Since he's not a Husky, I'll drop him in under "Other Pets."  But title should have been "52 Weeks of Zeus and Avalanche and Sky" since this is going to be a family thing.  And speaking of family:

Daddy (Thunder, the sire)

Mommy (Koda, the dam [with her sister Storm in the background])

I'm not sure why but they appear much darker in these pictures than they really are.  Thunder is a heavy black, with light tan markings while Koda and Storm are much lighter.  Storm, in fact, has a very pronounced saddle on a tan body.

Pictures of Zeus and his siblings (maybe) will be coming shortly.

Chuck has the large kennels to keep everyone safe.  Keeps the people safe from (potentially) vicious dogs.  ((Well, they're Shepherds and protective))  Also to keep the dogs safe from some of the varmints we have around here.

In fact he often lets them roam around the roughly three acres of cleared ground which is surrounded by an electric fence so the pictures of them in the kennels is a temporary exception (because of the pups) it's not the rule.

We spent the morning trying to get the puppies to coöperate ... we both have had dogs for years, so don't ask why we thought we could get the puppies to oblige.

A picture of Zeus at 6 weeks (and some old man ... not me!)


The old man, btw is the present owner.  Thank you sir!

Nice dogs. When do you bring him home?

BTW - I meant to say earlier I'm sorry to hear your friend has cancer. I hope his course is not painful.

As for the pictures showing dark dogs - suspect because you were shooting slightly into the sun. If the sun was full at your back while taking the pic, the dogs would have been well lit rather than in shadow.

Dude. You on for it - puppies

amymeme wrote:

Nice dogs. When do you bring him home?

I'd like to leave him with his siblings till about 10 weeks but Chuck wants them all (except Thunder) gone as soon as they can go.  Storm, the dams sister, left today to go to her new home.  The people who got her will also get one of the puppies and they're local so Chuck can visit when he wants.  They've had GSD's - in fact put their last one down Friday - have a big fenced yard so the pups are going to a good home.
He's going to keep Thunder, the sire, as a house dog - that should be interesting!

Zeus was born on 9/22/22 that means I'll be able to bring him home after 8 weeks which will be 11/17.  We weighed Zeus yesterday (human on scale, human and dog, subtract difference so it's only rough) and he came in at 12 pounds.  He's about the middle of the litter as far as weight and size go.

amymeme wrote:

BTW - I meant to say earlier I'm sorry to hear your friend has cancer. I hope his course is not painful.

I'm not sure where to go with this, Chuck has been in so much pain from joints / muscles for the years I've known him I think dieing will be a relief (the ultimate in sounding stupid) He's been a lineman with Ma Bell (somewhere), worked with his dogs as guard and rescues so he's had a hard life (worked search and rescue at the Twin Towers!!); on the flip side he's owned and driven limo's around NJ/NY ... not too hard
I called him the other evening "Just to check that he was still around" and his reply was that he doesn't expect to be around for much longer ... he has the means and if his wife dies first, I don't think he'll hold on.  Without all his dogs and no wife, I think he'll consider it time.  I've flat asked him a time or two if he was considering suicide because he sounded so depressed - nope!

amymeme wrote:

As for the pictures showing dark dogs - suspect because you were shooting slightly into the sun. If the sun was full at your back while taking the pic, the dogs would have been well lit rather than in shadow.

Dude. You on for it - puppies

At that time of day the sun would have been coming over the house behind them so I was probably shooting pretty directly into the sun.

Am I ready?  That's the billion dollar question.  His dogs are all "trained" (as pets, not guard) and they've all trained easily so I'm hoping that family history follows through and Zeus will also be an easy pup to train.  The pups stay overnight in a 'dog house' he has in each kennel and haven't messed in the house ... the stones outside the house are another matter.  I'm hoping that with his experience I can crate him overnight, let him out first thing in the morning (and often later) and not have too many puppy messes in the house.  (( Yeh, wish in one hand .... ))

They've had their first shots and I'll follow up with one more --- not the vets desire of 6 sets of shots!! and the required rabies after 4 months.

Some people are amazingly strong of will. My great grandmother was such a person. Lived up into her 90s, was extremely healthy and got around just fine until a cow got her down in the lot and broke her hip. Doctor's screwed up her hip replacement and told her she would never walk again because they couldn't fix their screw up so she willed herself to death. She was super religious so suicide wasn't an option for her but according to my mom she basically told God if she couldn't walk the earth there wasn't no reason in being on it and within the week she died in her sleep. This woman impressed my mom so much with her strength and fortitude she named me after her. Doubt I have that level of will power but stubbornness I can get behind.

In my experience thinking one is ready for a new dog, puppy or otherwise, is only asking for everything to go wrong. I don't think any of us are really ready since it's a change of routine and who really likes our routines to be messed with? I definitely don't, but once that first year is over should be smoother sailing.

6 sets of shots they are up to now? that's insane.

Joining late but thats really cool about the twin towers sar. I did sar years ago and would go back into it if i had the right dog.

Those Gsds are very pretty, shadows sire was solid black and his mom was the classic tan with the saddle but her facial features looked mean. But when you cross a solid with a color you get a brindle or genetic brindle which akc wont accept.

Anyway if it doesnt work out with the pup ill drive to texas and take him. He is super adorable and we just had a police shooting today less then a mile away.

@amymeme the unofficial big boss at work sounds like your namesake. She is the mother of the owner and just turned 90 and is convinced the day she stops working and stops going to the social stuff she doesnt even want to go to, that it will kill her. And both her daughters agree it probably will kill her.

Vaccines also depend on where you are but i could swear we did 3 and rabies. But then again other then spider the air force vaccinated squirt, shadow and splinter.

I have no idea about the genetics relating to colour in GSD's but over the years Chuck has had everything from solid black to solid white and every set of classic markings in between.  I'm wondering how Zeus' markings will eventually turn out.

BTW, you lose!  I've had dogs die, run away and just plain disappear but once I have a dog in my posession, it me and him till one of us croaks.  If I were going to give up on any dog, it would have been Sasha after she bit me for, like, the fourth time!

I was just thinking about dogs I've had before - 'course that previous sentence led me there - and I realized I've had a GSD before.  I was about 18 and living on my aunts farm.  My cousin (her son) lived in the city.  He had a GSD who was fenced in a way that the kids going to/from school could tease her and the city told him he had to get rid of her before she bit one of the kids.  He brought her to the farm and she was a mess.  No one could get close to her, he wasn't sure if he was really safe.  He tied her on a leash to the clothesline pole (my aunt was none too happy about that arrangement! ) I started feeding her, put her bowl down and pushed it into her circle, then gradually was able to work with her enough that she trusted me - not too sure about anyone else but then, she was mine.  I think one of the odd things was that I'd taken her out walking on our country road and when a car went past she took off - damn near tore my hand off (felt like) when she hit the end of her leash.  I was pissed and, literally, started pounding on her - then I realized she was letting me.  If she'd objected, she could have torn me limb from limb.  It wasn't long before I could go hiking in the woods with her off leash and she'd respond like a normal dog, not too excited if we saw someone else, not threatening without cause ...  I left that spring to see some of the country and eventually joined the army.  Tore me up when they said they had to put her down after I left - she just wasn't going to accept anyone else as her master.

I've had things not work out with two dogs though I don't test for very long. One was a puppy that it just wasn't safe to keep her and returned her within the day and the other was the pit from a couple weeks ago now because it just wasn't safe to keep him with my dogs without him living in a muzzle which I don't feel was a good option for us or him. I only get rid of dogs for safety reasons, outside of that Kye is still around and he's been my biggest butthead in a good long while having bit me a few times and gone rounds with his strange potty habits.

I went into town today to vote and get something to eat - it's always good to have someone else do the cooking! Took Avalanche with me and ran into Chuck while I was in town. He's got one little girl - the runt of the litter - that we've both felt some concern for. She'll set in a corner and whine and we've both wondered whether that's an "everybody's picking on me!" or a "I don't feel good" type of whine. Two minutes later she's out in the middle of the puppy huddle having a ball. Chuck got some canned dog food, see if putting a little weight on her helps. He'll keep her if she doesn't shape up, According to him it's get better or die ... we'll wait and see.

Anyway, since I had Avalanche with me and have wanted to introduce him and Zeus I figured this would be a good time. When I got to Chucks I left Avalanche in the Jeep - even with the fence between Thunder and Avalanche I didn't want to cause either of them to freak out - brought Zeus over to the Jeep, Avalanche stuck his head out the window, sniffed at Zeus a time or two and hopped into the back, "Okay, dad, I'm ready to go, nothing to see here."

We had to get rid of trouble when shadow decided he was going to kill him and we didnt have an arrangement where we could keep the dogs separate and sassy was dumped with us and im really really not a chihuahua person and she wasnt a good chihuahua anyway.

I went to vote today also. Because i despise boebart and frish is a Democrat version of donald trump, me and jerry both put spider the wolfdog as a write in for congress. We didnt have local elections. Technically we did but when you cant do a write in and only 1 candidate is even on the ballot its called weeks before the election.

With luck I'll be brining him home next week - Thursday.  A picture of him today does no justice to anything except his ability to dig!  He says that he didn't dig all that hole by himself, he had help - he says!


Again a non-coöperating dog so I had to settle for one from topside.  He may not look any bigger but I'd say he's put on a couple of pounds since the last picture!

Well, it's not Thursday but I've got a puppy! Chuck's wife came home and he can't take care of her and the puppies too and since he can't send her away the puppies are being released early to their adoptive homes. They're more interested in people than other puppies if there's a human in the kennel with them. One of those little buggers BITES

No pictures with this post, I'm having to put up with a whining pup, one nervous dog and one who just wants to stay out of the way. Puppy isn't letting me out his sight, if I get up to go get coffee he follows me into the kitchen and then isn't happy till I get settled again -- whine, whine! Avalanche is having a fit of nerves and I'm surprised. When I brought the puppy in I set him on the couch so they'd be eye level. Avalanche sniffed a couple of times, puppy snapped (!!!!!) and Avalanche backed off. He's been drooling but added pacing to it so for some reason he's abnormally, for him, nervous. Sky, well, she's decided that she's going to stay in the corner which isn't too unusual she's sleeps there a lot during the day.

I put Zeus' food in the crate at noontime and he snacked a little - and he's used to getting a meal at noon (08:00, 13:00, 18:00 more or less) so I figure he's going to want to eat this evening. Since the big dogs are inside I have to separate them so he can eat and the crate is the best safe place.

One puddle inside so far ... but nothing when we go out. Hope that changes quick.

I hate potty training and the teething part of having puppies, but they are entertaining once they settle in.

Zeus is going to be hell when it comes to teething, since he's been with other puppies he likes to bite and puppy teeth are like needles! He's beginning to understand "No!" but that doesn't mean that he isn't going to come back later and try again! At almost 8 weeks he has one ear that stands up sometimes and one that flops. I know that they'll both come up before he starts teething and then, probably, turn floppy as he teeths - at what age do puppies start teething??

I really hope we don't have a thunderstorm go through - Zeus is under the stool, as close to me as he can get and that's where Avalanche goes when there's a storm.

I'm trying to get Zeus adapted to the crate - at least then I can feed him without the others scarfing up on his food when he finishes.  But food or no, when I close the crate door he has a tantrum.  It doesn't matter if he can see me or not!!  Patience ... this will take time!

Review of Pupford training treats - don't waste your money.  I bought a pack of dried calf liver and ALL the dogs turn their noses up at them.  A couple I tossed into the crate to entice Zeus are still laying in there.  I had some that came in a similar pouch years ago and the dogs loved them but I didn't see them when I went looking.  Any recommendations for liver (or other smelly) treats??

He slept on the couch with me last night; settled in nicely.  That's not going to last long, even as small as he is now it became a bit of a contest for space.

Oh, I said I wanted a dog who'd stay reasonably close to me when I went walking out back. Does being literally underfoot qualify as close. I couldn't turn around without stepping on him ...

Velcro dogs - gotta love 'em Z'ev is one and I swear he's gonna be the death of me one of these days!

Treats? My guys are absolutely wild over Full Moon chicken strips. Only down side is you have to break them up into training treat sized pieces. The smell good enough for people food though I've never tried. But the strips, not the jerky.

https://www.amazon.com/Full-Moon-Chicken-Strips-Pouch/dp/B01KU24DBE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=full+moon+chicken+strips&qid=1668442592&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

As for puppy teeth? These for old person skin:

https://www.amazon.com/Protection-Sleeves-Resistant-Women-Thumb/dp/B095M7N886/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=91KE6TOA22GP&keywords=cut+resistant+sleeves&qid=1668441476&sprefix=cut+resistant+sleeves%2Caps%2C235&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1&smid=A6AF2OE1WIL9V

Mine will eat about anything but I've had the Bil Jac liver bites, The Blue Buffalo Bits, Zukes Minis, and the Merrick Power Bites. Zukes and the Merrick seemed to go down the fastest. Now that kenzi is diabetic the only smaller treats we have are broccoli and dehydrated lung treats. This seems to work well for dogs who have a tendency to put on weight quickly as well.

I use the simply beef or simply lamb or elk based treats. Currently mine are eating dehydrated bison kidney. My oven has a dehydrator/jerky setting so i do it with organ meat and scraps. Whilesomes are good, easy to break up and come in a large bag. Mine also love the purina training treats. Vita something does freeze dried minnows. Dogs loved them but they made the house stink. L

I was doing freezed dried raw as treats but splinter cant have it.

Puppy is doing okay, my adult dogs aren't!  I really don't understand what their problem is.  Zeus is making all the right "I'm a puppy" moves and the adults are "Go away and leave me alone!"  It's at the point that the dogs are wanting to stay outside (cold for here and windy - they'd normally be inside) I can't count the times that Avalanche has growled and air snapped at him - obviously something is wrong in this mix, but I don't see it.

This is going to be one of the easiest puppies to housebreak I've ever seen.  He ate lunch and then headed to the door ... wandered around a bit as I got jacket and leash and we headed out (in the cold wind!)  He'd done his necessary and was heading back to the door in short order!

I don't know what it is with me and dogs and balls ... I located an old tennis ball (knowledgeable of potential problems) rolled it across the floor a few times and Zeus wasn't interested.  We've got a cold spell of about 10 days coming up (er, cold means it's gonna get into the 30's) but I think I'll save the ball for a time that he's off lead outside.

Tidbits, sorta interesting, sorta irritating.

Zeus is pretty good about telling me he wants out. He goes and sniffs / sets at the door. I went out with him three times this morning - windy, 35 - he wandered around a bit and wanted to come back in. After the third time he left me a present by the door. Irritating!!

On one of my trips out, Avalanche does a classic play bow in front of Zeus and Zeus decides this monster in front of him is going to eat him for breakfast - hasty loud (ki-yi-yi-yi) retreat!! I expected that Sky would be the one to initiate play since she's always begging Avalanche to play but she's in active avoidance mode. Avalanche is the one correcting him and not doing a bad job of it.

@amymeme, I think it was, said something about chaos on the home front ... chaos would get on my nerves but this standoffish attitude is also wearing.

They will come around once the routine of him has settled im sure. Used to Kenzi would pester a new dog but this last time she could not have cared less and frankly neither did kye. They had zero interest that the other dog was even here which made it extra stupid on his part when he wanted to bite them. It could be age starting to change how they perceive change.

I'm gonna have a problem for the next couple of days.  The big dogs have taken to staying outside ... the temps been in the 50/60 so it's not been any big deal.  However we're coming up on a two/three day stretch where our highs are going to be in the low 40/high 30 range and I'm not impressed with them having to stay out all day at those temps.

Avalanche is out laying in the sun, he's fine.  Sky is hiding under my Jeep which means no sun for her but she does have a good double coat ... but neither of them are used to these temps for any extended period.  Most days they did go out, do what they needed to and then want back in.  Since the puppy, they just don't want in ... and I'm feeling bad but don't know what to do about it.  Much longer I'm going to have to call Chuck and tell him ... something.

Well, that didn't work.  Avalanche came up on the porch and said he wanted in ... no problem except the puppy started bugging him immediately.  Since Avalanche was in, Sky wanted in.  Went to let her in and Avalanche did a jail break on me.  He'll bull his way through anything if he wants out bad enough and apparently the puppy makes him want OUT

Sky is in and the puppy won't leave her alone and I'm concerned she's eventually going to have had enough.... mostly she's just tried to ignore him but there are times where he just won't leave either of them alone. Oh, I know he's just a puppy but if he doesn't cool down some neither of them are going to play and I'm afraid he might get hurt.

This is not the type of chaos I anticipated ....

Enough, puppy is not happy but puppy is in jail! That's not my desired choice but ... puppy isn't happy but not too vocally unhappy. That's where he gets fed so it's not an evil place but he'd rather be out bugging Sky and though she hasn't been in for long, she needs a break.

I wouldn't worry about those temps, Al. We've had a long fall stretch of temps in 60's than abruptly down into the 30's. Ami prefers outside in 40's and below. Even when it's suddenly. If you're really concerned, give an extra quarter cup of food and put up a makeshift windbreak for them. Or some sort of bedding - be out straw, wood chips or an old blanket. As long as they are out of the wind and wet should be fine just as they are

Squirt is convinced that 20 degrees is the perfect temp to go swimming. Even my terror spends most of the day outside if its in the mid 20s or teens if the sun is out. Now 65 put on the but mom its hot out brakes on.

The temp is only part of the problem, the other part is that I had two dogs who played (sorta) in the house and if Avalanche got loose once he got his run in he was willing to come in.  They relaxed, Sky most often in her crate cause it was home and safe and Avalanche sprawled across the living room floor - those times went out the door a week ago and I'm not sure I blame the dogs for being 'irritated.'

I fed Zeus in his crate (which is where he gets fed so the others don't get it), then went out for a potty walk (which happened before the wind got to me!) and we came back in.  He's really a good, very intelligent pup for 8 weeks old - he's just got to learn that the big dogs are not his personal play toys.  And yes he has play toys for all the good it does me.

As I said earlier, Avalanche made a break out this afternoon and he was NOT coming back in after almost three hours in a cold wind.  Finally some guys walked past and he went up to them, one got his collar (thank god he doesn't object!) so he's now back inside with Sky and the monster.  As soon as they came in the pup started harassing them, essentially driving them from one room to the other ... pup is now back in jail.  He's acting like an alpha in miniature because he wants to play - constantly (and I mean constantly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and the other two don't even get a chance to lay down without him in theirs faces (or at their heals or trying to get a tail [hasn't yet but not for want of trying!])

It wasn't ever really amusing - but I was more concerned for his safety than for our (me and two dogs) sanity now it's just trying to get him to lighten up before one of us does something we shouldn't (leaving him outside has crossed my mind a time or two - not seriously but ...)

I don't like using the crate as punishment (training?) but if he keeps this up every time I let him out, he's going to stay crated for a long, long time!

I really need some good ideas here, please!!!! How do I calm this little monster down???

Sounds like when Archer was a pup. I have no answers - puppies are constant motion machines until they collapse, treat up for more constant motion. How about going to scheduled crate/out of crate time, tethering him to you in our of crate times and doing the "sit on the dog exercise?" Also - baby gate? Grown-up dogs in one room, hurricane puppy in the other?

And. This is gonna go over like a lead balloon but... Multiple leashed walks throughout the day?