German Shepherds Forum banner

Hi...just got a rescue and he's skittish, advice?

4K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  glowingtoadfly 
#1 ·
Hello and nice to meet you all.

First, a little about me and why I chose Bear. Almost 2 years ago I had to put my 14 yo shepherd/newfie mix to sleep. I'd had him since he was 3 months old and the loss was devastating; I really thought I'd never get another dog. But about 6 months ago I realized that I missed having a friend. I trained Otis from the start using the Monks of New Skete principles and philosophy and he was the best dog EVER. However, I realized that much of why he was so great was his genetics.......so when I decided to get another I chose a shepherd/mix( Otis really had a Newfie look and I would have felt like I was replacing him if I went newfie).


So today I adopted Bear.....a full blooded (or so they told me....but as a rescue I understand they can't say so) black shepherd. They warned me that he was shy, but we had such an instant connection that there was no question he was coming home with me; the volunteers were shocked at how he responded to me and were thrilled that he found his home. I guess he wasn't peppy or doggy happy enough for other people.


His history:

From what they tell me he was pretty much brought up by a yellow lab....his owner had a fast acting cancer and it hit him just as he acquired the dog. They were both surrendered to the shelter and the lab got adopted almost immediately. Bear was there for almost 2 months. He lost a lot of weight (he weighs 102 now but should probably weigh 110-120 or so) and he's shedding a lot so clearly he's stressed out (crap, I would be too....his world went poof ffs).


Anyway.....met and brought him home today. Ride home no issues at all. Once here he spent a great deal of time exploring the house....I have a 12yo son (who Bear met at the shelter today....and btw Bear walked right up to him and gave him a kiss) who Of COURSE had to show hom off to his friends....good boys who pretty much said hi and then left him alone.

More to come....I have to get on a computer and keyboard before I lose it lol
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I'm interested to hear the rest, but he's been through a lot. It will take some time for the dog inside to come out. Have some patience, be consistent in rewarding of good behaviors, and allow him to experience things at his own pace. Too much pressure can build negative associations with things.

David Winners
 
#3 ·
Hello and nice to meet you all.


So today I adopted Bear.....a full blooded (or so they told me....but as a rescue I understand they can't say so) black shepherd. They warned me that he was shy, but we had such an instant connection that there was no question he was coming home with me; the volunteers were shocked at how he responded to me and were thrilled that he found his home. I guess he wasn't peppy or doggy happy enough for other people.
Nearly a year ago I adopted a rescue 2 yr. old GSD male who had been starved and neglected as a puppy (he didn't sell fast enough to suit the breeder); as a result his growth was stunted, so he is a small boy for a GSD. He was rescued by another breeder, who knew the first one and took my boy and another puppy to get them away from the neglect and abuse they suffered. Then she was in a terrible accident, and relied on other people to care for her dogs during her long recuperation. My boy was dumped into a kennel with another entire male, who was much larger, ate most of the food they were given, and beat up on my boy. The 'rescuer' had no idea what was happening until she was well enough to again care for her dogs. When I got my boy, it was as though he chose me, not the other way around. He, too, was very shy, did not trust anyone but me, didn't know how to play, was not socialized at all, the list goes on. Now he is a confident, joyful little guy, rooted deep in my heart.

What David told you in his post is absolutely correct. Don't pressure him about anything, take time to establish trust and build his confidence. Stressing him too much could push him back in a direction you don't want him to go. That includes making sure all his experiences with visitors are positive. It may take weeks, possibly months. They are really more resilient than it may seem sometimes. It will just take time for him to blossom.
 
#6 ·
IME, under fed dogs are usually Velcro dogs once you feed them. Great time to start marker training.

Physical mistreatment can cause human aversion, but I've never seen a dog that was starved and not physically abused be shy without other issues.

I think this dog got overwhelmed with a group of kids and will be fine once he gets used to his new life.

David Winners
 
#5 ·
please read before you respond david taggart. this dog already weighs enough and it would be so detrimental for him to weigh more.

to the OP...yup, give him lots of time to acclimate and adjust. don't overwhelm him with too much too soon. these dogs have been thru SO much. and thank you for helping a shepherd, the need is so great!
 
#7 ·
This is a dog who has also been used to having a most likely pretty balanced older dog around to show him the way. So now he's lost his person and his buddy.

http://www.bigdogsbighearts.com/2_week_shutdown0001.pdf this is not punitive - it's a way to help the dog settle into the home. I would not let any kids around a new dog for a month - 12 year old boys are a lot for anyone to handle. And always, always completely supervise with your own and then them as well.

I would be looking around for trainers in the meantime - you can find some on Karen Pryor's website to start with, depending on where you are.
 
#8 ·
Sorry I seemed to disappear, but for some reason it wouldn't post my responses?

Anyway, what you guys are saying confirms my instincts to just let him be and give him time to settle in. And yes, the boys just met him, said hello real quick then went on to their 12 yo boy business lol. I'm patient and realize it will probably take a good 6 months before he begins to feel secure. Thank you all so much for your responses!
 
#9 ·
Oh....one other question, this regarding crates. I've never crated a dog but from my recent reading I understand that a crate can help him feel more secure. True?

Also...thanks for the 2 week time out link, grest advice there!

Funny....I've had dogs all my life, but it has been 16 years since I've had a new friend to get to know so I feel like a complete novice lol.
 
#10 ·
Give him a nice quiet SAFE place to relax...make it the kennel/crate. Explain to everyone that when Bear decides to make use of his safe-hole he is to be left alone and essentially ignored. Make it CRYSTAL clear that the safe place is off-limits to people, even ones with good intentions of petting/playing.
 
#11 ·
Thanks again.....looks like I'll be making a trip to Petsmart today.


PS

Just want to let you guys know I would have had more supplies and been more prepared but I honestly thought the adoption process would take longer than one afternoon!
 
#12 ·
Hi...thought I'd give a little update.

So, two days after we brought him home he started showing signs of a little cold, which turned out to be a pretty bad upper respiratory infection, along with kennel cough and anemia! He also only weighs 83lbs....I guess the 102 on his paperwork was at intake.

So, after 4 days on antibiotics (including the first antibiotic shot he got at the vet), cough medicine and a prescrption food he's doing much much better.

We are doing the 2 week shut down; I ended up not gettimg a crate, but he has a room all to himself with his new bed, private access to a screened in patio and is his all day until we go to sleep at night. Of course I have to give him pills 2x a day so not ideal, but it has to be done.

I have to say this is one sweetheart boy! No fuss with the pills, no marking or accidents, no dog-aggression (at the vet 2 dogs even went nuts at him, straining on their leashes and barking like crazy....he just looked at them like "meh, whatever.....find somebody who cares" lol)....he walks beside me on the leash,stops if I do and all I have to say is is "no" calmly if he tries to go into thick bushes or wrap me around a tree I can't navigate.
Sadly though he seems to have no clue what a stick or ball or toy is :(.

He does seem curious about the goings on inthe house and will stick his head out the door to occasionally look around. Still a bit shy around hubby and my son....no tail tucking or extreme shy behavior, he just walks back to his spot when he sees them.


Oh...yes, he is velcro dog to me though lol.

Anyway.....just wanting to see if anything here sets up any flags for the experts here? I think he's doing great personally, but it HAS been a long time since I got a new dog.

Ps...will post pics as soon as I figure out how. I've been lurking and know how you guys like them!
 
#14 · (Edited)
He also only weighs 83lbs
Make him fat! I'm not afraid of this word because I know the results. The trouble that it works both ways: a weight loss helps the stress, and the stress causes body weight loss. The dog's guts stop to saturate and suck nuitrition when the dog is stressed. A long term stress resulting in shyness can be relieved by playing intellectual games with your dog. The most common mistake - people think that appetite can appear without physical exercise. Of course, teaching him finding food around the house is not a bad idea, but I wouldn't hesitate to start training tracking right now, and placing food in the way in good portions varying in types of food. You don't have to meet people in the woods, neither unknown dogs. When you have guests - ask them to handfeed your dog with some tasty treats as well, it will also relax him with strangers. Before he's fuller in body I'd hesitate assuming anything about his temperament.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Lol...........I just worry because he lost about 20 pounds in the shelter and his hip/back/shoulder bones are pretty prominent. I'd like to see him at 95-100 or so. He's also apparently finicky...ugh. I mean what dog turns his nose up at BACON? (Yes, I cooked some up for him, but NO interest at all).

Much of it I imagine is that he was just feeling like crap because of the URI, so we shall see.


PS: As to dog parks........nah, no need. He'll be splitting his time between the Catskill mountains in NY (hiking trails, lakes and his own little .25 acre back yard) and a place in FL that's a gated community surrounded by a defunct golf course. Plenty of places to run and explore. I'm not sure I understand dog parks unless one lives in NYC?
 
#17 ·
Yes, as I said we are doing the shutdown and I know he needs to put on weight. I do like the idea of hiding food around the house, as that is the ONE thing I've noticed he will totally concentrate on when I walk him; if he picks up a scent he is relentless lol. The only thing is finding treats/food that tempt him. He has no interest whatsoever in the kibble, Beggin' strips, or even BACON! (I know, bunch of junk, but the kibble is the same as the shelter was feeding him and I really was trying to avoid too many changes at one time). He IS eating the prescription food thank god and seems to like cheese.


I did see a few posts here about some kind of (meat) balls? And am thinking about doing a raw diet for him. At this point though I'm just trying to get him over the URI completely and giving him his space to acclimate.


Oh, one other question. The vet prescribed Trifexis and told us to give it to him the first day we started antibiotics; that made us feel a bit uncertain since he'd had treatment at the shelter within the month and with his other issues? We decided to wait on it until the antibiotic course was over.


Sheesh, maybe this should be in the health section at this point.

PS: The vet was a Banfield vet, which I've since discovered (I Googled it because of what I thought was an EXHORBITANT cost) is a whole other issue. But from what I can tell, while overpriced, the tests they did were not unusual and the treatment plan was pretty standard so I'll stay with them for now......especially since we were stupid enough to sign up for the wellness plan lol.......oh well, better $300 than the $800 they hit me with on a Sunday with a sick dog smh.
 
#19 ·
Please stay away from the Trifexis and Comfortis(can't spell it) something like that. It's bad news, Freedom of Information Acts being filed to get information on dog deaths released! 700 dogs is the number I've seen!

The searching thing is good, I'd hide a toy in the house and give a treat as a reward. You might want to try that?
 
#20 ·
Yes, it made me uneasy. I am not fond of the over-pharmaceuticalization (lol, made up that word) going on in this country. You should have seen the reaction of the pediatricians when I had my son 12 years ago and DARED to question the safety and efficacy of his mandated vaccs lol. I also made the decision to NOT put my Otis (my dearly beloved shepherd/newfie mix) on Rimadyl for his hips because we had treated our other dog with it and we had to put her to sleep because of kidney failure (really horrible way to die). He got supplements, herbs and aspirin instead. It did finally come to me having to put him to sleep because of it, but he was 14 and he didn't wither away and have his body eat itself up like poor Nikki smh.

Okay...........need a brighter note. Took Bear for his evening walk and he did the little jump, tail-wag, spin of an excited dog for the first time. YAY!
 
#23 ·
Be sure and give us an assessment at the end of two weeks! Tell us what you think. I never knew about it when we got our GSD and brought him into a home with an already existing Dominant Male dog and a female Boxer. BIG MISTAKE!!!

So I went the "How to Break Up a Dog Fight route"...not recommended!!!:blush:

Two week shutdown would most likely have prevented my problems! :) Live and learn! :p
 
#24 ·
Lol...........well, Bear is the only dog here so I have it easier. The two weeks will be up Tuesday and things are going GREAT! His URI seems gone, although we'll keep up the antibiotics until the end and he's so, so much more social. No doubt....he had pneumonia so he wasn't up for interaction lol.


It's pretty clear he was never physically abused and somebody leash-trained him. However, the poor guy doesn't know what a ball, stick or toy is smh. I'd love it if he would play; he's only 2:(.


The one thing I've really noticed is that he is SO so entranced by smells..........lol, he gets a scent and whoa he wants to find out where it came from. I will try to build on that in training.


Bought a 30' training rope today and next Wed. will be our first serious training day...............wish me luck:)
 
#26 ·
So happy. Decided to let him off leash in the field today (we are surrounded by a defunct golf course) and he played with a ball! No fetch but he ran for it and we played "my ball, no mine" for half an hour. And he has pretty good recall, really good actually. Oddly "sit" doesn't register, but "stay" seems to. At this point I'm just feeling him out though so no worries.

This is one great dog and I am so excited to start working with him. I feel blessed.
 
#27 ·
Thought I'd update you guys.


Bear is settling in now. I found the Leerburg site and am waiting on my "basic Dog Obedience" dvd........but was able to stream a preview (then the stream went wonky)......so started some training. We're doing basic marker training and OMG..........the DIFFERENCE in this dog lol. So much more interested and social. Poor guy, I just think he needed someone to pay attention to him :(. Also, from my research I've concluded that he is a "soft" dog and semi-submissive (he's not a roll-over, pee, crouch......just will take himself to his safe place if he's done)............so I'm giving him lots of lee-way right now and trying to build his confidence (NILIF would NOT work on this dog IMO).

He's an ANGEL with me..............and will now play "stick" with my son (not "fetch"......"stick" lol).............but whenever my husband even LOOKS at him he goes to his safe place with his tail down? NO AGGRESSION, but a whole lot of avoidance.

Honestly, that's OK with me.....IDC if he likes other people/dogs or not, but it bothers my husband. Should I worry about this at this point? Bear has only been here about a month..............my thinking is give it 6 MONTHS.


PS: I don't want a Lab.........I chose a shepherd BECAUSE it is an aloof dog that's very owner oriented........but, really, he needs to accept my husband LOL. And, I want to emphasize AGAIN that Bear is in NO WAY AGGRESSIVE, not once.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top