chances are they are as cold as you are, especially if they are indoor dogs.

lol, doesn't mean they don't want to go play. My hound is inside more than I'd like to admit - every chance I get to take him out, rain, cold, snow, he doesn't care. He just wants to be outside. It's one of the reasons I camp every weekend

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I have had many dogs in my life and currently have two mixed breed dogs - or as I like to tell people, two 100% purebred Brown Dawgs. One is a year-and-a-half, the other is nine months. Everybody who owns a dog has advice, so I'll throw my two cents in:

Cent #1: Forget all that crap about dogs constantly struggling for dominance and you have to be the alpha dog in the pack (all due respect to Caesar Milan). Most dogs are not about a struggle for dominance, but rather, are looking for how they fit into the family. They like consistent routines and mostly hate to be yelled at or bullied. I try to never raise my voice around my dogs and as a result they respond to even the softest commands. When I put my hand up my dogs move forward to be petted, as opposed to cringing in retreat expecting to be hit.

You can do so much more with a dog who trusts you than one who fears you.

This is especially true for house training. Don't rub their nose in it or yell at them when you come across some business that is a couple of hours (or even a couple of minutes) old. They truly don't know what you are yelling at them for.

Cent #2: Take them for long walks EVERYDAY (here I agree with Caesar). Dogs who are well exercised are much less likely to get into trouble by chewing and destroying your stuff. Bored, restless dogs will entertain themselves at your expense.

Also, when you walk your dog everyday (I walk my dogs 2 1/2 miles each morning and a couple miles in the evening, when it is cooler) they just naturally get in the habit of listening to your commands. I can now walk both dogs the entire route through my neighborhood without a leash - voice command only. Without consciously training them they have learned basic commands like come, stop, sit, and over (the last is for when they wander into the middle of the road and I want them back over by the curb).

A shepherd-lab will be wanting LOTS of exercise.

Invest time in them while they are puppies and it will pay off in good behavior for the rest of their lives.

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th' only knower of th' cosmic mysteries alive at this time

Well, like everyone else with a dog, figure i'll chip in my two cents.

Thunderstorms. When my dog was a puppy, we had a pretty bad thunderstorm a few weeks after I took him home. At first he was flipping the fuck out, and really scared by all the booming. Then I started giving him a little tiny bit of pepperoni every time there was a thunder clap. Pretty soon he was forgetting how scary it was, and simply associated 'big loud scary noises from the sky' as meaning that he gets a treat. Even today when there is a storm, and theres a big clap of thunder he'll sort of shoot me a look to see if he's getting a bit of pepperoni. Worked like a charm.

related: haha

Most/all of the time, owners reinforce their dogs' fear during a thunderstorm. I like your alternative.

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Miles to go before I sleep

‎"Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
-Khalil Gibran

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th' only knower of th' cosmic mysteries alive at this time

We decided after a long debate that adopting a German Shepherd from a rescue organization is more the route we want to go. Everyone loves/wants a puppy and as obvious proof the dog we were going to get has already been
Adopted. We would rather get a dog that needs a home with loving owners that will give the dog a second chance. We've been very active in talks with a local rescue organization called Brightstar German Shepherd Rescue here in WNY and I would encourage anyone considering a new pet to check them out. They do great things for dogs in need of a good home
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"I can't really hear what Jeremy says, because I got my two Stanley Cup Rings plugging my ears...." -Patrick Roy in reference to Jeremy Roenick's trash talking

you get 10 karma

My dog took a stick from a little kid at the dog park yesterday. Awesome. Luckily the kid thought it was funny.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual