Puppy advice please. Important. I may have a problem.

Enfys

Enfys

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I have had a good browse through 'Dogs' and can't seem to find anything relevant to my (what COULD be a ) problem.

Now, I <u>DO</u> realise that time is of the essence here, AND she only arrived yesterday so things are all up in the air right now of course.

Scenario:
New puppy came home yesterday. 5 month old, GSD bitch, healthy, good (relaxed, responsive) with people, was still with parents and one sibling in ordinary farm setting. Eating, drinking etc. Happy to sleep in her crate, with or without the door closed.
I have two other dogs, both male, very laid back and unaggressive. One black mix, one black and tan GSD. I mention colour because I wonder if it has a bearing, her father is as black as the ace of spades and mother is sable.

The Problem: This puppy is terrified of my boys even though they haven't done ANYTHING, they more or less ignored her. She has free run of the yard at the back of the house with access to sleeping quarters and the house. She attacks the other dogs everytime they go near 'their' yard (they are living in the house at the moment), and I mean attacks, but she is actually scared silly, growling and screaming at the same time. It doesn't matter if I am with her or not.

She is better out of the yard in the field on a lead but will still rush them, especially my poor, confused GSD. My two are now very wary of her, this is not a happy situation.

So, how do I get over this? Barring time, I am home all day. I would like ideas on what to do please.

If this is something that cannot be sorted, she will have to go back. I have absolutely no intention of keeping dogs separated, or penned. It isn't practical, or in the best interest of anyone, man or beast. So, although I say I have time, there is a practical limit on this.

So, any ideas?

Thanks.
 
Ditto just what I was thinking. If she's only used to being with mother/siblings, other dogs could be a whole new ball game to her.

Have you enrolled her in any training classes? They may be able to help you pinpoint the reason.
 
It sounds to me as if she has never been socialised, I have to admit I would be reluctant to take on any pup of this age that was still running with its sibling/parents. I think the answer lies in giving her loads of time but it could be quite a challenge. Can you speak to her breeders and find out if she has had any socialisation. I would be curious as to why she reached 5 months before being rehomed, did they have problems selling her or just decided they couldn't cope with her. Although colour would not have an immediate bearing on temperament , a lot of the German working lines tend to be sable, and there is no doubt they do have very strong termperaments. My friend who has had GSDs all her life has a sable male from working lines and she is finding him a real challenge. If you have her pedigree and want to give me some names I could see if I recognise them. Also what were the parents temperaments like?
Not a lot of constructive help there but I think you would need to know her background a bit before you will really know if her reaction to other dogs can be sorted out.
 
why not try and take her for a walk with only one of your dogs instead of both.if she has only had her own siblings and parents to to get along with she will probablt feel very nervous with two strange dog and new surroundings all in one go.
Try and take it one step at a time let her settle in by herself if possible and slowy introduce to each dog seperatley and hopefully she wont feel as threatened.
good luck.
 
I also think walking her with them one at a time is the key to this.

Pick the quietest of your other dogs and take her out with him for a long walk - keep them both on the lead (one on each side if you haven't got help) and insist that she keeps moving forwards. If it is possible where you are you can let him of the lead once she calms down.

Do this with both the other dogs seperately then all 3 together once she has managed to get used to them individually.

Dogs that have not been properly socialised often behave in this way and it's important to introduce tham on neutral ground and not "head to head". She sees 2 strange large dogs as very threatening.

Once they all get on outside home territory you can then bring them in from a walk together.

This is what I have done when I have introduced new rescues into my house and it has been very successful.

Good luck with your new dog.
 
Watch Cesar Milan at 5pm on Nat Geog. He's on every night and you will definitely see situations exactly like yours. He's sorted out loads of dogs like this and you won't have to watch too many programmes before you see this, as it seems to be one of the most common problems people have.

I have learned a lot from watching, watching, watching. Unfortunately he hasn't ever dealt with Akbash so although ours is great when not on high alert, she is not responsive when on guard mode. I'm resigned to having to put up a fence now and in mornings and evenings she will have to be contained inside.

For your dog, basically Cesar uses lots of "Tsch's" and leash work, eventually involving you becoming pack leader to first one other dog and then the other dog. He does most of this by walking them on either side of you, striding forward with purpose. You start walking with the bitch, then as you are in midstride someone hands you the leash of one of your other dogs and you do not stop, you keep going without missing a stride. The moment the bitch becomes aggressive, he Tschs and sharply pulls the leash sideways to get her attention, but without stopping, you keep going forwards. It's amazing to watch and seems to right the problem incredibly quickly.

Good luck - I'm sure you can help her overcome this with training and teaching.
 
I think she probably just needs time.

I got Stella at four months, which is quite late, and she had only been around the breeder's eight dogs. She was/is confident and well-mannered around all sorts of dogs, but to this day, she can still be iffy with other Boston Terriers. I sense she was probably dealt the short straw, being the only remaining pup around the older, alpha Bostons. With your pup, it could be that she perceives German Shepherds as a threat? Do you know how she is with other breeds/sizes of dog?

There is hope, though! Stella did not like my friend's BT at first. He's twice her size, very boisterous, and likes to say hello to other dogs by jumping all over them. A couple of long walks, on leash, and she relaxed enough to accept him; they are now firm friends.
 
Thankyou for some very helpful and practical suggestions.

Tia I have made a note of the Nat Geog times and will certainly have a look at that tonight, Thankyou.

I would be quite sad to have to hand the pup back (the Breeder was quite adamant that if we didn't suit he wanted her back) and I do hope we can work this out. She is so smart and wants to please, on Sunday it was clear she had had no leash (or any, apart from recall) training whatsoever, today she has figured out walking to heel and already sits the moment I stop. She's settling in and quite happy and I quite like her! We just need to take our time and get this little problem sorted.
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