Stubborn German Shepherd Part I

Bodie is smart, but with a huge stubborn streak.  He is now ten and a half months old and it is almost impossible to play fetch with him.  He loves chasing a thrown toy and he brings it back at a run.  So what is the problem?  Well, that is it.  Bodie won't give the toy back.  You throw the toy, he chases it and brings it back.  Game of fetch is over.

We have tried several techniques and finally found one that works.  We need to play with two similar toys.  We throw the first one and when Bodie brings it back, we wave the second one until we have his attention.  Suddenly, the second one is much more desirable than the first and he drops that first toy.  Only then do we throw the second.  Finally we can play fetch until Bodie gets tired.

And a tired puppy is a good puppy!

The Bodie Blog

I can't believe that it has been so long since I did a Bodie Blog.  Almost every day I think "I need to make a Bodie Blog" and every time I do, I think of a reason not to.  I am avoiding it because I don't want to sound negative.  But it is time to do an update!



Bodie is a challenge, a real challenge.  He is nothing like Willie.  And anything that I wrote would sound like a critisism.  I don't want that.  Bodie is stubborn, and challenging, and oh so intelligent!  He destroys everything - the car, the backyard, and anything else he can get his teeth on.  But he is a good boy, and I am glad that we have him.

First Snow!

I am about a week late posting this but we ended up with about 12-15 inches of snow, lost power, and there were other weather-related worries but another first - Bodie's first snow!

What is this stuff?

Wheeeee!

It started snowing last week Friday night and by the time we let Bodie out Saturday morning, there were about three inches of snow in the backyard and big snowflakes were coming down.  The puppy stood on the porch for a minute just looking.  Then he cautiously put a paw out on that strange white stuff, waited a minute, and did what he does with everything - he bit at it!  It must have tasted good because he was off like a shot gamboling all around our huge backyard!  He would run like crazy to one end of the yard, stop, change direction and then run some more.  It looked like he thought everything was new and exciting, trees and bushes and anything snow-covered.

It was so much fun to watch him enjoy the snow, running and jumping and trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth!  That is one thing I have always loved about dogs, they can have such unadulterated joy in the simple things.

Then and Now

Comparing the then with the now and you can see how much Bodie has grown!  Where is our cute puppy?  Back then his rope toy was almost as big as he was.  Now, he could probably fit the entire toy in his mouth!

German Shepherd Puppy or Car Alarm?

Bodie is turning out to be as much a nuisance barker as the shelties!?!?!  But he sounds so much more intimidating!  Our sweet puppy sounds vicious and horribly aggressive when he barks.  Even when he is just playing with his toy!  My last German Shepherd, Willie, barked so seldom that it was a shock when he did.  We can seldom let Bodie have free rein of the backyard because it abuts up against a trail system and there are too many people going back and forth.

Another problem is when we take Bodie with us in the car.  We have finally got him to stop barking when we are driving.  We are even able to take him through the drive-thru at McDonald's without having him sound like he wants to take out the entire restaurant.  We just haven't figured out how to control his barking when he is left in the car.  So we just park as far away as we can and let him bark.

RB was coming out of CostCo the other day.  Glancing towards our car she saw people startle and give our car a really wide berth.  But that was nothing compared to Friday!  RB and I had lunch and she walked in with me when I went back to work.  She was still in the office when my boss walked in.  He had parked two slots away from us and as he walked by our car, Bodie started barking.  It scared my boss so much that he spilled his coffee!  He said that with Bodie in the car, we don't need a car alarm - we don't even need to lock it!  He thought that Bodie sounded like he wanted to take his face off!  Yet when we bring Bodie in the office, he is as sweet as he can be and my boss feeds him cookies! 

It Is the End of the Squirrels - Kyjen Hide-a-Squirrel

One of Bodie's favorite toys has been his Kyjen Hide-a-Squirrel.  Plush toys don't last long as the puppy will tear them apart fairly quickly - even the Kong plushies.  But this Kyjen set has lasted for four long months!  However, Bodie has recently taken up surgery and lobotomized two of the three squirrels.

At least he still has his stump - for now!

A Tired Dog is a Good Dog!

Cliché

"You don't get what you want, you get what you need."

I always thought that was an annoying saying.  It seemed to trivialize a situation when things didn't turn out the way you wanted by slapping a happy face on it.  But the Bodie experience is changing my mind on that.  He was supposed to be a calm and quiet puppy.  Instead, he is stubborn and rambunctious!  He can be a real challenge.

So, what do I mean?  I think Bodie is perfect for RB.  Since she remains home with Bodie while I go to work, the job of training our puppy has fallen into her hands.  That challenge has made her more assertive than anything else could have.  And I think her self-confidence has increased dramatically also!  I am so proud of her!  As for Bodie... well, that is another question. :)

Lunchtime Notes

I love the way RB writes.  She wrote about Bodie earlier this afternoon, describing him as part perfect gentleman and part rampaging psychopath!  That really made me laugh.  They make a really good pair.  It is wonderful to see how adoringly he gazes at her.  I think Bodie will be very protective.  She brought him along with her when she came to work to have lunch with me.  We were parked at our favorite lunch spot when three women walked by.  Bodie did not like having them so close to the car and sounded so menacing even though he is not even six months old yet.

That reminds me.  We bought Bodie a large crate shortly after bringing him home.  We kept it in the car so he would be restrained whenever we took him with us.  It seemed huge back then!  Now, he can barely fit in it.  Yesterday, RB installed a pet barrier so he can be in the back and not crated at all.  It is working out really well.

Bodie is Stumped!

Bodie looooves his stump!   :D

We bought this toy for Bodie when he was little.  It is a stump that comes with three squeakie squirrels.  He definitely likes the stump better than the squirrels!  He will bite it in such a way that he can't see around it so when he carries it around, he bumps into things.  There are times we fill the stump with as many toys as we can stuff into it and Bodie empties as quickly as he can.  I am actually surprised that he hasn't torn the stump apart.  It is pretty sturdy, but he has broken the squeakers in the three squirrels.  

Bodie keeps us laughing!

First Week of October

Just under 5 months old

Bodie has been really good this past week.  He has really improved, not only in his obedience but with things like nipping and jumping.  The training collar and spray bottle have been getting his attention.

After last week's puppy class disaster, we decided to do Bodie's obedience training in public places (in front of the house, at a park, along a bike trail) in order for him to get used to distractions.  It worked!  I wasn't in class because I wasn't feeling well but this week's puppy class went great!  He was the best in class with "Stay".  Even puppy play time was good!

Oh, I forgot to mention something last week.  The pitbull puppy that wasn't supposed to be back in puppy class was there.  We were confused but figured that she also did detention and was allowed back in.  Then at the end of class, the trainer had us exit the room one puppy at a time.  The pitbull puppy went first, then Bodie, and then the other German Shepherd puppy.  No one else.  I was a bit suspicious that something was going on but I was more concerned about Bodie.

Last night after class, the trainer started the same thing.  The pitbull puppy left then as RB was getting Bodie to ready to leave, the trainer stopped her and invited both German Shepherd puppies to join the rest of the class in an additional play period.  Hurray!  It felt like a graduation of sorts.

Isn't it Funny

My sweetie has always described herself as a doormat.  She used to worry that when we got a puppy she would be a complete pushover while I would be the tough one.  But surprise, surprise, she is the enforcer while Bodie can walk all over me.  He has gotten better but he still puts his teeth where they don't belong.  And Bodie jumps up a lot - on everything!  Then just this week, he started barking at anything and everything.  RB has decided she needs to strictly enforce the rules - no teeth, no jumping and no unnecessary barking.

Bodie has a stubborn streak.  "No!" does not work.  A spray bottle gets his attention somewhat.  And a pinch collar works for the puppy trainer.

My previous German Shepherd, Willie, was a complete sweetheart; all he wanted to do was please me.  Of course, I thought he was perfect.  When we picked out Bodie, I knew he wouldn't be just like Willie but I did think he would be a calm dog.  We thought that is what we had gotten, but it turned out that Bodie was not feeling well.  Instead of being calm, he was sick.  Now that he is healthy, he is rambunctious!

But don't they say you don't get what you want, you get what you need.  RB cannot be a doormat with Bodie; he needs a firm hand.  She is learning to be assertive.   :)

Bad Boy!

I am really disappointed after puppy class tonight.  Bodie was a baaaad boy!  He wasn't listening to us at all.  He has been really doing well with obedience, well, at least until this evening.  He refused to sit much less do any downs, and then he was a bully again in play period.  Corrections with the collar or with the spray bottle did not work either.  Training treats only worked for a quick sit but not for a down.  I don't understand what was up with him this evening.

Well, the only thing to do is to really work hard on training this coming week.

Growing Up

Two months old

I can't believe that we have had Bodie for a little more than two months now!  He has certainly become part of the family - I can't imagine life without him.  I think my sweetie is surprised at how much Bodie has ingrained himself into her affections.  She is becoming a real dog person.

The puppy is growing up so quickly!  All puppies, especially young puppies, look rather similar.  It is only as they get a bit older that you can tell what breed they are.  Bodie is around four months old and he is definitely looking like a German Shepherd Dog now.

Bodie's daddy weighs around 95 pounds but his mommy weighs only around 75 pounds.  I think Bodie will be somewhere is the middle.  He is rather stocky but he is not a real big eater.  He usually only finishes his food if RB hand feeds him.

Four months old

Bodie might not be much of an eater but he is certainly fixated on his toys.  Especially the ones that he can play tug of war with - he hangs on for dear life!  Daddy is SchH 3, mommy is SchH 1, and I think Bodie might be good for Schutzhund too.  We really need to get him evaluated for that.

The Class Bully

Oh, Bodie, Bodie, Bodie.  His second puppy class was last night and he flunked!  He flunked recess!!!  The trainer had to stop play period because a couple of puppies were too rough (Bodie was not the only one).  It is hard to see your baby be the bully.  *sigh*   He has detention on Monday.  Okay, it really isn't detention but an extra training session to try and teach him not to be so rough while playing but still.

But he was doing well otherwise; he is good at obedience.  The trainer tried to use him as a demo dog but had to get another puppy to use because Bodie wasn't acting up enough.  So I have mixed feelings about last night's puppy class. 

What a good boy!

Oh, Bodie was such a good boy yesterday!  RB is usually home while I go to work but yesterday she met me for lunch and then had an appointment.  So, of course, she put Bodie in his puppy pen as she was going to be gone for about four hours.  But I had a computer crisis at work (nasty malware!) and RB is a computer tech so she came straight from her appointment to try and rescue me.  She worked for hours trying to fix the problem until we finally had to get home to the puppy.  He was penned for eight hours and there was no problems at all!  Bodie was so good!!!  Of course, he had to pee and pee and pee as soon as we let him out.  He got bored, it was taking so long so he started walking while he was still peeing and had a good bark at the neighbor to boot.  Then he was extremely active all evening long and that is another story.  :D

One Handsome German Shepherd Puppy!

Bodie is turning out to be a good looking boy!

His ears have been up for awhile but one does flop a little bit for short periods of time. 
Floppy eared German Shepherd Dogs might look cute but... they just don't look right.  :)

German Shepherd Puppy Nipping

Bodie has been a bit difficult lately.  He is still doing that puppy nipping thing but now that he is bigger it is much more bothersome.  I certainly hopes he grows out of it quickly.

But I don't think that I am being fair to the puppy.  I can't help comparing him to my previous German Shepherd, Willie.  Willie was such a good boy.  He did not nip like Bodie does.  *sigh*  I can't keep thinking of how Bodie compares to Willie.  I need to work on that.

It's All Good

I don’t know how many obedience classes I have attended but between my own dogs and my sister's dogs, it has been quite a few.  Bodie’s first puppy class was this past Thursday.  I was looking forward to the play session but I thought that I would be rather bored with the class part.  Was I wrong!  I guess because Bodie is a bit more, hmm, how shall I say it?  Bodie is more challenging than my previous dogs, there were some techniques discussed in class that I never had to use before.  Bodie pays very little attention to “No” and a yank on the leash is an invitation to a play session, but a squirt of water definitely gets his attention!  We have made more progress with the puppy nipping in the last two days than we have in the last two weeks with a squirt from a spray bottle.  Yay!

This week we are supposed to use ten times more “Good’s” than “No’s”.  Whenever Bodie does any behavior that we like, we are supposed to “Good” him.  For example, he sits while we are watching : “Good sit!”  He lies down while we are : “Good down!”  So far it seems to be working well, especially for the “Give” command.  Bodie really wants to chase his toy but he won’t drop it so we can throw it again.  So lately when he shoves his giraffe in my lap, I ignore him.  As soon as he drops it, I say “Good give!” and I can see a look in his eyes that tells me he is starting to get it.

It was so nice to see Bodie playing with other puppies his same age!  There was another German Shepherd puppy, a Lab, an American Staffordshire Terrier, an Australian Kelpie and a Boston Terrier.  He was so excited to play with something that plays back.  (We dogsat my sisters two Shelties a few weeks back and they refused to play with him.)  We are trying to make sure that Bodie is well-socialized.  I did find it interesting that the trainer (she owns GSDs) was reassuring all the other puppy owners that the German Shepherd puppies were not being aggressive.  I guess their barking and posturing was a bit intimidating.

Why this German Shepherd Blog

As I mentioned yesterday, I miss Willie greatly. As Bodie grows up, I regret that I don't have a chronicle of Willie's puppy days and only have a couple of pictures.  So I decided that I would do it differently this time.   I want to keep journal about Bodie and try and get a picture throughout all the stages of his life.

Also, I love German Shepherd Dogs.  I have always loved German Shepherd Dogs. I have always wanted a German Shepherd Dog but growing up, my family never had one.  The closest we ever got was a Belgian Sheepdog.  He was a really good dog but I couldn't help but think "close but... ".  I entered the military after high school and being gone so much, it wasn't right to have a dog.  When I got out of the military, one of the first things I did was get a pet.  However, the job I had required extremely long hours and once again I passed on having a dog.  I got a cat instead.  Not quite the same but she was pretty amazing.  One of these days I will tell the story of my attack cat.  :D

Heather, Kaki, Kumu, Willie and Georgie

I got sick and tired of a job that required so many hours (no weekends and only three Sundays off in eleven months) with no real reward so I quit that job and moved back to the Pacific Northwest.  It was finally time to get a dog!  I looked around at local breeders for a German Shepherd but I ended up rescuing a Shetland Sheepdog.  She was a very timid Sheltie.  Well, actually she was extremely timid and submissive, and had a huge problem with submissive peeing.  I couldn't call her name or even look at her without her peeing all over.  I worked really hard with her, building her confidence and she ended up being a very good dog.

But because of her, I ended up being involved with Shelties for quite a while.  The most I ever had at one time was seven Shelties and two cats.  I did mainly obedience and a little agility. But I always felt that something wasn't right. The turning point for me was when I was out walking the trails with my dogs when I was accosted by some homeless guy.  What did my Shelties do?  Bark, like they did at everything?  No - they turned tail and ran away!  I took care of the situation by grabbing a branch and brandishing it around.  The Shelties ended up running all the way back home!  It was time to get a German Shepherd.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I loved my Shelties and I still think Shelties are wonderful dogs but there was something missing.  I wanted a German Shepherd Dog!  And I finally got one: Willie.  I thought he was perfect!!!  He was a great obedience dog, he was good at tracking, and we even did agility.  We tried schutzhund but he didn’t have the right personality for that.

Willie and Georgie

A few years after getting Willie, a got a Pembroke Corgi, Georgie.  He and Willie were great buddies.  They did everything together.  Unfortunately, Georgie had cancer and did not even make it to his second birthday.

As time passed, I had to put down my pets one at a time.  My last cat made it until she was 17 years old.  Willie made it to almost 16 years.  I was without a pet until Bodie.  I am amazed how right it feels to have a dog in the family again.