Honey (my new GSD) update

[cluedo]

Well she has been here since Saturday. She has really settled in and is very very loving. She is an absolute nightmare to walk, she pulls like a train and yells the place down - very rude. We have brought a halti for now and that has been an immediate success whilst we work on the overall picture. And, she is an absolute thief. If ANY food is left on the work top she will steal it. She stole a tin of lactol yesterday and ate it all, a whole piece of unwrapped stilton cheese I had just got out (I nipped to the loo) and when I got back in the kitchen it was gone! My son left his dinner on the worktop side and when he went into the kitchen to get it there was no dinner! Can't catch her in the act yet though!

She is lovely though and so friendly

Need to sort out the walking problem and stealing and she will be perfect. Almost stopped the jumping up like a lunatic problem as well.

She's off to vets later for jabs and microchip

 

[CorvusCorax]

I was thinking of you the other day saying she had broken a collar and I was going to say use a halti or a chain, even if you don't like choke chains they can be worn on the dead ring, I have had two of those webbing collars with plastic snaps, snap on me!

Just sounds like a typical teenager and I am sure she will settle down soon once she knows you are her new person. Is there anywhere she can hoon around offlead/play ball/ will she run off a bike, even, to burn of that excess before walking? I find even taking mine for a drive in the car tires and settles them.

And all the usual stuff, walking with a toy/food to distract her, walking backwards, stopping every time she pulls, time consuming I know!
I tend to not get to upset or personal about pulling these days - dogs love life and they want to go places RIGHT NOW as FAST AS POSSIBLE!

I have a yeller too (nothing like a shep screaming) and we just have to be very loud, but calm and firm back to her, or use something like a rape alarm (Thanks, Cayla ) or other sharp noise to snap her out of it - my mum used to go 'bellawillyoustoppitthat'senough' in a very high pitched way - which just perpetuated the problem
I don't mind her barking at something, or being vocal when she is happy, but the obsessive nonsense, barking at nothing, nope, not playing!!!

Glad all is going well

 

[cluedo]

The halti does work even though she hates it with a passion but it is the only way right now you have control over her as she is immensely strong and does a husky impression!

The thought of taking her on a bike mad me almost choke on my coffee. Imagine a bike out of control going through the village being towed by an out of control shep She is absolutely on a mission to pull like a train, zigging this way and that and on the look out for cats and other dogs!

I am sure once she gets into the hang of walking she'll calm down. It's all too exciting right now for her. Her recalls are also not reliable enough to take her somewhere off the lead, even in a field somewhere as although she responds to us, if something moved I think she would run. So, once she gets a bit more reliable (and gets microchipped) we'll work on taking her out with my other shep (who is excellent off the lead) so she can stick with him.

But she is lovely

 

[CorvusCorax]

No worries, that's why I said 'even'

I'd maybe pop a long line on her so she can burn off some energy, but you will still be attached to her.
Oh and top tip, as long as there is no one else about and she has already been to the loo, tennis/basketball courts are awesome places to practise recall with distractions!

I do feel your pain though, my female is 2.5 and while she is a lot better than she used to be, every so often she will just tank off back to the car/run

Is there a training class near you? Breed specific is best, of course
And you know how I love focus training - sounds like she is certainly food motivated

 

[MurphysMinder]

Aah shepherd singing,don't you just love em! My worst offender is Buffy who in every other way is so sedate, but the first 50 yards or so on a walk she sounds as if she is being murdered. You might find Honey prefers a gencon headcollar to a halti, they have a slightly different action, one worked well on Evie. I also used a longline (lunge rein actually) on her for quite a while as she was (and still is) prone to getting her nose on a scent and going deaf. I am sure Honey will soon settle down, it is early days, but would second a good training club if you can find one.