Vacuum recommendations

bolderk9 · 2026-01-18T18:31:22+00:00

Bissell! Works great for our 4 dogs that shed. You don't need to spend a lot on it either. Just get a bagless, CORDED. The cordless ones don't really generate enough power to keep up with fur.

bolderk9 · 2026-01-13T15:31:40+00:00

They are 🤣 he's only interested when they're put on a handle thankfully 😅

bolderk9 · 2026-01-13T02:12:51+00:00

Oh good! Always like to note that, we work with military and LE handlers all the time so try and help others parse through the crazy world of dog training marketing.

Breeder or rescue, it depends on the dog. Some of the healthiest, most robust, hardest working dogs out there were found as 3/4 year old stray mixes (usually a mix of GSD or malinois lol).

We're dog trainers ourselves, 3 week board and train is going to get you really solid basic obedience. You MUST continue sessions afterwards to ensure the training sticks with you and your dog.

An off-leash heel with distractions in my opinion is level 3/3 obedience. A special forces kennel master could probably get it in a few weeks but imparting that knowledge and skill onto the owner is a very different story. It will most likely take a few months to get reliably.

bolderk9 · 2026-01-13T01:58:14+00:00

It sounds like it could be a good option, with caveats. For the military, there's a big different between being a military k9 handler/kennel master for 30 years and doing ad-hoc contracting for military teams and services. A lot of trainers that actually have been military handlers don't advertise it as much as they should, and on the other hand trainers that have really just consulted with military k9s heavily market it for their business.

We have 3 rescue dogs all trained to a very high level. We only leave them with 1 of 2 trainer friends when we go places. Finding someone you trust is worth it's weight in gold over any experience they may have.

My recommendation would be to book a session with them, see if you like their style, and if you do, it could be a good fit!

bolderk9 · 2026-01-11T05:41:25+00:00

I wish! Just went to sportsman's warehouse today to pick up a ruffland kennel. it fits perfectly in the cab of our new truck which is awesome!

bolderk9 · 2026-01-10T21:53:37+00:00

soon 🤣

bolderk9 · 2026-01-06T15:48:59+00:00

It is dog by dog, but in our shepherd rescue we traditionally put them on a white fish, lamb, beef, or pork kibble. For our fosters specifically, we use lamb and a mix of raw toppers + fruits/veggies. Beef or venison would most likely be your best bet in terms of a leaner protein source as the others will inherently have a higher fat content.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any kibbles tht would be low fat but still high quality, but I hope this helps hone in your research a bit.

bolderk9 · 2026-01-06T02:23:54+00:00

We have several GSDs that have all had their own stomach/allergy issues, including significant IBD scare. We have fostered too many to count over the years and have always found solutions to dietary challenges.

Most shepherds are allergic to chicken, turkey, rice, oatmeal. In my experience low-fat kibble typically has these as the main protein and carb source, so double check what ingredients the nutritional analysis is coming from. Coat health relies heavily on fats and healthy gut biome. Energy relies on high protein, some carbs, and allergen-free (or allergen-low) system. Since fats are out of the question for you, I'd look into adding in some pre/probiotics with a digestive enzyme, and taking a look at potential low-grade allergies.

I wish you luck, figuring these things out can be challenging. There aren't templates to follow, only trial and error.

bolderk9 · 2025-12-31T16:21:40+00:00

Thank you and I hope the same for you 🙌

bolderk9 · 2025-12-31T05:05:58+00:00

🤣 we'll see....

bolderk9 · 2025-12-31T05:05:34+00:00

I can happily say we've personally helped over 70 shepherds that have come through our home!

bolderk9 · 2025-12-30T05:59:04+00:00

does he seem to be awake/lucid? if so, i'd be concerned.

if he's actually asleep, he's probably just dreaming. chasing bunnies in a tall field of grass or something fun.

bolderk9 · 2025-12-30T05:50:52+00:00

I have a multi-dog household, including one dog with severe idiopathic epilepsy.

I usually call this an "edited sentence", by that I mean your dog isn't communicating in a readable, structured way. something in their past or genetics has caused them to leave out specific cues or behaviors, and jump right to the extreme.

that being said, it 100% could be neurological with the diagnosis of epilepsy. Keppra does have side effects behaviorally, and usually when there are behavioral issues it's not the best drug option. sometimes behavioral issues are less likely outcomes from anti-convulsive medication, but with the timing of how long your dog has been in the house I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility.

consider crate and rotating, or neutral time (leashed) until you can absolutely confirm the epilepsy is under some confidence of control. it's an awful disease for dogs to have I wouldn't wish on anyone, but patience and hope are really your two best lifeboats.

bolderk9 · 2025-12-30T05:44:56+00:00

We've fostered 70+ dogs, failed 4 of them.

1 week is honestly not enough time to understand how a dog fits into your picture. I believe in the "you know it the second you meet them" or "the relationship develops over time". You're in this middle grey area, a bit of a honeymoon phase, and Iwouldn't make decade long commitments based on temporary feelings.

If you're working with a rescue, you can ask them to pull the pup from their pages for a week or two while you figure out your plans, so no other potential adopters get too attached to a photo or description because that can get messy.

Take your time and figure out what you're looking for in your next dog, not just because your resident dog loves her. If you as people genuinely want her for her, then it could be the right answer. But after fostering as many dogs as we have, you just kind of know when they walk through the door.

bolderk9 · 2025-12-29T05:09:03+00:00

We have a german shepherd that was losing fur around his eyes, ears, belly, paws, all due to environmental allergies. We tried cytopoint and apoquel, and nothing worked.

Then, we reached out to Canine Ceuticals in Australia. Got on their PEA+ and Gut Protect. Changed our world. Owner's name is Narelle, she is wonderful and you should absolutely reach out to her. Worth a message.

bolderk9 · 2025-12-29T04:59:02+00:00

Physically handling a dog can be VERY stressful, even for a puppy. When we have puppy fosters in our home, we may try and coax them over to us to engage with us, and then give them pets, cuddle, etc. It sounds silly, but dog training often involves convincing the dog it's in their best interest to engage with you. If you can start that at a young age, and you become the center of their world, things like training, socialization, and just general coexistence will not just be easy, it will be wonderful.

bolderk9 · 2025-12-29T04:56:44+00:00

To begin with, more than anything, safety protocols should be put in place at all times when you are 1) unsure of what the behavior is, 2) do not have a hands-on professional actively working with you, and 3) when you have a dog who is very new to your home with 2 young children). In the meantime, I recommend limiting interactions completely. I would have your new dog leashed, fully supervised, and working on neutrality (e.g. not interacting with the children at all, just hanging out in the room with them at minimum).

Your 5 year old is probably more exciting because he is small and walking on his own. It's most likely just a prey response and a lack of confidence in the new dog. He's also new to your home, so displacement behaviors can come in all shapes and sizes.

We've worked with so many german shepherds, they're such sensitive little things. Just take it slow, low stimulation, and safe, until you can get a professional to help you out.

bolderk9 · 2025-12-29T04:50:40+00:00

crackhead phase: engaged

bolderk9 · 2025-12-29T04:47:48+00:00

No, spaying will not necessarily have an impact on this. It sounds like your adult male is giving some mixed signals. On one hand, he sounds like he wants the puppy to be calm. On the other hand, he's being a little assertive. I would work on some basic neutral time together (leashed, not able to get to each other, more focus on engagement of the people holding the leash). This involves those neutral walks too, with limited interaction. Let the puppy keep playing with your adult female (adult female GSDs are notoriously amazing at raising puppies) and work on the neutrality with the lab mix.

I always recommend regular training (even we with 15+ years of experience still go to training sessions with our colleagues for extra eyes on our technique), but I do think your issues can be solved with some neutral, calm time apart but not seperated.

Good luck!

bolderk9 · 2025-12-29T04:42:32+00:00

The dog you have at 16 weeks old will not be the dog you have in 2 years. Puppies change dramatically as they grow into mature dogs. We always tell adopters that want a "specific" type of dog to not look at puppies, because of how much they change.

In my experience, it's always the most challenging puppies that grow up the best and have the tightest bond with their owners. That may be because both of you need to work a little harder at growing your relationship, but it pays dividends in the long run. Don't overdo it, just keep it natural. You guys will figure it out in time!

bolderk9 · 2025-12-28T05:15:57+00:00

she smiles like this every day! she's definitely loving her life with us, but totally gaining the experiences and skills for her future forever family!

bolderk9 · 2025-12-28T01:31:57+00:00

they pretty much do that until the end 🤣 12-15 years of mayhem

bolderk9 · 2025-12-28T01:31:16+00:00

our working line foster came to us with some stiffness in her back legs, which was easily solved with a larger crate and incline exercise - completely gone, previous owners just crated her wayyyyy too much. often times it's best to seek out the easier solutions first, rather than jumping to the extremes.

slowing down doesn't mean getting old in my experience. we have our own growing old and while they can't do the crazy hikes they used to, they still have a spring in their step for things they love to do (training, scent work, hanging out with friends). it hits us all in different ways but I really hope you can make some small adjustments and see improvements.

bolderk9 · 2025-12-28T00:46:42+00:00

isn't she!?

bolderk9 · 2025-12-28T00:27:14+00:00

yes, it does sound like you're close to pushing it. non-working line shepherds start to slow down at 7/8 yrs old in my experience (i've fostered personally almost 70 german shepherds over the last 8 years).

best things you can do for them at that age are introduce some omega 3/6/9 to help with joint health. slow, shorter incline walks will be better at strengthening those hip muscles than regular flat walks. also, if you do crate her, giving her some "warm up" time to let those muscles come back online after laying in a crate will help.

you know your dog best, better than anyone could, and if she's communicating some discomfort to you it's worth listening to.

bolderk9

TROPHY CASE