my 5 mon old german shpherd

Question
hi i have a few questions actually. i just got a 5 month old german shepherd and he is very quite. maybe this is a good thing but he doesnt bark why? and he is very skinny not to the point where he looks like he's starving but skinny why? also when i put out some food for him he's hesitent to eat why? also maybe i might be training him wrong because there are kids here that keep trying to give him commands both at the same time is that good? is that going to effect his training? will that make him confused all the time? please i need some help. i love my dog (kingston) but im afraid that he will get confused. can u clear up so of these things? i would more then apprecate it
thank you.

Answer
Shepherds are normally fairly vocal.  It may take a while for him to adjust to his new home.  It will be longer if he wasn't exposed to many people and other things before 12 weeks old.  That is a very common, serious mistake.  

Are you offering him what he was eating before?  The best chow for him now is a dry commercial adult dog chow.  Puppy chows promote fast growth creating joint problems. Feeding an adult chow now will mean stronger joints when he does reach his adult size.  

It is quite common for young Shepherds to be thin, even having their ribs show some. Don't worry about it.  It is much healthier for them than the breeds the eat more than they need and look for more.

While it is good for the dog to respond to commands from all the family, everybody needs to be consistent in what they use.   The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  There is some material on dogs and children on that site too.