i got a lot of good ideas from Cita's thread about the boxer.... i'm having similar issues here with this shepherd(Allen named her Miki after his old shepherd...."Because they are so much alike!*giggle*";) . but i SWEAR i did NOT raise this dog! if i EVER raised a dog like this i would hang my head in shame and never show my face in public again. most of mine were either trained as 8 week old puppies by me or came to me already trained in some form or fashion and i expounded on it. this is mostly a rant just to blow off steam.. this dog is my greatest challenge!!! i already know most of the tricks of the trade (consistency being #1) but i swear, i have never met a dog as confounding as this one. i KNOW she is trainable but i have the joyous task of finding which method works for her! i cant mention any of these issues with my cousin because i'll get a big fat "Told you so! you dont know what yur doing and you cant handler her and you need to just find someone who can put'er in her place! someone like me!" i will not admit defeat to a puppy. i refuse. flat out and simple as that. i have the time to do it, but she sure does make my two bucket headed bulldogs look like Obedience Class Super Stars...
The problems we're having are as follows...
Boundary issues - right now i CANT afford a crate. i want one.. i had one i borrowed when Kaydee first hurt her back but i had to give back recently. so a crate just CANT physically happen right now unless someone gives me one.. i've never really needed a crate until now actually. When Amber was a puppy i had one for her and it worked great.... now that she's older she doesnt need it. i have got 3 baby gates to keep animals or kids out specific areas - namely the kitchen and our bedroom (its right next to the laundry room which is filled with chemicals, brooms, tools, and other such stuff) i dont care if the dog goes in there or into the bedroom but kids must stay out. Dogs arent allowed in my kitchen if i'm cooking or feeding the family or for any other reason except for their own meal time. if they're not interested in their food then they have to leave the kitchen.. i do this with my kids too really.... theres too many dangers for playing and my kitchen isnt big enough for everyone anyway.. plus i dont like dog hairs all over my food prep surfaces. the other dogs will stand at the border of the kitchen.. paws on the carpet and toes touching tile.. thats as far as they go and thats great. The worst thing Miki does - and it seems like she knows i hate this - is she'll rear up and put her feet on the gate to look in. i tell her get down and she will... one. paw. at. a. time..... maybe.... when she first came here she thought the gate was just a fun obstacle she had to climb over in order to get to all the yummies.. but with help from my husband (occasionally) she's gotten a little better. but once my back is turned she's at it again.only she isnt climbing as much, but looking in. however yesterday she had the GALL to try to climb over the gate while i was cooking. when she does this she usually she ends up knocking the gate down so i have to stop what i'm doing to get it back up in a hurry because the sound of a baby gate crashing to the floor has the same effect on Shane as a can opener has on a house cat... so yesterday when she tried climbing in while i was cooking i ended up putting her in our bedroom with the door shut - as a result she promptly started to claw at the carpet under the door.... thankfully my husband came home about that time. so add that to list. but as for boundaries.... if i want her to eat her snacks or dinner in another room she refuses. she'll either eat in front of us or not at all. those are her choices. i dont want my kids picking up the remains of her food and trying to eat it. she acts like she has a mild form of separation anxiety minus the destruction. she is always on the wrong side of the door and wants to be up your butt 24/7. if you step outside she will run from window to window for several minutes before settling down. if you're only gone five minutes she acts like its been days. yes i know and frequently remind myself that she's a puppy... but none of my puppies acted this way after a certain period of time. they would greet me, wag tails, lick my hands.. but didnt spazz out.
Now.... the rearing up and putting paws on the gate doesnt really BOTHER me... what bothers me is we're working on "down" and when i use it i have to expect results.. otherwise its a random word flung out there that she doesnt have to obey... i believe in choosing my battles wisely and i should probably just leave it alone. but part of it comes from the first days of her trying to climb over. i dont want her to think she can start that all over again. i dont want her touching the gates period really.... but only because of the kids.
Carpet Clawing - she is never on the right side of the , as i said. my oldest son however (two years old) found out that he can trick her into going into his bedroom by throwing something in there for her to fetch.. then he slams the door before she can come out. he doesnt like her much right now, but he isnt really a dog person.. at least not big dogs. he likes Amber and he likes the cat... he USED to like Kaydee before she got hurt... now i think she scares him a little with her funny walk. He certainly thinks Miki is too big and hairy and moves too fast. i did make him open the door and let her out. This isnt directed at just the dog... he's done this to his brother a time or two as well 
and i have to make him open the door to let him out too....
Stay - going outside is tricky because you risk the chance of shutting her nose in the door. i gave her a spot to "Sit" in when i go outside and she will sit pretty as you please until i walk away, then she is running at the door to go out.. not just running, but tries to push past you. i know the key is to keep doing it over and over again and i cant possibly expect her to "get it" in only a week.... its just something we have to keep working on. i live on a farm so i am in and out constantly checking on water, food, or cleaning something. i never realised how much i went in and out until she showed up lol she gets loads of yard time, goofing off with Amber - we've decided not to risk her being with the bulldogs yet and i'll get to that later - but she does have a lot of energy in spite of that... so i like to take her for a run when time allows. But she seems to think when the door opens she can go out of it when ever she wants. we're working on making her sit - with the leash on - before going outside with her but its touch and go right now. literally........
Get Down (aka "Get offa me you big hairy gorrilla! i cant breath!";) - if my kids try to sit in a chair to watch tv or play with their toys she'll flatten them in her attempt to join the fun. so unless i am standing over her 24/7 i end up having to rescue my kids (or the kids i babysit) because she wants to be a lapdog. Mostly she will climb onto one end of the sofa and wallow towards you then settles down. its her ritual, and its kinda cute, but not to small kids. she wont get in MY lap because i made it clear to her from day one that i wont tolerate it so she wont bother. she'll sit next to me for affection, or i can lie down on the floor with her and thats all she expects from me in the way of petting(we have our rough housing times too). but my husband encourages her to climb on up into his lap and he lets her jump up on him for petting. the boys cant really communicate to tell her no so she just forces herself on them. and if you walk in the door she tries to leap up on you - and if you happen to be carrying food you better be on your guard! She is obsessive over food. totally mad for it. and not for HER food but PEOPLE food! the junkier the better! (not a bad idea really.. as if i need to be eating cookies or pringles anyway). But when the T-Bone Steaks hot off the grill are in peril i draw the line. she can jump REALLY high.. my husband is nearly six feet and she has almost knocked food out of his hands even though he was holding it over his head. I also dont like our guests being assaulted by a big dog... my mom almost lost her sandwich because she forgot we had a new dog.. I CANT make my husband understand that he's confusing her by letting her jump up on him. how is she supposed to know who is off limits unless she jumps on them first? I dont MIND a dog putting their paws on my shoulder or chest as long as i ask them to do it.... but ONLY when i ask them to. its just like any other trick to me.... right up there with Sit, Beg, Shake, and Roll Over. Up is one of the commands all my dogs know just like any other.
Leave it - however i should say DROP IT. there arent too many temptations for her to "leave" but when she does find one you have to chase her for what ever she has grabbed... thats another thing my husband doesnt understand. she's a shepherd.. and one thing i remember most about GSDs is they LOVE to play chase. my sisters GSD was useless at fetch. you could throw the ball or stick and she would catch it.. but the game was over once she did. it turned into "catch me if you can". my husband LOVES this game..... i dont. i love running, especially with my dogs but i dont like chasing them. If i need her to come to me right away she's going to think i'm playing the moment i reach for her. she's going to dash away thinking its a game when it could be an emergency situation. And when you add an object to the mix..... its even worse! My oldest son had the bright idea to stuff honey-nut cheerios into some plastic hollow toy (it interlocks into other toys) .. i didnt know he'd done this until i caught her chewing on it. she isnt REALLY bad about chewing (we'll get to that later!) but she obviously thought she'd found herself a pint sized Kong and was worrying away at it. I said "No! Leave it!" then "No... NO Drop it!" which then turned into "get back here with that!" and all around the sofa we ran. i know i know! i was the fool that chased her.... but when i didnt chase her she would stand still and take up her chewing. i managed to rescue the toy.. emptied it, washed it, and put it and any others just like it away. 
.. and then theres diapers....... i'm not bad about leaving them laying around anyway but when i change one of the boys i have to make sure she isnt waiting to pounce on it the second i put it down to strap on the new diaper. we've played that game before too..yuck!
Chewing - OK...... this one makes me laugh because i got to say "I Told You So!" to my husband.. something i rarely do.. but i DID warn him several times about the likelihood of this happening. We have a $300 genuine leather chair that looks absolutely lovely in our home. But even though we only paid $75 for it we still treat it with the respect it deserves..or at least i thought WE did.... this is the Man Chair... my husbands favourite spot. and it also happens to be the dogs favourite spot too.... again i dont like dogs on furniture. its just my pet peve and i have very good reasons for it. some people can get away with letting their dogs on furniture but disaster always strikes when i let mine do it. either someone yaks on it, pees on it, chews on it, claws it up, or leaves so much hair on it that i dont want to sit there anymore... Well two days ago i bought some nice yummy chewy toys for Miki (this was after she gnawed on my brand new freshoutofthebox leather shoes - again i was the fool that left them on the floor in the living room.. but my husband was the fool that let her out into the hallway while we were sleeping, thinking she would mind the baby gate) So anyway.... i was out of the house that evening and Allen was fixing our computers (so i could type this lovely long rant in my own home!) when i came in the door Miki was gnawing on the arm of the leather chair. NORMALLY she sleeps in this chair because its cool. that night she decided to eat it. she didnt harm it too badly. a repair kit will fix it right up. but my husband got royally upset over it. then tried to blame ME!! because i bought her leather chew toys! "rawhides are leather!! You knew better!"... i reminded him that... duh... i got the chewies because she tried to eat my shoes FIRST! ... that shut him up.. i am not the type of person to flip out over "stuff" getting damaged. its just stuff. there is nothing in my house more important than my kids, husband or pets. no i'm not thrilled over it, but i get over it quickly enough. and anyway i told him so, maybe next time he'll listen! lol
But like i said she isnt a demonic chewer.. she's a Bore Puppy chewer. she has all her teeth but still gets a kick out of gnawing occasionally.. some dogs are like that. Kaydee certainly is! its either a tennis ball, rope toy, or something you value.. choice is yours. So far - and its my fault, not blaming her at all - Miki has chewed a pair of house slippers(i didnt wear them anyway) a fly swatter, my new shoes, the chair, and a big inflated rubber ball. i could have hit Allen over that one. his comment was "the kids dont play with it anyway!" 
suuuuure... its fine and dandy until she eats YOUR toy....
Snapping at food - when you offer her a treat she'll nearly take your hand off for it. from the look of her she has never missed a meal... but her actions say otherwise. she has hurt me a couple of times by snapping at food. i know how to get around it, but it sure does smart!! she's getting better though! it used to be she would gulp your whole hand down with no attention to if she bit you or not... then she graduated to just nipping finger tips... now she is randomly licking the food out of your hands or snapping... you just have to make her focus before giving her food. if you dont say her name and tell her to sit she's like "OMGFOODGIMMEHBLARGH!!"
Tact towards other dogs and animals- i am guessing she was one of those pups that was bought too young or was never allowed to socialise with other animals. as i mentioned above, we've both decided she cant go near the bulldogs until she learns to settle down. Kaydee is getting older and hasnt got her patience like she used to have AND she's still at a high risk level for another back injury. Miki runs, leaps, dodges, darts, pounces, and pile drives into you when she plays. i wont put Kaydee at risk for injury or pissing her off so that she feels like she needs to bite to defend herself. Amber is a little different though. She is a good teacher for this one. she wont take any gaff from her but will still play and run and jump etc. when Miki gets too harsh Amber lets her know and she'll settle down. and dont worry i'm always right there watching everyone!!
And then we have the cat.... i cant tell if she's just super psyched over the cat because its new (she was psyched about the rabbits but ignores them now) or if she has been encouraged to chase and attack cats.. she does NOT like the cat. She isnt as bad as she was the first week though. she's a fast learner!! the first week she would throw herself at the door if she saw the cats or rabbits. now she just goes nuts when she sees us pet the cat. NOT like she used to be though. tonight we actually had a breakthrough of sorts. she lunges, and jumps and strains on the leash when she sees the cat. i make her lie down and the cat saunters up to her... when she can sniff him she settles down. but i dont dare let her off the leash yet around him. she hasnt tried to snap at him but when she FIRST saw him you would have thought she'd seen a bear with the way she growled..
last but not least we have
Mouthing- .... I dont have anything against GSDs except for this... i do not like my arm to be swallowed, drooled upon or gnawed on. I had ONE dog that ever got close to any of them.... when i got off the bus he would run to me, grab my hand in his mouth, and walk me to the house. once we were on the porch he would let go and we would both go inside.... what he did is different from what i'm talking about. again she doesnt do this to ME because i wont let her... i dont like puppies to think its ok to view a human hand as a toy, but her previous owners obviously didnt care. Where my kids are concerned its up to me to keep her off them because of her mouth. the only time she mouths them is if they run or are wrestling with each other. which usually goes something like this: kid giggles and runs from the other kid, puppy wants to play too so she runs after them, mouths their hand and makes them fall down. they start fussing so she tries to lick their faces. i know it sounds like she is terrorizing my kids and animals but i assure you she's not. if she was a terror then she couldnt stay here. she's just a big dumb puppy.. the majority of the time she will let them crawl on her or follows them around in case they drop a crumb. and no she's never snapped food away from them like she has from the adults. its something that worries me constantly though.. i make sure to stand over them both when they have a snack.... but toddlers being toddlers they have fed her their snacks and she is great about being gentle with them. but this is only recently. the first week i didnt allow food anywhere near her when they were around because i didnt know if she was reactive to it or not and i DAMN SURE didnt want her snapping food out of their baby hands. happy to say she isnt food aggressive! she's just a little oinker... when i do give the boys a cracker she usually gets a treat too. but when she finishes gulping hers down she'll act like she's going to take theirs. that is when i tell her "No. Sit" and she gets another reward for doing so.
i have a goal in mind for her.... i have always had well behaved, calm house dogs that were content to do what ever i was doing. my husband, HOWEVER, thinks that is breaking their spirit and turning them into robots. hence the reason why he likes it when the dog joins him in his chair on its own accord. he wants a dog to show affection when it feels it. i agree but i dont agree that the dog has to flatten me in order to be affectionate. we had this argument when we first got Kaydee.... same stuff... "No jumping!" "But i like jumping!" "No Chasing!" "But Chasing is FUN!" etc. etc... my dogs arent robots. we have fun, loads of it.... we go hiking, bike riding, running, hunting, swimming. we play fetch, and tug and other games.. but when i stop goofing off they stop as well. i know much of what i'm asking comes with maturity on the dogs part. and i admit that my past dogs had their moments when their youth got the better of them. but NEVER like this. and i NEVER had someone contradicting me at every turn. When Allen compares her to his old Miki, or talks about the old Miki and some of his stunts i cant help but mutter that i wouldnt have liked him much.... Allens the shepherd fan here. i like them well enough, just like any other working breed. i have experience with them as well. they're a family favourite.. But Allen will sometimes point out that Sheps are better than bulldogs and gives his dog (a GSDXbeaglecollie) as a prime example... i have a tragically great memory and i know all the Miki Stories by heart. His childhood dog got into a fight with two dobermans and mopped the ground with them. got into a fight with a pitbull and nearly killed him, ran some poor kids pet rabbit to death. no he didnt kill it.. just wanted to play.. but the bunny didnt get the memo. it ran until it dropped dead. Miki also tried to attack the meter man (i give him that one... the meter man thought he'd "teach this new dog a lesson" and maced him on the first meeting) but Miki was also the sorta dog you had to worry about if someone was walking down the sidewalk. And one the most frequently told stories is how Miki escaped out of the house and attacked one of Allens friends when they were play wrestling. he didnt bite or maul him.. he just shoulder rushed him and then scratched him down his back. .. .. Kaydee hasnt got HALF the quirks this dog had. i'm not comparing breeds at all.. but i AM comparing the individuals. i told Allen that his dog was a monster and would NOT be welcome in MY home and he sorta laughs.. Allen isnt really a DOG person like i am. he likes his dog, loves to play with his dog but thats about it. He's backwards in training methods and flies by the seat of his pants in some areas and is inconsistent in others. i dont want her to be ANYTHING like his childhood dog! I already know i'm going to be the one to train this one.. but isnt that the way it goes? mom does all the work and has to be the "bad guy" all day long.. then dad comes home and its party time....
anyway thats the end of my rant.. i'm sure many of you can find flaws in my methods and thats ok. point them out if you like. i'm VERY open minded right now.
and for anyone else....... lol this is something you should consider when you start to feel that puppy itch... like i said before.. all my past pups were 8 weeks old when i got them and i took them everywhere with me and began training from day one. however it seems the people in THIS region think a dog is incapable of learning anything before the age of one year. 
my mother inlaw even said that!! gee i wish someone had told me all those years ago!!
in the end she's a good dog. i can trust her to be in the house alone and not have to worry about her messing up... i just cant trust her alone with my husband when he isnt paying attention....