I need advice - Page 3

One sentence you say you would not leave the dog and child alone.  A couple of sentences later, you are gone for a week and The kid is caring for the dog in your absence.  You want My opinion?  I think you should give the dog to someone that has experience with dogs.  I don't know if there would ever be a situation, but why would you risk it.  Someone said that your dog thinks he is #2 in front of your son.  In al honesty, he is probably ahead of you. If you were truly the pack leader and above this dog, you would have control of the situation.  We don't know much about the dog and he may not even be good enough to protect you when your son is gone.  I hate to see people equate bad nerves and temp with courage and toughness.  I am not saying that this dog is bad, only saying without an evaluation we can only speculate.

Go buy Schnauzer and a sawed-off shotgun.  The dog can be a companion and alert you to someone's presence.  With the Sawed-off Shotgun you can hit anything half asleep in the dark.

Don- you sound like my husband...he wanted all of our kids, especially the females to be able to shoot a shotgun, because you can do enough damage to stop an intruder without having to be able to aim very well...Shandra, seriously, I know that it sucks, when you feel you've made a commitment to the dog, to have to let him go, but you could probably find someone who would be better suited for him, as well; and think of how you'd feel, standing in the ER having your son sewn back together...and it would ruin dogs for him for the rest of his life! Get a puppy or a young dog, big and sturdy, affectionate, that will grow up with your son and love him, too. That kind of bond can really help troubled kids, as I'm sure you know. Good luck, I'm sending prayers your way. jackie osborne

And if you take the very sound advice of defusing this by switching dogs PLEASE take your son with you when choosing and let them spend a long time together interacting under the breeder's and your supervision to see how things will work BEFORE you buy.

Have a significantly mentally/emotionally handicapped son, also. Been there doe that. Know how tough a position you are in. Good for you for trying to find input to work it out.

Dawgs

I asked for advice and appreciate all the advice given. Tino came to me June 11th. From the very beginning he has done his best to stay away from Justin. He will go to the opposite side of the house if Justin comes in. I keep Tino close to me whenever he is in and my son is also in. Tino is never left alone in the house after the first time I left him alone, he ate the couch, pulled down curtains, etc etc and this was with another dog in the house for company. My fault completely for leaving an unknown temperament dog in the house alone. ( /me whacks herself with a newspaper for being a bad GSD owner)  Tino could well be classified as a train wreck, He has NO manners and little if any training other than sit and basically the only time he is obedient is when I have his toy although occasionally he will sit when told. He does take a submissive posture with me when I am stern with him. Tino has barked, or growled at Justin from the first time Justin walked in the door so this is not something that could have been from Justin’s actions. Tino always does his best to stay as far away from Justin as possible. When I was taking Tino to the shop with me, he was always on a short leash when people were around. He is very hesitant (untrusting) of people that approach him first rather than letting him acquaint himself with them although there are a few he warmed up to immediately, always women.

My opinion, I think Tino was always left to be a dog, not trained at an age when he should have been but I don’t think (I hope not) that it is to late for him to learn, he is only 2 1/2.  I am afraid if Tino goes to another home he will either be sentenced to a life of being a backyard dog, a kenneled breeder or euthanized cus he bit. He does have a large backyard that he spends his outdoor time in and I bring him in as soon as I get home until it is time to go to bed then he goes to his crate ( he loves his crate and will spend time in it even when he doesn’t have to). I was taking the crate back and forth to the shop with Tino and left it up there so I don’t have it this weekend. I walk him every evening and he does need more exercise for sure. I couldn’t walk him very far at first, even with a choke he drug me down the road. I got an antipull harness and it has made all the difference in the world. I am way out of my league with this dog, I don’t have the knowledge or experience that he needs me to have. I have purchased several books on obedience training, even one on clicker training thinking maybe he had been clicker trained. The books haven’t helped a whole lot; he is a very strong dog. I have had dogs all of my life, I have taken in strays and raised dogs from puppies so I do have some experience with dogs. I have had many GSD but they have almost always been raised by me from puppy hood.

Don I understand what you are saying, I had no choice but to have my son feed the dogs for a week at least they know him and Tino was in the yard and able to keep his distance, He has never shown to be actually aggressive, as in charging someone, My father had taken ill and they gave him less than a week to live, I had to drive out immediately. I lost my dad while I was there.

I know in my heart of hearts Tino should go to someone else, and I hate to admit that even to myself. I have NEVER given up on a dog and I don’t think Tino has had a fair chance in life. Once school starts back up I will be able to afford a trainer, although I will then have less time. I will be limited to a couple of hours in the evenings and weekends all day. I keep Justin and Tino separated and no longer allow Tino to be loose in the house when Justin is in. There has to be a way to overcome the problems.

Therese

I just had a thought as far as obedience. Could it be possible he was trained with commands other than english? Sit is the only command he responds to, Looks at me like I am stupid when I say Down or Lay Down or Get down. Maybe I am simply not using commands that he understands? Where can I find a list of commands in other languages?

Behavior can be modified. But it can never be completly erased. So if you do choose to stick with him then you need to make sure you are very careful for the benefit of your son (who should be first) as well as that of Tino's. You will end up managing situations at all times and it will be your duty to do so. And although I know nothing about the problems your son is having, the management may be a problem.

If you know that you are walking a tightrope but are still not sure what to do, I urge you to contact someone sooner than later.

Shandra

I am sorry to hear about your father. 

The thing that I don't like the most, is the fact that the dog avoids the child.  Most dogs out there will eat adults and be very open to children.  I would almost rather have an aggressive dog than a dog that is in avoidance.  Avoidance scares the hell out of me.  You may never see it coming.

I know I said it before, but I am going to say it again.  Sometimes it is easier on you to find the right home for this type of dog and find the right dog for your home.  It is funny.  When one dates, we don't have a problem cutting the other person loose.  Sometimes, we tell them that we are not right for eachother, there is someone out there for you.  We get more attatched to animals in a smaller amount of time because both parties are open to eachother.  We don't put up a bunch of defense mechanisms because we're not worried about getting hurt or too involved.  This dog is not open to your son and is using defensive mechanisms. 

Good luck to you all!

Rezcat5..you are right, yanking the pinch on a dog who has an established behavior can lead to bad consequences.  I thought this was an older puppy, not yet established in this behavior.  Upon re-reading it, I don't know where I got that idea.  I should not answer any posts without first self medicating with coffee.  :-)  Being perhaps an older dog, that sheds an entirely different light on the situation, but I don't have anything to add that has not already been said.  Thank you for correcting me.

Veronica

lol, it's ok veronica. 

Great advice, GARD.