Hi GSD community. I need your input.
I am wondering if I should re-home our beloved GSD. I worry I am not the right owner for him and his potential. I knew going in he is a high drive breed and would require a lot of activity and attention. I had NO IDEA he would require hours upon hours of it. Because he does require so much interaction, he is quickly becoming a NIGHTMARE because I do not have that many hours to devote to him each day. He now whines constantly. When I do bring him out he is out of control, so I spend more time correcting and sending him back to his kennel to cool down than we do anything else. Forget training or playing. He is too wound up to even consider it. He'll calm in the kennel, but as soon as the door opens, he is off to the races again.
Here is the thing: I do not have 3-4 hours during the day to work with him. I have three kids. I work. I am not home the better part of the weekdays. We play/train a bit in the mornings. And again at lunch. And, then when I get home around 5pm, I try to bring him out until bedtime, but it is impossible. IMPOSSIBLE. I have to be so on top of him and so focused on his every move even when he's on the leash that I cannot do anything else - not even for a second. Each night is ending in me being very frustrated and angry and him not getting what he needs.
He is a sweet dog. He is not vicious or mean spirited in any way, but he is very, VERY spirited. In two weeks he will have his final shots, so this will allow much more freedom. BUT, even then he will require constant watching and correcting.
He eats EVERYTHING in sight. Literally, EVERY. THING. If he can pick it up with his mouth, it is fair game. Thankfully, he will let me pull it out of his mouth, but he refuses to "drop it", so I always have to go digging for it. We spend most of our outside time fighting this particular battle.
He plays too harsh, so my old dog won't even give him the time of day at this point. Zen takes chunks of his fur as he bites at him. Our old guy yelps and cries and Zen doesn't think twice about it. And, forget the "leave it" command when it comes to this. He pretends to not hear it. We have to physically remove him and now we have to separate them because our old guy is terrified of him. I worry how he'll be with other dogs.
He is the classic GSD "land shark", so we are constantly saying "no bite". Constantly. Now my kids will no longer play with him because he's drawn blood one too many times. My youngest is afraid of him now. Ugh.
So, our old dog won't deal with him. My kids won't play with him. And, even I am so frustrated, I no longer enjoy playing with him. He literally is zero fun to be around.
We had our trainer come out and she confirmed he is higher drive than average, so he is and will require more than average stimulation. He starts puppy training on March 17th. So, we are going to ride it out until then. But, I am admittedly worried that we may not be the right home for him. Any advice or input?
I am wondering if I should re-home our beloved GSD. I worry I am not the right owner for him and his potential. I knew going in he is a high drive breed and would require a lot of activity and attention. I had NO IDEA he would require hours upon hours of it. Because he does require so much interaction, he is quickly becoming a NIGHTMARE because I do not have that many hours to devote to him each day. He now whines constantly. When I do bring him out he is out of control, so I spend more time correcting and sending him back to his kennel to cool down than we do anything else. Forget training or playing. He is too wound up to even consider it. He'll calm in the kennel, but as soon as the door opens, he is off to the races again.
Here is the thing: I do not have 3-4 hours during the day to work with him. I have three kids. I work. I am not home the better part of the weekdays. We play/train a bit in the mornings. And again at lunch. And, then when I get home around 5pm, I try to bring him out until bedtime, but it is impossible. IMPOSSIBLE. I have to be so on top of him and so focused on his every move even when he's on the leash that I cannot do anything else - not even for a second. Each night is ending in me being very frustrated and angry and him not getting what he needs.
He is a sweet dog. He is not vicious or mean spirited in any way, but he is very, VERY spirited. In two weeks he will have his final shots, so this will allow much more freedom. BUT, even then he will require constant watching and correcting.
He eats EVERYTHING in sight. Literally, EVERY. THING. If he can pick it up with his mouth, it is fair game. Thankfully, he will let me pull it out of his mouth, but he refuses to "drop it", so I always have to go digging for it. We spend most of our outside time fighting this particular battle.
He plays too harsh, so my old dog won't even give him the time of day at this point. Zen takes chunks of his fur as he bites at him. Our old guy yelps and cries and Zen doesn't think twice about it. And, forget the "leave it" command when it comes to this. He pretends to not hear it. We have to physically remove him and now we have to separate them because our old guy is terrified of him. I worry how he'll be with other dogs.
He is the classic GSD "land shark", so we are constantly saying "no bite". Constantly. Now my kids will no longer play with him because he's drawn blood one too many times. My youngest is afraid of him now. Ugh.
So, our old dog won't deal with him. My kids won't play with him. And, even I am so frustrated, I no longer enjoy playing with him. He literally is zero fun to be around.
We had our trainer come out and she confirmed he is higher drive than average, so he is and will require more than average stimulation. He starts puppy training on March 17th. So, we are going to ride it out until then. But, I am admittedly worried that we may not be the right home for him. Any advice or input?