Dutch Shepherd Forum

This is Gustav. He is our puppy from the recent Vandalia Kennel litter from Timo and Cricket. We picked him up yesterday and made the drive from WV to NC. Love his color and his temperament. He seems to be felling his new home out and getting adjusted. Couldn't be happier.

He is so handsome. I've been anxiously awaiting a pic. So nice to see another Vandalia pup. I can't wait to see and hear more about y'alls adventure.

very nice coloring.
will be nice to follow his progress.

He is beautiful! How old is he?

Mobil wrote:He is beautiful! How old is he?

He was born April 30, 2014 so a little over 2 months. We already have a sit,lay down, and come down pretty solid. They are fast learners.

Nice pup. They are fast learners, and fun to work with. Enjoy!

My girl is also sired by Timo.

Here is Gustav at 15 weeks. We are teething like crazy. We are discussing enrolling him at Tarheel Canine for obedience training when he is old enough.

He is looking good!!! They grow up so fast. Keep us updated.

Dan -
I am in NC as well and have used Swiftdogz Canine Services in Concord for all 3 of my dogs. I have seen them do amazing things with other people's dogs and rescues that were going to be put down because they were labeled aggressive. I fostered a SharPei that went through their training and saw a completely different dog come out than went in. They really tap in to your dog's brain and personality - it's more about behavior and getting your dog to think and make good decisions rather than *just* obedience...you get so much more through their process. And once you are a client, you never lose that connection...they are always there to help, bounce ideas off of, etc. They do the gamut...personal pets, goose control dogs, service dogs...and they have clients from Ohio to Florida to Texas. I know it may be a drive for you (it is for me, too), but it is well worth it. 704-782-3649 - ask for Michelle.

Stacy:
Thanks for the tip. We are going with Tarheel not to solve a problem but to begin our training for either Schutzhund or PSA. Tarheel is very close and has a good reputation from what we read. Gustav has no issues that we couldn't solve but we feel sending him to professionals who know what they're doing to get a solid base is in everyone's best interest. Plus I am heading out of town for a bit for work and this is a perfect opportunity coming up.

MadMedic35 wrote:Here is Gustav at 15 weeks. We are teething like crazy. We are discussing enrolling him at Tarheel Canine for obedience training when he is old enough.

He should have started obedience at ten weeks old. However, I didn't get Riddick until he was going on 13 weeks old and didn't start training till nearly four months. He turned out OK. You got excellent lines there with your pup. He'll be fine.


M

Xander started obedience class at 13 weeks and I wished I had started earlier. However, I had already taught him the basics before we went. We pretty much went for socializing. And we still go to basic class almost every week for socializing. The lady that teaches the class here encourages you to come back whenever you want free of charge once you have completed the class. I was mostly scared of taking him out earlier than 13 weeks because of vaccines. But I wish I had started earlier.

Tarheel is excellent for PSA/Schutzhund. One thing to keep in mind, and they have probably already advised you, is that the key with anyone else training your pup is you keeping up exactly how they say the commands and enforce/teach/condition the responses. 90% is training the handler; I know because I have a trainer for PSA and 90% is him telling me what I'm doing wrong! Lol. While H works great for him he's not nearly as precise when working with me due to my own handling errors.

Hey Dan -
I don't use Swiftdogz for problems... I use them for basics. I was just putting that out there that they do amazing things with problem dogs as well. Most of their clients start out as puppies/young.

Glad you have found a trainer you feel good about!!

Take care!!