What have you done to prep this week?

[mitunnelrat]

I traded a few hours of my time and a tank of chainsaw gas for about a week's worth of firewood.

[ElevenBravo]

So, I have limited experience with Shep's, what are their pro's and cons?

Not every GSDs (German Shepherd Dog) will be a Rin Tin Tin... It all has to do with breading as to what traits they have. Not all GSDs are suited to be a police dog, again.. breading.

Having said that, keep your expectations realistic.

Ive owned 3 for quite a while so I have personal experience.


The upsides are they are one of the best breeds IMHO.. Other breeds are awesome too, like the Boxer, etc.. There disposition is awesome. They are courageous and very smart. The courage part comes more from breeding, and so does smarts, but as a general rule, the GSD should turn out well (unless its from a puppy mil).

Its hard to say, without evaluating the dog in person, how I think a specific animal will turn out. Seeing the sire and bitch would help to.

Of the 3 dogs I had, only one had the traits to accept training for personal protection. The others were reserved to be companion dogs.


Considerations:
GSDs have the potential for bad hips. Even if a GSD has certified hips thats no guarantee they wont have hip problems.
GSDs have been know to have a problem with a twisted stomach, which can be fatal.
GSDs shed a lot, all year.


Thats about all I have for ya buddy, if there is anything more specific just shout, if I know the answer Ill fill in the blanks.

EB

[Stormfeather]

Having worked with GSD's and Belg Malin's professionally for years, They are one of my favorite breeds. Yes, everything EB said is true and then some. But there are plenty of pro's to them as well. The herding instinct in them is extremely high, as is the drive in them. If you are a couch potato, these are not the dogs for you! As with all puppys, getting them to integrate as a member of a pack, and them knowing their place within the pack is essential. Keeping them brushed once or twice a week keeps the hair shedding at bay, and I also like to feed mine garlic pills as a treat to keep fleas at bay as well. This one I am training up as a service dog, so the need for her to be a "working dog" isnt so much there as she is a PTSD service dog. I find that feeding them raw pack is much better for their digestive tracts that bagged dog food, as I have never been a fan of it, and probably never will be. I liken this to feeding humans bacon flavored Textured Vegetable Protein and thinking its a suitable replacement for bacon... just not happening! Not only does this "toughen up" their digestive tract, but also keeps in touch with their roots as animals on a basic level. Theres a lot more I could go into this breed, but will let you digest this, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Pics coming soon!!!

[ElevenBravo]

Guntar, not a year old yet.


All three of my dogs
(L-R)
Guntar, a big baby... didnt do anything but was loving, a great companion dog
Heidi - Was a rescue dog, she was abused, she did nothing but had a hella hunt drive (She could find the same stick I threw off scent), a great companion dog
Roxie - GSD & Lab mix - She was trained for personal protection with moderate bite work, also a great companion dog


We lost our house in a foreclosure many many years ago and had to find them homes, still miss them to this day...


EB

[robsdak]

1) Just paid off my Daughter's Sig P250 full size 45 (cause they dont make a 46) EB

LOL... they do make a .50 cal... good on you for being a good dad. any swinging dick can be a father, takes a man to be a dad.

daddy, me next. i want a Savage 24C in .22/20 ga.

[ElevenBravo]

Your crazy kid, you'll shoot your eye out!

- - - Updated - - -

I think I spent some grocery money, but Ill figure that out later... got the last box of 1K small pistol primers at the LGS. None, period, zero... after I made my purchase. :-)

EB

[robsdak]

Your crazy kid, you'll shoot your eye out!

- - - Updated - - -

I think I spent some grocery money, but Ill figure that out later... got the last box of 1K small pistol primers at the LGS. None, period, zero... after I made my purchase. :-)EB

not a chance... i have 'safety glasses'. i had one that rode in the truck behind the seat for years. i 'had' a friend that introduced me to a friend of his and it came up missing. been looking at replacing it, but down here it's easier to find a 30 yr. old virgin. LOL

are you starving? NOPE! then no worries. a daddy has to do what's right. besides, your investing in her future...

[ElevenBravo]

Revisiting the idea of airsoft for training, eyeballing some AKs, strict single fire rule en place (to simulate actual inventory).

They are $150 each, in order to train I need two... you do the math and yeah, maybe later... BUT I think it would be an INVALUABLE asset. Id love to get some pistol airsofts too... The P250 is not available in airsoft at this time, so maybe a Glock airsoft, not a duplicate but would be "close".

EB

[Sniper-T]

never had much interest in airsoft... how many feet per second? how 'tough' are the balls? frozen? can be substituted with something more lethal? I know a guy that took a frozen paintball to the forehead and knocked him clean unconscious... is something like that possible with airsoft?

[ElevenBravo]

Airsoft: Typically 350fps, small at 6mm, a little bigger than a BB.. made of plastic. Many of them can biodegrade. Eye protection is critical. You cannot get knocked out with one. The gun can be cheap POS plastic, or wood and metal like the real deal, but there very expensive. $150 AK is a mid quality weapon. They are powered by a battery. You would have to google the rest, or try youtube for "airsoft battle" or something like that... Range is limited, but 50 yards and it they should yield about similar trajectory and thus simulate "realistic" POA/POI.


https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...tegory=0&page=


EB