DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum New German Shepherd

I'll try to keep this short. Someone dumped a beautiful German Shepherd Dog in our area. A woman down the street has been feeding it and letting it into her house but is unable to keep it. A neighbor has called the dog warden and falsely said that it is vicious, growls at them and froths at the mouth. The dog warden said that he has to capture it and put it down because of this complaint. The woman who's been feeding it was distraught, and my wife and I agreed to take it. This woman has used every means to find the owner, and no one has come forward to claim this dog.

The dog is beautiful, well mannered but is fearful of all human males. He has warmed up to my wife, but hides or runs away when I go near him. He is full grown, but appears very young. We've seen no aggressive behavior from him whatsoever, and the woman that's been feeding him has seen none. (He's been hanging around her house for 2 months). He is very playful with her dog, and does well inside her house.

My question is, what do I do next? I had a German Shepherd that I raised from a puppy until I had to have him put down at 13 yrs due to severely degenerated hips....so I'm used to having a large dog. I'm just not used to this submissive behavior. I have the patience and am willing to work with this dog, but it's going to be a while I think before I can even earn his trust for a vet visit.

Any pointers will be greatly appreciated.

Food...

If you are the only one who feeds it, it will warm up to you faster. It seems that he was probably abused by a male.

My GF chihuahua is slightly afraid of me because my GF won't discipline her. So since I am the only one who EVER yells and scolds her, she fears me. However, I do not let my GF feed her at all, and since I have done this I noticed a change in her behavior, she seems to love me more, be more affectionate, and listens better to my commands.


This might not work, but IMO is worth a try.

I've rescued quite a few dogs and it just takes patience and time....not food.

Anyway, with Barney, the pug in my sig, it took almost a year to completely gain his trust but, from then on he had no fear and was not timid at all. Gentleness, patience, try not to make quick movements around the dog initially, try not to raise your voice too much, especially at first.

Take him for walks once you have gained some trust. All of those things have worked for me over the years. Good luck and I hope it works out for all of you!!

I love german shepards, there my fav dogs. Sounds like who ever owned this dog beat him It will take a lil time but you will gain his trust again. I got a lab from the pound when I was 14 and he was rescued and they were going to put him down so I got him. He was scared of me for a while till he realized I wasn't going to hurt him and he was the most loyal dog. I didn't need an alarm on the house cause he would go nuts trying to protect our house since he finally felt safe.

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I've rescued quite a few dogs and it just takes patience and time....not food.

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Think what you want, but it works. The obvious answer was patience an time.

Walking him will work too, he just needs to know you are in charge but in a non threatening way, which from the way you say the dog act, he was probably threatened and hit.

He need to find out you are the pack leader but you are not to be feared. The feeding is a large part of the pack mentality. The person who gives the food, is the leader.

The obvious answer and you came up with food. LMAO.

I'm not going to argue with you on this person's thread. It's obvious if you've already made a dog afraid of you due to your "discipline" of it and have had to resort to bribing it with food to not be afraid of you, nobody should take your advice on the matter and hopefully they won't.

It is a 5 pound chihuahua, it is afraid of EVERYTHING except her mommy. I do not have to "bribe" it with food, she loves me too, she just knows she can't get away with anything with me. so when I come home and she went through the garbage, she is afraid, not of being hurt, but because she hates her crate.

Your not going to argue with me??

You already are!

Good for you, jfanent. You got yourself a new buddy. A dog rescuer is a noble human.

Dogs are funny. The last dog I owned (RIP bud), I got him from the SPCA when he was eight weeks old, - the momma's owner kept him and his siblings until they were done with momma's milk.

For some reason he never liked men as much as women and not only that, he was extremely timid around strangers and I could never figure out why. I was the only male he grew up around (ex-girlfriend and young daughter who also treated him well) and he'd even follow me to the john lol. He was well-looked after.

His shyness certainly wasn't because he was abused - that dog was treated like royalty. He was socialized, got along well with other dogs, jeez he even loved the cats!
I asked a vet about it and he said some dogs are just naturally shy around strangers. So you never know for certain about a dog's history. Good luck with it.

Nope. Nice try though!!

Yeah, King.....you never have a strong opinion and argue it.

Oh, I know all that. It's been a good month since I picked on BpG and you've gone and ruined it all.

Sounds like the dog is very shy or was abused. Just be patience and calm and soon the dog will warm up to you.

I was looking forward to seeing a Bpg meltdown. King had to go and ruin it. King are you sure your not Lama?

Yes, he's just like that peace maker Lama!!! Boo!!

Lama is a ruiner. You know that as well as anyone.

Yes. I got your reference the first time.

Bless your heart, jfanent! What a lucky puppy to have found a home with you. I agree with the theories of patience, AND food. When you are the only one who feeds him, he'll definitely start to tune in on you more, and as time goes by I think you'll see him start to trust you and loosen up a bit as well.

Last year I rescued a dog. She's considerably older, and lived quite a tough life on the streets, so she's incredibly timid of every living being, especially males, but you could plainly tell she'd been terribly abused. She has puncture scars on her sides and no hair on the tips of her ears because of frostbite. It's been over a year and a half now, and she's still timid, and cowers anytime anyone goes near her, but it's all about letting her feel the most comfortable, I think. The vets say she'll probably never get over her fear of people, but she's found what seems to be the best outcome with my sister and her other two dogs. It took a while for her to even stay in the same room as humans, but then she warmed up to at least sleeping with the other dogs or curling up near the foot of the bed. When you pet her she'll go as far as to lean her side up against you and lightly lick your hand, but she's still not crazy about being held. No matter what though, everyone in the family constantly talks to her and lets her know she's welcome and loved...she seems to have responded a little bit more, at least as far as trusting people. Maybe with some more time she'll be even better...I can always hope for that!

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is, with time and patience and TLC, I think you'll make some great strides with your German Shepherd. As you pointed out, the big thing is trust, but I think once you have it with him, you'll have it for good. Don't give up! Please let us know how you're doing with him!

NICE POST MOONDAWG. I AGREE IT TAKES TIME AND TRUST.

Interesting update. While I trying to get info from the experts here, my wife called the local "dog whisperer" lady and she came right over! Her advice was to go about our daily business with the dog on a leash and pay very little attention to him, unless he made the first move toward receiving affection. I had him walking around the yard (it took quite a bit of muscle to get him to move initially) and he sat on the sofa next to me within the hour. He's a huge dog, and I felt this was quite an accomplishment.

She acclimated him to our two beagles within minutes, and they are sitting in the same room right now barely paying attention to each other. He is refusing all food right now, and she said it may be a few days before he eats. She wants him to be attached by leash to my wife or I until she checks back in a few days.

She said the most important thing to do is NOT to baby him. We are to forget his past and he is now part of our household. He has to accept our activities of daily living and feel safe and comfortable.

It's been quite an eventful couple hours!

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She said the most important thing to do is NOT to baby him. We are to forget his past and he is now part of our household. He has to accept our activities of daily living and feel safe and comfortable.

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Exactly, you are the pack leader, not him. All dogs IMO are a product of how they have been treated and raised. There is no good or bad dog. Only good or bad humans.

I agree with Bpg.


In combination with your advice too Jules.

But food is an instictual and necassary thing. He who provides the food is the leader that the dog will follow.

I'm not talking bribery or treats. But at meal times. He who feeds,leads. The dog will follow.

It's all one and the same.

It's using food to show kindness, it's a tool that can be used to help build trust that speaks to one of the most basic instincts. It's bait and kindness all in one... but the overall goal is to still get it into the dog's head that it can trust you and doesn't need to fear you. In the end though, whatever method(s) you choose, it does all boil down to time and patience like Jules said.... and kindness, but most importantly... consistency in your actions.

Being consistently in control of your actions and dealings with him is most
important. When he realizes your concern and attention for him he will adjust to schedule and tone.
Trst is the most essential of all traits to a dog who is begging for a proper pack leader.
Be respectful,playful,loving and deserving of trust and you have made a bond rarely seen in all of nature.

It will take alot of time and of course, patience. Same EXACT thing happened to one of my friend's and her husband, only the dog was a female lab mix. Scared to death of the husband and I believe it took a good 5-6 months before she completely trusted him, no matter what he did or did not do. Don't worry. The dog will come around. Good luck on your new addition!!!!

Good luck with your new family member, J. I have read that Shepherds are 1-person dogs. They will love and defend their whole family, but their heart will belong to only one. I don't know if that's true or not, but it was for the Shep-Lab mix I rescued in the middle of the winter back in 1994. I brought him home, fed him, cleaned him up, took him to the vet, walked him, and picked up his poop (yeah, like dogs care who picks up their poop) and the person he loved more than any other was my wife. He loved me, but never really trusted me. I never raised a hand and rarely raised my voice, because I sensed he was abused. But until he died in 2000, he always had to "spot" me before he would come into a room - as if he wanted to know where the "threat" was before deciding whether to proceed. Sad, but I never took it to heart. I'm still glad we gave Zeke a good home for the years he had left. He may have been hurt before we had him, but never again afterwards. So, do your best, but don't be surprised if your new buddy bonds to your wife and "tolerates" you. It's still a good thing you're doing and I salute you.

we just took a puppy in, half pit-bull, half german shepard, this is the nicest dog i've ever come across...

she's totally chill

my girlfriend works police dispatch and someone brought her in...

she's afraid of the chinchilla, brutus, he's kind of an ass though...

Well, the first week has gone OK. Blitzen is still very fearful of me, but has really taken to my wife and son. I'm just going to use calm approaches and non-threatening body postures to build his trust. Any pointers to speed this process would be appreciated. He won't even take food from me. The trainer said it could take 6 months or more before he warms up to me, and she's pretty sure he was abused. He's shown no aggressive behavior whatsoever, just avoidance.

It's actually pretty funny.....when I walk into the room, he tries to hide behind my 9yo son. As you can see, they've already become good friends.

You're son has food, of course the dog is going to warm up to him. j/k

Its always good to see a kid and a dog build a good relationship.

Beautiful dog ... almost looks like a wolf-hybrid. I bet it won't take 6 months, because Shepherds are so damn smart.

It's a good thing you found him in the off season, if you're like me when the Browns games are on. My dogs may think they have the nicest Dad in the world, but on Sundays during the season they think I'm a psycho just because I might tend to talk / yell / throw things at the TV ...

He is a beautiful boy! Any idea on his age? And, it sure doesn't look like he's begging for food to me. Looks like he just wants to be close and snuggle up.

Try to get the dog to play. You'll probably have to start by laying on the floor and staying lower than the dog, but once they warm up to the idea they tend to forget their fears temporarily, and over time will associate playtime with you.

Our rottweiler actually has different styles of play for each of us, I play rough and like to get the dog to growl as we play tug of war with her rope, my wife is more of the "fetch" game player, and my step-son was more of the run the kitchen/dining/living room circuit, kind of a game of hide and seek. Our dog knows who plays what and if you get on the floor with her, she will get the appropriate toy and come to play.

His adult teeth are about half grown. About 1 yr maybe? He only takes food when it's offered....and you're correct about wanting to snuggle. Very affectionate towards the wife and kid.

He knows the basic obedience commands and is very well behaved in the house. We have some work to do with the beagles, they don't seem to realize how big Blitzen is. It looks like whoever dumped him off was an adult male that trained him by beating him.

Florida fan: Any attempts I've made at playing with him have frightened him. He watches me play with our beagles, and hopefully he'll eventually want to join in.

If I sit on the sofa and tap the cushion, he will jump up and sit by me and let me pet him....but he's very uncomfortable. I'm looking into a method called the T-touch. It's supposed to alleviate fears and anxiety in animals. I'm waiting for the book to be certain I do it correctly.

My Dad raised various breeds for short period of times, when he was alive. I myself have no really experience in breeding or bonding (which is what we're discussing) but, I do know from listening to other tales, that the animal will go to person who it perceives as most unlikely threat for whatever reasons. And, as JulesDawg states it could take up to possibly a year until you have earned his trust and confidence in you.

I would try to expedite the bonding process by taking the animal for long walks with your son present at first; playing in the snow; throwing sticks to retrieve and bring back an place at your feet. After time try doing the same again but on a "one on one" basis. Go slow and let the dog lead the way and if it seems receptive to your company gradually have different interactions (playing, instructing, petting) with him. It is a beautiful dog and I hope you can bring his trust back with a lot of love and tenderness. As you probably know, the reward is one of a great magnitude as you will have a new friend for life.
JMHO

I will be in the market pretty soon for a GSP. Does anyone know how I can get my money's worth and if there are any reputable owners that I can maybe check out on the web? I figure that if I get one within the year, my 2 year old girl will be used to it.....