Looking to adopt - Catskills NY

[Lorelei]

Hi, my name is Laura, and I've been lurking on multiple GSD sites for a little while now, and finally signed up here. My husband and I are planning on adopting a GSD soon, once we find the right one. My husband and I have some acreage in the Catskills. My hub works from home and I went back to school a couple of years ago to finally get my degree.

The good side: We both are outside a lot. We have a long, winding rock driveway that we hike along quite a bit (at least once a day to get the mail, but my husband works on the computer, so he will often go out and just stroll up and down it many times for a break.) So, any dog we adopt will get lots of outside 'walking the property' time. We are a pretty tight-knit couple, and I think a new dog would be sucked right into that. We have a cat that we adopted, and its pretty clear to anyone that visits that we are one of those 'weird' couples who treat their pets like people. However, we seem to have raised our cat like a dog, and while he may be a member of the family, he is very good at listening to us when it matters, and that is important to us.

The possibly bad side : We are not very social. We don't go to parks, since we walk around here at home, and basically are somewhat 'loners'. My family comes over a few times a month, and maybe once or twice a year my hub will have a friend stay the weekend, but other than that, constant socializing is not in our personality. We are either outside hiking around, or I'm inside doing school work and my hub is working. However, I've read that GSDs want socializing, so this may be something that we will have to work on.

What we are looking for: Basically, a dog that will feel like they've been a part of the family forever. A dog that is very loyal and intelligent, and will help us protect our home. I'd love to adopt a dog that shows a bit of independence, because I think we can be a bit strong in the leadership role, and I think we can handle a dog that needs that personality type, and I know those are dogs that often need a home, since they can be harder for a working family to take care of. We are more of a hiking rather than playing ball family, but obviously we would play around with a young dog! However, a dog that is obsessed with fetching balls may not be as happy with us as he/she could be.

Our goal is to find a young male, or female GSD, that shows a strong drive for protection, so that we can get involved in some training, and bring those natural instincts out in a stable and healthy way. If the dog has had a bit of training to start, that would be great too!

Of course, the dog would be an inside dog, and while we weren't planning on ever crating the dog, since he/she would have the whole house, I know some dogs feel better if they have a crate, so we would be open to it, if really needed. We don't have a vet in the area yet, since we moved in around June,
but I will find one soon.

Any way, any advice would be appreciated. Please be kind though! I'm new here!

[Good_Karma]

Hi Laura, and welcome! You and your husband have a lifestyle very similar to me and my husband. He works from home and I'm retired so our dogs always have us home with them. They are very happy, but there are drawbacks:
Separation anxiety - You should definitely practice leaving your dog for short periods just to make sure it doesn't develop.
Socialization - Might not be as critical if you get an older dog, but a puppy will NEED to get out. We did our best with our dogs and still have one very timid dog and one dog that is afraid of other dogs.

The best advice I can give you is to research Nothing In Life Is Free. We had no prior dog experience before we got our puppies, and we started right in with this and it has been a complete lifesaver.

Crates are not evil. What's your house? Just a really big crate, except it's filled with stuff that a dog can get into and hurt himself or destroy. Can't hurt to have one just to be sure your dog is safe when you are not home. People will disagree with me, but that's what works in my house with my dogs.

You might not need to train your dog to be protective, it's kind of in their nature and may come naturally. But a training class of some kind is a good idea, for bonding with your dog and learning how best to deal with problem behaviors.

It sounds like you are already aware of the areas you are going to need to work on, so good luck finding your perfect dog. And it's commendable that you are willing to go through a rescue. I'm sure you will be a great mommy!

[Lorelei]

Thanks Good Karma! That's interesting about the separation anxiety, and it makes sense. It looks like I'll have to force my husband to take me out somewhere once in awhile, so we can prevent it! lol. (Actually, if I am totally honest, I'd much rather spend a special evening at home watching a movie on Netflix, but hey, I think I can survive a few nights out if it means having a healthy pup.)

I can see that this is definitely an area my husband and I will have to work on, but I think that it applies especially to me. I was actually planning on taking the dog just about everywhere I go, but I wonder now if that is an unhealthy idea.

I just looked up Nothing in Life is Free, and read a brief section on 'Attention on Demand'. It's definitely interesting. I can relate to the needed structure in a family/pack, and not putting too much responsibility on a dog that doesn't want it or can't handle it. My sister has a beautiful German Shorthaired Pointer that is an absolute mess because she has no structured environment. She always seems so confused and anxious.

And as for the crate, I know some dogs love their crates, but I have always seen them as little doggy prisons. Totally illogical I know, because they only become that when they are misused. I guess the high potential for misuse has made crates seem somewhat bad in my eyes. I will definitely try to open my mind to them, and I actually just saw one on Craigslist that I considered inquiring about just to have it on hand.

Thanks for all the information. I'm trying to be patient and go about this the best way, but then I get so dog-lonely that I want to adopt the first available dog I see. It's hard coming here and to other GSD forums and seeing pictures of everyone with their loved buddies, and reading all the great stories. Sigh... I just have to hold on and be patient so that I make the best choices for both me and the new family member that comes into our home.

[Good_Karma]

If you want to occupy your time until you find your new dog, there are some excellent books out on dog-human relations. Read anything by Patricia McConnell. She's just wonderful, and has real insight into reading a dog's body language, and on how their minds work.

I can tell you that a crate makes potty training a puppy a thousands times easier, but if you get an adult (or even just a young, potty-trained puppy) you might be able to get away without it. Lots of people have success with just puppy-proofing a room and putting up a baby-gate. I'm glad I have a crate for both of my dogs, but it's just for at night and when we aren't home because the dogs will chase our cats.

Not sure how far away Rochester is for you, but Big Dogs Big Hearts is where we got Rosa. They specialize in GSDs and other large breeds. Rosa is a GSD mixed with Border Collie, and she hardly qualifies as a large breed, but we love her! There are a few members on this board that are associated with this rescue, and they may be able to help you. You can check out the website to see who is available. Big Dogs Big Hearts Rescue Buffalo NY Rochester NY

There are so many knowledgeable people on this forum, with tons more experience than me, so hopefully they will chime in with more advice.

[katieliz]

big dogs big hearts has a great reputation. please do consider rescue, there are so many truly wonderful dogs out there in need of a home. welcome to the board laura, there is indeed a wealth of knowledge here.

[Lorelei]

Thank you for the information about Big Dogs Big Hearts. I think I may have gone to their site once, and forgotten to bookmark it. What great dogs they have, and what an amazing place. The stories they have about each of their dogs are just wonderful.

I wish I could adopt Livvy, Maverick, and Bear!

It's too bad that all shelters don't have the time and volunteers to tell each dog's story like Big Dogs Big Hearts. It makes it so much easier to feel a connection with a dog. It also makes them stand out more as 'people' or 'souls' because it shows their personality and individuality, which hopefully reminds some people that they aren't shopping around for an object or new toy, but are actually looking at potential new family members that have their own set of views on how the world is. Pretty amazing to be able to see how unique all those pups are.

Hopefully I'll get to talk to someone that works with them, and see if I can't find my new buddy!

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions - I will either answer them, or won't know the answer and will direct you to someone who does!

I am glad you read their stories -sometimes you write wondering if anyone actually reads all that and it's nice to know people do.

[EJQ]

First of all to the board.

There’s little that I can suggest to you that Good Karma hasn’t already passed your way. Regardless of whether you get a puppy or an adult dog you will have to resign yourself to the fact that the dog must be socialized. Take it from someone that has been involved with GSDs for 35+ years; an unsocialized GSD can be an unpleasant experience.
Find yourself a book on crate training. It is essential! I won’t go into great detail but dogs are denning animals – they need a private space.
Someone might have mentioned it and I might have missed it but you should seriously consider enrolling your new dog (puppy or adult) into a basic training class.
Finally since you are planning on adopting rather than purchasing from a breeder, you will have to do some research on the “rescue” agencies. I certainly agree that Big Dogs Big Hearts in Rochester is one of the best; it’s as easy drive from the Catskill area.
We have a lot of very knowledgeable and experienced people on this board – you can save yourself a great deal of grief (that also goes for your dog) if you listen to those who have been there; done that.
Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss things further – Good Luck!

[BowWowMeow]

Another plug for BDBH! If I didn't have an 18 yo cat who dominates my time and financial resources I'd be in line to adopt a dog from them!

[Lorelei]

This is great! Thank you for all the advice. I've got my BDBH application all filled out, and if we can get to our wee lil' post office during their wee lil' hours, I am hoping to send it off this afternoon. I've always been bad at paperwork, but, I've read it over about three times now, so at least I haven't missed anything!

And, JeanKBBMMMAAN, I absolutely love and really appreciate each of those stories. I've found myself with tears rolling down my face after reading about the trauma dogs have went through before they found their way to their angel-foster parents, or laughing my behind off at some of the antics I've read about some foster dogs getting up to. I'm sure my husband is afraid to come into the room now, never knowing what I've been reading. I'll either start ranting about how evil people are, and that we shouldn't be allowed to be on the same planet as other animals, or I'll start telling him an amazing rescue story and how selfless the people involved were!

It looks like I have a lot of stuff to look up, and to work on, especially socialization and crate training. However, I feel rather calm about it, considering there are so many people here on this forum who seem so willing to help. I hope adoption agencies recommend forums like this to adopting parents, because this is a very valuable resource.