Opinion on this GSD

[KZoppa]

I'm glad you decided to go for it. He's a handsome guy. Can't remember the last time I heard about a male weighing that of a female though. Betcha he'd like getting into agility or flyball. He'd probably be a speed demon on the course! Can't wait to hear more of his story as it continues in his new life with you. Sounds like you're good for each other.

[wildwolf60]

So glad you took a chance on him! I bet once he settles in the skin problems will get better due to less stress on him. He needs to feel at home and bonded to you. That's most likely why he stares at you so much. He's getting feel for your state of mind and how you act around and with him. GSD's are really smart and they will pick up what you want from them fairly quickly, as long as you're consistant. The smaller dogs are great, I don't think his size is anything to worry about, more likely will be a benefit for him. He will be more agile and better in any activities. Plus take up less room on the bed, LOL
Good luck and please keep up posted!

[benjdow]

Arnold seems to be warming up to me. The first night he decided he wanted to sleep in the kennel and last night he made himself right at home in my bed.

I gave him a bath last night with Malaseb antimicrobial shampoo and have been feeding him science diet ZD. He's regularly scratching and chewing on himself. I thought the bath with the special shampoo would have supressed his scratching, but he continued to scratch periodically throughout the night. I'm really really loving this dog and want to figure out a way to make the itching subside.

This morning I woke up early as usual and started looking on the internet for a local GSD club or the like to teach me how to teach him obedience and whatever else sounds fun. He's pretty good beyond pulling at times on the leash. I found a Schutzhund club and discovered they meet Saterday morning, so Arnold and I decided to head that way. I showed up, introduced myself and said I just adopted a GSD and wanted to know if they could teach me some things. It just so happens the gentlemen running the show is one of the head trainers at the base and had been training dogs for 20 something years. He didn't know Arnold but said he's from Czech lines and would follow up on his history next week. He asked why he was put up for adoption and I told him it was for medical reasons. They asked me to bring Arnold out. Arnold has been pretty calm since I've known him, but when he saw the guy putting on the bite suit he was going nuts...jumping in the air and whimpering. It felt as if this 57lb GSD was more like 157lb's. I was utterly shocked when I witnessed this well mannered, sweet dog in action. I would have never thought...

GSD Arnold having fun - YouTube

GSD Arnold having fun - YouTube

[onyx'girl]

Looks like Arnold found his niche
surprised they didn't encourage a bark before rewarding him with a bite.
What is in the Science diet ZD?

[benjdow]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

Looks like Arnold found his niche
surprised they didn't encourage a bark before rewarding him with a bite.
What is in the Science diet ZD?

Yeah, I think you're right...Arnold and I will probably stick with this. They were doing the bark training with other dogs. They said I'd have to start with the basics and were seeing if Arnold had good bite ability, as that's something that can't really be taught. They worked with another dog extensively because the tone of his bark wasn't "right." I have a lot to learn about Schutzhund.

I don't know what's in Science diet ZD, but I can tell you what's not in my wallet after buying it

[RocketDog]

Honestly, I am not an expert on skin issues. But---I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, the LAST food I would ever buy is Science Diet. Usually there is "cellulose" of some sort, and it's powdered sawdust. For the same amount of money, you can get a high quality one protein food that would likely help more. Others will have more information, but anecdotally, my friend had a dog with terrible itching and scratching. She found a venison food was the only thing she could tolerate. I can't remember the brand, but the thing is, what works for each dog will be different. There are members here who will have some good diet suggestions, I'm sure.

Again, looks like you two are going to have a happy time together!

[huntergreen]

there are some people on here that are pretty knowledgeable with alternative meds and supplements that might be able to help with skin issues. there is a food section on here that will help your knowledge on the different foods. grain free foods may help your dogs skin itching.

[Nickyb]

Fantastic! You'll see a change in his personality within the next few weeks, he'll start to blossom and his true personality will come out, which is already starting! I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the two week shutdown to you? Might be worth searching and do some research on it, but since you've already had him for about a week now, there's really no point lol.

I had my Zoey doing bite work a few weeks ago, its crazy that her little 60lb frame feels like there's a rhino at the end of the leash lol The skin issue won't cure itself over night, patience is a virtue but through trial and error, I am confident you will find the right "stuff" to help him out. The ZD is just a allergen free kibble so I don't know exactly why they put him on it, if it doesn't work, there's plenty of others.

wildwolf- I wouldn't say the size takes up less room in the bed. Zoey is the same size, yet she takes up the exact same space a fully grown Moose would in my queen bed lol

[Capone22]

Congrats!! I can't wait to follow his grown. And start doing some research on foods. I had a severely allergic dog, best thing you can do is go raw. But if you can't swing that at least get a good quality kibble. Science diet is crap. All kinds of nasty ingredients for allergic dogs.


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[sunsets]

Good for you for taking a chance on this fellow!

In regards to food - the Science Diet Z/D is hypoallergenic? Did the vet do any allergy tests? If not, I wouldn't go that crazy yet.

My big guy has chronic skin issues as well. It seems to be yeast all the time, and the climate in Houston doesn't help any. My vet recommended trying Royal Canin Skin Support SS. It's pricey, but not as bad as the stuff you're currently feeding! Main ingredients are brown rice and whitefish. Definitely lower protein than the Fromm's grainfree I was feeding him previously, but he's doing great on it. Heinz has been on it a month now,and his fur is super soft and he's not shedding nearly as much. I think I'm always going to have to do maintenance anti-fungal baths, though.

ETA: next time you go to the vet, see if you can get a skin scraping and look for evidence of yeast or for mange. He may need to be on oral antifungals and/or antibiotics (and maybe even a short course of steroids if he can't seem to stop itching) to really clear up an existing skin infection.