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shy/timid

5K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  tazenman 
#1 ·
Hello everyone and thanks for the add! I have been around GSD most of my life, but that does not make an expert by any means. I have had various temperament GSDs and have loved each one as if they are my child. I recently purchased a puppy and when I went to visit the breeder to see the puppy, he would run from me and the breeder. We finally cornered him and I was able to hold him for a while. I did not think anything about it then but he drooled the entire time I held him and he did not move or anything. He was like a statue in my lap. The breeder told me that he will warm up to us. I picked him up from the breeder yesterday and he is 16 weeks old. He rode in the back seat of my truck all the way home and every time I reach back to pet him, he would move away. Got him home and I let him loose in my back yard, fenced in of course. He did his business in the grass, I praised him, he then proceeded to run away from me. I still had his leash on him so I had to basically ease up on him and stand on the leash. He tried to get away and cried a little. I was able to get him calmed down. I noticed he was covered in fleas so I had to add the stress of a bath, which he absolutely freaked out when I put him in the water. After the bath I dried him off as best as I could. I put his leash back on him and let him go loose in the house. he ran around not sure where to go but ended up back in the bathroom where he got his bath. I have been working with him to try and get him to come to me by gently pulling on the leash and calling his name. I feel like I am dragging him around so I have to pick him up to go outside to do his business. I have a pet pillow by my couch and he seems to LOVE. Every time I pick him up to show him his food and water, he will stand there for a few minutes and then go back to the pillow, lay down and not move. It has been about 24 hours and he has not even begun to try to explore anything. Every other puppy I have had, has always adjusted pretty quickly and started to explore. He slept in his crate last night with no issues and I was a little enthused this morning when I woke up and said good morning to him and he actually wagged his tail a little. What can I do to help him? I want to take him around to start exploring but I had to basically drag him or carry him. Oh and he sleeps all the time. Any advise will be appreciated and Thank you!
 
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#2 ·
sounds like he is exceptionally timid. I would tether him to me, vs having him drag a leash.
you can try feeding him in his crate and offering water several times a day. Give him time to settle in. 24 hours isn't very long, especially since he is so timid.
The breeder doesn't sound that good since they seemed to downplay his behavior at your visit Though it could be simply a lack of confidence and need for exposure to more things.
 
#3 ·
please forgive my ignorance since this type of puppy is very new to me, but what do you mean tether to me? I do not leave the leash on him if he unsupervised and when he is in his crate. How long should I give him? If this is how he is going to be I want to try to get the breeder to replace him with another puppy.
 
#4 ·
I am no expert but some red flags have gone up for me. Who is this breeder back yard type or real kennel? Background on your dog ie parents, the breeder should have told you this is a very timid dog not given you that lame excuse. Covered in fleas really? Has this puppy had any shots yet I would take him to the vet asap just to get him checked out.
 
#5 ·
The crate is your friend right now. I would keep him in the crate and go about your business, for a couple days-ignore him and let him soak in the new surroundings, routines, etc. After a couple days start showing some attention to see how he does.

It must feel so awful to be that scared, poor little guy. I hope he gets better with everything soon.
 
#6 ·
That is uncharacteristic temperament for a GS puppy. The excessive drooling in his OWN environment is indicative of genetically poor temperament. He may improve a little, but don't look for drastic change, especially when not in safety of home environment. Not trying to be downer, but I have seen this picture too many times ( especially the drooling, which is gross insecurity from stress and lack of nerves) and don't want you to look back a year from now and feel like no one prepared you for little improvement.
 
#9 ·
Without actually seeing the dog in person it's hard for anyone to give you truly accurate advice. Have you been to the vet. And I would take the pup to a trainer experienced in gsd's immediately to get their take on him. From what I read I would definitely give him some more time to warm up to you. Do you have kids, or spouse. Other dogs. Try getting down on his level to play. Personally I have never had a dog that timid but I did witness 2 of my dogs go through a couple fear phases as pups. One week Rosko would be scared to go out at night. Or a concrete truck on a walk scared him to shaking, or a trip to the vet left him hiding behind my legs. A week later and he loves the vet, concrete trucks no longer exist to him, and exploring in the dark is the best. At 16 weeks the pup could have gotten drug to a new place at the worst time for him. A fear phase.
 
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#10 ·
Apollo was a drooling mess when I got him. He was scared out of his mind. He slept a lot at first in a little corner. I let him be. After about 2 days he got enough rest and started exploring everything, but he always wanted me. He went from a scared little pup to a curious explorer in a very short time. I never thought he was shy/timid when I first got him, his whole world changed. To this day he is super attached to me, more so then any of the other dogs.
 
#11 ·
I wouldn't worry as much about the OP's puppy except that the puppy acted the same way at the breeder's house. And, by the breeder's statements, it sounds like that was typical behavior for this pup. Very different than a puppy/dog that is nervous the first time at a new home.

Nigel, dogs will often "drool" to help them capture enticing scents.
 
#13 ·
It is just my wife and I but we do have a 4 year old Grandson that stays with us every other weekend, he stresses us out, I can only just imagine how this GS will be after that.

He has not been to the vet yet but I did put some flea and tick medicine on him yesterday after his bath and then ticks are falling off of him. He seems to be calm until I walk up to him, he will start backing away. This afternoon I was able to sit on the back porch and coax him to me with some turkey meat. But geeze it took forever to get that. When I got up to get more he withdrew several feet. When he is in the house, I have a big pillow for him and he LOVES that and makes a B-Line for it when I bring him in the house and put him down. He has eaten 2 times and drank a little water in the past 24 hours.

The breeder seemed nice and her kennels were nice. She had 2 females in their kennels and 2 females out along with a couple of males. The adult dogs seemed to be in good health and there were no visible issues. Not to judge but her house was a mess. I am getting a sinking feeling I have gotten screwed and stuck with a bad dog. I will call her in the morning to talk to her about this and see what she says.
 
#14 ·
16 weeks is a little odd to be that nervous. I mean, I got my puppy at 8 weeks and while she wasn't timid of us, she didn't really care to be around us. But, she also ran around exploring and playing with our other yorkies too.

Was the pup ever socialized at the breeders? Or exposed to anything else other than it's litter mates? That could very well be a factor also. You need to get your puppy to trust you and see you as the "greatest thing on earth". Feed from your hand, try not to do negative corrections, and treat + praise. Once the puppy starts developing trust for you and creating a bond it should help him come out of the shell.

I don't see why people are so quick to judge based on the breeder/signs/etc. Not everyone is an "expert" or "experienced" at picking puppies, and we all make mistakes sometimes. And when we do, we come here for help and guidance.

Work with the puppy and engage with him. Get down on the ground with him and every time he comes to you throw him a treat or piece of hotdog or turkey meat, whatever it is. Do this every time he looks at you, every time he walks over to you, and any time he engages with you (be it subtle or a lot).
 
#15 ·
Update

I wanted to give everyone an update on Zeke, the Shy/Timid German Shepherd. Well he has busted loose and is now a simi normal German Shepherd!!! I am so relieved! He is still shy with new people and I am OK with that. I called the breeder and told her that he was COVERED in fleas and ticks. She seemed surprised about the ticks and I do not think she believed me when I told her around 50 to 75 of them came off of him after I put a topical medicine on him. I was finding them everywhere.
He has accepted me in his pack as the leader and we still have some work to do with my wife. Since I work from home he and I are together all the time. He has not made a sound since we brought him home until yesterday. We went to the Vet for his booster shots, vet was a little upset the breeder did not keep them up to date. He was 2 months behind on his shots. I also brought that up with the breeder and she really did not have an answer for me.

At this point I am happy that Zeke has broken out of his shell!!!

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions!!!
 
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