has anyone had problems with Jerland Farms dogs? - Page 5

Hello everyone,

we have been looking for another GSD to add to our family and have stumbled across an ad to 'rehome' a dog on Craigslist.  We have fostered a different dog for 4 months but she was so soft I couldn't even bond with her.  I know, mean mom, but the licking was driving me crazy.  So, hubby wanted and still wants an all black male, to play with our fixed red and black female.  The ad states "dog is agressive with other male dogs" (he is unaltered-we would have him altered immediately) but great with kids, most females, and the like. ("but not other small animals")  I spoke with her and she had been 'breeding him' uggghhhh, but is now in an apartment and he is miserable.  Of This I am sure.  I said I would like to see him as long as he is not a Jerland dog (I had heard not very good things about Jerland as I am from Wisconsin) and she was VERY 'surprised'-to put it nicely, and said she has never heard anything bad about Jerland and neither have any of 'her' GSD social friends.  Of course she hasn't. 

Soooo, if she is referencing any 'aggression towards other dogs' shall I take it as a solid warning and stay away?  Or make the decision myself and make the 2 hour round trip-counting on our ability to retrain him (if it is a training issue?)? I see a lot of back and forth about some personal arguments in this forum but nothing concrete about Jerland dogs specific. PLease  refer to what you know about Jerland dogs specifically! 

This dog is 6 and already has some issues, but they may or may not be caused by its new surroundings and upbringing/training/lack of training/whatever.  Any ideas, or should I just stick to getting an 8 week old as I did in the 1st place? My dog is from the vom Shoberhaus line and is very well bred, (and smart and beautiful!)  She is the love of all our lives.  We want a safe and happy, well bred friend for her on our farm.

what do you all think, jerland or no jerland?

Nenz vom Klebinger Schloss was NOT a Jerland dog, nor was he obtained from them. Nenz has passed on and the subject of him needs to be left alone.

I was not backing up the OP. This subject was beat to death and I fully agree the owner was the problem. So did just about everyone else. This post originated on April 8, 2007 and is long over with. The OP no longer uses the same screen name and last I read, has her young GSD female and now a Poodle. 

This post has been brought back up by "omegas mom" asking for more opinoins on Jerland dogs along with another situation. She would have best been served by starting her own post as opposed to adding to this one. Now people may focus more on the original situation without looking at the date and most likely skim over her post to add their reply. 

For those that were not around during this mess, I just wanted it to be clear Nenz was not a Jerland dog since you brought his name back up right after "omegas mom" asked for other Jerland dog opinions. Many people may not know who Nenz was. That was my only intention.

  i'm sorry.  I didn't even bother looking at the dates.   Deleting my posts. 

I think this thread and any thread involving this OP serves as a model of how dangerous it is to be deluded about ones knowledge of dogs particularly intelligent breeds like GSDs. Getting a GSD is not something you do without first understanding what type of dog they are and your responsibilities to them and to the people who will come in contact with your dog(s). I think this story, and the lessons it provides (as I see them:), is a great opportunity to understand some serious and reoccurring problems breeders and owner face all too often. I know this is an old thread but the problems faced here are very important ones so I'm going to use it to illustrate these reoccurring problems.

The OP's 1st GSD was a very young un-socialized female - she observed this and was told this by Jerland (this is from the OP's posts) and is assured by the kennel owner the dog will come around. She takes the dog for a mere $500, and from her posts appears to make no real effort to socializing and work with the pup to build the dog's confidence i.e. bring her around/socialize her. In the end we have no idea the temperament of this 1st female GSD from Jerland other than she was re-homed and is doing fine. With this small bit of information one can only hazard a guess that the Jerland female pup's problem was a training issue and not a breeding issue; and Jerland sounds like they were upfront and fair in their pricing. I would conclude that the OP got in over her head, didn't learn enough about the reality of dog ownership and particularly owning and living with GSDs. So if you are new to GSDs I would heed this story and learn all you can about the breed. Don't just buy a GSD because they are attractive or remind you of your childhood. These dogs can be a dream or a nightmare it depends greatly on the home environment. Take control- buy a sound dog and raise it well - learn learn learn and always think there is more to learn - the dog deserves that much from it's owner.

Unfortunately this story doesn't stop with re-home of the Jerland pup. The OP then goes to another breeder and gets not one but 2 GSDs - one a dyplastic 4 yo for free and the other $1200+ pup. From the OP's posts there doesn't seems to be any realizing that perhaps she herself failed her first dog by not know how to socialize an un-socialized pup. Or that perhaps the dog was more than she was able to handle and she needed to educate herself on just what is require of a GSD owner before getting another GSD. Instead of looking to her own shortcomings she heaps more on herself apparently thinking only of what she wants instead of truly evaluating her own ability to manage a breed like a GSD. Sure it was sweet of her to give a home to a dyplastic dog but she never seemed to express any understand of dyplasia and the impact it has on the dog. HD is a very painful condition and the dog needs special care because it is in constant pain.

Then surprise surprise less than a year later the OP starts another thread. Nenz, the HD GSD she got for free, is now 5 yo and she is questioning his behavior. He's exhibiting aggression under certain stressful situations - is this a problem yes or no - is the question. Seem obvious - aggression that can not be controlled by both dog & owner is always bad. If the dog acts on his aggressive impulse on it's own without checking with the owner first is always a problem. I'm sure Nenz was a very sweet dog who was trying to cope with his painful condition in a home that sounds anything but calm & relaxed. I'm also sure Nenz made every effort in his limited training to manage the situation, which was clearly not his to manage but was his owner's - the OP - responsibility.

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We must all learn how great GSD are because they are so willing to try and make up for our shortcomings; but they are not humans and don't necessarily respond the way we humans think is the right way to respond. This is exactly why they need us - their owners - to help them interface into the human social situation - they need to be educated to the ways of humans (learn what is acceptable and what is not) and they need to learn to control much of their instinctive behavior to protect themselves and others - this is what is meant my socialization and it must be taught and reinforce throughout the life of the GSD .

I feel bad for Nenz being in pain and on his own to protect himself and those he felt he had to protect. His owner owed him a home that is safe and comfortable for him instead he got stress and aggression e.g. kicked by the bf & hit with a stick by the neighbor. He then dies of "Bloat" which was diagnosed over the phone as he laid dying. To add to this the OP goes out and get a poodle pup within days of his death - still no real effort to improve as a dog owner just impulsive fulfilling of personal desires - Sad. Please do not misunderstand me anyone who has owned dogs has most likely experience some tragedy, some regrets, so I am not playing the blame game here. What I am doing is pointing out how important it is for dog owners to know their limits and learn from every mistake be it ours or another's.

This OP's threads are so very sad to me but serve as clear examples of how we can make or break a dogs life. We can see, if we do not take the time to really learn how to be a great dog owner and settle for only what we already know, i.e. if we "wing it" we gamble with our lives and the lives of those around us including our dogs. This OP paints a picture that sounds like an "every man for themselves" type environment. These dogs sound as if they were given no real training yet expected to perform in a highly skilled way in a situation that was at best erratic with no thought for consistent guidance nor any protections for the dogs. These threads make me feel sorry for the whole lot - dogs, kids and adults. We must all learn what happens when we want to know everything but won't take the time to learn what is clearly needed to guarantee success. I don't doubt that the OP wanted to have her 1st pup be a successful experience, or to do the right thing but if you can't acknowledge what your weaknesses are how can you ever improve them? Please remember if you want to have great experiences with your dogs you need to know dog ownership is a skill that needs to be developed throughout your entire life - you will never be done learning how to be a great dog owner:)

my best,
Susan