NEWS & OPINIONS
Living with a German Shepherd: Theo & Me (Part 2)
Pranati, a 21-year-old dog-mom to a German Shepherd Theo, shares her experiences and struggles with raising a GSD in this two-part heartfelt series.
Table of contents
This is the follow-up piece to Life with Theo: Part I. Read on to find out about the potential challenges you may need to overcome if you get a GSD.
Like any other pet parent, I feel that my dog and I share a special connection. We love, we play, we argue (I swear he talks back), we annoy each other and we cuddle. Getting Theo home has been life-changing for me. He has given my life, structure, and meaning. But life with him has not been without its fair share of challenges.
Welcome to my struggles & mistakes in raising the majestic German Shepherd Dog!
All the training resources on the planet point to proper socialisation and training in the early weeks of getting a German Shepherd Dog. When I got Theo home on 16th Nov 2020, I had done my research on the breed, and the potential challenges I could be facing, and was determined to raise him the right way.
Like any other pet parent, I feel that my dog and I share a special connection. We love, we play, we argue (I swear he talks back), we annoy each other and we cuddle. Getting Theo home has been life-changing for me. He has given my life, structure, and meaning. But life with him has not been without its fair share of challenges.
Welcome to my struggles & mistakes in raising the majestic German Shepherd Dog!
All the training resources on the planet point to proper socialisation and training in the early weeks of getting a German Shepherd Dog. When I got Theo home on 16th Nov 2020, I had done my research on the breed, and the potential challenges I could be facing, and was determined to raise him the right way.
Puppy Phase for a German Shepherd
We knew it wouldn’t be easy to raise a dog single-handedly. Before getting Theo home, we discussed what our responsibilities would look like as pet parents and how we would split them. Our family divided the tasks in the following ways-
Theo was a very independent puppy and didn’t like showing or receiving too much affection. He would choose a corner away from me to lie down in. Slowly, over the next few months, our relationship got better. He loved play sessions. So I used that to my advantage and did some training. That way, he was also learning and having a great time with me!
- Daily grooming was either my responsibility or my mom’s. Theo hated the comb. He would bite our hands and the comb. So we took it slow and used a lot of treats to get him desensitised and comfortable with grooming.
- Food- We decided to share this responsibility equally. Each one of us in the family had to soak the food in hot water and give it to him at least once a day. We taught him to wait before eating. He wouldn’t get the bowl until he sat calmly.
- Training- I felt that I could do the training on my own and took up that responsibility entirely. Though, in retrospect, I wish I had involved a trainer right from the beginning.
- Obedience - I taught him basic commands like Sit, Stand, Down, Stay, Come and Leave it
- Potty training- As his vaccinations weren’t done, and I couldn’t take him outside, I had to train him to go to the balcony to do his business. Theo was extremely smart and quick to learn that he had to go and wait at the balcony door to give me a sign that he needs to be led out. I knew that puppies had extremely low bladder control and needed to be let out every hour or two. He did have some accidents inside but that was due to my negligence. Being consistent and having a routine helped him learn quickly.
- Crate training - Teaching Theo to hang out in the crate whenever I couldn't monitor him saved me from having to micromanage him all the time. Puppies love biting and chewing as they are teething and still learning to interact with the world. Every time Theo chose to bite something, he was redirected back to his chewy or his toy. To satisfy the biting urge, we would give him something to chew on daily.
Theo was a very independent puppy and didn’t like showing or receiving too much affection. He would choose a corner away from me to lie down in. Slowly, over the next few months, our relationship got better. He loved play sessions. So I used that to my advantage and did some training. That way, he was also learning and having a great time with me!
Theo as a cute and handsome puppy.
Teenage Phase for a German Shepherd
I knew how important physical exercise was for a high-energy breed. But, back then, I thought exercise meant running and Theo loved to play fetch. The excessive play led to a ligament tear which took three months to heal completely. He was limping, and it was just heart-breaking to watch. We could only give him short walks and he had to spend all his time indoors. Even with an injured leg, he would get his toy to us and ask us to throw it for him or play tug with him. This is what living with a high-energy dog is like. They always want to play!
Skipping Theo’s exercise wasn’t an option for me. On the days I did skip exercise, I observed changes in his behaviour like excessive barking, pacing around the house too much, pulling on walks, and even loss of appetite.
When he was eight months old, we took him to Cubbon Park for socialisation. Now that all his vaccinations were done, I wanted to take him out and properly socialise him. Up until this point, he had only met a couple of my friends and my neighbour's dog. Taking an unsocialised dog to a dog park was a huge mistake. He got bullied there by a Husky. Even now, he hates dogs that are bigger than him, and this mistake of mine could have played a major factor in that.
I started to see the initial stages of reactivity when Theo was about 10 months old.
Walking with him got tougher. He would pull towards other dogs and wanted to meet all of them. When guests came over, he would want to run up to them even if he wasn’t allowed to. He would bark and lunge at them, and go crazy! When he was a tiny, cute puppy, he was allowed to meet every dog and every person he came across. Now, he was suddenly not allowed to because of his size.
We decided to go to a trainer before this problem got worse. I was desperate and chose a trainer with the highest reviews on Google. He suggested using the choke chain. I went against my instincts and, out of desperation, agreed to go with it. Worst decision of my life!
Theo might be a big dog who looks tough on the outside, but he’s sensitive and soft on the inside. At one point in time, the trainer took us to a group class with 30+ dogs, where Theo got into fights with other dogs. He eventually grew up to be scared of the trainer and after seeing his reactivity get worse, we stopped.
Skipping Theo’s exercise wasn’t an option for me. On the days I did skip exercise, I observed changes in his behaviour like excessive barking, pacing around the house too much, pulling on walks, and even loss of appetite.
When he was eight months old, we took him to Cubbon Park for socialisation. Now that all his vaccinations were done, I wanted to take him out and properly socialise him. Up until this point, he had only met a couple of my friends and my neighbour's dog. Taking an unsocialised dog to a dog park was a huge mistake. He got bullied there by a Husky. Even now, he hates dogs that are bigger than him, and this mistake of mine could have played a major factor in that.
I started to see the initial stages of reactivity when Theo was about 10 months old.
Walking with him got tougher. He would pull towards other dogs and wanted to meet all of them. When guests came over, he would want to run up to them even if he wasn’t allowed to. He would bark and lunge at them, and go crazy! When he was a tiny, cute puppy, he was allowed to meet every dog and every person he came across. Now, he was suddenly not allowed to because of his size.
We decided to go to a trainer before this problem got worse. I was desperate and chose a trainer with the highest reviews on Google. He suggested using the choke chain. I went against my instincts and, out of desperation, agreed to go with it. Worst decision of my life!
Theo might be a big dog who looks tough on the outside, but he’s sensitive and soft on the inside. At one point in time, the trainer took us to a group class with 30+ dogs, where Theo got into fights with other dogs. He eventually grew up to be scared of the trainer and after seeing his reactivity get worse, we stopped.
Theo at Cubbon Park.
Where We Are at Right Now
After discontinuing the training, I did some research and, this time, carefully chose a certified pain-free trainer to help us out. I came across ThePack.in on Instagram and met wonderful trainers. The trainers there are currently helping me with Theo and his reactivity issues.
Mistakes I Wish I Hadn’t Made with My German Shepherd
- Thinking I could train Theo on my own and not involving a trainer right from the start, only to end up with a dog with behavioural issues
- Thinking of socialisation as simply letting your dog meet other random dogs and people, and taking him to the dog park when he wasn’t adequately socialised
- Making him run and jump too much when his bones and muscles were still developing
- Choosing the wrong trainer (out of desperation!) and without proper research
- Not practising Impulse control and frustration tolerance as much as I needed to, considering he is a herding breed with a high prey drive
Theo is more than just a reactive dog. He's so smart, goofy and playful. He takes time to trust people and dogs. But when he does, he is the most loving boy. He is my baby, my brother, my angel in disguise, my caretaker and my best friend! I guess this is what unconditional love feels like. I love him even with all his flaws and imperfections.
Editor’s note: Do you remember reading the following statement in Theo & Me (Part 1)?
“Never in my life had I thought I'd ever want to be a dog trainer, but now, thanks to Theo, I'm considering it as a future career.”
~2021
As of 2023, Pranati S is a certified canine trainer at ThePack.in and is helping other pet parents with their struggles with their dogs. She finally did decide to dive into this profession, all thanks to her beloved dog- Theo.
Need help with training your dog, here are a few links that helped Pranati and Theo get started, in their journey-
- Canine Enrichment’s Importance in Behaviour by Behaviourist Sayli Rajadhyaksha
- How to Choose the right trainer for your dog by Shobhit M
- How to calm your dog’s Anxiety by Behaviourist Shivani K
- How to brush your dog’s Hair by Dr Tanaya Pai
- Feeding guidelines for puppies of age 2- 4 months by Dr Tanaya
- How to teach ‘come’ when called by Trainer Garima Tomar
- How to potty train your dog by Behaviourist Alisha Krishnayya
- How to crate train my dog by Behaviourist Alisha Krishnayya
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