Posted on 01/17/2015 8:21:39 AM PST by lafroste
Hi all! I have a 5 month old puppy. He is (I was told) 1/2 German Shepard + 1/2 Rottweiler. He is also astonishingly intelligent, very easy to train, great memory. Anyway, he already knows sit, stay, come, lay, play dead, and fetch. On his 5 month birthday he weighed exactly 40 pounds. Here are my questions:
If he is 40 pounds at exactly five months, what will likely be his weight when fully grown?
I would like recommendations on what other commands would be useful? I am already planning to teach him to heel. He learns so quickly that I think I can load him up. Any help is appreciated. Thanks alot!
You forgot to subtract his birth weight!
Yep— “leave it” for when you want to ignore something.
” 1/2 German Shepard + 1/2 Rottweiler”
A bomb waiting to explode ...
Actually he could weigh as little as 70 lbs (German Shepherds are NOT as “huge” as people think they are, although there are many oversized ones), but being part Rott he could be bigger.
Actually, it is best to approach training as if they are going to be very big!
Glad you are doing heeling. All the basics of obedience are needed, and it seems you’ve done that (just keep practicing until he is sure).
Yes, it is good for his to “drop” it, or “leave” as I say. Even better to have conditioned the pup from the first to simply allow you to take things because you are boss and can do what you want. Also to condition him to be alone, and to handle his feet and mouth (toothbrushing, etc), all for the sake of vets most especially, as well as for “troubleshooting” and grooming. Hopefully it is not too late for that. I made sure all my pets could do that - GS and kitties, too.
My (now) 3yo black lab was clean smelling untill around one year .. then, no matter how much we shampooed (once a week ... and THAT I thought was too much) .. he still smelled like he had been at a whore house all night.
I switched to a grain based food .... no more dog BO.
Ping... :)
Puppy classes are good, later dog agility classes are great I’m at my dogs class right now they are learning commands and getting great exercise and having a blast! she looks forward to it every Saturday!
It stops all activity and commands focus on ME ... while I try to figure out what to tell him next
See if you can teach him to put his toys in a basket when he is done with them so they don’t lay around the house. If he can learn that he is really smart.
A stern “OFF!” is a good command on so many levels. I have heeler crosses mixed with large breed. One is 70lbs and the other 100lbs. They can get spastic.
“Do the laundry”. No wait that will confuse Mr C4E.
You may pay more, per pound, for HEALTHY food - NO GRAINS - but you’ll save BIG on vet bills over the years. Research for list of good/bad dog foods)
Fantastic that you’re teaching him commands - but I remember, with my dog, something an expert - I think Caesar said about training your dog. Basically, your dog is not a toy. Forget the cutesy ‘play dead’ ‘roll over’ types of commands. Teach the regular “obey’ commands - like sit, stay, heal, lay down, etc, actions that make them sociable and controllable - and a joy to have around.
to make him useful for getting treed coons and squirrels.....Thaaassss racist!!
Train him to sit by the front door whenever the doorbell rings.
yeah - right!
Indeed.
Especially if not neutered.
For ANY dog there is nothing more important than teaching them the “get me a beer” command....nothing!
Big dogs can be intimidating to people when they come to your house. A “place command” is extremely helpful if your dog is big, a barker, or not. The command teaches them to go to a “place”... away from the front door when you command him to. Sit and stay would work, but “place” is a better command IMO.
LOL!
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