cowhocked - Page 2

The dog's a 2 year old German showline, Powerhaus. A professional handler might be able to get the dog to trot over poles and improve the gait, and a good handler can stack a dog so it doesn't look cowhocked or east west, but a knowledgeable judge will still be able to tell.  'Course, we didn't see a pic, so it's hard to tell what the dog looks like.

It didn't sound like you, Powerhaus. I saw your post saying your account had been hacked.

Hard headed ness is your fault..It is called    strict correction and stricter obedience.

Hardheaded my fault?  I don't think so.  I did everything the breeder told me to do for the first year and a half.  He said, I did! 

He said not to send to classes as I did with my previous American Show who turned out to be a gorgous dog and much smarter than the average dog.  This American Show turned heads everywhere and I got good compliments.  I did or tried my way to obedience train and it did not work.  I talked to other breeders and they said not to listen to my dogs breeder.  I took a chance and did what he said to do anyway.  That is where I went wrong and for that I take the blaime. 

Most of the people on this database know that some dogs require special training and or attention and if you don't know what you are doing, you will go nowhere. 

Besides, when I originally talked to this breeder I told him what I wanted and easy trainability was one of them. Also to be smart and a family companion not a terror.

I do not know it all and that is why I ask quiestioins on this database and send emails to breeders that I feel are reputable.  

You have no idea what my situation is or what I went thru just getting this dog so please!

DaWolf, I saw quite a few cow hocked dogs in Aachen, some of them did quite well. You bought the dog as a familv companion, being cow hocked does not disqualify him from that. It sounds like the bigger issue is that you have a dog that is too much for you to handle. You are going to have to decide whether to put the effort into rehabbing the dog or sell him and start over.

Best wishes with whatever you decide,

Rik

You may be right Rik!  That is a step I will take with caution.  Will have to really think and talk about it especially with my family.  I know what I would like to do but, I also know what I feel I should do. 

Thanks,

Way too hard headed. ... He said not to send to classes as I did with my previous American Show who turned out to be a gorgous dog and much smarter than the average dog. - dawolf

to me this does not sound like an insurmountable problem at all and i would say calling what he needs "rehabbing' is a bit strong unless there is a problem beyond hard headiness.  the truth is most gsd  minimally trained will be hard headed. plus he's only 2 yo, which is still very young. from the little you've shared it sounds like he has not been given the guidance he needs so is making decisions himself when he should be looking to you.  he needs training to learn, to bond and to see you as the 'go to person'.  if you want a companion pet i would highly recommend ian dunbar's books & dvd plus his website http://www.dogstardaily.com/. 

also, depending on how severe the cowhocking is, it might just be muscular/lack of 'proper' exercise and or diet and not structural/genetic - again hard to say with the little info you have shared. if it were my dog i would get the dog on a training schedule that included running uphill to strength his hocks.  also you might want to give him a job, you could teach him to pick up sticks or something that requires that he listen to you while involving him in your daily activities.  here's a fun video of a dog who was taught using 'SATS' to picks up trash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzkZamK9ZXk&NR=1  also the monks of new skete books and dvds might be helpful.  but my guess is if you decide just what you want from your dog and ask people how to get from where you are to where you want to be you could turn this situation around in no time at all.

I've seen pics of this guys dog, and am sorry to say I would have been ashamed if I had bred this puppy and sold it for the price the original poster paid!  the front feet look like they had been broken and reset and a horrible angle.  severe east and west front, and the rear is just as bad.  the rear legs actually appear deformed.  definitly not a physically sound animal.

For the price the poster paid, I would feel obligated to replace the dog. or at least take 1/2 the purchase price off another puppy.

Jennifer

who knows but i don't think it would hurt to provide more info & ask some questions here. maybe he will post picts/vid, ped. and list some goals so folks here can try and help him and his dog out out even if that includes rehoming his dog.  sure sounds like the situation is not good; while this group may not be able to make it right some useful advise might been gained.

The OP got some bad advice from the breeder, it sounds like.  I hate to see a dog "thrown away" because he didn't live up to expectations. Even if he is as badly built as it sounds like - and I have no way of knowing without seeing photos - he could still make a decent pet IF the owner were willing to train him. I always recommend the Monks of New Skeet "how to be your dog's best friend" book to people who want to know how to train their GSDs.

i agree, there is help and hope even when you have a dog who you feel is not your dream dog.  giving the dog the chance to surprise you by training him and bonding with him is the best place to start. earlier i posted a couple of resources that might help turn this situation around behaviorally.  structurally suzanne clothier has a video called "Your Athletic Dog: A Functional Approach" that's designed to help you be able to identify your dogs physical limitations so you can design a program that is within the dogs abilities, but i bet if you 'video-ed' your dog in motion folks here could help identify his problems and make suggestion on how to strengthen or compensate for them.  clothier also has lots of free articles on her site that you might enjoyed reading - i did http://flyingdogpress.com/artlibreg.htm

when you've lived with "the perfect dog" and your next dog doesn't measure up it is challenging; but this 'less than prefect' dog has a life to live and needs to be loved and cared for just like the perfect one did, so getting past the disappointment and moving on to accepting and improving the situation is a must - imo. and i am sure there are people here who could help with almost anything you are going through.