Danielle_Mae

So this afternoon I was out at my cousin’s house checking up on his animals including his German Shepherd Tequila. Let me give you some background on him…this summer he’ll be 2-3 years old, he stays at the bottom of the hill in the side yard and doesn’t really get much attention. Tequila was the product of a bad, bad break up. As the story goes, Ryan and Jeanette met in the Navy. She was from Cali and he was from Ohio they had been together for like 5-6 years. They were engaged and had a house together with other pets and Jeanette had always wanted a German shepherd…so she w/o Ryan’s knowledge went and got one-all this happened about 2 weeks before they broke up and she moved back to Cali. Ry agreed to keep the dog until she was settled then he would pay to ship him out to her…that never happened. With his job he unfortunately has very little time to work with the dog; from the first mention of one he was opposed for this very reason. He tried to find a good home for the dog but at this point not many people want a German Shepherd that doesn’t have good manners and is 2-3 years old (I can’t remember exactly when she left).

While I was walking back to the house after being jumped on and parked at…poor thing wants attention but I’m not that daring as I’m smaller than him and was there alone… and I got the idea that maybe I could try to work with him a little bit. Idk though…I have reservations but then I also have a secret weapon….DT! =]

What is your take? As usual, all suggestions are welcome, but please keep in mind he isn’t my dog and there really isn’t too much I can do about his situation accept recommend solutions. Tequila is a nice dog, very intelligent (from what I can tell) and Ry has said that he’s really picked up on what he’s been taught so far. However the drawbacks are he’s huge and overly friendly. I was kind of excited at the thought, but like I said…idk for sure.

THANKS!!

bleh60

German Shepherd rescue is my first opinion and best for the dog.

Next would be bringing the dog to live inside the house with an xpen and crate set up when necessary. He will respect most those who live and work with him most. Obviously needs direction. Work him as best you can with positive reinforcement and when he has gotten some basics down go with him one day after running off some energy and practice with him walking on leash.

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There are three kinds of people: those who can count and those who can't.

2RescuedDobies

It is totally possible to do. My female was 18 months when we adopted her and she had no manners what so ever. One stubborn wild child! Be consistant in what you ask of her and how you ask it. Crates and x-pens are wonderful. Practice nothing in life is free for that dog. Spend the time working with her and who knows how far she'll be able to go.
After a year of training my wild child entered a SChutzhund trial.

Danielle_Mae

thanks for all the advice!

bleh60-i agree with the rescue...but he is well fed and loved, he just needs worked. I'm goin to see what i can do. besides, even if my cousin does decide to give him away, it will be much easier if the dog understands at least the basics.

2RescuedDobies- thank you very much, that was encouraging. what were some of the things you first started working on with her? That's my problem, idk where to start with this dog. I know that i need to get the jumpin on ppl under control right away but my only thoughts on that would be w/ a prong collar. right?

2RescuedDobies

Prong may or may not be needed. I would start with having the dog sit for everything. That's where you begin. If you don't wnat them to jump have them do something else like lay down or go to kennel. It depend on what you want them to do. Feel free to pm me. I'm happy to help.

As far as feeding. I would take the kibble and feed one handful at a time. I hand fed another one of my rescues for 2 months so that he developed a better bond. he began to understand all good things come from me. I would also have the dog sit or down before they are allowed to eat. Make sure you are using some sort of release command like okay or free so the dog knows when to stop doing what ever it is you've asked. If they want to go outside they need to follow a given command. Works well for me.

Danielle_Mae

Thanks again 2RD's ... I really do appreciate it! I plan to get w/ my cousin (who's in DC for the 4th-comes back Thursday I think) to find out how he feels about it. It would be really awesome if I could take him w/ me to my home...but my doggie wouldn't like him. She is VERY anti-social, which is completely our fault.

but anyways... i'll PM you and let you know how it goes.

Thank you!!
Danielle