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SVTPerformance's Chain of Restaurants
A Taste of Home
Mid-Atlantic Cobra Association
The Martin family grows...
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<blockquote data-quote="Blk03SVTCobra" data-source="post: 6515274" data-attributes="member: 10866"><p>Ha. Actually, we live in a townhouse. We do not have a 'yard', per-se. We considered the yard thing before we got him, but then we realized that there are plenty of well-adjusted dogs that are even BIGGER than German Shepherds living in apartments, not even townhomes. Regardless, he has a nice wooded area where we walk him, and there's plenty of parks within walking distance.</p><p></p><p>We will have a house with a fenced yard at some point in the forsee-able future, but for now, this will have to do.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yea, I know that I'm doing what's right. It's just tough when you hear him crying.</p><p></p><p>My mother has 2 German Shepherds and they love their crates. It will just take time for him to adjust. He lived on a farm with his mom, brothers, sisters, cats, horses, cattle, sheep and chickens. Now he lives in a townhouse with 2 humans and 2 cats. There are also some dogs in the community, so he sees them with relative frequency, but that's still a big change, environment-wise.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Thanks! :beer:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Hahaha... We have PLENTY of them already. The cats are awful when it comes to lint on suits and dresses.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yea, I know. It's just tought when you hear them crying, that's all. You feel a little bad. But then I just remind myself that it's for the best and that he'll soon grow to love his crate.</p><p></p><p>Neither Kelly or I have been anything but alpha-like thus far. He definitely seems to have just slid into 'the pack' just fine. He hasn't displayed any challenging or dominant behavior towards Kelly or I because we've kept placing ourselves in what, to dogs, is the dominant role.</p><p></p><p>My mother is an assitant to a local trainer and her German Shepherds are excellent examples to follow. She also has them both trained for protection work as well. If anyone's familiar with the term, both of my mother's dogs are at or near what would be considered Schutzhund Level 1 (SchH1). This took a lot of time and effort, but they are excellent pets now because they're well trained and they have a 'job' (which almost ANY shepherd breed LOVES).</p><p></p><p>We will be doing obedience, protection and tracking work with our puppy. He has already shown EXCELLENT drive for the work. At some point, we may seek SchH1 accreditation as well, since the sport interests my wife and I both.</p><p></p><p>He'll get there with consistency and patience on our part.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yea, I know. That's still something that I'm working on. I've been searching for a better job and things seem to be starting to pan out. If I finally land the one I'm after, it will make a Cobra a significant possibility in the not-so-distant future.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>We do not even approach the crate if he's whining. If we need to take him out and he's quiet, we approach the crate, ask him to 'Sitz', then open the crate slowly. If he charges the door, we slam the door shut (making sure no puppy appendages are in the way), and ask him to 'Sitz' again. He gets the idea after 1 or 2 tries, but he still does that every time. We only interact with him when he's quiet though.</p><p></p><p>With regards to the sound levels of whining we're talking about at night though, let me put it into perspective: I was wearing my shooting range earmuffs last night and STILL heard him loud and clear every now and then. If I had neighbors on either side of me, they would NOT be happy with me. That being said, the first night was DEFINITELY the worst. Last night was better and he is staying quiet for longer periods.</p><p></p><p>We keep his crate where he can see us (foot of the bed).</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes, we will always use German commands with Blitz. English is no better/easier/different for a dog to learn than German or any other language. With dogs, it's just association and inflection.</p><p></p><p>There are a number of reasons that using German commands is a good idea, in the case of a dog who will do protection work at some point in its life (like Blitz): 1) We will have less of a chance of someone accidentally saying our 'alert' word, 'bite' word, etc and setting the dog off, and 2) It decreases the opportunity for someone else to control our dog (e.g. if a dog-savy burglar/etc says 'stay' when they try to break in our house, Blitz would have no idea what he's talking about and probably be even more angry). Plus, I'll be honest: I think it's </p><p></p><p>German is not the only language that would work though. Another frequently-used language in the U.S. is Japanese.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Thank you :beer:</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Blk03SVTCobra, post: 6515274, member: 10866"] Ha. Actually, we live in a townhouse. We do not have a 'yard', per-se. We considered the yard thing before we got him, but then we realized that there are plenty of well-adjusted dogs that are even BIGGER than German Shepherds living in apartments, not even townhomes. Regardless, he has a nice wooded area where we walk him, and there's plenty of parks within walking distance. We will have a house with a fenced yard at some point in the forsee-able future, but for now, this will have to do. Yea, I know that I'm doing what's right. It's just tough when you hear him crying. My mother has 2 German Shepherds and they love their crates. It will just take time for him to adjust. He lived on a farm with his mom, brothers, sisters, cats, horses, cattle, sheep and chickens. Now he lives in a townhouse with 2 humans and 2 cats. There are also some dogs in the community, so he sees them with relative frequency, but that's still a big change, environment-wise. Thanks! :beer: Hahaha... We have PLENTY of them already. The cats are awful when it comes to lint on suits and dresses. Yea, I know. It's just tought when you hear them crying, that's all. You feel a little bad. But then I just remind myself that it's for the best and that he'll soon grow to love his crate. Neither Kelly or I have been anything but alpha-like thus far. He definitely seems to have just slid into 'the pack' just fine. He hasn't displayed any challenging or dominant behavior towards Kelly or I because we've kept placing ourselves in what, to dogs, is the dominant role. My mother is an assitant to a local trainer and her German Shepherds are excellent examples to follow. She also has them both trained for protection work as well. If anyone's familiar with the term, both of my mother's dogs are at or near what would be considered Schutzhund Level 1 (SchH1). This took a lot of time and effort, but they are excellent pets now because they're well trained and they have a 'job' (which almost ANY shepherd breed LOVES). We will be doing obedience, protection and tracking work with our puppy. He has already shown EXCELLENT drive for the work. At some point, we may seek SchH1 accreditation as well, since the sport interests my wife and I both. He'll get there with consistency and patience on our part. Yea, I know. That's still something that I'm working on. I've been searching for a better job and things seem to be starting to pan out. If I finally land the one I'm after, it will make a Cobra a significant possibility in the not-so-distant future. We do not even approach the crate if he's whining. If we need to take him out and he's quiet, we approach the crate, ask him to 'Sitz', then open the crate slowly. If he charges the door, we slam the door shut (making sure no puppy appendages are in the way), and ask him to 'Sitz' again. He gets the idea after 1 or 2 tries, but he still does that every time. We only interact with him when he's quiet though. With regards to the sound levels of whining we're talking about at night though, let me put it into perspective: I was wearing my shooting range earmuffs last night and STILL heard him loud and clear every now and then. If I had neighbors on either side of me, they would NOT be happy with me. That being said, the first night was DEFINITELY the worst. Last night was better and he is staying quiet for longer periods. We keep his crate where he can see us (foot of the bed). Yes, we will always use German commands with Blitz. English is no better/easier/different for a dog to learn than German or any other language. With dogs, it's just association and inflection. There are a number of reasons that using German commands is a good idea, in the case of a dog who will do protection work at some point in its life (like Blitz): 1) We will have less of a chance of someone accidentally saying our 'alert' word, 'bite' word, etc and setting the dog off, and 2) It decreases the opportunity for someone else to control our dog (e.g. if a dog-savy burglar/etc says 'stay' when they try to break in our house, Blitz would have no idea what he's talking about and probably be even more angry). Plus, I'll be honest: I think it's German is not the only language that would work though. Another frequently-used language in the U.S. is Japanese. Thank you :beer: [/QUOTE]
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