To rescue or to raise..THAT is the question

[zivagirl]

This is Bethsheba. She is a rescue the breeder is looking to find a home for.
Our original plan was to adopt one of the breeder's puppies. We've even named her Ziva. I've shared pictures of her here. But during my last visit, I met Bethsheba.

When she was found, she was in a crate that wouldn't allow her to stand upright - and the muscles in her hind quarters atrophied. According to the vet, there is no permanent physical damage. Lots of exercise and massage should fix her up right as rain.

Breeder opened the pen door, and Beth came running straight for me, sat by my side, looked up at me with loads of adoration...and peed like a racehorse.

This isn't an accident - Beth is a happy pee'er. She's a sad pee'er. A fearful pee'er.

She heels well on leash. I believe she'll do anything I want with a little patience, and lots of love.

She's not a huge fan of men and cringes in their presence.

I don't want an outdoor dog. I want our dog to live indoors with us, enjoy the outdoor pen we have (roughly 20X25) for play, and lots of walks/running/hiking.

What are the odds I can help her with her peeing problem?

* Edit - title should read: Raise a rescue or a puppy - THAT is the question. I don't think I could afford to raise TWO big girls!

[msvette2u]

If the pen was not on dirt, she may have let go as she doesn't like peeing on concrete. This is typical of dogs.
I think you could make a lot of progress by ignoring the issue, greetings LOW key (no high happy voices, etc.) and making sure she goes outside often, for starters.

[llombardo]

Good Luck with whatever you decide...follow your heart

[huntergreen]

quite a pickle your in. can't help you decide, but what a good looking gsd.

[Fynn&Vandy]

I had an excited peer once. It was driving me nuts. He was a hyper dog. Initially I tried low key, soothing greetings (as I know many people who have had success with this method) but, no matter how calm I was, he was really excited! The peeing was endless. So finally what I would do whenever I came home was walk right past him without saying a word or acknowledging him, walk out the back door with him, sit down in a chair I kept outside and, then would excitedly love him up. He quickly learned that outside in front of that chair is where he needed to be and, where we said hello. He was so determined to get to that spot that he didn't have time to stop and, be excited enough to pee. Then he could pee all he wanted with out driving me crazy.
There are so many ways to deal with emotional pee. (ha! Sorry, sounds hilarious!)
Puppy's have so much life ahead of them and, this beautiful girl seems to have had so much time taken from her in a hard way. If you can offer her the love and, quality of life she's been missing all this time, I say go for it. I'll mail you a swiffer mop to help keep you sane

[zivagirl]

OMG, Fynn&Vandy...at first glance, I read that as you were an excited peer once. :lol:

Can you believe she's been through all of that and she's not even a year old, yet? The breeder would LOVE for us to take both. She first suggested fostering, but quickly adds how lovely it would be for Beth to have a little sister bouncing about (Ziva).

[zivagirl]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

If the pen was not on dirt, she may have let go as she doesn't like peeing on concrete. This is typical of dogs.
I think you could make a lot of progress by ignoring the issue, greetings LOW key (no high happy voices, etc.) and making sure she goes outside often, for starters.

She peed indoors when she came to me....then just wanted to walk and sniff when we got outside. She'd already had her outside play a couple of hours earlier. Their 'stable' is on cement - indoors, as it is SO cold out, these days.

I greeted her quietly, avoided petting her head. I slipped the lead on, and gave the command, 'Beth - heel'. I was surprised at how readily she fell in line.

[selzer]

I am not liking what your breeder is trying to do to you.

Two dogs are great, but, two females can get you into a heap of trouble and not because either dog is bad or anything you might do wrong. It is just that two females, especially close in age will PROBABLY have issues with each other as they get to the point of sexual maturity.

The thing is your bitch and pup will do great together (probably) until the pup is between 9 and 18 months old. Then it will really depend on their make up. If the older/bigger dog is naturally more submissive and the younger dog is naturally more dominant in pack order, chances are there will be a change in status in the pack and it can be very ugly. Even if the older bitch is more submissive, she may not want the pup jumping on top of her, and exerting her dominance, and if she fights it will be bloody and it may not be the end of it either.

WHENEVER YOU GET TWO FEMALES THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THEY WILL HAVE TO BE SEPARATED FOREVER. That means crate/rotate forever. And one minor slip up can mean a bloody fight where everyone (including the human) requires medical care.

If you have 6 or more years of difference in age and the pup is raised from baby puppy on with the bitch it may simply work out.

The thing is, you really can't tell, not at 8 weeks, not at 6 months, not at 12 months whether or not your bitches will get along. So if you are not willing to crate/rotate forever, then maybe it would be best to go with a male pup.

I think that if you like the yearling female, you should go for it, so long as the breeder is not going to charge an arm and a leg for her. The pee thing might get better. It may be something that you end up medicating for. I am glad that she is being honest about the problem. If you are concerned about that and your indoor dog, then maybe it is best to just pass on her.

[zivagirl]

Originally Posted by selzer

I think that if you like the yearling female, you should go for it, so long as the breeder is not going to charge an arm and a leg for her. The pee thing might get better. It may be something that you end up medicating for. I am glad that she is being honest about the problem. If you are concerned about that and your indoor dog, then maybe it is best to just pass on her.

The breeder just wants a home for Beth. No charge. She is my son's landlord.

And the pup (only 2 wks old) - she wanted us to keep as bloodstock with contract.

I seriously think if we take Beth out of a 'stable' situation into our home/back pen - she'll come around. I could be deluding myself, but my gut says she is recoverable.

[zivagirl]

And thanks for the very informative post. I am soaking in all of the information.