pads when we go to parks that have rougher than average terrain. I can’t wait to see her in them! (A week or two ago, Koch cut one of her paw pads while we were walking on a rough trail, which made us a little nervous.)

I’m still working on “roll left” and “roll right” and hope to start on “shake” soon. We are also working on “quiet” and “speak,” especially when she goes out to potty because she tends to bark at passers by (I keep some treats in my jacket pocket just in case so I can reward her for being quiet); we think she’s asserting her dominance over the potty territory.

Koch’s real coat is spreading down her back more now, but she is still awfully soft and cuddly. She likes to rest her head (and sometimes chest) on my lap when she’s very mellow and/or wants a good rub (I’m currently studying puppy massage, more on that soon!). I also love to sit with her and stroke her when she’s really tired and about to fall asleep. She gets all warm and is very affectionate. I’m so glad she’s a cuddly dog sometimes. And that she loves us. :)

She’s getting so big that it makes us think often of how tiny she was just a few months ago. We’ll never forget these puppy moments. Looking forward to seeing where the next growth stage takes her (and us)!!

Labels: koch, leash, massage, maturity, teething, training

posted by Lizasan at 8:55 PM 1 Comments

Busy pupper!

Ok… I know, I know it’s been A MONTH since the last blog! (Thanks to anyone who noticed.) Koch is a different dog! Well mostly. She whines at the door when she has to go outside (about 9 out of 10 times, and she actually goes to the bathroom, not just out to play!) The other times she needs to go, she nips at our pants or runs hysterically around the apartment (not during her usual nightly spaz hour, I mean) or scootches her boot on the carpet- that’s a sure sign! The booty scootching doesn’t happen very often at all because we usually see the signals before it happens.

Koch is also MUCH better about enjoying her toys. Harold noted that we really don’t have to pay all of our attention to her 100% of the time anymore. She will sit with a toy she hasn’t seen in a while for about 15 minutes and much, much longer with the bully sticks. God we love those bully sticks. We try very hard to rotate her toys and not leave a lot of them on the floor so she really appreciates them as “treats.”

Koch has mastered sit and down when she gives us all of her attention. Now we just have to get her to sit and lay down from afar. Instead of “roll over” we have started teaching Koch “roll left” and “roll right” in stages. She can go from left to on her back to right (and vice versa) but not all the way over yet. Koch loves to roll around like this when she plays with her bully sticks; I’ll have to get that on video soon, it’s very cute.

She’s getting better at “come” but it definitely still needs some work. She’s also making a lot of progress with “off” and “leave it;” she’s making so much progress with all of these commands (we’re almost up to 8) that we’ll start “quiet” and “speak” soon and I can’t wait for “play dead” or maybe “bang bang.” We like using commands that aren’t the typical words such as “trade” instead of “drop.” When we want Koch to drop a toy, we offer (or “trade”) her something else like a treat or another toy or even simple praise and say “trade.”

Other events in the past month have included a few trips to the parks (LOTS of pictures to come soon, we’ve been so busy!), a trip to Maryland and a couple other road trips and a large social gathering. Koch did well with the other dogs at the parks – lots of butt sniffing and licks and not too much jumping up. Lots of barking but again, I think learning “quiet” and “speak” together will be very helpful. Harold thinks Koch might bark a lot (especially when we let her outside) because she is trying to assert her dominance over a certain territory. So we’ll try to switch where we take her to do her business every once in a while for now. She’s certainly learning her boundaries when it comes to how rough she can play with other dogs such as my parents’ small cockapoo versus Harold’s dad’s Chocolate Lab.

Other than some barking, we were VERY impressed with Koch’s behavior at a small party we had at the apartment, about 14 people. She didn’t jump at the food plates and let everyone pet her and rub her tummy with very little nipping. Of course she looked everywhere for crumbs but we did a good job cleaning up, to her dismay. Still no people food for Koch (other than her first pieces of leftover steak as a treat one night recently; oh how she savored those morsels!)

Koch has grown leaps and bounds physically and behaviorally. Sadly, Koch no longer fits on my lap in the car. She proudly sits in the backseat, calmly and quietly, with a toy or two (we’ll get her a doggie seatbelt soon!). She is about 45 pounds now and her coloring is getting lighter. She’s SO beautiful and she grows more affectionate every single day. The left ear is still a little floppy sometimes but she really looks more like a German Shepherd with her long legs and snout. We gave her a new pretty pink collar so more people will know she’s a girl (our little girl!) and a purple harness to boot.

Lastly, it’s hard to explain but Koch is really learning how to obey us. She stops in her tracks when Harold gives her “that look” when she’s naughty (I need to learn that look!) And she is learning her name and that when we call it, we’re asking for her attention. She doesn’t jump up at the baby gates much anymore because we won’t step over them until she’s calm and sitting or lying down. She doesn’t get as hyper when we take her outside because we won’t put the leash on until she’s mellow and again, sitting or lying down. But of course, she still has those nightly (and sometimes in the morning) spazzes. Luckily (since she’s learning “off”), she doesn’t hit her head on the wall above the couch that often anymore. And what’s also great is that we’ve noticed how mellow Koch gets when we really wear her out (such as two hour-long walks in one day, keeping her awake and busy playing with people or other animals for 8 hours straight or having TWO romps in the snow today!)

Will post again soon, and pictures, promise!

Labels: dog toys, koch, play, snow, socialization, training, treats, trip

posted by Lizasan at 9:18 PM 1 Comments

Happy Puppy!

So many changes since my last entry… and a very happy puppy! Her real coat is starting to come through from her spine downwards and she is very patient when Harold brushes her and I feed her constant offerings of treats. Yesterday, we gave Koch her first "bath." We let the bathwater run while Harold poured water bottles of warm water over Koch and gently shampooed her with his bare hands. We then towel dried her (as opposed to using a hair dryer) and tried to clean her ears. Unfortunately, Koch was not having this. I think after the tattoo she was a bit scared of anything near her ears. She has a vet appointment this weekend for her rabies shot and hopefully we can get the vet to show us an easier way (and also clean the last of the green tattoo ink)!

As Harold discussed in his last blog, Koch has started teething. She's lost a few so far but we have yet to find them around the apartment. We are feeding her mushy dry food (soaked in water for a few minutes). She loves it and scarfs it down like candy. Harold also bought her 12 inch bully sticks, also as good as candy! We love watching her focus on the bully stick and position it with her front paws and under the couch to get it in the best angle to gnaw on. She also continues to be indecisive in her playing positions. She loves to squirm and roll back and forth when she can't decide how she wants to lay while chewing on her yummy playthings. A couple new toys and more personal attention has her keeping busy at nighttime thankfully!

The best part of this past week has to have been the wonderful weather…60 degrees! We got to take Koch to Great Falls Park (pictures to come soon!) where she met lots of people and other pooches and had her first experience with water. She dipped at most, half her body into the river but wasn't ready to go all the way in. I think once we get in the water with her (maybe my parents' pool), she'll have more confidence to try out her doggie paddle! I can't wait! Springtime will certainly bring more outdoor adventures…

Other milestones include learning how to open the bedroom and bathroom doors. She loves to do this when she can't find one of us. Time to buy some locks! Also, we moved Koch's crate closer to us so we can see her and she can see us (when we want her too). She eats with the "curtains" closed and gets even more excited when we let her out for playtime. And like Harold depicted in his "Crate Training" spiel, we are definitely happy we have gone this route in training our pup.

Koch's unconditional love grows everyday and it really makes us feel like proud parents. We love to see her "smiling" at the park, hopping and skipping when she sees or smells something new and I personally love her licks and kisses when she greets me in the morning, afternoon and night. She's a happy puppy and we are happy owners!

Next up… to puppy training class or not to puppy training class?

Labels: crate training, doors, koch, parks, play

posted by Lizasan at 9:21 PM 0 Comments

Joys of Teething, so it begins

Koch is almost 14 weeks old now and it seems to be beginning, the teething. She hasn’t lost anything yet but it is there.

I think perhaps the biggest sign was she got really weird about eating her food lately. She wasn’t eating in the morning and she wasn’t all that interested at night. We managed to get her to eat all her food by doing training and using that as a reward, but we want her to eat her food in her crate. This can be a sign that something was wrong, but she was drinking water, wasn’t vomiting, and her BM’s were fine.

So, we were really at a loss of what to get her to do. I asked around and got some advice. Some advised to mix some other things in with her food like chicken. Others suggested soaking her food in warm water at first and seeing if she’d eat that, perhaps the food was hard and annoying her teeth. Before going to mixing other things with her food, which can create a picky eater, I decided to go with “softening up the food.” We eventually plan on feeding her a RAW diet, but we aren't ready to make that switch just yet.

Oh my, did she eat. She wolfed down two cups of food in a good five to ten minutes. Finally! It was bizarre because she had been eating the food since she left Von der Sauk, we had fed her two cups without issue until about a week ago, and sadly this coincided when we went from two cups to three cups of food for her.

So, if you have a dog (German Shepherd or not) that suddenly stops eating but everything else is normal, maybe look into softening up the food a little bit. But BE CAREFUL – with German Shepherd Dogs (Any deep chested dog), bloat is a big concern. I drain all the water out that wasn’t soaked up as a precaution, I don’t let her play afterwards, and I don’t let her have any more water for an hour afterwards.

If any issues persist, I would contact a vet. If this didn’t work for Koch I was going to give mine a call.

Labels: bloat, feeding, german shepherd dog, koch, puppy, raw

posted by Smith at 10:08 AM 0 Comments

The importance of crate training

Crate training seems to be one of those divisive arguments that will go on for the end of time. People are either fans or they are not.

We are big fans with it for Koch.

Crate training has several benefits. One great one is it gives you a break at times when you may need one, this is perhaps the most selfish reason to use a crate. But, everyone needs their breathing room at times. We typically utilize the crate in this manner when we are preparing our food and eating our dinners or lunches. It saves us a headache of correcting her while we are eating.

The benefits to the dog are numerous. Dogs instinctively desire a “cave” to nest in, it is one of their basic instincts. Providing a dog a good and spacious crate that satisfies this instinct helps fulfill this urge.

It provides a dog with a safe place when we may not be there. Let’s face it, puppies are walking disasters when they are young. They will destroy anything that looks tasty. Crating the dog when you are away or sleeping allows for it to stay out of trouble and not harm itself (Exercise pens also fulfill some of this with giving the dog some more space to play). As dogs grow and get older (and trust worthy) you can fade out the crate for “away time” – but it is very important in an early stage.
Another to consider is if you ever take your dog to a vet for an overnight stay, where do you think the dog is going to stay? In a crate. Do you want to add extra stress to your animal by putting it in a situation which gives it great anxiety?

The list goes on, but those are a few reasons.

But you may ask yourself, how do you get the dog to like the crate?

At first for us, Koch was not a fan. I bought a large dog crate with a divider at first, I sectioned off the crate into a very small area so Koch would be limited in her ability to use the crate as her bathroom (since dogs instinctively should not do this). Giving her less room gives her less space to go to the bathroom in the crate then lay down in the other side. By ten week we gave her a third of the crate, by eleven weeks – she had the entire crate to herself. She had one accident in the crate, but it was my fault due to the fact I put her in there at the wrong time.

Back to getting your dog to like the crate –

One of the most important things to do to acclimate your dog to their crate is to feed them in it. This is paramount. For one, it teaches the dog that their crate is a fun happy place. They figure out that the crate = food (which is a major drive motivator for most dogs), so they will happily run to it when you whip out the food bowl. This also helps when you travel, some dogs will have issue with eating in unknown places, so this will help you while traveling.

Using a clicker to mark when your dog enters the crate and using a work like “crate” or “kennel” will help tie the association as well. In the future you should be able to say “crate” and the dog run to the crate. If you use a clicker always mark the entrance to the crate, give the dog a treat and praise, and the command.

To help the dog realize that going in the crate doesn’t always mean that they are being locked away give the dog all the toys in the crate. What I mean is, say your dog wants something to play with – grab the toy, walk over to the crate, and throw it in there. Once the dog gets in, mark it, say the command, and give praise (Once the dog learns “crate” you can say the command, it should run into the crate and wait for the toy). Doing this helps positive association to the crate and reinforces the command “crate.” We also will do some training by the crate also.

We have a few delicious liver treats we will toss in (or hold once she gets it) and reward her with when she gets in the crate. We weren’t doing the toy/treat thing up until a week ago and she hadn’t liked going in the crate all that much. She had been having a fit when we’d put her back in the crate during lunch to leave. By doing this and by doing a few “crates” while home during lunch, she won’t know when we are putting her away. It helps mix things up on the dog so they aren’t predicting what you are doing. Within a day we saw great difference in her not minding going in the crate. Granted, she still barks for a minute or two after we lock her in, but she stops.

After awhile, you will notice your dog wondering into the crate themselves, sleeping in the crate without the door closed, and enjoying their crate. It becomes “their place” within your house and no one else’s. German Shepherd Dog’s are great candidates for crate training, I hope everyone at least considers it.

Labels: crate, crate training, german shepherd dog, koch, positive training, puppy, training

posted by Smith at 9:35 AM 0 Comments

Let It Snow!

Yesterday, Koch got to experience her first snow and today, lots of ice! She's not exactly sure what to make of it but she definitely had fun playing in the new wintry environment. She also has taken a liking to digging. So combine the two and she had a very fun time digging in the snow and ice. Of course she looked so cute as we will show in photos, all covered in snowy white fluff. She didn't mind the cold in general, but it took her a while to realize that there was grass under the snow and ice and that's where she was supposed to do her business, not on the sidewalk!

Koch is still learning her name and we're working hard on "come," using handclaps, treats and whistles to try to figure out which works the best. She is STILL loving her bully sticks but they're almost all gone and we will have to order some more ASAP because they definitely keep her occupied for long periods of time which is a blessing to us! We obviously have to watch her constantly to make sure she isn't eating things she shouldn't... not sure when that will end if ever! And her teeth will start falling out any day now when means worse teething.

Koch got lots of new toys this past week including a Doggie Bumble Ball (videos to come!) and a small rubber ball that lights up all different colors for fun in the dark. She hasn't taken to the disco ball yet but enjoys having a romp around with the Bumble Ball, especially when she mouths it successfully and it vibrates in her mouth.

This past weekend we took her to puppy socialization again (less full than last time and no accidents!) where she enjoyed playing with a friendly Golden Doodle. She also got her tracking tattoo (which I'm sure Harold will explain) in Pennsylvania. We have to wait two weeks before we can wash off the green ink so she looks like a little leprechaun pup! She did VERY well on the car rides to and from the Pennsylvania excursion, sleeping in my lap (and on the floor too) for over an hour each way! This makes us very happy.

One thing we definitely need to work on with her is eating her breakfast in her crate. We got her new food and water bowls and while she doesn't mind the water bowl, the food bowl seems to weird her out, even when it's not in the crate. Or something is weirding her out, we just haven't figured out what yet. In order to make up for the food she's not eating, we hand feed her about half a handful of kibble as a reward for sitting or lying down. We've tried to leave the floor empty of toys until we give her one ourselves and now we've decided to give the toy to Koch in the crate to start out so she starts to learn that good (and great!) things come from the crate (such as her breakfast!). Hand feeding works for now (as do the food dropping ball and cube) but we've got to get her back in the habit of eating her meals in her happy little crate home.

Lots of work still ahead, that's for sure!

Labels: koch, snow, training, winter

posted by Lizasan at 9:00 PM 0 Comments

Progress on nipping

Well, we have hit a major change in the last few days.

After my "my poor arms" post, I got some help from other German Shepherd Dog owners who suggested putting Koch away from us when she does any nipping. So, I bought a "baby gate" and segregated off the kitchen. Now, she can't see either of us from the kitchen, so being in there alone FREAKS her out and she starts barking like crazy. We opted for the kitchen instead of her crate because we want the crate to be a happy place and not a punishment place. Being away from you and ending playing is punishment, so keep that in mind.

When we are playing with her, I will let her bite my hands at most three times. I will yip each time. If she stops, I tell her good girl and pat her head. Now, if she hits three times and still persists, I scoop her up right away and drop her into the kitchen and walk away. She will bark her head off, after thirty seconds to a minute, I come in and grab her and bring her back to us. It hasn't failed yet, she doesn't nip afterwords. I let her do it three times just so she can learn her soft mouth. She doesn't bite all that hard, but we still want her to see how big of wimps we are.

If she touches the jeans at all, she is in the kitchen. No second chance.

We also are doing this if she jumps on the couch. She is absolutely not allowed on the couches in our place. If she jumps, she is in the kitchen. Since I imposed this "in the kitchen away from us" rule for the couch we have seen drastic improvement.

Labels: bite inhibition, koch, nipping

posted by Smith at 7:48 PM 0 Comments

New toys she finally loves

One of the biggest challenges so far has been finding toys that Koch likes. $200 later we may have stumbled on to a few things finally.

First up: the Our Pets "Buster Mini Cube"


You fill this toy with treats or kibble and you set the "difficulty" of it by turning the fill hole. It is AMAZING.

Koch will bat it around like a cat playing with a toy trying to get food out. It entertains her for hours. I "showed" her how to do it at first, once she figured it out (took a minute) she was obsessed with it. Does one of two things: Feeds your dog and keeps the ENTERTAINED!

One word of warning, keep an eye on the dog. If food falls under a couch or TV stand, they will go crazy digging at it to get it out.

Next up: Bully Sticks


Now, what are bully sticks? Well, they are a bull penis, simply put. These entertained Koch for hours. I mean, hours. Absolutely NOTHING captured her attention before like this. They aren't cheap (depending on where you get them) but the time "attended" to them by Koch is worth every penny.

Rawhide is out as a rule across the board due to the safety risks. Impaction and obstructions are just too dangerous. Even watching her like a hawk, large chunks can break off and be swallowed.

Finally we have some treats, these are Peanut Butter Molasses Soft Training Treats by Simon & Huey sold through Leerburg.


Koch seems to like these, we will add these to the array of treats we use while training.

Labels: koch, pictures, toys, treats

posted by Smith at 7:29 PM 1 Comments

Nip nip nip!

Koch got her shots on Monday!!!! (But we still have to be careful… see Harold's blogs.)

Koch is becoming a very social little girl. We took her to a puppy class, or a puppy gathering rather, at a training school. It was the most fun I've had with Koch and Harold and I think it was the most fun Koch has had since we had her! She sniffed lots of tushies and had a minor poop accident (probably because she ate almost half of an edible Nylabone the night before). There was another (shyer) German Shepherd there and lots of tiny little pups kept in their own small dog pen. Probably the most rambunctious dog there was a Doberman Pincher... Koch barked a lot at her (him?) and there was a lot of playful roughhousing... we can't wait for next week for more playtime!!

Harold's been taking Koch out to Metro stops and other locations to socialize her (see his post below for more details) and today, we took her to Georgetown. She really liked the railings on the bridge and meeting all the new people. Koch has also taken a liking to frozen bananas. We just ordered a bunch of new toys that include a glowing rubber ball and a bouncy kids' toy which will hopefully keep Koch a bit more occupied.

After two of probably our worst days with Koch (due to her incessant nipping of Harold's jeans and mainly his arms), things have started to settle down a bit in the apartment. Raising a puppy means giving up a lot of your free time (and projects) and ridding yourself of some selfishness. We are trying to be more hands-on with Koch and give her more of our attention. She is so lovely and sweet when she's calm and mellow and we'll do anything to keep it that way! (Harold recently bought some, well how should I put this, bull body parts that I think Koch will enjoy thoroughly. And we also got some new treats… pictures up soon.)

Training-wise, Koch is learning sit and down slowly but surely and seems to have "kisses" down pat… we'll see how long we can go without getting our faces bit off! Harold bought a gate to close off the kitchen (more on his tactics to prevent nipping in his blog below) and we've finally opened up all of Koch's crate (which will stay that way unless she has a accident and then we'll go back to about half-size I think).

One thing I've learned is that German Shepherds are not cuddle-up-on-your-lap dogs! When Koch is tuckered out, she'll lay by our sides and let us rub her ever-so-soft belly and her sweet spots by her hips and under her neck where her collar rests. We're still waiting (and willing to wait longer) for Koch's first snow, but she definitely gets cold easily. We try not to keep her outside for too long, even when we want to wear her out.

Trying to wear Koch out!


Can't wait til next week's puppy class! Hopefully will start real training classes in two or three weeks. Much respect goes out to Harold, whose arms will hopefully remain scratch-less and who will hopefully be sleeping longer hours through the night.

Labels: bananas, dog toys, jeans, koch, socialization

posted by Lizasan at 8:44 PM 2 Comments

My Poor Arms

Perhaps the biggest frustration with a German Shepherd Dog as a puppy is the nipping.

Nipping nipping nipping. Then nipping some more.

When I hit the bed for the night my arms look like they have been through a meat grinder. Apparently, the taste of my skin is amazing as well the taste of my jeans.

Koch loves the way I taste. She has little interest for Kongs, ropes, frozen towels, or stuffed animals.

Now, yesterday I think she was a bit bored, we were only outside playing for half an hour thanks to it being 20 degrees outside. But the day before we were out socializing for three hours and she did the same. So I am not quite sure it is she is bored so she is nipping.

I guess it is a good thing she wants to play with me, but it is starting to get on my last nerve and it gets to the point where I want to put my foot through her head. Yesterday I put her in the crate twice after I started to lose my cool (Even though you shouldn't use a crate for punishment).

So here is what we have tried:

• "Yipping" like a dog when she bites


• "Barking" like a mad dog when she keeps biting


• "Ending play time" by walking away when she attacks my feet/jeans


• Putting her in her crate when she gets to my last nerve


• Grabbing her by the cheeks and looking her in the eyes until she looks away

But, last week she started "barking back" at us when we tried these things (not an aggressive bark, but a playful one), so... ugh...

So, up next we will get a "baby gate" and stick her in the kitchen alone if she tries to bite again. I am unsure how this will help develop a soft mouth which is the goal behind this. It would be easy to stop nipping all together by the old "smack the nose" method, but that isn't the goal of bite inhibition.

Check out Dr. Ian Dunbar's book: Before and After Getting Your Puppy
if you are interested in more on nipping and raising a puppy. It is invaluable.

Labels: bite inhibition, german shepherd dog, ian dunbar, nipping, positive training, puppy

posted by Smith at 10:26 AM 0 Comments

Socialization

Everyone who owns a German Shepherd Dog will tell you socialization is the key to success with your dog. The more people it meets, the more dogs it meets, the more sounds, things, and animals all play factors into making your dog a well rounded dog. This is especially true for a German Shepherd.

Much of the "bad name" German Shepherd's get is due to bad owners. The dogs aren't the problem, the owners are. Any new German Shepherd owner can do wonders for their dog by getting them out to meet people. So far, mine has been walking around Arlington, VA near the metro stops. Now Koch just had her 2nd set of shots this week so she is still at risk, so it is a "cost/benefit" type of deal. She could still catch the deadly Parvo virus - but if she isn't properly socialized, she could attack someone in the future and have to be put down.

The best bet is to try to stick to areas where dogs don't heavily travel. We have seen a few dogs wondering around Arlington, but not a whole lot. Don't let your dog sniff other dogs poop, that kind of thing. Sure, there are dangers out there, just weigh the risks.

One of the biggest socialization tools has been sitting outside a metro stop and standing there with Koch, most people will walk right on by and not say a word, but there are plenty of people who will stop and say hello. Every once in awhile you will get lucky and get another German Shepherd owner who will fawn over your dog and it is GREAT! Most the time they comment how they miss the puppy stage, but with the nipping I wonder if they want to trade for awhile.

I try to keep the walking down to a minimum since it is hard concrete and you have to worry about their growing hips. I will generally walk her at most in a 1-2 block radius just so she can see some new sights. I wish there was more grass around, but what can you do. If it stayed darker later we could hit a park up, but "closed at dark" is pretty early now.

A busy sidewalk (where it is safe of course) is also a great area to practice some training as well. Koch and I were able to practice sit and down (which she now knows, but doesn't always do!).

Labels: koch, socialization, training

posted by Smith at 9:32 AM 0 Comments

Still nipping... but she didn't bite the horse!!

Restless Koch is sleeping in a new position as I type.


She likes to rest her head and body on her toys in positions that would give humans the worst muscle kinks ever! This week has flown by so quickly… the pup is still nipping like crazy and we have started to bribe her with creatively stuffed Kongs (cream cheese mixed with liver treats, peanut butter and soon to come, chunks of frozen bananas). Koch is a fiend for ice cubes, seriously. She runs around like crazy trying to chase the ice cubes but somehow always manages to get them stuck under the couch… mommy to the rescue! She’s been having some conniptions however when this happens and we have decided not to use them as often. If we do, we have to make sure she doesn’t realize all the yummy things come from the freezer. We can’t spoil her rotten!

Koch loves ice cubessssss!


Speaking of spoiling our precious darling, we made a stop at Home Depot (she sat in the shopping cart the whole time without a fuss!) where we picked up some linoleum to put down in the living room; we figured Koch likes the kitchen floor so much, we might as well mimic it in an area in which we can see her.


Of course, Koch managed to tear into it in the first 5 minutes it was put down and it has since been retired.


Luckily, Koch is showing a new energy for her toys (probably because there’s just a hint of the leftover goodies inside them). She has to be provoked to truly get into a toy but Harold’s really good at getting her riled up with her rope and new tug toy. She also plays for a longer time with the teething toys. And we’ve realized that when her nipping is really awful, it’s time to go poo.

Along with poo comes pee and unfortunately, Koch had a super random pee accident in the hallway the other day. She didn’t give us any signals and luckily we caught her in the act and brought her outside to finish. One big breakthrough is her going down stairs on her own!! No more carrying the ever-growing heap of legs. She’s up to 22 lbs now! She slowly hops up and down the stairs in a diagonal manner which we find amusing. One benefit of her getting bigger is that soon she won’t be able to squeeze under the chairs in the dining room or behind the side tables in the living room (where all the computer cords are). Not sure if she’ll lose her fixation with the blinds but that has definitely been less of a problem this week… maybe she’s learning the word “NO!” Yes, we have decided to use the word. Even though it’s such a common word, we want Koch to understand that sometimes, she’s just not supposed to do things. And she’s caught on to “no” more than “leave it” so far so at least we have something to work with! We borrowed a door mat to start to teach “stay” soon and definitely have a lot of work to do with “leave it.”

Finally, Koch will get her second set of shots tomorrow (Monday) and we’ll be able to take her to more areas that dogs enjoy. Definitely the most eventful outing this weekend was going to the National Mall where she met a police horse and saw Abraham Lincoln up close at the Lincoln Memorial. She met lots of people, young and old, who were very fond of our dear pupper. No barking outbursts (although this week Koch has definitely realized that she can bark pretty loud!) and very good behavior overall. We can’t wait to introduce her to more of the people and animal worlds. We’re putting puppy classes off for a few weeks but certainly can’t wait to Koch to learn more new tricks… our smart cookie has so much potential!

Labels: koch, positive training, socialization, stairs, treats

posted by Lizasan at 10:48 PM 0 Comments

Week 2! Shiny and new?

A Happy New Year indeed! Well, mostly. The happiness that came with the bright and shiny new living thing has worn off at certain moments this week. Koch ripped the first hole in Harold’s jeans and had one accident in the crate. She has taken a new liking for the blinds and has continued her fascination with carpet chewing and exploration behind the dining room table. Most of all, she is NIPPING, NIPPING, NIPPING! And still whining a lot. We haven’t taken to the idea of sour apple spray yet since we are still teaching Koch “leave it” (not “off”). She is doing great with “sit” and “down” and soon we’ll start to work with “come” and “stay.”

Koch loves running in circles around the apartment with Harold but unfortunately, I’m not so coordinated as most people know. She’s been very good at alerting us when she needs to relieve herself by sitting at the front door, continual nipping or whining a lot. On the other hand, she has also learned that when she sits by the door, we’ll take her out… even if she just wants to play!

Koch loves to play... with Coke bottles!!


The dog made a breakthrough this week, which was showing willingness to enter her crate (which Harold enlarged a bit for her comfort). I think the fact that the crate is where she eats her breakfast and dinner makes it a little more enticing. We also introduced some new toys this week… a rope, a stuffed turtle and a dreidel (that to Harold’s dismay has a squeaker inside, but is still so cute!)

Perhaps the most fun occasion this past week was trip to visit Harold’s family in Maryland. Koch met two dogs at his grandmothers- a lab and a medium sized mutt. Koch showed em who was boss and they all had a fun time romping around. Koch LOVED going out for a little run on the grass there and Harold luckily found a virgin-to-dogs field near our house to take her for runs every other day or so. We are SO excited for Koch to get her shots in a week so we can take her anywhere she wants to go!!! Koch also met Harold’s dad’s year and a half old chocolate lab pup Gracie who was terribly frightened by little Koch (who isn’t so little anymore… carrying her up and down the stairs is quite a long haul now). Later Koch met about nine other family members including almost four-year old Ross who by the end of the night, was begging his dad for a puppy. Whoops! Harold managed to squeeze some nail clipping into the day (which luckily Koch didn’t seem to mind too much) and Koch slept most of the way home in her crate in the backseat of Harold’s car… with some occasional whining.

I think the biggest struggle this week (other than still trying to wear out the pupper) is dealing with personal schedule changes. Koch is sleeping through more of the night and Harold tries to let her out at midnight and 6 am now, skipping the 3am pee wake up call. Coming straight home from work to put away last night’s dishes and cook dinner and eat without a coffee table (indian style on the floor) is a bit of a challenge. There have been some nights when the dishes (or other chores) don’t get done. It’s also hard sometimes to play with her before work (wearing play clothes then changing) without feeling like I’m rushing.

I don’t think the shiny newness will ever wear off completely; Koch’s vitality is refreshing. Her fur is getting coarser and her legs longer, but we still love cuddle time and watching her sleep in her favorite spot by the chair-couch. ONE MORE WEEK TIL HER SHOTTTTTTTTS!!! Can’t wait for some REAL playtime in the great outdoors. Koch has no idea of all the fun that’s coming her way!

Labels: biting, crate, koch, training, whining

posted by Lizasan at 6:01 PM 1 Comments

More Koch Pictures, after one week (9 weeks old)

Here are some pictures of her as she turns 9 weeks old. She is getting SO BIG.

Labels: koch, pictures

posted by Smith at 12:00 PM 1 Comments

The First Week...

Well, it’s been 7 days with our precious Koch. She is truly a joy and definitely the most exciting present we could receive this holiday season.

I didn’t know much about German Shepherds, except I was always told they were dangerous and shed a lot. Then again, I didn’t know much about dog training either.

After two books on training and a podcast on the way down to Richmond for the pickup, I felt a little more laid back about this new adventure. I could hardly contain my excitement as we passed through the stinky slums of Richmond. We arrived at a rundown Subway where Harold signed some papers and I took our new pup, Kessey “Koch” von der Sauk, for a walk on the grassy curb.

She was antsy and eager for attention and we realized the small car crate we got her was too small. Actually, I think she peed in it… we couldn’t tell from the smell if it was a wizz or gas. Still not as bad as the Richmond stench. I sat in the backseat with Koch as she explored the blankets, some brightly colored brand spanking new toys and the seatbelt. She enjoyed being petted and eventually zonked out with my fingers still stroking her softer than expected puppy fur. I began texting my friends cell phone pictures and Harold somehow managed to take real photos in the driver’s seat…still don’t know how he managed that. With one pit stop at a random exit and 3 hours of annoying rush hour traffic, Koch slept for the last two hours of the car ride.

The first night went as planned, pretty much. Koch explored the apartment, tested out some new toys, ate some kibble and whined when we put her in the crate. We think it only lasted an hour. Harold woke up at 3am and 6am to let the pup out. Again, she did her business as planned and come to think of it, there were only two accidents. Accidents that were completely our fault. One dribble as Harold and I exchanged the leash right before heading outside and the other as she sniffed her way to the back corner behind the dining room table for a poop. No big whoop.

KOCH'S FIRST KONG! (Filled with peanut butter!)


Saturday morning we had a vet appointment. Carrying her into the office and throughout the entire visit, Koch didn’t get too excited, even at the sight of a cat and another puppy or two. The vet mentioned a mild heart murmur and needless to say, we were a bit shocked and concerned. Harold took her to a canine cardiologist or someone of that nature and I’m sure he’ll provide some more details, but Koch will be able to lead a long and healthy life. She has a small hole in one of her ventricles near her aorta I think but I’m probably totally off on that one. Again, Harold can share the exact diagnosis.

After a weekend of petting and feeding and peeing and pooping and falling in love with our four legged companion, we started the work week. Only one accident (pee) in the crate. Each day, we learned something new.

Koch likes to paw at her water and food (apparently, it’s a German Shepherd thing). She can do forward rolls. She’s still not sure what to think of her toys. She likes clocks (they mimic her mom’s heartbeat). Obviously she loves her soft little belly rubbed. She likes cold things like frozen towels, the fan, the linoleum kitchen floor and hopefully one day soon, she’ll like snow… I can’t wait for that!

So far, Koch has met about 20 new people (out of our goal of 100 in the first four or five weeks) and has also met my parents’ cockapoo puppy Shayna. The two got along fine but to be honest, Koch didn’t care much about entertaining hyper Shayna. Recently, training has begun. We started “leave it” (and decided to use it as a replacement for “off”) and “sit” and “down.” She enjoys using both kibble and her liver treats for training. There will be many training updates ahead.

Overall, Koch sleeps a lot. She enjoys a short bit of mellow lap time (for which the command will eventually be “settle”) and loves tight places like between the couch and the automan and the corner of the backseat of Harold’s car. I’m not too worried about what’s to come. We can’t wait for Koch to get vaccinated so we can take her for long walks and occasional spurts of running and playing with her toys outside. And of course for socializing at the dog park. As for the confines of our small apartment, we’re doing pretty well keeping her busy. And my allergies are fine, thankfully. Harold has been awfully tired but he is doing such a fantastic job as a proud papa.

There are so many wonderful things about our dog that make us love this dog. Number one right now is the fact that she’s a little puppy. Well, not little for long. Harold carries her like a baby and she loves being cradled. Even with her nipping at her leash, the furniture, my clothes, chest, love handles and pants tags and even with her whining (which again, we hear is a German Shepherd trait that persists into adulthood), we love this beautiful dog a whole frickin lot. And I think she loves us back.

Labels: koch, Kong, vet

posted by Lizasan at 5:58 PM 0 Comments