Why Do You Want to Buy An Adult Rather Than A Puppy?
Many people think buying an Adult is something like
driving up to the Jack-in-the-box window and placing their order. They think
the dog will be exactly what they want, ‘right out of the bag’. That
rarely happens, no matter how wonderful the Adult dog is. Why is that?
Every dog has had an accumulation of life experiences as
well as different levels of training and expertise. When I buy an Adult from
Germany, I do not know every detail of how the dog lived (house dog, kennel
dog, with or with out kids or other pets, cats, etc.). I do know what
the temperament of the dog is like, and I do know the official working title
the dog has (if it has one). I also know how the dog has lived once it is with
me.
You can not expect even a SchH3 Adult to be a ‘push
button’ dog, obedient to your every command or wish, and instantly
protective of your home and family. You are new to the dog, you are not yet
the dog’s friend OR master. The dog is like a child, they will test to see
just how much you know, just how much you expect of them, and whether or not
you have asserted yourself as the pack leader.
YOU MUST EXPECT TO DO SOME BASIC TRAINING EVEN WITH A FULLY TRAINED DOG TO ESTABLISH A WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DOG. Granted, the dog will learn MUCH faster than a puppy, and you will have a well mannered and protective dog much sooner than you will with a puppy, but it will not be instantaneous, and you will have to put work into being the leader of the team.
What and getting adult if you have cats? Any dog, even dogs raised with cats will have to learn to behave around your (new to them) cats. They can be trained to get along IF you carefully follow my advice!
I will not sell an adult into a household that already has a dog of the same sex living there, no matter how 'sweet' the existing dog is. This is to avoid possible dog fights which may lead to the re-homing of my dog. I want my dog, and it's new owners to be happy together for the rest of my dog's life!
Most dogs of the “Show lines” in Germany, which is
what I sell, will get enough training to pass their working titles. That does
NOT mean the dog is highly polished so you can go right out and compete with
the dog. You likely do not have the level of talent that the professional
trainer in Germany had so they could get the best performance in the shortest
amount of training time.
I have purchased really top quality dogs that went from
no training to their SchH3 in only 3 months. A hobby trainer would need 12-24 months to accomplish the same level of titles with the same dog.
The show dogs are very valuable for breeding. The Germans
want to get the titles quickly so the dog can make its Championship and begin
breeding. To make the titles quickly, the dog had to have superior aptitude,
the trainer had to be really great, and the scores will not be very high. This
is no reflection on what the dog is capable of doing if worked with over
months to solidify what it learned in its crash course.
So why spend the ‘big bucks’ for an adult? Even the
very best breedings can have something go wrong now and then. There is always
some risk when buying a baby dog. When you buy and adult, you can already see
how the dog is developed, what is the structure like, how are the hips, health
and temperament; and much of the basic training foundations are already done.
This allows you can move along in the training with the dog at a much faster
pace than you could with a puppy.
The adult will bond to you quickly if you include it as part of your family. You do NOT get an adult and throw it out side and think that is enough. The German Shepherd is bred to want and need close association with its pack (you and your family). If left alone in the yard and not brought into the house, the dog will lose much of it desire to please you. The dog does not feel like it is part of YOUR pack, it feels like it is in charge of it’s own life…not a good thing when talking about any dog, but especially a big protection breed like the German Shepherd!
If you would like one of my adults, please click here for info so you can contact me!