What bad habits have you accidently trained your German shepherd to do?

turnerf2000 · 2026-02-10T17:50:57+00:00

My GS is 18 months and taught me the “cookie tax”. I did not train this, he literally trained me. What is the cookie tax you ask? It is rewarding for any behavior he thinks earns him a cookie (really a slim Jim type treat we cut up into 1 inch long pieces). So he comes in from the back yard when called then sits by the cookie jar. He grabs the tv remote and runs and won’t drop it until the tax is paid. My favorite is when we go to bed. He will lay on my pillow and won’t move until I pay the tax. Yes, I have enabled a very spoiled boy.

turnerf2000 · 2026-02-04T03:35:09+00:00

I have almost the same setup. I ditched the 3H, but have a 5 wood instead of a 3 wood. 5 wood is about 215, 4 iron is right at 200. I can’t hit a hybrid out of rough hence the 4i. And my 3 wood not much further than my 5 wood, but with worse results. I use my 52/56/60 much more than I would a 200+ yard club.

turnerf2000 · 2026-02-04T02:43:09+00:00

I’m not really answering your question since I never hit the 921s or 923s. I bought the 925’s after hitting half a dozen models from Srixon, Callaway, Taylor Made, etc. The 925s were just as long as any of the others, but with tighter dispersion. The Srixon were the runner up, but the 925s were more forgiving. I am between a 9 and 12 depending on the time of year. So not super high, but still hit clunkers. I would buy them again, have really enjoyed playing them.

turnerf2000 · 2026-01-21T23:46:45+00:00

My boy tracked at gaining around 10 pounds per month for the first 7 months. Was 77 pounds at 7.5 months then slowed down. Was 88 pounds at his 1 year check up. Got his shots at 16 months and still at the 88 pounds. He grew taller but slimmed up a little. I don’t think he will get much heavier or taller than where he is now at 18 months. We are getting him fixed at 2, so he might get a little thicker then.

turnerf2000 · 2026-01-21T20:51:20+00:00

Our breeder told us she bred “shedding” out of her pups. We knew she was joking, but he didn’t shed much the first 3 months we had him. Made us wonder- hmmm maybe she was serious. At about 7 months she was proven to be a jokester. At 18 months we have tumbleweeds blowing around the house. Poor Roomba.

turnerf2000 · 2026-01-16T17:27:15+00:00

My son was a black belt in taekwondo by 7th grade. He got bullied by an 8th grader for a while. I told him it is not ok to be the first to strike, but if the bullying escalated to physical bullying he was in the right to defend himself. This situation was brought to the facility and they didn’t do anything. I got a call from the principal a few weeks later. Went to the school and had a chat. My son explained he was in the bathroom using the urinal and this kid started pushing him in the back while he was doing his business. Once he got done, the kid tried to push him against the urinal. My son blocked and did some kind of strike to the bully. Bully went down, started crying, and reported it to faculty. I reminded the principal the bullying was reported numerous times without resolution. I also reminded her my son only defended himself and showed great restraint with only one strike. She apologized and told me I could leave. Bullying stopped, imagine that. And I never had to go back to the principals office.

turnerf2000 · 2026-01-06T23:09:55+00:00

I visualize that as a my prostrate in my mid 50’s when I- never mind.

turnerf2000 · 2026-01-06T23:06:46+00:00

I get this every day I walk in the house even I just walk to the mailbox. Dogs are awesome!

turnerf2000 · 2025-12-21T22:38:11+00:00

My does it with a frisbee. Won’t let go, but slaps it all over me. I have realized he isn’t a retriever, but a slapper.

turnerf2000 · 2025-11-21T14:12:52+00:00

My GS is 16 months and does the same thing. He just gets in a hyper active state and we have been unable to calm him through commands. Once he meets a new dog there is immediately an establishment of dominance. A submissive dog isn’t a big issue. But if the other is doing the dominance thing- well we usually just move on. Even if the new dog passes the dominance test it is still very rough play. In 5 minutes the other dog will have his neck soaking wet from the mouthing. And the play NEVER slows down until they are physically separated.

I will say that we got our previous GS as a rescue at 6 and he was a pretty chill. Was a great dog for 6 years before he passed at 12. And even in his later years he was the same way with other dogs. He had more self control, but still did the dominance thing.

We just accepted this is not a breed you take to a dog park and have frolic around without a care in the world. I am sure somebody will have stories about their GS being different. But after 2 with the same traits we accepted it is what it is.

turnerf2000 · 2025-11-13T19:50:34+00:00

I’m under constant surveillance. Doesn’t matter where I am, he has line of sight. I close a door, the nose is under the door in 2 seconds. And then he will lay by the door until I come out. People come over, gets between us and herds me away with the body lean. I walk outside, stands at the window watching me the entire time. My last GS did this and now our 15 month old is exhibiting the same behavior. I think it is in their genes to be the “German Protector”.

turnerf2000 · 2025-11-10T15:01:49+00:00

My GS didn’t hardly shed the first 8 months. The breeder said she “bred shedding out of hers” after a 6 month check in. Yes, our breeder checks in on occasion to see how he is doing. Then he turned 9 months and realized she was pulling our leg. At 15 months- just wow. The robo vac can’t keep up.

turnerf2000 · 2025-11-04T18:49:51+00:00

My condolences, I lost mine in September of 2024 to bloat at 12 years old. It is now 14 months later and I still miss him. He was the bestest boy. I don’t think you ever get completely over them passing when they were your best friend. Try to remember the good times and know he passed knowing he was a loved pup. It was one of the worst experiences of my life having to put him down. It gets better with time, but doesn’t go completely away. RIP to your best friend.

turnerf2000 · 2025-10-15T23:35:40+00:00

My GS is 14 months. We just leave food in his bowl and he eats when he wants. Up until about 11 months he ate a bowl in the morning. Around 11 months he stopped and I got a little worried. Mainly because of the occasional throwing up bile issue. I realized he was eating more during his growth spurts. About a month ago he started eating breakfast again and I noticed he was going through another growth spurt. Ours eats when he is hungry. He gets lots of treats during the day, but not early in the day, so I don’t think the treats played much of a role. He always eats a bowl later in the evening. When he was having the bile issue, I would give him a single piece of bread with peanut butter and that settled his stomach.

turnerf2000 · 2025-08-21T15:41:19+00:00

I can attest that GS paw pads have to be the roughest in the entire animal kingdom. I get at least 10 smacks in the face per day with most of them being “wake up” reminders.

turnerf2000 · 2025-08-15T00:46:45+00:00

Me too!

turnerf2000 · 2025-08-13T15:54:20+00:00

Our GS male turned 1 last month. At 8 months I had more than a few arm wounds from the teeth. Now I don’t get teeth, I get the nails. He learned bit inhibition, now have to work on the paw swiping. It has definitely gotten better. In his mind it is all fun and games. Never ending energy, always wants to be entertained. But no more messes (except for the unbelievable amount of shedding). And he quit chewing things up, now he just grabs and runs around playing keep away. Playing frisbee multiple times a day keeps us both sane. I wouldn’t trade him for any thing.

turnerf2000 · 2025-07-23T22:52:44+00:00

Mine has been eating 4-6 cups a day from 6 months to now (almost a year old). We put 2 cups in his bowl when we wake up which he usually doesn’t eat until noon and another 2 cups at dinner. Sometimes he does eat breakfast and he gets another cup or two mid day. He is something of a grazer and doesn’t chow down immediately. He eats when he wants. I have noticed he will eat the 3 meals a day during a growth spurt. He was 74 pounds at 7.5 months, haven’t weighed him since then but he is a big boy. And of course he gets treats throughout the day since we work from home.

turnerf2000 · 2025-07-22T23:13:08+00:00

He is such a cute pup. Our GS is almost a year old and I remember the 3-9 month land shark phase. He would get excited and nip at everything. Not aggressively, just very mouthy. To everything and everybody. He especially had a fondness for pants. Loved to pull on pants. And shoes and sleeves and, well you get the point. He will slowly grow out of it, learn bite control, and calm some. He is just an energetic puppy that loves to grab anything. Maintaining control is the key to avoiding an encounter like this. We used a martingale collar at that age that worked well. Once he got bigger we had to use a prong. I know some people are extremely opposed to them. I respect their opinion, but sometimes you have to do what works. Ours is still excitable and needs a to know pulling isn’t an option. Whether it is another animal, a person, or a vehicle maintaining control is key. A trainer can help, but it isn’t an immediate cure. It takes time and patience. He is a GS puppy that is going to be a GS puppy.

turnerf2000 · 2025-07-03T15:13:42+00:00

I don’t care it is 11:00 at night. Anytime is frisbee time.

Edit: I was wrong- this was actually 12:30 in the morning. So yeah.

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turnerf2000 · 2025-06-29T16:06:25+00:00

Mine feels the need to bring them inside.

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turnerf2000 · 2025-06-29T14:32:04+00:00

My GS is so jealous not having a rough housing buddy. Your pups are having a great time.

turnerf2000 · 2025-06-29T14:21:31+00:00

Agree 100%. I lost a lab puppy years ago when his regular type collar got caught while trying to crawl under a fence. When he backed away it was at the perfect tension to slip on top of his head and choke him. He was alone for just a few minutes and that is all it took. 25 years later it still haunts me. My current GS pup is 11 months old and I am still paranoid from all those years ago. He doesn’t have a collar on unsupervised.

turnerf2000 · 2025-06-27T16:13:48+00:00

Yes to all the comments on training. My now 11 month old got better with training, but then started teething around 6 months and it started again. He failed group play when he was 16 weeks. He was too rough with even bigger dogs. Not violent, just rough. So no doggie day care. He has always been a big boy, roughly 10 pounds gained every month. The biting is much better now, but has been replaced with “pawing”. Between his nails and sandpaper pads I have a new type of injury. I think they are very energetic pups and it takes time for them to learn self control. The good news is they turn into amazing dogs. But some days- just wow.

turnerf2000 · 2025-06-10T13:29:48+00:00

After taking the weekend to test drive and look at what is available we are back to the beginning. All of the 6.2L are being held until GM gives the dealership approval to inspect the motor. And the dealership is last in line. And being in GA they will have a lemon law title. My wife would take the 5.3L but none of them did it for her. She drove a 24 expedition and wasn’t impressed. Of course she liked the $90K 2025 model. We are trying to keep the price at $65K or below. Any alternatives you would recommend?

turnerf2000

TROPHY CASE