Getting a shepard puppy and potty training

Question
My husband is waiting for shepard puppies to be born.  How old should they be to take them from their mom. Also what would be the right age to train them.  I want a female shepard.

Answer
Hi Chiquita;
Some are saying 8 weeks now, but I have always taken my puppies at 6 weeks.
On another board I used to be on, most of the experts said anything under 8 weeks is too soom.
But, as i said, all the puppies I had that were taken when they were still puppies, from the mother, not the rescues I have fostered and ended up keeping, were 6 weeks.
That are weaned. That is what is most important.
If they are not weaned from nursing their mother, than you should wait until it is.
As soon as it can eat food on it's own. Surely the owners of the mother have been helping feed the babies to help her with the weaning.
I am weird. At least I must be, because when I say this to most people, they look at me like I am nuts, but newborn puppies have a particular breath, that is one of the sweetest smells to me. It just smells like innocence. Human babies and dog babies have a particular smell about them that to me just brings out the mothering in me.
You start training that puppy as soon as you pick it up and start away with it, from it's momma.
Bear in mind that it is an infant, and it
s organs have not developed so that it has control of them, just like human babies have to wear diapers until they learn this control, puppies have to be helped learning what to do, where to do it, and you to be understanding when there are accidents.

You will be bringing a baby home, and just like bringing a new baby from the hospital, you are raising an infant that depends on you for everything.
start out with a good puppy formula dog food. Science diet, Eucanauba, Walthams,Iams and Nuto Natural Choice are all good brands.
The brands most grocery stores carry are and have always been in compitition for the customers. The government allows them to put fillers in dog food. These fillers do nothing in the way of nourishment for the dogs, they just help fill the bag so the customer thinks they are getting more for their money. These fillers are not harmful, but they are mostly more grains that are needed, and/or even sawduast, so they produce more waste to scoop up from the yard.
The brands I mentioned are only sold at pet stores or Veterinarians' offices. They look like smaller bags for more money, which is why these companies don't sell through most grocery stores. Walmart does carry Iams and Science diet now. I am not sure if they carry any of the other good brands.
Because these food have no fillers, you feed less to get the full amount of nutrition, so they naturally make less waste.
To switch a dog from one food to another, you have to adjust it's digestive system, so you start out with mixing one part the food it is eating now, with one part the brand you are choosing to feed, and feed this for one week, then 2 parts new food to 1 part old food for one week.
After that you can feed just the new brand, and they dog should do fine.
Swtiching too fast, and not gradually changing over, will cause diarreah, and other stomach problems.
Mkes it so much easier to mix thm and give the little system time to adjust.
Puppies will ALWAYS need to go potty soon after they eat and drink.
Some need to go within 5 minutes, some take longer.
Feed the puppy and as soon as it is finished eating, take it out to play for a bit, so it will be outside when it has to go.
When it does it's job outside, give it lots of praise. Really act like it is the greatest and smartet thing a puppy eved did. Petting and saying "Good dog, you'r such a smart baby, good puppy, oh, I am so proud of you" things like that. Give it plenty of time outside to make sure it is finished with all it's business. sometimes after a little more running around and playing, it has to go some more.
every time it goes outside, heap on the praise.
When it has an accident in the house, don't make a big deal out of it, just pick it up and get it outside as fast as you can, hopefully before it finishes.
No praise when it goes inside, l;ots of praise when it goes outside.
It will soon see which gets the praise, and it will try to do it that way every time.
Take it out the same door each time, so it associates going to the bathroom with going out that door. It helps if when you are taking it ourside just to play, if you use another door.
That way the puppy associates going out that door to going to the bathroom, so when it learns that, it should go to that door and bark, whine or scratch on the door to let you know it needs to go out.
Never ever ever miss if you can help it, because every time you don't get it outside, and it complates it's business inside, you set the training back quite a bit.
Taking a very small puppy and getting it outside every time, it usually takes me 3 or 4 days to housebreak a 6 week old puppy.
There are some accidents, because since it is that little, it doesn't always know it has to go in time to get to the door and scratch.
Whan a puppy needs to go it will show signs. It will turn round in circles sometimes sniffing at the floor, sometimes not, or it will aquat. when you see it squat, immediately grab it oup and hook em out to the yard.
If you live in an apartment and want to paper trainit, do it the same way, just take it to the paper instead of outside.
when you get it outside on time, and it goes. PRAISE!
Anytime the dog does anything you want it to, the right way, heap on the praise, when it is naughty and needs scolding, use a stern voice.
It will read the tone of your voice instead of the words you use, until it has lived with you and been talked to enough to learn the language.
Jusr like you were in a foreign country, you have to hear the words a lot before you understand what they mean.
As soon as you get them, you start teaching them, by showing and talking, everything.
when they bite too hard in play, you have to teach then not to be so rough.
You say"Don't bite so hard, every time they bite too hard. about the third time you say it, and they bite too hard again, stop the play immediately.
soon it will learn when it bites too hard, it won't get to play anymore.
when it bites gently and doesn't press down too hard, praise it.
Scold in a stern voice for doing a thing the wrong way, praise for doing it the right way.
Anytime it does what you want it to continue doing it, heap on the praise.
It will want the praise and will do whatever it takes to get it. It won't want the harsh voice, so it will stop doing the things that get the stern voice.
It is realy as simple as that.
You just have to be very consistant.
Petsmart and Petvco stores have obedience classes on weekends.
You can talk to them about what age they like to start a dog in structured obedience training. If you take the puppy with you and go and watch the classes, you will pick up some good tips to use at home, just watching, and the little that the puppy watches, he/she will learn a bit too.
It will, at least, be more easily started in the classes when it is ready. It will be used to hearing the commands etc. Some of it will soak in by osmosis. LOl
Don't bath frequently, as this will cause skin problems. If the puppy gets muddy, try to get it rinsed off with just tepid, clear water, no shampoo. that will not strip the natural oils from it's coat, and shouldn't cause skin problems.
Get it used to being brushed right away.
start with a gentle brush. Avoid the wire bristled dog brushes at first.
those brushes tend to scratch the skin, and should never be used on short haired dogs. Most of the hair on a German shepherd is shorter and lays down on the skin, so it doesn't get a lot of tangles in the shorter hairs, and a daily brushing will keep the dust off, keep the dog clean, and distribute the oils through the hairs better for a shiny coat.
That is about all I can think of right now.
If you have other questions or need me to clarify anything I have told you here, feel free to write me any time.
Charlotte

PS:
I'll try not to write a book next time. LOL