Wee-you seem to have a head full of sense, just use your best instincts!  Try not to get caught up in worrying about not making ANY mistakes.  Enjoy your new pup and your life with her with the knowlege that you are doing your absolute best for her!

Bev - Hogan does exactly the same picture as in the photo.

Wee - it's all down to how YOU want YOUR dogs to behave. I am fairly relaxed with mine now although originally with Hogan I was very strict. They are allowed on my bed in the evening if I was watching TV but overnight they both sleep in separate cages. The only time Rosa has slept overnight in the bed was when she was poorly.

They are also both allowed on the sofa, providing there is space, and god forbid them if they jump over anyone/on anyone unless they are invited. This is important - they are allowed lots of snuggles but ONLY if they are invited. They do not jump up on their own accord if someone is already sat on the sofa. That said if no-one is on the sofa it is fair game! I allow this, even though people say 'don't let them on the sofa, sofa's are for people - you don't want them thinking they are equal to you'

Well sorry I don't agree with this. I establish my role as pack leader in other ways - I provide food for them on my terms, I train them.

There has to be a certain amount of dominance and this is part of the dogs character. Rosa is dominant over Hogan, and I am dominant over both of them. This is the pack dynamic.

That said, I listened when I shouldn’t have, and did the ‘rolling over’ technique when Hogan was a puppy. It didn’t work and just landed up with him resenting me touching his legs as he thought I was going to roll him over.

In my opinion, with most GSP’s, all you need to do to maintain your role as pack leader, is be calm and consistent (a pack leader never loses their cool) – provide the food and sleeping arrangements, lots of training and lots of boundaries which are upheld.

My dogs also free-feed so have no set mealtimes, and are loose when we eat. However, if a guest is in the house, they stay in their cages, purely out of courtesy to the guest, who might not like dogs wandering round when they are eating.

To cut and story short, when you come to my house, you find two affectionate and (moderately!) well behaved GSP’s with respect for their humans.