New German Shepherd Mommy - please help

[chandlersmom]

Hey all!
I recently rescued a GSD who was emaciated and dumped on the side of a busy street. The woman who found him nursed him back to health the most she could, and I rescued him from her. I was told he was one year old or less, because she used to work for the SPCA and went by his teeth. She also said that he had gotten bit on the ear when her other dog tried to eat some of his food while he was regaining his strength from starving. So after I rescued him, I took him to the vet, got him neutered, got his ear checked out, scanned him for a microchip, and got a real age estimate. Needless to say, his ear had a pretty nasty ear infection, and he's at least 4 or 5 years old.

Not what I was expecting when I signed on to take this fella. I was expecting a pretty young dog/puppy that would be easier to train. So when I found this out I got a little nervous. He's obviously had a horrible life, and needs love, but he might also have a name that he's used to and things he was brought up on. I just am clueless on this guy. He's the sweetest dog, ever. He knows how to sit, for the most part he's house trained, he does however break my arm everytime he's on a leash but that's because he had no lead training.

All in all, I need to know what to expect. He's neutered, we have medicine for his ear, he's kennel trained (walks right into it on his own) but does cry when we leave him there while we're at work. (We tried to leave him out but he chewed on the door handle.) I just need some helpful optimistic insight for this guy.

PS- We have a mini dachshund, maltese/yorkie, and a couple cats who he gets along with well.

Thank you so much!

[GSKnight]

First, thank you for saving this guy.

He is still young!!! And, yes, you can teach an older dog new tricks!!! It sounds to me like you have a pretty well balanced guy there, all things considered. As far as the puling while walking, there are many things you can do, and he will "get it"!!!

[Castlemaid]

Congrats on your new family member! Thanks you so much for taking him in. I wouldn't worry about his age, GSD's are so smart and eager to learn and eager to please, there should not be much difference in training an older dog vs. a younger one. He seems to be a perfect fit for you and your existing household, so who cares about his age, except that you may have a shorter time to enjoy him than you may have thought.

Older rescues normally adapt very well to their new home and circumstances, given a bit of time and patience. How long have you had him? Don't worry about the name he used to have, if he was mistreated formelly, there may be a negative association for him with his old name, so best to start off fresh with a brand new name. Just start calling him by the name you have chosen, he'll figure it out quickly.

The crying when you guys leave may get better too as he gets more settled and secure in his new family. Some dogs are chewers and can never be trusted out loose when nobody is home, but if that is the worse of it, that is not a big deal. He seems okay with his crate, so most of the battle is already won.

For the pulling, people have different preferences on how to deal with that. My suggestion is to fit him for a prong collar. They are not the instruments of torture that they seem to be - they are very humane and effective control that dogs seem to understand, and a huge measure of safety for you, as it gives you full control. Try putting a prong around your arm or thigh and pulling it tight - you will be surprised at how much it doesn't hurt, as the pressure is distributed over a large area. Here is an article that shows how to fit a prong properly:
Leerburg | How to fit a Prong Collar

Another suggestion is to go to obedience classes with your new (older) pup, even though he already has the basics down. It is just a great bonding experience and a confidence builder for him. The class will also go into learning a proper heel, which he needs. Make sure the class is using positive, reward based techniques. The last thing this dog needs is a crank-and-jerk on a choke chain type of training.

Good luck with him, I think you found yourself a really great dog!

[GSKnight]

Originally Posted by Castlemaid

Congrats on your new family member! Thanks you so much for taking him in. I wouldn't worry about his age, GSD's are so smart and eager to learn and eager to please, there should not be much difference in training an older dog vs. a younger one. He seems to be a perfect fit for you and your existing household, so who cares about his age, except that you may have a shorter time to enjoy him than you may have thought.

Older rescues normally adapt very well to their new home and circumstances, given a bit of time and patience. How long have you had him? Don't worry about the name he used to have, if he was mistreated formelly, there may be a negative association for him with his old name, so best to start off fresh with a brand new name. Just start calling him by the name you have chosen, he'll figure it out quickly.

The crying when you guys leave may get better too as he gets more settled and secure in his new family. Some dogs are chewers and can never be trusted out loose when nobody is home, but if that is the worse of it, that is not a big deal. He seems okay with his crate, so most of the battle is already won.

For the pulling, people have different preferences on how to deal with that. My suggestion is to fit him for a prong collar. They are not the instruments of torture that they seem to be - they are very humane and effective control that dogs seem to understand, and a huge measure of safety for you, as it gives you full control. Try putting a prong around your arm or thigh and pulling it tight - you will be surprised at how much it doesn't hurt, as the pressure is distributed over a large area. Here is an article that shows how to fit a prong properly:
Leerburg | How to fit a Prong Collar

Another suggestion is to go to obedience classes with your new (older) pup, even though he already has the basics down. It is just a great bonding experience and a confidence builder for him. The class will also go into learning a proper heel, which he needs. Make sure the class is using positive, reward based techniques. The last thing this dog needs is a crank-and-jerk on a choke chain type of training.

Good luck with him, I think you found yourself a really great dog!

YEA!!! What she said!!! LOL!!! (I know... I am a lot of help, right?)

[chandlersmom]

This is the big guy. He's huge, one of the biggest GSD's people have seen. Over 100lbs and still gaining the weight he needs.

[1sttimeforgsd]

Thank you for giving that fellow a forever and loving home. I second the use of the prong collar, it does not hurt your baby and you get immediate results and control. Good luck and we love pictures on here if you would like to share.

[Stella's Mom]

Originally Posted by Castlemaid

Congrats on your new family member! Thanks you so much for taking him in. I wouldn't worry about his age, GSD's are so smart and eager to learn and eager to please, there should not be much difference in training an older dog vs. a younger one. He seems to be a perfect fit for you and your existing household, so who cares about his age, except that you may have a shorter time to enjoy him than you may have thought.

Older rescues normally adapt very well to their new home and circumstances, given a bit of time and patience. How long have you had him? Don't worry about the name he used to have, if he was mistreated formelly, there may be a negative association for him with his old name, so best to start off fresh with a brand new name. Just start calling him by the name you have chosen, he'll figure it out quickly.

The crying when you guys leave may get better too as he gets more settled and secure in his new family. Some dogs are chewers and can never be trusted out loose when nobody is home, but if that is the worse of it, that is not a big deal. He seems okay with his crate, so most of the battle is already won.

For the pulling, people have different preferences on how to deal with that. My suggestion is to fit him for a prong collar. They are not the instruments of torture that they seem to be - they are very humane and effective control that dogs seem to understand, and a huge measure of safety for you, as it gives you full control. Try putting a prong around your arm or thigh and pulling it tight - you will be surprised at how much it doesn't hurt, as the pressure is distributed over a large area. Here is an article that shows how to fit a prong properly:
Leerburg | How to fit a Prong Collar

Another suggestion is to go to obedience classes with your new (older) pup, even though he already has the basics down. It is just a great bonding experience and a confidence builder for him. The class will also go into learning a proper heel, which he needs. Make sure the class is using positive, reward based techniques. The last thing this dog needs is a crank-and-jerk on a choke chain type of training.

Good luck with him, I think you found yourself a really great dog!

Ditto...and the prong collar is definitely the way to go. Once the dog gets use to walking on the lead and knows what is expected you will find the prong is hardly used at all for correcting unwanted behavior while walking.

[Marnie]

Every time you look at this dog, you can feel really good about yourself for giving him a second chance at a good life. He sounds like a really good dog in need of just a few minor adjustments Don't worry that he will be hard to train. An adult dog can learn anything a puppy can learn.

There are a lot of gadgets you can use to help with his pulling on the leash. There are harnesses with rings in the front that will turn the dog around if he pulls. Most GSD trainers like these. I never use prong collars but some people have excellent luck with them. They leave it up to the dog to decide how hard he pulls and how much they pinch. Head collars are good but often it is difficult to get the dog to wear them without pawing them off.

In the sort term, you could do a little research. You can visit amazon.com and in the Pets department type in no pull harnesses, no pull collars, head collars. The reason I suggest amazon is they have a really big, diverse selection at good prices. Read the comments from buyers. You can also google these and read about them. You can even You Tube suggestions for teaching a dog to heel and watch the videos. Some dog owners are gonna be appalled that I mentioned you tube but hey, dog training is mostly common sense. Use whatever resources are available and work for you. If something doesn't work, try something else.

In the long term, beginners obedience classes are fun and helpful. Highly recommended. You will enjoy the classes and make friends.

[marti]

My past GSD loved his prong collar. He would come running and put his nose into it.

I think whoever sells them should instruct how to use them or directions should come with the purchase since every dog that I've seen wearing one was used and fitted incorrectly other than the K-9 dogs

Its a snap and instant release never a pull. Plus very important to use the right size, position it correctly
Leerburg is the only website I've found that gives a clue about how to use these collars.

Michael Ellis used to send out training videos in emails at Leerburg. Check his training methods too.

[chandlersmom]

We were debating rehoming him because we weren't sure if we could handle him. But thanks to you guys, we are going to keep him and give him a very loving home. I will definitely keep asking questions though so that we give him everything we can. Does neutering him make him "calmer" as I've heard? I just put up the picture of him so you all can see, and he has floppy ears! I have never seen one with floppy ears, but everyone def thinks that he is full blooded.