Our Passion
Stoney Lonesome GSD breeds and starts great family dogs. We aim for pups with
* great temperament/behavior, especially toward different types of people and different types of other dogs, stability when things go wrong
* great health (genetics, nutrition, exercise)
* great conformation – dogs that get compliments in how they look moving or even just standing still, this is mostly genetic but nutrition, fitness and experience also matter
* great trainability
* and then we match our pups with great dog families, help them prepare for their new puppy, help them shape their expectations for themselves and their puppy, and help with any questions.
Behavior/Temperament is #1
There’s a lot to be done while starting a pup because affecting dog behavior after eight weeks is much more difficult. And after the first month new owners have their puppy it is famously difficult. Along with our own techniques we use the Puppy Culture protocol and encourage our customers to finish it through week twelve. If you’re familiar with Puppy Culture then many of the ideas below will seem familiar. Of course there’s more, but here is a list of highlights. SL GSD works to give all of our pups:
* a superior start on enjoying being around and being played with by people. As a single example, “Holding a wolf cub for three minutes a day during the first ten days of its life make all the difference in its behaviour towards humans later on. The same applies to a domestic dog, even if it is more flexible,” from Roger Abrantes’ Dog Language, An encyclopedia of Canine Behaviour. We agree but for certain pups this must be done with sensitivity and timing to avoid triggering fear at being away from mother and the rest of the litter.
* superior frustration handling
— classical music played to puppies before and after birth results in better frustration handling as adults. With a little research you can create an effective playlist that also fits with your personal tastes, or you can find one online.
— frustration training prepares SL GSD pups to be more stable family dogs
* an enhanced neurological system, through early neurological stimulation
* superior emotional resiliency (less likely to respond negatively to scary situations
* superior human and canine socialization by starting as early as safely possible.
* a superior start on being curious and poised – by capitalizing on the Enrichment Effect. Left alone, after a few months of age, dogs naturally start to avoid and even fear new experiences. But proper exposure to select experiences helps create confident and curious dogs. Many of these opportunities are closed by 8 weeks of age.
* a superior start on confidence and stability-by proper training during natural development and fear periods, and by preparing owners for recognizing and handling any fear periods that may occur after the puppy is homed.
* a superior start on bite control. German Shepherd puppies are nicknamed “landsharks” because, like other dogs with strong prey drive, they have above average desire to explore and play with their mouths. A puppy that bites too hard is annoying, but can become dangerous as an adult. In fact Dunbar says “teaching bite inhibition is the most important part of your puppy’s entire education.” Since a great family dog needs great bite control we focus on this with our pups and help our families continue preventative maintenance. The puppy must be prepared to respond properly even to the unpredictable. Dunbar gives the example of a child tripping over and injuring a dog while it is enjoying its favorite treat. People need to be safe, even if he or she accidentally frightens or hurts a dog.
Learning bite moderation.
Meeting and submitting to an adult at 5 weeks. Not all dogs automatically “speak dog” well and know how to submit to avoid conflict.
* a superior pallet – GSDs can be picky eaters, so we feed the puppies, and before that, the mother different types of kibble and other foods to broaden their pallets. It is widely documented that puppies’ taste preferences are affected in utero by the mother’s diet. For example, GSDs often dislike fish, an ingredient in many quality dogfoods. So for 8 weeks before and after birth, SL GSDs are exposed to different types of fish and come to enjoy it. Another example: sauerkraut is an excellent and affordable probiotic that seems effective as a preventative or in case of loose stool. It’s a shame that dogs typically won’t eat it, but SL GSD pups will lap it up!
* superior cleverness – SL GSD pups have a head start on cleverness from lots of time with puzzles, games and problem solving
* a superior start on stability, which is vital with a powerful guard breed, by teaching alternatives to aggression
* a superior start on leash walking
* a superior start on recall
* superior manding (training your puppy to make requests) – Puppy Culture calls it “giving your puppy a voice”
* a head start on preventing various problems such as resource guarding, biting, jumping up
* a head start on exposure to other animals
Puppies are very accepting during certain periods, creating conditioning opportunities.
Health & Genetics matter
*The first step in a great family pup is starting with parents that are great family dogs. This has always been the basis of creating breeds and specializations – start by breeding animals that are very good at your purpose.
* Hip Dysplasia (loose hip joints and crippling pain) is one of the major health concerns in the GSD. Some testing systems are more predictive than others, but good GSD breeders do some form of testing for this problem. The causes seem to be roughly 30% genetic and 70% environmental, such as too much exercise for a small puppy or too little exercise for an adult dog, and of course weight concerns as an adult.
* Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) is another significant health problem in the GSD. It is a recessive gene, and “carriers” (dogs with a single copy of the faulty gene) will never suffer any negative symptoms. Some of the “affected” (those having two copies of the faulty gene) will suffer a slow loss of feeling in the limbs later in life, with symptoms starting between 8 and 14 years, but some will never show any symptoms. Fortunately, there’s a simple test to avoid producing affected pups. More from experts.
* Breeding based on relevant genetic tests is the breeder’s responsibility, but after that the dominant role in your pet’s long-term health is likely to come from environmental factors such as proper diet, exercise, and weight management across the animal’s life.
Conformation matters
* Despite all the details in the breed standards, conformation boils down to how the dog looks when doing its job. For a GSD this involves running and jumping – does it look graceful and powerful? If the conformation is good, movement will look effortless and fluid, if not it will look choppy and awkward. Look for pictures and videos of the parents in motion.
Good conformation allows grace and power.
* In addition to numerous coat colors, the GSD has been bred into different styles for different goals. It makes sense to us to prioritize temperament and health first, but you may want to familiarize yourself with coat colors and styles to see if you have a strong preference.
— The AKC GSD breed standard
— The SV (“Society for the GSD”, in German) breed standard
Hip angulation affects stride.
Matching with forever family matters
* With a breed as versatile as the GSD, owners will have many different goals and sets of expectations, but also very different strengths and weaknesses. All different kinds of people are drawn to this breed. It’s our job to
— identify if a family who approaches our kennel would be happiest with a puppy in our niche, and
— to use our knowledge of our individual puppies to match with the strengths, weaknesses, and goals of the interested families. A bad match denies the family their dream, wastes our effort, and puts a puppy into a permanent second-best situation. That’s why we can seem quite pushy on matching, and since puppies are still developing up to 8 weeks and beyond, that’s why we appreciate patience and trust while we make final matching decisions.
Family prep matters
* Selection: we work with interested families on whether a GSD is right for them right now, if a puppy is right for them right now, and how they’ll develop the puppy into a great family dog.
* SL GSD also helps the family get off to a great start by offering important tips:
— setting up a puppy environment – this is foundational
— improving bite control daily – bite issues are the #1 reason GSDs are given up
— quicker housebreaking
— proper chew training
— avoiding arousal-related problems
— better socialization sessions – finding good playmates, and socialization vs vaccination timelines
— avoid spoiling your dog – nobody likes being taken for granted
Follow-up matters
* Problems can always arise in the real world. If they do, we’re here to help.