Dutch Shepherd Forum

He is now 14 weeks,ears are up all the time and he is settling in to our family finally. His obedience is coming along good and we are going to meet with a professional trainer next week that's been highly recommended. I'm not gonna lie this has been the hardest puppy ever and he's really tested my patience. If you look on Leerburgs page and read about HARD puppies he fits every aspect PLUS. ...lol..but we love him and he's coming along nicely.

wow, he is going to be BIG!!! look at his legs and paws, they are very stocky! what are your plans for him!

He is so beautiful

Not really sure yet I'm taking him to a trainer next weekend here in Franklin,Tennessee. She has a lot of experience with ds and mals. Maybe agility or possibly ipo I'm going to see what she thinks and go from there.Thanks for the compliment we are having a great time with him but it has and still is a definite adjustment. I've never had a dog with a drive like this,that is why I consulted a professional to assist in his training.

Yes, he is going to need a good job with that drive LOL. Agility is great.

What a handsome pup!! Can't wait to see pics as he gets older!

Lexi was the craziest pup I had ever met but she is turning into the best dog and I'm glad we are past most of that puppy stuff

So handsome! Jeez how much did his parents weigh??? He's looking like a Big Roy boy...

Who were his parents btw?

Oh, they're little meatheads when they're young. When their drives really start kicking in around 5-8 months, that's when it's a real fun ride. They "calm" (as in get their heads out of their butts) down around 2 years... Hence why we joke we become real good friends with our local bar/alcohol store.

Good luck with the trainer and trust your gut! If it doesn't feel right do not feel obligated to continue. Some training styles don't work for these dogs and even experienced trainers can not be a good match. And since they're so smart, one bad experience at this stage can prove months of fixing. So trust your gut and listen to your pup. I know Christie is in TN as well as another trainer I would recommend, just not sure where in TN. But I hope that it's a great fit because having a trainer helps a lot.

H was a PITA in the butt until about 6 months then he realized we were a team. Still is one of the most contradictory dogs in terms of dominance, hardness, and handler sensitivity, but once you know him it makes sense. Give your guy time and he may come around as well. They're tough as puppies and adolescents but are so much fun full grown!

His parents were not really big this is a pic of the male and the female looked a lot like him but a little smaller. All 10 pups were brindle except for him and one other female. To be honest I really don't know much about where these dogs came from, I bought him in Boaz,Alabama the male was very well trained and could easily clear a 5 foot fence for his ball and return it. They were just his pets though, and we're very well taken care of. That's really about all I know, I wish I knew more but he didn't have any more info.

Whoa--whatta bruiser. And so handsome.

Ditto what Lisa said about not every trainer is for everyone. Hope this one's a good one for you. Let us know what happens.

Christie and Matt are in Cookeville, TN. If you're close enough, definitely worth it. You can pull them up under Northwoods K9 and/or Thunderhawk.

Yes I have actually talked to her,but they're just to far from me.Thanks

So hypothetically you could have a 60-70 lbs dog fully grown, but with his structure now, unless he has really big bones, you could be looking at 80 lbs + easily. How's his coordination? Agile or super clunky/tipsy? How much is he eating, with training treats? Not implying he's fat at all! More so just curious.

The reason I ask about his coordination (even though puppies are notoriously clumsy lol) is because if he is big boned, he'll most likely gain a lot of muscle, so working on coordination, flexibility, and body awareness now will help tons if you go into any sport. Plus it's just more fun stuff to do while growing and building confidence.

He is unbelievable how he can jump already, he's pretty coordinated as far as puppies go..lol..He eats between 2 and 3 cups of eukanuba a day. He's really not a big eater,(unless it's venison ) compared to the Akitas I've had. He is very well proportioned,I think the pic makes him look a little more stocky than he is. My wife keeps saying he looks to skinny because you can see his ribs.

Are the joints in his front legs that bulbous or is it the photo?

No its the pic,heres a pic from a couple weeks ago shows how long his legs really are.

That's good. H was like a newborn foal around that time - coordinated but could also trip on his long legs. Doing a lot of things like walking on uneven surfaces or things that moved really helped him figure out where his paws were and now he does the most insane acrobatics. We still do a lot of body awareness because you can never have enough, especially if you go into agility where it helps prevent injuries.

Oh yeah they're skinny around this time. Eventually they'll even out; our vet thought H was under weight (despite how much he ate) until about 15 months when the muscles started and he filled out. A little rib showing isn't bad at all - as pups these guys tends to be crazy lean and skinny. Charlie's body looks a lot like a dog H's breeder had, who I nicknamed "Mini Hulk". I'll try to find pics. He's eating fine and is coordinated which is awesome. I can't wait to see how he looks grown up!

Let us know how it goes with the trainer!

Sure willwe're looking forward to it. Thanks for all the advice it's been a big help.

wow, he is going to be tall !!!!