Cooper Introduces the Gem Gang!

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies! We have puppies in the House! These little "Gems" were a GSRA surprise. In early June, we rescued Ruby and her daughter Juliet from the shelter, not knowing that on June 10, 2014 we would wake up to a surprise! Ruby's foster mom started to suspect that Ruby might be pregnant and that morning she gifted us with 6 beautiful girls and 2 handsome boys! These little bundles of joy are 5 weeks old. We keep the pups with their Mama until they are at least 8 weeks old. Then we pair them off and send them to new foster homes so they can learn to live in a home without their Mama and the rest of their siblings. Then, between 10-12 weeks they begin interviewing potential forever homes! But, what kind of forever homes are these little guys looking for?

Why a Puppy isn't Right for Everyone

Run Roxy, RUN! The Puppies were introduced to Roxy, a
senior girl. Puppies will chase ANYTHING and anyone! 

Ok, everyone loves a puppy! We are cute! I should know, I am still a puppy! Who can resist the adorable bundle of fur and the puppy breath? We are so darn sweet, but we grow up and we grow up fast! Puppies can be a great addition to some families, but adult or senior dogs are a better fit for many. GSRAs policy is that we do not adopt dogs under a year old to families with children under 8. We also highly recommend crate training.  We have been questioned about these two practices. Sure, many people have small children and puppies, but if those people were honest with you, in most cases they will admit it was a LOT of extra work! Let me take the opportunity to discuss this in detail. 

Myth: Puppies and Babies Always Go Together

GSD are social creatures. They need companionship.

"You know that cute Kodak commercial with the puppies climbing all over the giggling little boy? Have you ever noticed how short it is? That's because they could only film for a few seconds before the welts rose, the blood dripped, and the boy began to scream for his mother. Puppies have needle sharp-teeth that they happily sink into anyone who walks by. They also have sharp nails that scratch when they jump up - and on the little one, those front feet land right around his face (Betsy Morris)." Baby GSDs are little herding dogs in training. They have sharp teeth and they play rough to get them ready for the job they were bred to do. All too often people adopt a puppy with small children only to give the dog up because the dog is "biting" the child, scratching the child, or playing with the child like he is also a GSD puppy. This is natural for the puppy. I still bite my Mama's ankles because I think it is funny. A baby's skin is much more fragile. As a rescue, we can't put one of our pups in a situation like this. I think any tired mother of a toddler will tell you that they don't need two toddlers running around, especially one with sharp teeth and a desire to tinkle in the house. I hope I didn't make us puppies sound bad! Puppies are great in no kid homes or homes with older children who can help them learn good behavior.

Myth: Crate Training a Puppy is Cruel

All pups need plenty of outside, social time.

Crate training isn't cruel!  My Mama got an email while she was still my foster Mama explaining that she was being cruel to me because she was crate training me. I would like to argue that point. When I first came to live with my family I was just a tiny little 2-3 month old pup. I didn't know about dangers and I was not house broken. My family didn't leave me in the crate all day! But, I did stay in the crate any time my Mama could not directly supervise me. Let me ask this question, would you leave your human pup unsupervised while you were gone or in another part of the house? I don't think you would! Also, if I had been left unsupervised when I first got here, I would have gotten into trouble! Instead of being let out of my kennel to play and get lov'ins, my Mama would have been upset and would have had to spend precious "Cooper Time" cleaning up my mess! I never get yelled at for doing bad things, because my Mama doesn't set me up for failure. That is what a crate is for! I no longer sleep in my crate at night. I have a soft bed beside Tina's bed. I only go into my crate to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and when my family cannot be home with me. The crate is not a punishment or a bad place to be. Crate training a puppy is an extremely humane way to teach a pup how to live in a house. The Humane Society has a great page explaining how to crate train properly. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/crate_training.html. Remember, puppies do not know the difference in their toys, electrical wires, your best MK pumps or your child's favorite binky. A puppy needs supervision to learn these things! 

Cooper in school listening to his teacher.

About the Author

My name is Cooper and I was rescued by GSRA in May of 2014. I was adopted in June of 2014 by my foster mommy and I am about 5 months old now. I started school a few weeks ago. I did VERY well my first night of school and I was the best in class if I say so myself. However, my second class did not go as well. Week two was walking around a store and taking treats from strangers. I did NOT like this. I was so scared I had an accident on the floor!

Cooper not sure about this "meet a stranger" night.

Hanging at Panera Bread. People LOVE me! 

My Mama decided to just walk me around, but not to let strangers pet me or give me treats. It was just too much for me. I came home from my second class a little sad. So, Papa and my big brother Asher took me to Tractor Supply and Panera Bread the next day. My brother Asher showed me how wonderful the world outside the house can be! 

Thank you all for reading my blog. Check out the Gem Puppies first music video below! They will be available for adoption in about 6 weeks!