Spaniel owner looking to buy GSD - advice needed

[Staccato]

Hi everyone.

I wanted some advice regarding my girlfriend and I buying a German shepherd so hopefully someone can offer some help. Apologies if the post is a bit long but it might be useful for you to have all the details.

My girlfriend and I bought a female working cocker spaniel puppy, Ruby, 2 years ago. We brought the puppy up at my girlfriends parents house as she still lives at home. Ruby is immaculately well behaved, if a little energetic, and is such an intelligent dog. Although my girlfriend can control her with no problems, Everyone thinks I am clearly master as I only have to look at her to get her obedience. That all came from the countless hours of training we did with her.

Anyway, at the end of February my girlfriend and I are moving in together. We have bought a new house which is a reasonably sized 3 bed semi on a new build estate. Typically the garden is like a postage stamp, but our house has a public dog walking green right outside our front door, a large playing field 5 minutes up the road, a lovely valley 5 minutes in a different direction and a 5 minute drive to a really big park which is where we take Ruby most days. We often put ruby in the car and take her for long walks on the north or south downs, and we took her on a doggy holiday last year and spent about 4 hours a day for 3 days dog walking on the commons.

Now we would like another dog as we think ruby would love a companion. My girlfriend and I both work full time, but fortunately I am a primary school teacher and she is a nurse.

I typically leave for work at about 7.15am and get home about 4.30pm. I also have around 13 weeks off per year in school holidays and I bought ruby in July so I had 7 solid weeks with her as a real small puppy.

My girlfriend does shift work, so her week could consist of Monday 7am-3pm, Tuesday off, Wednesday 1.30pm-8pm, Thursday 7am-8pm, Friday off, Saturday 7am-3pm, Sunday off, for example.

With ruby, there is usually one day, or a maximum of 2 weekdays where there is nobody home with her most of the day, although on these days we ensure somebody leaves work at lunch time to let her go to the toilet, either myself or my girlfriends mum. On these rare days ruby is perfectly content to lay in her bed, gnaw her bone and wait for her owners to return, and we then make a fuss of her and take her out.

Basically we want to buy a GSD in July so I can be with it constantly during my summer holiday during the initial settling in phase. We will train it and care for it in the same way we have done with ruby, but like ruby it will also be in the position of being left indoors for the one day, or rare 2 days some weeks. Unlike ruby though, two dogs would have each others company on those days.

Can anyone offer an opinion on this setup, and maybe also with compatibility between the two breeds of dog.

Thanks for the advice in advance

[Moobli]

Hiya and welcome to the forum.

Ruby sounds like a wee cracker, and a real credit to you both. As you will know, working cockers are really busy, active little dogs and so I think Ruby would easily match a GSD's energy levels. Cockers are also trainable and intelligent. It sounds as though Ruby is a biddable girl and may not (but I am just guessing here) have pushed the boundaries the way a GSD may. GSDs tend to be happiest with a firm but fair leader who teaches boundaries and then sticks to them They are a very intelligent and trainable breed.

So far as your working commitments go, I think it could work, but only if you could enlist the help of a friend, family member, neighbour or employ the services of a dog sitter etc. Small pups need to go to the toilet frequently and need regular meals (4 a day when babies) and even though you say you are both only out one or two days a week, if you compare your schedules a pup could be left 3 or 4 days a week without human company or interaction for around 8 hours. People do make it work and it definitely helps that you already have a resident dog, as undoubtedly pups like company. However, you will also have to think about whether you will be crating your pup while you are out, or puppy-proofing a certain part of the house? Will the pup and Ruby be ok to be left to together when you initially go to work, or would it be safer to keep them separate.

If you do go ahead then also remember that even though you have 7 weeks to settle your new pup into his new home, it is also important to get him used to spending time alone - otherwise it will be a huge shock when you suddenly depart for work.

Are you keen on getting a pup? If you are open to different ideas, then you could perhaps consider speaking with the local GSD Rescue to see whether they may have a dog that is compatible to your lifestyle and to Ruby. The benefit of an older dog is that they are usually house-trained, you can be matched with a dog that is used to spending periods of time alone, and you can also start exercising your new dog with Ruby straightaway. Pups are hard work, and especially when you also work full time, take up all the spare time you have - evenings and weekends. It is like having a new baby in the house

I hope to have been of some help, and good luck in your search. You won't regret bringing a GSD into your life ... they are the best breed going

[Staccato]

Thanks so much for the reply.

We thought puppy as it would be less threatening for Ruby initially, given the size difference there will soon be.

Ruby's definitely a humans working dog. She pays no interest in other dogs whatsoever. She ignores them in the park and trots off ahead. She is never aggressive. She's very submissive and howls like a baby if another dog gets grumpy with her, although she becomes much more confident at home.

If we stop to say hello to anyone in the park she is happy to allow other dogs to sniff her and run about around but won't go and join in their fun. She has a ball on a rope and if another dog runs off with it she does this thing where she pretends to run madly around finding the ball when she knows full well another dog has picked it up!

I wonder if she would almost mother a puppy in a way. We had no issues with her at all as a puppy. She never cried at night, never chewed anything but that was because of the constant correction we gave her for a solid 7 weeks initially.

I wonder if she has lulled us into a false sense of security and the next puppy won't be as simple!

One thing I'm keen to ensure is that ruby remains the older dominant dog. With a male German shepherd, and ensuring that ruby is shown to be pack leader is that possible to do?

[stillalsations2me]

Originally Posted by Staccato

Thanks so much for the reply.

We thought puppy as it would be less threatening for Ruby initially, given the size difference there will soon be.

Ruby's definitely a humans working dog. She pays no interest in other dogs whatsoever. She ignores them in the park and trots off ahead. She is never aggressive. She's very submissive and howls like a baby if another dog gets grumpy with her, although she becomes much more confident at home.

If we stop to say hello to anyone in the park she is happy to allow other dogs to sniff her and run about around but won't go and join in their fun. She has a ball on a rope and if another dog runs off with it she does this thing where she pretends to run madly around finding the ball when she knows full well another dog has picked it up!

I wonder if she would almost mother a puppy in a way. We had no issues with her at all as a puppy. She never cried at night, never chewed anything but that was because of the constant correction we gave her for a solid 7 weeks initially.

I wonder if she has lulled us into a false sense of security and the next puppy won't be as simple!

One thing I'm keen to ensure is that ruby remains the older dominant dog. With a male German shepherd, and ensuring that ruby is shown to be pack leader is that possible to do?

You are very unlikely to achieve that in my opinion with a submissive female, but why is it important for her to be the dominant dog?

[Stuart]

Welcome to the forum, I also agree with whats already been said,.. but as the above post has mentioned you cant be sure that will happen, dominance has nothing to do with age, size or strength, the dominat dog will be the one with the most confidence

[Staccato]

Originally Posted by stillalsations2me

[/B]

You are very unlikely to achieve that in my opinion with a submissive female, but why is it important for her to be the dominant dog?

I guess at the moment she is king of her own castle so to speak, and I would feel bad if she dropped to the bottom of the food chain in her own house, rather than the newcomer doing so.

We definitely want another dog so I guess the above scenario would be the same should we buy another cocker or a GSD I guess.

Have I read incorrectly that feeding one dog before another, and allowing one dog to walk on the lead in front of the other, and other similar actions will force a pack hierarchy? In an ideal world we'd like the dogs to be equals and equally tolerant of each other so they live side by side rather than one over the other.

[jesterjenn]

Originally Posted by Staccato

I guess at the moment she is king of her own castle so to speak, and I would feel bad if she dropped to the bottom of the food chain in her own house, rather than the newcomer doing so.

We definitely want another dog so I guess the above scenario would be the same should we buy another cocker or a GSD I guess.

Have I read incorrectly that feeding one dog before another, and allowing one dog to walk on the lead in front of the other, and other similar actions will force a pack hierarchy? In an ideal world we'd like the dogs to be equals and equally tolerant of each other so they live side by side rather than one over the other.

All I can suggest with this, is let the dogs decide between them who is boss. It will make the course much smoother as there won't be confusion, but as the human, you should treat the "alpha" of the dogs (once they decide who it is), as the alpha, and not the one you want it to be.

It doesn't always happen though as I have two GSDs, one male, one female, and they are very respectful of each other. There isn't a clear leader between them. With different things, they are more dominant over each other with, but I believe in letting them sort it out between themselves (whilst making sure it doesn't get nasty), and touch wood, these two have never faught.

[Stuart]

What you are doing here is thinking like a human instead of thinking like a dog,..you dont like the idea of your dog being sent to the bottom of the pack,... but your dog wouldnt think in that way.

If your new dog does become the dominate dog then it is going to become a very natural thing when the tables change,... and this doesnt have to be done by one dog bullying the other, a dog can, and will often dominate another in very suttle ways

[Moobli]

I have found that in my little pack, the female practically always rules the roost (just like humans ). However, try not to get hung up on who is boss. Dogs generally have ways of sorting themselves out.

Have you looked into what type of GSD you would like (show or working/long or standard coat/colour etc) and found any breeders you like the look/sound of?

[zetstaff]

Originally Posted by Stuart

What you are doing here is thinking like a human instead of thinking like a dog,..you dont like the idea of your dog being sent to the bottom of the pack,... but your dog wouldnt think in that way.




If your new dog does become the dominate dog then it is going to become a very natural thing when the tables change,... and this doesnt have to be done by one dog bullying the other, a dog can, and will often dominate another in very suttle ways

You have to become the main players in your house, in my house neither of my dogs is above or below the other, they're equal + rank below me + hubby

Although I have to admit to them being spoilt rotten