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Somehow I never saw this thread! Here is a pic of Finn from when he was 4 or 5 months old:  Here he is around 6 months old:  And a little older, looking insane:  Then giving the doe eyes:  War dog:  Around a year old, still very much a puppy:  Working on his poses:  Hanging out with his little sister:  Enjoying the dusting of snow:  Getting beat up by a 12 pound puppy:  And what the heck, have a couple of videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32SLMFkGp7U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyPKnxFlBdo Finn is about 15 months old now. I had GSD's growing up, but being completely responsible for one has been more challenging than I expected! Even with all of the challenges he has presented (oh my god why can't you chill out inside the house and stop jumping on the counters?!) I wouldn't trade this dumb dog for anything. He is fiercely loyal and protective of me and my wife, he protects his little sister at the dog park, plays really well with new dogs, and he wins people over quickly with his big, dopey smile. Another thing that surprised me was how many people are afraid of GSD's. I don't know if it's just the association with police and military or what, but so many people get nervous when Finn approaches them or starts playing with their dogs at the dog park. He'd never hurt anyone though  edit: forgot my favorite puppy pic 
Ehud fucked around with this message at 21:45 on Feb 17, 2016 |
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Feb 17, 2016 15:31
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| # ¿ May 11, 2024 14:51 |
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Triangulum posted:It's a big dog and GSDs are known for biting people, of course some people are scared of him. They're intimidating animals if you aren't comfortable around them or other large dogs. Sure. Finn is a big wimp when it comes to everything but his family. He always backs down when other dogs get aggressive with him. He has zero interest in any of that. The other day I had to pull a poodle off of him at the dog park. But if a dog approaches Molly (the little dog) at the dog park, he always comes by to make sure everything is okay, and he'll put himself in between Molly and the other dog if the other dog starts barking/growling/playing too rough with Molly. One time a dog just kept on and on with Molly and Finn barked at it to make it go away. Molly is his ride or die and keeps a good eye on her  In regards to us, I probably give him more credit than warranted, but we always feel safe with Finn. He's a good watchdog when he's in the yard and barks at people he doesn't recognize, he stays very alert when we're out on walks, etc. I see what you're saying about GSD's and peoples' view of them. I guess I forget that people think of the breed that way because I've been around them since I was a baby.
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Feb 17, 2016 18:21
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Triangulum posted:If a dog is harassing your small dog or playing too rough with her you really shouldn't be waiting for your GSD to deal with it, its your job to stop that not his. Having him take care of it is a real nice way to get him to start resource guarding her or for a fight to break out. Plus you're not doing her any favors by letting dogs bully her until Finn steps in. Don't worry. I don't let anyone bully my dogs at the park! We keep one person with each dog at all times. I'm usually with Finn and my wife is usually with Molly. I think you're picturing things being much more aggressive than they actually were which might be my fault for not explaining things properly. It's all much more playful than what you're probably imagining. The dogs were all playing, including Finn. His body language and bark was very much more of a "Hey knock that off!" with a smile on his face and his tail wagging than an "I'm going to attack you!" Things had just gotten a little too rough for Molly when Finn intervened. It was like a couple of seconds had passed and Finn happened to see it and got there before us. My point was just that Finn being observant of Molly like that makes me feel like he's got her back, but of course I fully intend on never letting things get to that point.
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Feb 17, 2016 18:51
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We've had mostly good experiences at our dog park. There are a few very odd people, and a few people who were genuinely dangerous and were banned from the park because their dogs were out of control. My only personal negative experience was having to leave early due to an extremely large, aggressive Newfoundland who would not leave Finn alone. The owner had zero interest in controlling her monster dog, and even if she did, the dog outweighed her by at least 50 pounds. Here's Finn at the dog park:  I take the good with the bad there because it's Finn's favorite place in the entire world.
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Feb 17, 2016 21:11
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Stroop There It Is posted:I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite dog on the Citadel Haven't checked the thread in a while! Update with some pics... Finn has been in training for about a month now. The guy we are working with does in-home training and Finn has come a long way in a pretty short period of time. His behavior in the house is way less insane, he's doing better with greeting guests, his leash manners are getting better and it just feels like we have a better understanding of each other overall. I've been impressed with the training. It's literally just body language and voice control which is great because Finn has never been super treat motivated. Anyway, on with the pics! Finally found a bed he likes and doesn't destroy:  Best buddies:  He saw me pulling up these vines and helped me for like an hour. It was really cool to see him work. I want to train him to help with more yard stuff.  Hanging out today:    
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Apr 23, 2016 22:26
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| # ¿ May 11, 2024 14:51 |
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also when I tell people I have a GSD and they ask to see a pic:
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Apr 23, 2016 22:27
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