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I'll be getting a German Shepherd dog soon as a personal pet. Right now I live with parents and I'm 22 years old and self-employed. I operate an online business, so I can always be "home" with my dog. I don't have to leave my house to go to work However, my family does not want a dog here because my dad has allergies and his doctor stated that he should not be living inside of a home with animals. Anyways, I'm going to be getting an apartment set up. These apartments are huge, and animals are accepted there.
Right now I go to sleep usually around 3-4am in the morning and I get up anywhere's between 11am and 12pm. Most likely I will need to get use to different hours if Im' going to be getting a GSD.
My questions
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1.) Should I change the time that I go to sleep and get up at?
2.) How many hours will a GSD sleep?
3.) Does the GSD need to sleep with me in my bed or in it's own room? Or should it sleep on a nice dog bed right next to my bed? I don't plan on being cheap for my dog. I will go to the pet stores and buy the best stuff for my GSD. I will buy whatever I need to make sure my dog is comfortable and always at peace of mind. That's how much I am going to care about my GSD.4.) How often should I take him for a walk?
5.) If I go to a grocery store or something, can I leave him at the apartment for a short while (10-20 minutes) or should I bring him with me? Dogs are not allowed in the grocery stores, including Wal-Mart. In this case, could it also stay in my car as long as I keep the windows down enough for him to breethe and keep him tied to the steering wheel or something?
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hey gman
1) you don't need to necessarily change your sleep times, but keep in mind as a puppy, your dog may need to go out as often as every 1-2 hours. they have underdeveloped bladders and are unable to control them for longer periods of time. now you can take him/her out and then you can both go back to sleep after. that won't be a problem. but just be prepared to constantly be getting up to take her/him out.
2) they can sleep anywhere from 15-20 hours/day.
3) where your dog sleeps will be up to you, and whatever you are more comfortable with. if you are comfortable with him/her sleeping in your bed with you, then by all means that's ok. however, understand that sleeping in the bed, can encourage quite dominant behaviour, especially if he/she gets up on the bed without ever needing your permission to do so. this alone won't create a dominant dog, but it can encourage it, and if you are inconsistent with your leadership in other aspects of your relationship with him/her, he/she won't hesitate to take over.
(my 2 gsds and lab have their own room and one big bed they all share.)
4) as a puppy, once he receives all his necessary vaccinations, think about starting him/her with short walks, maybe 10-20 minutes, a few times each day. try your best to bring him/her different places, or if you can't, and you have to keep going in the same places, take different routes. going the same place every walk can get rather boring for your gsd as they need constant mental stimulation during walks. changing it up can keep him/her interested. as he/she grows up start taking him/her for longer walks, maybe include some running/jogging/rollerblading/etc.
(I take mine out for 2 hour hikes every morning befre breakfast, and a one hour walk at night before dinner.)
5) you do not have to be with your new dog 24 hours a day. leaving him/her at your apartment for 20 minutes will be fine. but if you do, try and make sure you take him/her out before you leave, and try and leave her/him something to do while you are away. maybe prepare a kong, freeze some peanut butter inside. that will keep her/him busy for a good 40+ minutes. they do get bored rather easily, and if they are being left alone for any extended amount of time, the best thing o do is to drain their energy before leaving them alone (ie walking/running) so when you are away, they will be tired and want nothing to do other than sleep.
Dog Training Clubs - A Great Way to Help Train and Socialize Your Dog
- The first few months with a puppy will mean you'll get sleep when you can *laughing* and for a time it very well could be in 2 hour increments!
Your dog will adjust to your schedule in time.
Just like people puppies sleep a lot then as they get a bit older they need less sleep and then as they get older they sleep more again.
So much of this depends on the line of GSD as well as the dog itself.
There are actually GSDs that don't need as much exercise and some that need a butt-load (and of course the happy medium).
There's really no way to say how many hours a GSD will sleep.
I brought Dante home when he was 4 1/2 months old and he slept 8 hours at night within a week of being with me.
I did not let Dante onto the bed until he was a year old for a couple of reasons. 1 - I didn't want him jumping off (protecting his joints) and 2 - I wanted enough training in him to know that he would understand that he was only allowed up if invited and that he had to get off if I said to.
Walking should be multiple times for training and socialization - but in a very short time walks will most likely not be enough exercise - they never have been for Dante. He needs running time.
Crate train your puppy so you can safely leave him at home when you need to leave. Just imagine all the destruction he could do to the inside of your car...including ingesting things he shouldn't!
Make sure you get your pup from a great breeder - there are a lot of really bad ones out there.
Here are some great articles for you to read:
http://www.wildhauskennels.com/articles.…
And not asked but want to add, start looking now for a place to take training classes at. I took 5 sets of classes the first year I had Dante! - 1) If you're going to get a puppy, as opposed to adopting an adult or adolescent dog, then yes you are going to have to change your sleeping schedule. As a general rule, puppies can't hold it for more than about their age in months plus one hour (meaning an 8 week old puppy shouldn't be asked to hold it for more than 3 hours). This means that you have to set an alarm and get up in the middle of the night to take the puppy out to potty. And older puppy or dog will adjust to your shedule.
2) Depends on the age of the dog. Most GSDs, if given adequate exercise, will actually be quite content to nap most of the day and sleep through the night once they are adults.
3)This one's up to you. You'll have people spouting about "dominance" saying that you should never let the dog on the furniture or he'll think he's the "alpha" and then you'll have the bleeding hearts who can't tell their dog "no" who think it's animal abuse if the dog doesn't get more than half of a king-sized bed. As long as you are consistent about the rules and firm about enforcing them, then your dog will recognize you as the leader and it is entirely up to you whether you want to share the bed with him or not. My GSDs are allowed in my bed, but they generally choose not to sleep in the bed with me for very long and they know that they must wait to be invited onto the bed (and when we travel they know they are NOT allowed in the hotel bed). Mine tend to sleep on the floor in the bedroom for most of the night (although they do also move out to the living room furniture or to their own beds in their crates at some point in the night).
4) At *least* once a day. Twice a day would be much better. And you will need to provide a more active outlet for his energy (unless you adopt a senior dog) such as running, agility, etc at least a few times a week.
5) PLEASE don't do this. Dogs die every year because people leave them in cars on hot days. When the weather is cooler, it's not so bad. I'll even admit to bringing my dogs with me on short errands (generally because we're going somewhere close to a dog run or something else fun for puppies) and leaving them in the car while I run into the store if the weather isn't too hot. But in the summer leaving a dog in a car can be a death sentence. Get a crate and crate train him as a puppy. Teach him how to cope with being left alone by doing so on a regular basis. It's not healthy for a dog to be so overly attached to their owner that they are never left alone. Most dogs are not so lucky to live with people who work from home and they do perfectly FINE left home alone for 6-8 hours/day. Your dog should be able to handle being left alone for shorter periods of time. - 1: It doesn't matter what time you go to bed, simply let the puppy/dog go outside and do it's business right before bed, put it in it's crate, and go to sleep. When you wake up, first thing, let the pup/dog outside again.
#2: Dogs usually sleep a lot, but I had a GSD who slept quite often but never longer than 5 minutes. Hmmm, maybe I should've added up all the cat naps so I could be a better answerer, lol.
#3: No dog needs to sleep with anybody in the bed (and shouldn't). Not to mention you probably won't want an 85 pound adult male GSD sleeping and shedding in your bed. At first keep the pup/dog in the crate at night. Later when the dog is fully trained and house broken it can sleep on it's doggy bed in your room if you choose. (a ton of people say never let a dog sleep in your room, I do, and I don't notice a lick of difference).
#4: You should take a puppy or un-house broken dog outside very often at first. Since you're at home a lot, every hour would be great. By doing that you're setting the pup/dog up for success! As far as exercise walks, if the dog is under 18 months of age exercise walks aren't needed. Too much exercise on soft GSD puppy joints = Joint problems later in life. After 18 months of age prepared to become a running fool! My dogs run a lot...every day. In the morning I take the four wheeler out and tear off down the train behind my house, it's about a 3 mile loop. I also have a giant slingshot that can shoot multiple tennis balls/kongs that I (used to) use for exercise...had surgery on my chest and not too keen to pull back on the slingshot just yet, lol.
#5: I'd keep the dog at home if I went to the grocery store. It's a dog, not an infant, it's fine to leave it home alone for a couple of hours if it's a pup and several hours if it's an adult. There are plenty of people who work 8 hour days and have dogs, but I wouldn't want to hold it for 8 hours and I doubt any dog would so I'd at least advise having a trusted neighbor take the dog out if you're gone for more than 5-6 hours. Btw windows down, leash tied to a steering wheel = Sounds like a great way to hang your dog to death. Be very careful when tying a dog up, more dogs than you can ever imagine have jumped off of porches and decks while tethered and hung themselves. - 1) Dogs will adjust to your schedule. We both work different shifts, days and backshifts. We go to bed at different times depending on if we are working or on days off. There has been no issue with the dogs. Sometimes they will sleep all night with my boyfriend, then half the day with me after backshift.
That being said, a puppy is going to interrupt your sleep for the first bit. Expect to up several times during the night for a while. It will also take him time to adjust to your schedule. We an issue when my youngest GSD joined our household at the age of two. He was up at 6am ready to go. Then the clocks went back for daylight savings time, so he was waking up at 5 am. He eventually adjusted.
2) I don't know the average. Mine sleeps alot. It is also going to depend on how much energy they have.
3) Your dog can sleep where you want it to. Some people crate their dogs, others don't. Some dogs have certain rooms in the house where they sleep, othere allow the dog in the bed. That is your personal choice. there arguments about allowing dogs in bed can lead to dominence issues. I let mine sleep in the bed when I am alone and have never had an issue. That being said, they know 2 people in bed=no dogs, 1 person= dogs welcome. They also "off" when told, I am in charge. If I go to bed early, then DH comes after, the dogs will get off without even being told when he comes in.
4) GSDs are high energy dogs. Remember, they were bred to spend long days herding. Walking is often not enough to burn off their energy. While they enjoy a walk, they need a chance to run. My oldest is my running partner and we often go to a field and play fetch for a bit. Training sessions can also take the edge off.
Dogs that have too much energy and no outlet often become destructive.
5) There are many issues with bringing the dog with you, including heat. My oldest GSD was actually able to let himself out of our van (when you locked the doors, they would unlock when you used the door handle). You can leave the dog home. Crate training is very beneficial for this. It keeps the dog and your possessions safe. You can always crate or eventually give the dog more freedom when you feel they are old enough and will not destroy things.
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