8 Week old Puppy

An 8 week old puppy is a lot of fun, will make you laugh, but might like to bite your feet, especially when he is hungry or thirsty. The one we have is a very smart German Shepard puppy. So, trying to outsmart him is a lot to think about even at 8 weeks old.

What is the difference between a wolf and a German Shepard?

A Wolf doesn't bark, even though he might howl at the moon and a wolf can run backwards which is something to see if you haven't seen this already.

And a German Shepard is much more naturally domesticated for several thousand years than a wolf. But, a German Shepard can be very strong both physically and very loyal to those around them that they are bonded with too, whereas a wolf is likely to stay much more independent always but can be trained to be loyal to those with him as well. If you have ever been around domesticated wolves they aren't really like dogs, they are something else entirely.

Challenges at 8 weeks: Housebreaking your puppy and training him not to bite your clothes, feet, fingers or shoes.

How do you house break a puppy. One way is to stop giving them food at 6 pm and stop giving them water at 8 pm. Then you take the puppy out when you go to bed to do his business and then you wake up at 2 or 3 am to get him out to do his business again. And of course if you are crate training him he is going to howl.

Why Crate train a dog? The main purpose I guess is to prevent the dog from chewing up your house while you aren't looking. Also, remember an 8 week old puppy cannot really protect itself from things like raccoons and hawks and eagles. So, when this puppy goes outside (unless a big adult dog that is bonded with him to protect him, you or someone in your family has to be there to protect him from hawks, eagles or things like raccoons or other wild animals.

So, as you can see from all this if you don't have the time to train your puppy maybe it's better to get an older dog that is already housebroken. Because if you have a breed like a German Shepard it simply must be properly trained for it to be safe to be around inside or outside. But, you can "Love train" a dog which is much better than just saying "No" all the time which often isn't helpful in the end result of a dog you actually want to be around long term. So, if you want a good dog you need to "Love Train" your dog to be a helpful part of the family that everyone loves.