11 Puppies
Leaps and Bounds
At 3 months old, the puppies are literally growing by leaps and bounds.
I visited Sharon to see how Roxy was doing. Roxy is the puppy that Sharon kept. On my last visit, she was called Beezi, but the name didn’t stick and, I have to admit, Roxy is a good name for this little one. She is tenacious, and full of demonic play.
Roxy (right) is full of demonic play.
Another little puppy, known as Chunk in a previous article, joined Roxy on the lawn for an hour of tumultuous and amusing play. Chunk is now called Yogi and lives with June and her three other GSDs near Bristol.
Yogi
June took Yogi home for first time several weeks ago and introduced him to the family. “Three-year-old Elka (GSD) told him off straight away,” says June. “She is quite bossy. Then, Nico, my other three-year-old GSD, who is quite a nervous boy, was frightened of him at first. And, my older dog, Leah, who is 13, looked at me as if to say, ‘Mother, what have you done?’”
“All four dogs are fine together,” June continues, “although Yogi will push things as far as he can. He’s worked out that Nico is a bit nervous, but Nico can now manage to tell him off if he gets too pushy”.
I comment that June really has her hands full with four. She smiles, “Well, they have learnt to settle down when Coronation Street is on as they know that will be the end of Mother now for the next hour. So, they each find their own little spot in the lounge.”
I ask her if she has managed to puppy-proof her house and she replies, “Yes, but I don’t know if it’s Yogi-proof!”
Yogi on top.
Although each of the 11 puppies have their own individual markings, it is easy to confuse one with another. Roxy, on the other hand, stands out. When the pups were only 3 weeks old, someone who knows about these things confidently pronounced Roxy, “the smallest and the ugliest” of the litter. She was not wrong – Roxy was definitely the smallest.
With her enormous ears, short coat, wiry physic and a dark face with a slightly sad expression, Roxy reminds me of an African Wild Dog.
Roxy (left), African Wild Dog (right)!
Of course, Sharon chose her not for looks, but for character. She was often the instigator of play and mischief with her larger littermates. She’s brave and naughty and fun to be with.
Roxy and Yogi.
Sadly, one of the puppies (nicknamed White Sox) was brought back after only weeks in her new home. Sharon says she was returned for, “being nothing more than a puppy”.
Sharon confides, “I think the lady wanted a perfect little puppy. But, as a first-time GSD owner, I think she was overwhelmed and she complained the puppy repeatedly flew at her face and bit her arm”.
White Sox was back with Sharon for several days before she went to another new home, “She was absolutely fine – no different from any of the others,” says Sharon. White Sox, now renamed Phoebe, has gone to a lady called Sue who claims she’s a perfectly normal puppy.
We’ll follow up on White Sox/Phoebe at a later date. In the meantime, Sharon gets a bowl of water for Roxy and Yogi. They have great fun stepping in it and arguing over it while they drink. Eventually, Roxy runs off with the bowl. She tears around the lawn grappling with the water bowl while Yogi chases. Great fun!
Roxy runs off with the bowl.
June follows Sharon’s advice and feeds Yogi a raw diet of meat and bones along with vegetables, cottage cheese, fresh sardines and live yoghurt. June adds, “He’s still on four meals a day, although one of them is only scrambled egg.”
Both puppies have grown a lot since my last visit. Roxy, always the smallest, is now as tall as Yogi, although Yogi exceeds in chunkiness. “He’s not fat,” claims June. “He weighs just over 10 kilos when dry. But his coat is very woolly which makes him look chunky. And, he’s got quite chunky legs to go with the paws.”
Yogi is a long-coated GSD, which means he has a woolly undercoat covered by long strands of overcoat. June mentions that he can take up to 24 hours to dry. To me, he looks like a cuddly teddy bear but, once he’s grown, he will be stunningly handsome.
Both June and Sharon are using positive, reward-based, clicker training. I ask Sharon at what age this should start. “As young as possible,” she says. “Six weeks, or even before, is not too young to start.”
Sharon says that Roxy was very quick to understand to be gentle with 10 month-old Joel. She laughs while telling me, “Roxy knows that, as soon as she gets into the house, to go to Joel’s highchair because he drops food on the floor and she cleans the floor around his chair.”
As we talk, although the sun is shining, it starts raining and Roxy and Yogi play in the rain as we watch from our sheltered alcove.
What sharp teeth you have!
Both Sharon and June had the pups vaccinated for only Parvovirus and Leptospirosis, rather than the usual cocktail of vaccines most Vets routinely shoot into new puppies. Although the vaccines are elective, not mandatory, most Vets do not let you know you can refuse them. Many, including both Sharon and June, believe that some of the vaccines may present risks to your pups future health.
I explain that Molly is due her second year vaccinations and I’m not sure what to do. I have read that repeatedly vaccinating your dog year after year for disease that they may already carry immunity for can be harmful and can trigger all sorts of things from allergies to cancer. June suggests that I ask my Vet to do a ‘titre (teeter) test’ to determine the level of vaccine still present in her system.
There is also something to be said for delaying the initial vaccinations so as not to upset the natural immunity that puppies get from their mother. At three months, both Roxy and Yogi have only just completed their Parvo and Lepto vaccinations. Most Veterinary Practices advise initial vaccinations be done at 6 to 8 weeks.
Sharon suggests that it is a good idea to search the Internet for information on this subject before making a decision on your dogs’ vaccinations.
We move on to a more cheerful subject. Sharon proudly announces that Roxy has been invited to appear at the Discover Dogs show at Earls Court in November. She will be representing her Breed on the German Shepherd Dog stand. And, if all goes well, both Roxy and her Mum, Katja, will be appearing at the Discover Dogs stand next year at Crufts.
On that happy note, it is time to leave as June has to take Yogi to his first Puppy Class. Another one of the 11 puppies, ‘Punk’ owned by Sally Wynes, will be in Puppy Class with Yogi. We’ll be catching up with Sally and ‘Punk’ (who now has a ‘real’ name) next time.
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Contact Details
Sharon Arnold - Email: sharonma12@aol.com. Website: Frome K-9
Author: Kay Wheatley
