I'm buying a german shepard 5 WEEK old sight unseen puppy tomorrow.

[helderheid]

I'm naming her Suki.

[emilyg]

1. You'll fall in love immediately.

[helderheid]

2. I'm scared shitless! I have to train her initially!

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. Is she housebroken yet?

Training a shepherd is actually the easiest breed I've ever worked with. A very smart dog indeed.

Am excited for you?

Is she an AKC? DO you get her lineage and/or history?

[China_cat]

17. Housebroken? She's barely weaned.

[Whoa_Nelly]

20. Oops! I had read it as 5-months old

Bad eyesight on a late Saturday night x(

[Inchworm]

3. you can't go wrong

When you say buying, like from a shelter?

I love how German Shepard hind quarters are so low and cool :)

:woohoo:

[helderheid]

4. private breeder

:scared:

[Inchworm]

12. tough call for me

I'm sort of against that "breeder" stuff, but essentially that is where my big dog came from. I more or less took him from my brother cause he treats dogs like .. hmm.. like tie it up outside and feed it. I'm not down with that.

:)

[harmonicon]

13. no dogs available in your local animal shelter? NT

[Inchworm]

14. hehe

I'm being objective

:)

[femmocrat]

37. A reputable breeder would not sell a 5-week old puppy.

Beware!

[mzmolly]

5. Shepards are great.

You wont regret it. :hi:

[helderheid]

7. no shots, no training - 5 weeks old

[Shakespeare]

8. Five WEEKS old? Is she even weaned yet?

That's a little young to take a pup from its mother.

[helderheid]

9. her "parents" say she's weaned.

[Shakespeare]

43. That's WAY too young.

It's not just a matter of weaning; the pup needs a few more weeks with its mother to learn basic, vital behavior. I hope you'll consider waiting a few more weeks before taking the pup. :-(

[Gormy Cuss]

29. 5 weeks is really young.

The pup should have started the weaning process but not be fully weaned yet. Do you have a vet already? If not, find one and bring the pup in for a check up before buying. You should also try to observe the mother dog with the litter to see if the puppies are weaned or if they're just starting to eat solid food.

Even back in the dark ages when I was a kid, no one let puppies go before six weeks and most people kept them until they were eight weeks old. The young age of this puppy would concern me, but I'm no expert here.

[LeftyMom]

10. Buying from a breeder is a bad idea. Buying sight unseen is worse.

The chances you're getting a puppy mill dog are very high. :(

Shelter dogs need love, and they die when they're not adopted. Please consider adopting.

[helderheid]

11. My parents know them

[LeftyMom]

15. I'm still concerned this isn't on the up-and-up

For one thing, five weeks is too early to be weaned and away from Mom, and a pup needs interaction with Mom for early socialization.

For another, this pup hasn't had it's first shots yet, and any reputable person would make sure those were done before a move was made- a pup gets most of it's antibodies from it's mother's milk, and doesn't have anything close to a robust immune system yet.

Finally, even if they know your family, they should be checking on the suitability of your home, making sure that you and your family interact well with the pup, etc. Especially in a circumstance where there are very young kids in the home (unless I'm mistaking you for somebody else, in which case, I apologize) and many won't even place a pup in a family with small kids, due to the risk of injury to the pup, or of biting to kids who don't know how to handle a dog (a situation that often results in the dog being put down, and thus something that needs to be avoided for the dog's safety.) Since that's not happening, that would be a very strong warning sign that the health and welfare of the pup is not these people's first priority, which should be an indicator that this is not a good dog to bring into your home.

Honestly, this sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen. Find a reputable rescue organization via petfinder. You'll get a dog that's already had it's shots, is altered and is socialized and almost certainly potty trained, and a good rescue will help you find the dog that's an ideal fit for your family. And you'll be doing your part to save a life.

[China_cat]

16. 5 WEEKS??????

Who is the irresponsible breeder who is letting you take a 5 week old pup? They should stay with their mother at least 8 weeks and 12 is even better.

[Genevieve]

23. So young. Too young.

Puppy mills and bad breeders will take puppies from their mothers at 5 weeks of age and sell them. Puppies don't even have all their teeth through their gums at 5 weeks of age. They've only been toddling around since 3 1/2- 4 weeks of age. At 5 weeks, they are toddlers in that they are starting to be playful but are clumsy and they still sleep most of the time. If a breeder sells puppies before 8 weeks of age, it may be reason for concern about the practices of that breeder

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:rqezEKHUAtwJ:crookedcreekcairnterriers.blogspot.com/2007/09/how-old-should-puppy-be-before-being.html+age+puppy+weaned+mother&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

[Lex]

24. Yep. Not good.

nt

[bullwinkle428]

45. Reputable cat breeders typically keep kittens with their mothers

for 14-16 weeks! 5 weeks seems like a shockingly short period of time... :scared:

[trof]

18. See if your library has this:

How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition), The Monks of New Skete.

Better yet, buy a copy.
Read this for a good overview of their philosophy:
http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/

[Orsino]

19. Sight unseen violates Lounge rules.

Just sayin'. :hi:

Congratulations.

[zanne]

21. There will have to be many, many pictures of said puppy.

We'll remind you if you forget!

[backwoodsbob]

25. first off shepperds practically self train.

easiest breed to train ever.My THREE adult shepperds trained my younger males pup to go outside without intervention from us.EASY breed to work with and loyal to a fault.Taught my younger male to shake,lay,speak,and sit in one day.

Absolutely amazing breed.Just keep it in your head,shepperds tend to...how do I say this...be VERY singleminded.Once they decide to do something they tend to be kind of stupid to everything but what they are doing.My runt female ran into a closed door without slowing down the other day chasing a ball.

ANYWAYS...enjoy an amazing breed of dog

[Wcross]

35. I didn't have to train these pups.

Their mom did it all. It is amazing how a few bites on the nose after an "in house" poop or pee incident convinces them that outside is the place to go. Whats funny is that their mother had been an outdoor only dog until she came to live with me, she never had been indoors but knew.

[warrior1]

22. I got a GS from SPCA

last year after my Sara died. He's was 8 years old and from a breeder. He's a great dog.

[backwoodsbob]

26. my runt shepperd when she was a pup

http://www.putfile.com/pic/4327266

Notice what is playing on the tv :)

same pup at I believe 10 weeks

http://www.putfile.com/pic/4626260

[Wcross]

33. WOW, your dog has his OWN computer!

He's all set up there with a glass of water & some tissues too!

He is a beatiful dog warrior1.

[Coyote_Bandit]

27. One of the best dogs I ever knew

was weaned at the ripe old age of 2 DAYS when her mother escaped from the yard and was hit and killed by a car. We took in one of the pups and bottle fed it. Turned out just fine and lived to the ripe old age of 18. Very loyal and loving companion. RIP Rosie. You were a very good girl.

I personally am opposed to the contract terms that many rescue groups use. I know from experience that there are many animals available through other sources and they all are entitled to good homes. Thank you for taking in this wonderful creature and providing him a caring home.

Enjoy your new pup.

[Wcross]

28. I would never "buy" a dog while there are others being "euthanized".

I understand the desire to have a pure breed dog but I couldn't do it while other perfectly good dogs are sitting unwanted in the local shelter. I understand the protective nature of the GSD but I bet an equally trainable dog could be rescued. I will never share my home with any other type of dog than a Mutt. With all that being said, I am glad Suki is coming to live with you. I think its great you opted for a female pup, they seem to be quite different in temperament to males. Enjoy her company!

[China_cat]

30. Not a shepherd

but THIS is our latest addition...who came through breed rescue. Rescue!!!! (For GSD rescue, just google. I found too many to list them all.)





And the 2 who have been here with us longer...who also came through rescue.

[Wcross]

31. Beautiful dogs China_Cat!

That's the only way to go in my humble opinion- rescue a dog in need. Around here people are so "kind" that they provide me free dogs from time to time. No need to even leave the house, they just appear out of nowhere! This is my latest freebie!



Lucy about an hour after I found her sitting in my doghouse.

[auntAgonist]

32. oh they are BOTH gorgeous

Lucy is lucky to have you I think :)

aA





I miss my rottie, we had to put him down when he became so ill with bone cancer last June 15th. He was only 6.5 years old, just a baby.
:cry:

[Wcross]

34. I am sorry to hear that auntAgonist, it is ALWAYS heartbreaking.

I had to say goodbye to my girl Angel this past summer, renal failure. I was lucky in that I had three months from the diagnosis til the day she told me she was ready to leave. I had time to say goodbye & was able to hold her when she went without breaking down in the vets office.

I still miss her. I have three of her pups that remind me of her every day.

[auntAgonist]

42. Angel was so pretty!! Our vet

came to our home and put Tarn to sleep under the big tree in our yard that he loved so much. I cried like a baby as did my husband. It was my first experience in losing a pet ... It is heartbreaking.

:hug: to you and pats for the pups.


kesha

[Rhiannon12866]

39. What gorgeous dogs!

My guys come from rescue, too, and they're Brussels Griffons, also very unusual. I called about a cocker and ended up with Meneken, LOL, and a vet tech who used to work for my vet remembered Meneken, so contacted me when she was fostering Jack... My guys find me.:-)

Meneken:loveya:



Jack:loveya:

[femmocrat]

36. Five weeks is too young.

Pups have to be 7 weeks to be sold in our state, but 8 weeks is better, IMO.

Do you have a health guarantee from the breeder? German Shepherd dogs are notorious for hip problems.

I know you have already fallen "in love", but you are looking at a 12-15 year commitment. Be smart.

[Rhiannon12866]

38. That's awfully young. A puppy that young may have issues later on being separated from her mother

at such a young age...:-(

[China_cat]

40. Not only that

but at 5 weeks she's just starting to learn where she belongs in the pack and how to relate to other dogs as well as humans. It's bad enough when you have a situation where the pups are abandoned or the mother killed, but it's criminal to take them away when the mother is there and working with them.

In that extra time the mother teaches the pups not to soil where they eat and sleep, which makes house training a lot easier (especially if you use a crate); that certain rough house behavior hurts and isn't appropriate.

So much more that makes them better companions. Too many pups taken away too soon end up with some really bad traits that end them up in rescue, shelters or dead.

[Tektonik]

41. way way too young, n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

46. Agreed. There are bound to be emotional and health issues

[applegrove]

44. A puppy? I'm so jealous. I'd love the have a baby critter in my home right now.

[LibertyLover]

47. While GSDs were the first dogs I ever had and still my favorites

a 5 week old puppy is way too young to leave its mother unless there are some serious outside circumstances that make it necessary. GSDs are incredibly intelligent and loyal to the people they care about. Your puppy will need a lot of love and cuddling initially to make up for what she is not getting from her mother and litter mates. Please don't try to housebreak her too early. Like children, puppies are not physically capable of holding their urine and being housebroken successfully until they are several months old. I have to say that I agree with others on this thread about getting dogs via rescue groups. My last GSD was a rescue and one of the best dogs I ever had. And the 5 dogs my husband and I have now are all rescues - 2 greyhounds, 2 whippets and a Siberian Husky. I don't think I'll ever purchase a dog again. Adopting dogs saves lives. While I wish you much happiness and long life with Suki, next time, please consider rescuing a homeless GSD. There are many of them who need a good loving home such as the one you can provide. Please post pictures.