Need dog advice *GSD* Update! Photos post #51

[hedgehog2owl]

you've gotten some good advice! I don't have much to add but this this little tidbit, and I write this as my own 4 year old GSD is panting at my feet and gazing adoringly at me.

He was a bad, horrible, evil, naughty, puppy! I never thought he would grow up to be such nice adult dog which he is. I swore I would never get another GSD puppy ever again. (Our other dog is a dachshund, and I would would say ten wienie dog puppies would be less work and worry that 1 GSD pup!) So maybe that is a little consolation in having an adult I hope the very best to you, and usually dogs "know" when they've been rescued

 

[Pea-n-Me]

He seems very sweet. He is already very attached to DH. I held his leash while DH walked around to the back yard, and he began whimpering but not barking, he was sort of jumping and pulling to get to him, and I tried to comfort him, but it's like I wasn't even there, the dog completely ignored me.

I've given him a few treats, and the dog has watched me put a new bed in his crate, and I played with him with a tennis ball, and now he wags his tail when I approach.

Although his owner said he barked alot....we have had him for 16 hours, and I have yet to hear him bark....weird.

Another thing is, DH watched him play with a 9year old for a few hours before he brought him home, and he did great, the dog acted like he was having more fun then the kid.

Also, DH pet him last night while he was eating....which I know, could have turned out bad. And nothing...no growl, he did sort of look up quickly at DH but went right back to eating.

These are my observations so far, I'm feeling a bit better about things, but still will be very cautious around him for a long time.

One last thing....we have a really good dog trainer near us that will come to your house and even train the dog in different settings, He even seems to specialize in German Shepherds. We will be calling him very soon, as soon as our tax money comes back, Ha!

Thanks for all the advice, you guys are awesome!

He sounds like he probably has a stable personality. And with work he'll make a great pet.

With that said, you and your DH need to be really smart about this. I bolded a couple of things that you probably know were mistakes. Dogs see "comforting" as reinforcement that what they're doing is correct - if you pat them when they're doing things they shouldn't be, like jumping and pulling, it's sending the wrong message. Besides, you know that a German Shepherd in that situation was focused on one thing and one thing only.

As for the food issue, well there seems to be a lot of controversy about it. I, personally, prefer to give a dog its food and let him enjoy it uninterrupted. Others think differently. Either way, with this dog, it's not a good time - he's in transition in a new situation and already has a lot of stress as it is. IMO part of developing trust with this dog is letting him have his food without messing with it and making him feel threatened about it. There is no higher value item to a dog than food, and most will fight for it. I'm sure you don't want this to be the issue that sends him packing or worse.

I agree with other posters who've suggested tuckering him out with exercise. This will be a great channel for some of his pent up energy and stress, and will make the flow of transition easier. Make sure YOU take him for walks as well. I know you mentioned you're nervous but try not to be. Project calm but kind leadership. Dog parks aren't the place for this dog right now. (Or maybe never, we just don't know yet.) Find some woods or a quiet place where he can get a good workout without a lot of others around - for now.

Good luck today and let us know how it goes!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Oh, one other thing. (As DH and I sit here with our once-crazy GSD, also now like a different dog... As we were reading the part about the barking and whining we were laughing cause our DS was coming home from a sleepover and although she knew it was him, she was behind the glass door and wanted to get to him so was barking that higher pitched bark and wagging her tail, completely focused on him and only him - my DH was like, "Speaking of Shepherds barking" lol - she looked beautiful, actuallly ...)

I imagine that last time you had your GSD puppy either you didn't have kids or they were really young. My kids came home to two adult GSDs when they were born, but they were about 6yo when we got a puppy. Even though they'd literally been around GSDs their whole lives, our vet made a HUGE deal about teaching them how to interact with the dog, recommending not letting the dog chase them or bite them, or to play rough with the dog, etc (which I subscribe to also anyway, but it was good for everyone to hear it and be on the same page about it).

I don't know how old your kids are but I'm going to say the same thing to you. You almost have a blank slate with this dog so he's probably not learned a lot about the world (other than the frustrating things). Now is the time, from the get go, to teach him how to be the great and stable dog you want him to be. Don't rough house with him. Don't let anyone growl in his face. He might not know what a ball is but show him how much fun fetching one can be. Teach him to drop it at your feet and then you'll throw it again. (Be careful about taking it from him; teach him to drop it.) Reward good behavior. (I like verbal praise as opposed to lots of treats.) Teach him to respond to your voice by talking to him lots. He'll learn to pick up on your tones and it will open up a great "dialogue" between you as a means of communication.

I'd also probably forego the bones or rawhide type things right now as he adjusts to your home. (Again, high value items a dog is willing to fight for; and he's got lots of "competition" - in his mind - in your home with the other pets and kids, etc.) There may come a day in the future that this won't be an issue, but for now I wouldn't even put them into the equation. (Friends of mine had a very bad situation with an adult rescue GSD, a high value treat, and a child visiting their home. ) Keep in mind that many GSD rescues will not adopt out to homes with children under a certain age, often 7 to 10 yrs old.

 

[StarLight StarBright]

He sounds like he probably has a stable personality. And with work he'll make a great pet.

With that said, you and your DH need to be really smart about this. I bolded a couple of things that you probably know were mistakes. Dogs see "comforting" as reinforcement that what they're doing is correct - if you pat them when they're doing things they shouldn't be, like jumping and pulling, it's sending the wrong message. Besides, you know that a German Shepherd in that situation was focused on one thing and one thing only.

As for the food issue, well there seems to be a lot of controversy about it. I, personally, prefer to give a dog its food and let him enjoy it uninterrupted. Others think differently. Either way, with this dog, it's not a good time - he's in transition in a new situation and already has a lot of stress as it is. IMO part of developing trust with this dog is letting him have his food without messing with it and making him feel threatened about it. There is no higher value item to a dog than food, and most will fight for it. I'm sure you don't want this to be the issue that sends him packing or worse.

I agree with other posters who've suggested tuckering him out with exercise. This will be a great channel for some of his pent up energy and stress, and will make the flow of transition easier. Make sure YOU take him for walks as well. I know you mentioned you're nervous but try not to be. Project calm but kind leadership. Dog parks aren't the place for this dog right now. (Or maybe never, we just don't know yet.) Find some woods or a quiet place where he can get a good workout without a lot of others around - for now.

Good luck today and let us know how it goes!

We are lucky as far as where we live. We live in a somewhat underdeveloped neighborhood, with very little traffic, and we are surrounded by 150 acres of woods that my family owns, so we have room to tucker him out. I walked him this morning, DH came too, but I had the leash. We were confronted by a boxer who frequently comes through his invisible fencing. The boxer was barking and acting like a bully and our dog( who is still nameless) gave one bark. I was scared to death there was gonna be a fight, but we will be avoiding that house for a while *whew*.


Thanks for the good advice. I know these basic rules....especially since we had a white german shepherd for 11 years, but at the same time I know he isn't the same dog.

I'm gonna try to post a picture later( I have been on the DIS 5 years and never posted a pic) Also will give an update on how the meeting with my kids went. They are still at a friends house, and will be home soon.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

we are surrounded by 150 acres of woods that my family owns, so we have room to tucker him out.

That is AWESOME!

One last thing, it takes a while for the dog's true personality to come out, a few weeks or even months anyway.

He sounds like he's a great dog.

We would LOVE to see pics!

 

[StarLight StarBright]

Oh, one other thing. (As DH and I sit here with our once-crazy GSD, also now like a different dog... As we were reading the part about the barking and whining we were laughing cause our DS was coming home from a sleepover and although she knew it was him, she was behind the glass door and wanted to get to him so was barking that higher pitched bark and wagging her tail, completely focused on him and only him - my DH was like, "Speaking of Shepherds barking" lol - she looked beautiful, actuallly ...)

I imagine that last time you had your GSD puppy either you didn't have kids or they were really young. My kids came home to two adult GSDs when they were born, but they were about 6yo when we got a puppy. Even though they'd literally been around GSDs their whole lives, our vet made a HUGE deal about teaching them how to interact with the dog, recommending not letting the dog chase them or bite them, or to play rough with the dog, etc (which I subscribe to also anyway, but it was good for everyone to hear it and be on the same page about it).

I don't know how old your kids are but I'm going to say the same thing to you. You almost have a blank slate with this dog so he's probably not learned a lot about the world (other than the frustrating things). Now is the time, from the get go, to teach him how to be the great and stable dog you want him to be. Don't rough house with him. Don't let anyone growl in his face. He might not know what a ball is but show him how much fun fetching one can be. Teach him to drop it at your feet and then you'll throw it again. (Be careful about taking it from him; teach him to drop it.) Reward good behavior. (I like verbal praise as opposed to lots of treats.) Teach him to respond to your voice by talking to him lots. He'll learn to pick up on your tones and it will open up a great "dialogue" between you as a means of communication.

I'd also probably forego the bones or rawhide type things right now as he adjusts to your home. (Again, high value items a dog is willing to fight for; and he's got lots of "competition" - in his mind - in your home with the other pets and kids, etc.) There may come a day in the future that this won't be an issue, but for now I wouldn't even put them into the equation. (Friends of mine had a very bad situation with an adult rescue GSD, a high value treat, and a child visiting their home. ) Keep in mind that many GSD rescues will not adopt out to homes with children under a certain age, often 7 to 10 yrs old.

You are giving me some great advice, I really appreciate you taking the time! You are right, my kids grew up with our old GSD.They are 8 and 6 now. Our old GSD was 3 when DD came home from the hospital. So, this is a completely different situation. I am gonna have to really have to change my sons behavior around dogs. He used to literally roll around with our old dog, and with our chihuahua, he tends to pick on him, because of course he is little .

I know it's critical for him not to do either with this dog. I'm definitely in for alot of work with my kids and the dog, but I know it's worth it because our old GSD was amazing. Of course he was a pain in the butt sometimes But I just know how great German Shepherds can be.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

A GSD who hasn't been socialized may have an exaggerated sense of protection and hasn't learned important things like inhibition and recognizing the difference between friend and foe, listening to and following a leader, etc.

If the dog had gone to a GSD rescue he'd spend time in a foster home with someone very familiar with the breed to evaluate how he is around children, other pets, cats, and so on, and they'd make efforts to put him in a home suited to any special needs he might have. Although it's nice you want to take him in, yours may not be the best home for him. (Or it may be, I don't know how much time you have to work with him.)

Although his owner said he barked alot....we have had him for 16 hours, and I have yet to hear him bark....weird.

These are my observations so far, I'm feeling a bit better about things, but still will be very cautious around him for a long time.

One last thing....we have a really good dog trainer near us that will come to your house and even train the dog in different settings, He even seems to specialize in German Shepherds. We will be calling him very soon, as soon as our tax money comes back, Ha!

One last thing, it takes a while for the dog's true personality to come out, a few weeks or even months anyway.

He sounds like he's a great dog.

I agree with all of the above, emphatically!

We have adopted 2 adult (formerly) outdoor GSDs and each one was a learning experience. One was almost shellshocked for the first few weeks - he was very quiet, very quick to please, and would let you do anything to him as long as you were nice to him..... and then his true personality came out. It wasn't a bad personality, but we just got a taste of why he had been rehomed, and it took a lot of work to get him out of some bad habits. Our other GSD (who was almost 6 when we adopted her) was very WYSIWYG - she's sweet, enthusiastic, and not very bright at all. We had different problems with each of them connected to being outdoor dogs.

Our male GSD was (and still is to a certain extent) barrier aggressive/protective. That means that he will flip out to defend himself/his territory/his person if he is confined in any way. This is almost certainly connected to a lack of socialization and spending the first couple years of his life behind a fence, barking at everything that passed by. We had to work long and hard on this behavior.... particularly as it pertained to walking on leash. Even now, he gets defensive (he won't bark or growl anymore but he clearly gets uneasy) if we pass by another dog on leash, and that is 5 years later. None of this behavior was evident at his foster home or for the first few weeks that we had him. However, we had been told by the rescue that he had been a "barker" at his last home, which is why I'm telling you this. A good trainer that understands GSDs was very important to us in working on this behavior.

Our female GSD just didn't understand how to act in a house. For several months, we had a lot of housetraining accidents because she simply didn't understand that she wasn't supposed to pee/poop indoors. She also had never been on a leash and had never been obedience trained in any way. She turned out to be easy to train, but she is overall just an "easy" GSD.

From what you've said, it sounds like you have a really sweet GSD and the space/resources/support to deal with any problems! Other people have given you great advice for introducing the other pets and your children to the dog. Definitely get involved in training ASAP, but don't be surprised if your GSD's personality changes a lot in the next few weeks!

Also, I second the picture request!

 

[hereyago]

Congrats on your new GSD. Others here have given great advice. I haven't adopted an older dog, all puppies, even had a puppy a month apart in age from my infant dd at the time-that was crazy but they were really close.

But I second the let's see some pics when you can.

 

[yoopermom]

We've taken in quite a few older dogs, including ones that were "outside" dogs. I second all the excellent advice you've already given and would strongly remind you that there seems to be a "honeymoon" period in this type of situation where they will listen to you, want to behave, etc, and then, when they start to feel comfortable in their new situation, you may see more serious attitude changes occur, as he starts to push his boundaries.

It may seem extreme, but especially with this type of dog (nothing against GSD, but with their temperament, size, bite ability, etc) you need to think of him as a "loaded weapon" and treat him with firm discipline and respect, as well as love, and never let your guard down for a second, for months to come. It may seem extreme, but I would not leave him alone with the chi, or kids, until an expert has worked with you both for some time.

Good luck, and we all want to see pictures!

Terri

 

[CathrynRose]

After adopting Charley (at 17 mos) and Hazel (at 4 mos) I'd go for he adult dog, everytime, from this point on.

We *knew* Charley's personality. He wasn't putting on a show for us, when we met him. He was, what he was. He's only gotten better as he's become more comfortable.

Hazel was a puppy. Her personality is actually not really a good fit for our home. Had I met the dog we own now, I wouldn't have adopted her. She's a handfull for everyone - and she annoys Charley. I give him a lot of credit. I'd have bit her by now.

 

[minkydog]

This whole situation gives me the willies. OP, I don't blame you for feeling extra-cautious. I don't think I would have the nerve--I'm not confident enough to bring in a guard-type dog to meet my young children ( GSD, Doberman, Pit-Anything.) But I wish you, your children, your chi and your cat all the luck in the world.

 

[KingK12]

If he's a good dog and you have a good home 1+1= love!

 

[dogluva]

I assume GSD means German Shepard? What's the D for? Dog?

I would never adopt an adult dog. But that's just me. Too much at risk.

I have never had a puppy. Five adult dogs and all wonderful. I would never want a puppy-too much work. I adopted a nine year old lab mix and he was great.

 

[clh2]

I have never had a puppy. Five adult dogs and all wonderful. I would never want a puppy-too much work. I adopted a nine year old lab mix and he was great.

same here. We adopted our first dog at 8 years old. I still swear that this dog "picked us out". He was a momma's boy. Down side - we only had him for 4 years - and then he was diagnosed with bone cancer. I wouldn't have traded one day of the time we had with him. (FWIW - this dog was a yellow lab/white shepard mix.)

A few months after this - we adopted a 6 or 7 year old yellow lab. This dog is the most mellow dog I have ever seen. It is a different relationship - she is by far a daddy's girl. She likes our 17 YO DD next, and I am "last". No worries though - she is very, very sweet.

Like the other people who have mentioned adopting older dogs - I could NEVER do the puppy thing.

To the OP - good luck with your new dog! Please post pics and updates!

 

[Maryr1]

You sound like you have good dog experience and that is a strong start. I have 2 dogs I raised from puppies and a dog we adopted from a rescue organization. Hands down the adult dog from the rescue org. was the easiest-housetrained, never chewed a thing in the house, had been vet checked and temperment tested before she set foot in our house. She gets along fine with the other 2 dogs and is excellent with my daughter who is developmentally delayed and rather unpredictable. I would be very careful with children and other pets as well as strangers around the dog as he will have "party manners" for a bit until he feels comfortable and then more of his personality will emerge. Make sure he sees a vet and try and get vet records on him as that will come in handy. If he is AKC you will need to transfer ownership formally on him-especially if he is intact. At very least the person should give you contact info for the breeder. Some breeders do not release ownership until the dog is nuetered. Training will be very important for this dog and will help build bonds between you as well as establish alpha order. Also, he may feel abandoned and this will give him structure and security. Good luck!

 

[Coconut36]

This whole situation gives me the willies. OP, I don't blame you for feeling extra-cautious. I don't think I would have the nerve--I'm not confident enough to bring in a guard-type dog to meet my young children ( GSD, Doberman, Pit-Anything.) But I wish you, your children, your chi and your cat all the luck in the world.

German Shepherd dogs were bred to herd sheep. They are considered a working dog. Due to their intelligence and ability to respond well to training they are often used for purposes like K-9 dogs or other uses but that wasn't the intent of the breed originally. Considering how intelligent and responsive they are I would be more comfortable with such a breed vs another but I am biased as I had the most wonderful GSD growing up. He was amazing and the best dog I have ever had as a companion to date.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

How did Sunday go? What did the kids think?

 

[StarLight StarBright]

How did Sunday go? What did the kids think?

It went pretty well....DD8 went right up to him....slowly, and offered a hand to him, and he nudged her and she pet him on his back. He was wagging his tail the whole time. DS6 was afraid of him and backed away and went inside, he has been watching him through the glass door, and says he will "meet him" today.

Our neighbors came over...3 at one time and sat on my front porch and met him. They love dogs, and they were all petting him, and he was loving it, wagging his tail and actually tried to sit in one of my neighbor's lap.

We are taking him to the vet today, and sorry I didn't get around to the picture yesterday...we were outside most of the day, playing with the dog. I will get to the picture today hopefully!

We finally named him, DS is obsessed with StarWars, so we were gonna call him Sky for Skywalker, but decided on Luke. Now this is sad. He is like somewhere around 2 years old, and has never had a name. I don't know if the owners called him "hey you" or what!?

The one thing I noticed about him is how observant he is....yesterday while we were in the yard he heard every squirrel in the woods, every bark in the distance( which is normal for a dog, I know) but then he started watching planes go overhead, and following the trail lines from a plane, I have never seen a dog do that!

Overall, it went well, but I wish that my son would have not been so afraid, but I will let him meet Luke when he is ready. We can afford to do that since Luke is still sleeping in the garage, and hasn't taken over the house yet.

I am actually thinking of not letting him in the house til he gets some training. He seems comfy in the garage, and since it isn't hot out yet, he is probably fine, but I just worry since I am used to having indoor dogs.

 

[marie1203]

I am glad to hear the update. I am also one that prefers adult dogs vs. puppies. I always find them to be less work than a puppy. Well also one of our favorite dogs come to us while he was 5 and never been inside. He is the best dog ever. there is no one person that meet him and not love him. If we go for a walk everyone come to pet him. I hear so many times I am not a dog person but I love this dog. Of course that didn't come with a lot of training and patience. He has never been on a leash before so that took a lot of train to get him use to. Know he is great on a leash. Also you don't want to not trust him or be unsure around him he will feel it. Maybe it will let you feel better to bring someone to test his temperament. Slowly introduce him to him chances are he will be a great dog in no time with less training that would have take if you got a puppy.
Have you put him with you other dog yet? If not I would wait to talk to the vet first parasites can transmit from dog to dog. We never introduce our dogs to new rescues unless they been to the vet first. Good luck! Keep us posted.

 

[princessmom29]

Count me as another who would never consider taking a large adult dog of unknown termpremant into a home with young children. Way too much risk involved. I don't care what others say, I am not risking the safety of my child with an unknown large breed dog, period. My child's safety is more important. Op, I am glad it is working out for you though.