German Shepherd Mix Puppy. What's in the mix?

[IN_Varmntr]

My girlfriend and I visited the local shelter today and came across this male "Shepherd Mix". We were told he is a mix, they are not sure with what, and he will be available for adoption on Friday, for a mere $52.50.

From the 15 minutes we spent with him today, he's not like many other puppies I've been around. Maybe it was the fact that he's stuck in a kennel all day long without much to play with, but it was like all he wanted was to be held as close to your body as possible. He did not appear to like to be away from my body. Holding him in my arms, he laid his legs over my shoulders and basically hugged me. I'm sure this will mostly disappear once he gets some room to run around our 47+ acres.

What do you guys think? At first I was thinking Chow because of his color, but after looking at more and more pictures, I'm leaning away from that thought. He has the rounded head of a Lab I think.

This is my new favorite picture of my girlfriend by the way...

 

[Fenway]

Good looking dog. Looks like some chow as you said but I'm no expert. It would be great if you could give him a good home with lots of room to run!

 

[IN_Varmntr]

Good looking dog. Looks like some chow as you said but I'm no expert. It would be great if you could give him a good home with lots of room to run!

Thanks Fenway! I'm working on getting him. Living with my mother and father means getting their approval as well. I've been looking for an inside/outside dog that wants to go for rides in the truck, fishing in the bass boat, hunting and just generally being an outdoor dog when with me outdoors. I've always wanted a German Shepherd as they are one of the best dogs to train as long as it is done properly, which I fully intend on doing.

The shelter opens at 1PM on Friday, but the nice lady said she would be more than happy to accomodate me at 9AM to pick him up if I would like.

Of course I've already got a name picked out for him. But, it seems to change a few times a day in my mind. Right now I'm looking at Tanner. But I'd like to spend some time with him to figure out his personality then go from there.

 

[RelicHound]

I agree..looks like the pups got a bit of chow in it.

great looking pup and rep for adobting{or atleast trying to}a shelter dog.
all of my dogs except for 1 are shelter dogs. by the pics of the pup once that pup is full grown its gonna be a BIG dog.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Can always check for a purplish spotting/mottling on the tongue as an indicator of Chow...

-J-

 

[shooter521]

Who cares what's in the mix? He's adorable, and that should be enough.

We're not a dog household, but all 3 of our cats were adoptions. With so many unwanted animals out there in need of a home, I couldn't imagine actually buying a dog or cat. Good on ya.

 

[wtfd661]

Good looking puppy, looks like a chow to me also. Great thing about dogs, is no matter what kind of day you've had, they always love to see you when you get home and can't wait to show you. Have fun with your new "best friend".

 

[Turtle]

Looks like hes stealing your girlfriend....lol ... My opinion is that if you you like em and your girl likes em then you best go get that puppy and show em his new yard.

 

[Blaze261]

Skipped to the pics and thought chow myself. Either may a great dog to enjoy. Good on you.

 

[MACHINEGUN]

 

[IN_Varmntr]

Can always check for a purplish spotting/mottling on the tongue as an indicator of Chow...

-J-

I appreciate that, thanks!

I'm going to go spend a little more time with him prior to (hopefully) picking him up on Friday. I've been reading up on training and there are certainly new ways of training dogs than what I remember.

We've always had atleast one dog around, but always an outside one. The last one we had was a mutt mix, but he was a good one. We just never could get his boundaries down and he ended up getting hit by a car. Neat thing is the person who hit him left an apologetic note on our door and moved him into the yard close to the house.

 

[Annie Oakley]

I'm with the rest....he looks like there might be some Chow (I was going to suggest checking out his tongue) and he is definitely adorable. The really good thing about a mix is that you avoid many of the hip problems that purebreds seem to have. Take him home NOW!

 

[TopDog]

Hugging

I just wanted to make a comment on the hugging. Some dogs do that all their life. My daughter had a friend that had a female boxer that hugged. It would only do it once it got to know you, it didn't do it to everyone. It was a little strange for a full grown dog to hug a person. My experience has been adult dogs don't like to be hugged. They tolerate it because they know the owners get something out of it. My dog will let me hug her but then she looks around the room with a "when will this end' expression. Just my thoughts, the dog may not grow out of hugging. If it doesn't it becomes a very cool trait.

 

[Annie Oakley]

I've got a 11 year old shepherd/golden/chow mix that came to me as a stray---skin and bones and terrified. He has hugged me since the end of his first week here. He is pretty big and will want to hug without warning which sends me to the floor. I end up laughing and he "smiles" like he is in on the joke. I am the only one he has ever done it with. I love my big goof.

 

[IN_Varmntr]

Well, it's a go. I'll be visiting him again today before heading to work, and will be picking him up on Friday morning.

Can't wait!

 

[RachelMarie]

Congrats to you and your GF. He looks a lot like the pup I adopted from the shelter. If he doesn't have a spotted tounge he might be a shepard/collie. That's what my Skyy is. And let me tell you, she is the best dog I've ever met! Good luck!

 

[Fishersjohn48]

Congrats. My advise is at least a basic puppy obedience class. Helps the pup some but it really helps train the master. That is where the problems usually are anyway. My first dog was a train it myself adventure that was always frustrating. The next one went through basic training with me and she is very well behaved. I know that the dog's temperament comes into play as well but knowing that I was doing the right thing with her really helped.
I also suggest a pinch type collar versus a choker collar for training. They seem inhumane but when used properly do not injure the animal and really make them obey. Choker collars can do damage to the throat of the dog.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

And repped for adopting!!!

 

[IN_Varmntr]

Thanks everyone!

I'll check out his tongue today for the purple discoloring and see what I can find.

There is a local animal clinic that offers an obedience class to new dog owners. You receive 1/2 off when you adopt a dog from a shelter so I'll be looking strongly into that.

I'm going to be losing my job here soon (GM is resourcing their work which is cutting our work force roughly in half) so I will have plenty of time to be spending with him to train him and such. I'm going to do things right with him, considering the kind of dog I want him to be.

 

[jennybird]

Ok, I'm definitely repping you for adopting from a shelter. I've always been a HUGE advocate for that. A little old lady at the animal shelter told me something I'll never forget... "you don't pick the dog, the dog picks you". I thought she was off her rocker at first, but come to find out, she was RIGHT!

I would like to clarify something though. If a dog has black on its tongue, it does NOT necessarily mean it is part chow. Contrary to popular belief, there are many breeds that have been known to have black on their tongues. I include the following site for your reading pleasure (and some great pics too!)... The Great Tongue Debate****** There is a myth that chows are the only breeds with black tongues

And my guess is that your new little guy will always be a hugger. ><