[kri$hna]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

Need advice from you : I initially wanted a Labrador but due to their over-friendliness with strangers it might not work for me since our colony is not fully developed and we have not many houses/families staying. Done a lot of research and narrowed down on GSD due to their sheer intelligence and alertness. We never had dogs at our home but used to feed stray dogs, so this will be our official first pet. Yes, I am ready to spend time with the pet daily for long walks/jogs and grooming.

Its nice that you already understand the kind of support your future pet will need from you in terms of time & attention. I appreciate that!

My Answers below, most of them already answered by Karthikk actually

Will it be difficult for a newbie dog owner to handle the GSD ? I am ready to train it with basic obedience and socializing. One of my friends is a dog trainer.

Definitely NOT. in fact an intelligent breed like GSD will be very easy to handle. You just need some basic knowledge on how to behave with the dog and it can pick up your body language with ease. You ll be surprised how intelligent these GSDs actually are. My tiger always surprises me with his acts of intelligence, even today.

Will my parents have trouble handling the dog (GSD) ?

Not really. But a GSD looks at one person as the Alpha & it will in most probability be you or the one whom he trusts 100%. Everyone else is secondary, the behaviour doesnt change much, but there will some noticeable difference.

The trick with GSD is, you should be predictable & trust worthy always.

Are the Indian breeds at par with GSD in terms of intelligence and watchfulness ?

In some cases yes. But more than intelligence, the temperament is very important. You may not know how an indian mongrel will react in situations with children, elders etc.

My tiger is very playful with children and I have seen children holding his tail, mouth etc irritating him like anything and still this guy is silent & playful. For the facts, he doesnt allow any grown up person to even touch his tail, let alone playing with his moustache etc.

And can both GSD and the mongrel (adopted dog) stay without fights if I plan to take both ?

Possible but risky.
2 things here:
1. Like Karthikk already mentioned, you ll need to bring up one dog at a time when it is new to you. It will b easier for the second pet to see and learn from a well trained elder GSD.
2. GSD is known to be a breed that likes/is ok to be left alone. Often gsd doesnt mix well with other pets unless trained to do so. I would say, bring up the GSD first for 2 years and then decide if you really want to add the extra member and take a call

My GSD used to be alone for atleast 8 hrs of the day during day time, while I and my wife went to office. I have never heard a single complaint from the neighbours saying he barks more or behaves abnormally. He learnt to spend the day all by himself. We used to keep some play items, lot of water, buttermilk & a table for him.

The only main requirement for a GSD is sufficient exercise both for the body & mind. You can do this by playing fetch, running with him or making him learn a new trick. My Tiger climbs a gate like a cat and I was shocked to see him do that! i try to make him repeat this exercise sometimes so he doesnt loose touch with it.

Remember one thing, while raising a pet, it is important to understand that they watch you & learn. You are the example for them. You behave badly, your pet will repeat the same. You need to be repetitive & predictable to see good results! Again, good luck buddy

[Abhi_abarth]

Originally Posted by kri$hna

Its nice that you already understand the kind of support your future pet will need from you in terms of time & attention. I appreciate that!

My Answers below, most of them already answered by Karthikk actually...

...Remember one thing, while raising a pet, it is important to understand that they watch you & learn. You are the example for them. You behave badly, your pet will repeat the same. You need to be repetitive & predictable to see good results! Again, good luck buddy

Thank you for your advise Kri$hna . Appreciate it. This has cleared my doubts. I will start the search asap and share the pictures with you all.

BTW are you going to attend the Mega lunch event planned next week ? please do jump in if you can. Will be glad to see you there.

Cheers,
Abhi

Note From Team-BHP Support-Staff: Please avoid quoting full/entire post as it may inconvenience small-screen/mobile users. Thanks!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Take one dog lead.

Put a dog one end and a person the other.

Now ask this question: If the dog decides to go, can the person stop it?

If there is any doubt at all, it is either the wrong person or the wrong dog.

[msbehave]

Really suggest you talk to a canine behaviourist as well as think carefully about why you want a dog and what sort of dog will fit in to your lifestyle. Can refer you depending on your location if interested.

Also, getting two pups at the same time is a no-no. Better for the age gap between your dogs to be 5 years. You can always adopt older dogs.

Since you are interested in our Indian dogs, urge you to check out the indog blog - brilliant information on the indie breed!

[Parthasarathig]

Are dogs helpful for patients with cardiac problems? Im interested in gifting one to my relative. I see animal planet shows but mostly they have been given to epileptic patients.

My main reason for the pet is something for my relative to be distracted from stressful situations. And not a hyperactive dog as too much exertion is bad for him. Only want the pet to.keep him distracted from stress and also play with him in the house. And if it can be trained for medical emergencies? Like to bring the medicine bottle when he senses the master is having heartache?

Am i demanding too much from a pet or is this possible to achieve in a good playful dog and timely alert in case of an emergency?

Thank you.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

My main reason for the pet is something for my relative to be distracted from stressful situations. And not a hyperactive dog as too much exertion is bad for him.

A dog will mostly be playful when it is young, so you would need someone to play with him too. The dog can definitely help reduce the stress, IMO. But for that, the person must like dogs.

You could train the dog to get the medicine bottle. It would be like asking it to fetch the news paper.

[msbehave]

Unless you are going to live in the same household and take on the responsibility of looking after the dog, usually gifting one doesn't work out. So many pedigreed and other dogs end up homeless because the household who is gifted the dog can't deal with the hassles of looking after one.

Some counsellors use special therapy dogs trained for this purpose - used for a variety of illnesses.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by condor

A dog will mostly be playful when it is young, so you would need someone to play with him too. The dog can definitely help reduce the stress, IMO. But for that, the person must like dogs.

You could train the dog to get the medicine bottle. It would be like asking it to fetch the news paper.

Originally Posted by msbehave

Unless you are going to live in the same household and take on the responsibility of looking after the dog, usually gifting one doesn't work out. So many pedigreed and other dogs end up homeless because the household who is gifted the dog can't deal with the hassles of looking after one.

Some counsellors use special therapy dogs trained for this purpose - used for a variety of illnesses.

Yes he loves dogs. Actually when he was at the hospital i suggested about the dog and he was wanting it too. He lives with his family and everyone is comfortable with a pet. Im wanting one pup which will be very easy to take care of. And who will always be alert to his masters condition.
Im not so familiar with pups. Had a spitz when i was a child but i just used to feed her and play with her and take care of her. The training part was forgotten. But she had helped me in some of my worst depressions. So i feel they have the ability to empathise with their masters. And probably she never needed training also. Learnt from observing i think.

Now the question remains which breed will be suitable for him? Will a labrador be easy to train? I see many people just keeping them inside houses and the pups also wanto play and they have no option but to stay put. Sad really. And you say getting newspapers? But wont the ink be toxic to the pup? I myself wash off my hands after using the newspaper.

Thanks for being patient with all my queries.

[msbehave]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Now the question remains which breed will be suitable for him? Will a labrador be easy to train? I see many people just keeping them inside houses and the pups also wanto play and they have no option but to stay put. Sad really. And you say getting newspapers? But wont the ink be toxic to the pup? I myself wash off my hands after using the newspaper.

Thanks for being patient with all my queries.

I do believe you should contact a canine behaviourist. Labs and golden retrievers are commonly used as assistance dogs - that being said temperament matters not breed. I've trained my indie-dog do to a variety of assistance commands like putting on light switch etc. In India one has to be wary of champion pedigree dogs and breeders. Since you want a dog for a specific purpose, talk to a canine behaviourist - in which area are you based ?

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by msbehave

Since you want a dog for a specific purpose, talk to a canine behaviourist - in which area are you based ?

Im based in Bangalore. Affording a champion pedigree dog maybe out of the scope right now. How about pet adoption centres? I think if we love any pet, no matter how ferocious or tough it is, it will always love its master back. There is one centre in Bangalore that i had heard of. Should i get a pup itself or an already grownup dog?

Thanks.

[msbehave]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Affording a champion pedigree dog maybe out of the scope right now. How about pet adoption centres? I think if we love any pet, no matter how ferocious or tough it is, it will always love its master back.

Thanks.

Good I would advise you to stay away from champion pedigrees anyway.
Pet adoption centres are an option. As for any pet - some will be more suited to the household than others - you'd probably need a medium size, friendly, stable abd obedient dog. As for pup versus adult depends on why you want the dog - if just as a stress-buster then an adult dog ie above 18 months will do - if you don't mind waking up at odd hours and cleaning up all of its messes and being patient to toilet train it, then a puppy works too. I'm a behaviourist in Bombay but can connect you up with someone in Bangalore.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

.. you say getting newspapers? But wont the ink be toxic to the pup? I myself wash off my hands after using the newspaper.

Parthasarathi, that was only an example. The idea is - you can keep the med bottle in a place the dog can reach, and then train him to get it at command. Like with any command, the dog must be able to identify the word distinctly, and do only/exactly what it must do. It should not have any confusion.

Reg a pup vs grown up : this is not a direct answer, but just wanted to say that the pup phase of a dog's life is not to be missed. Also, a dog can be trained to obey commands even at 3-4 months. It is all about proper training.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by msbehave

Good I would advise you to stay away from champion pedigrees anyway.

Originally Posted by condor

Reg a pup vs grown up : this is not a direct answer, but just wanted to say that the pup phase of a dog's life is not to be missed. Also, a dog can be trained to obey commands even at 3-4 months. It is all about proper training.

Thank you both for your replies. Deciding to go with a pup. As all the activities are bound to keep my relative distracted from household and office stress. And its actually a bit more fun when one has a cute and naughty little pup. Ive seen 25day old labrador puppy getting potty trained very easily. I had it for a few weeks till my friend was able to set up his place. First two days the puppy was not knowing what to do. Which i guess anyone would feel in a strange place. But then when it kept seeing me placing newspapers on the floor everytime he created a mess, he started to do it on the newspaper area itself. Then it could find my socks also and one night it had arranged all my socks together though not the same pairs together haha. Does that indicate good intelligence?

Now starts the search for the puppy. Are the kennels in bangalore reliable?
@msbehave why dont you want me to buy competition bred puppies? Just a query. I wouldnt anyway buy them as probably they are very costly.
Thanks once more for your replies.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by msbehave

Good I would advise you to stay away from champion pedigrees anyway.

Any specific reason for this?
If one is considering pedigreed dogs, champion bloodlines from the reputed breeders offer the best guarantee of pedigree and breed standards. I've seen way too many ugly, hereditary defects that arose from unethical breeding, in-breeding and criss-crossing impure bloodlines which have diluted the breed standards today. If it is a pedigreed breed, champion bloodlines are the way to go. Would advise pedigreed dog buyers to spend a little more, and get peace of mind.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Thank you both for your replies. Deciding to go with a pup. As all the activities are bound to keep my relative distracted from household and office stress. And its actually a bit more fun when one has a cute and naughty little pup.

Let me put it this way -

- First 3-4 months the pup will need to be taken out in as many hours as his/her age in months. If the pup is 3 months old, he/she will need to be taken out once in 3 hours to answer nature's call. These months are the playful phases of the pup.

- Next 6-7 months, the pup begins to become an adolescent. He/she will develop new teeth, start to get destructive if not corrected properly. This is around the time when walking on leash, NOT biting on furniture (should instead be encouraged to bite on his toys), etc should be taught. The adolescent phase is where people end up making the mistakes - would advise to read up a lot on google about how to train those basic behavioural things. @msbehave might be a good source of info too, since he mentioned he is in this domain.

- After the onset of maturity, say by the age of 12-14 months, the dog usually calms down and settles. Of course, this settling period is dependent on gender and breed also. It could be later for some dogs. Once they are mature, you would hardly find the destructive behaviour coming up again. That is a phase which will hold many funny memories though.

Would advise your relative to be a little prepared for phase 2. That is when the patience of the owner is really tested *lol*. It is a joyful experience though, so hopefully he takes it patiently without getting stressed. Warn him about that phase.

Now starts the search for the puppy. Are the kennels in bangalore reliable?
@msbehave why dont you want me to buy competition bred puppies? Just a query. I wouldnt anyway buy them as probably they are very costly.

There are reputed breeders in Bangalore too. I would suggest you look up some directories here -
Breed List
These are all reputed breeders here - listed breedwise. Most of them are on the dog show arena and are ethical breeders who dwell on breed quality rather than quantity.

Some good breeders will send the puppy to your home even if they are located in another city. Do not look up newspaper classifieds for pup advertisements, and do not ever bargain for a pup. The good breeders never need to use newspaper ads to sell, nor do they do it for money like greedy puppy 'factories' who just breed so that they get (price of 1 pup X no. of pups) rupees. Like I said before in a few posts in previous pages, compromising on quality for price now might crop up in some ugly manner later - I have seen horrible hereditary defects and breed violations which would have been prevented by not buying from these puppy factories.

Can you imagine a labrador (considered to be ever-friendly according to breed standards) turning back and biting his owner one day for no reason? Or a german shepherd 4 month old pup which started to develop fluid accumulation in his front legs, later went on to become crippled in the next 8 months. Try googling on the hereditary defects due to bad breeding if you want to know more. Compromising on the price is not worth the trouble. Just my 2 cents

EDIT : if you want to adopt an adult, you can try CUPA. They offer lots of options, even some pedigreed dogs which have been abandoned by the owners, etc.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Let me put it this way -

Sir thanks for that highly detailed post. I now am watching youtube videos of animal planets show dogs 101.
And one of my neighbor aunties pet developed cancer. It was horrible to see him go through that. Thankfully after getting him treated from the USA he is having a good life now. I dont know if it was a breed defect or not. Something to do with his bones she had told me.
Wikipedia also has a plethora of information too. Spent the evening reading about the intelligence score and breeds. German shepherd seems to be on no1 but they grow very big and not suitable for the family im going to gift it too.
Thank you for that list of genuine breeders. I was looking for something on that lines. As i understand what you mean the dog biting its owner for no reason. I maybe going in for a labrador itself. I guess it will feel best suited for the weather. Pugs are cute but are they playful?
I was also seeing this breed called St. Bernard. Will they feel comfortable in Bangalore weather without ac? This i was thinking for myself. But when i go out for work and if noone is at home then the pup will be alone and i feel it may get depressed. I guess il have to put that plan for my pup on hold then.
Labrador it is for my relative. Im gonna be busy for a few days. After that il be dedicating sometime to meet the breeders before i bring home a new buddy.
As for CUPA, that was the pet centre i was talking about. My friend used to volunteer there for 3 years, but now job pressure is keeping everyone busy. So maybe its best right now to get a newborn itself.

Thanks Karthik sir for your suggestions. Now atleast im gaining some knowledge regarding this.
P.s rottweiler puppies look so cute. So many youtube videos. Have you seen the talking siberian husky videos too?

Regards