My Soldier Girl - Page 1

I purchased a German Shepard from Von Rossland Kennels back in 2007.  At first glimpse Gino reminded me of Cesar the Dog Whisperer.  I was not interested in a show dog nor a protection dog. I simply wanted to share my life with a German Shepard.  I was a little concerned when I was not allowed to see the mother or father, but I still picked one out of a litter that had a lot of energy and was very black in color.  My experience with my GSD has been like no other.  My GSD is a beautiful, energetic and obedient dog.  She does have some bad traits but this is from the breed not the breeder.  She chews up everything!  I have never had to worry about a dog as much as I worry about my GSD.  She is extremely smart.  She should have been a rescue dog because she can use her snout to get into anything and learns really fast. She is 2 1/2 years of age and is on the slim side at about 65 lbs. and she eats very well.  I would like her to gain some weight but our vet says she is perfect. She is a very tall dog. She if very hyper. She is obsessed with tennis balls.  She loves running after them when i throw them.  I am upset that I have not been able to have her trained properly and my lack of time takes away from stimulating that smartness.  I believe I have not brought all of her potential to light.  She loves kids and is pretty friendly with strangers.  She has great predatory skills, but also learned that my ferrets and parrot are not to be messed with.  Is that a good thing or bad thing? She can climb/leap fences like nothing.  I realized my need to put a shock collar on her to stop her from climbing/leaping over my very tall fence.  She doesn't run away, I just think she likes chasing the ducks in our lake, but that behavior is totally unacceptable.  She is chipped, but I am afraid she might be stolen as she is so beautiful. I have 3 other dogs of different breeds (2 labs and a bull terrier mix) and she gets along with all of them although she shows her alpha status on those below her every once in awhile and some times tries on those above her too. I would love to get her some training in protection and/or more obedience, but that requires alot of $$ which I cannot afford at this time.  Now if only I could get her to stop chewing and getting into the garbage when I am at work!

Isabel Hormilla

Two and a half years is a long time in doggie years, why did you wait so long to post ?

Why couldn't you see the parents?  

What kind of corrections do you use for unwanted behavior?

Corrections are what is needed but I can tell you that habits learned over a long time are hard to break easily.

When you are going to be away pick up the garbage and place it in the garage. As far as chewing things up, is there something that she chews up more like shoes or clothes?  I crate Jami in a 500 veri kennel with a large kong stuffed with frozen dog food when I am away and cannot take her. They just sleep during the day anyway. Every now and then I will set up the video to record what goes on in the house. I hope this helps. I do not like to worry and I know she is secure.
Always,
Cee

''you cannot solve a problem in the same  frame of mind that was used to create it!''  it would be best to inundate the dog with the right things to do as opposed to looking for different better ways to correct her. and definetly get a crate, lack of opportunity is the best way to cure destructive behavior, to continue to give the dogs chances to make mistakes just sets them up for failure

You need a crate and to crate train her. You need to give her something safe to chew on, like a kong stuffed with treats like Cee recommended.

Your dog also need exercise - LOTS of it! A lot more than you are giving her. Of course she is obsesses wtih tennis balls, she has prey drive and of course she chases the ducks in the lake because again she has prey drive. Again she isn't getting enough exercise with YOU, so she's taking matters into her own hands.

It's a lame exuse that you can't afford obedience training. Group obedience classes are inexpensive and are something that you NEED to do. Check with your vet and your local humane society or animal control. One of them should know who is giving obedience classes in your area.

By the way, doesn't sound like she has any bad traits. She's just being allowed to manage her own life. And like Moons said, now she has developed behaviors that are going to be nearly impossible to eliminate, but they certainly will get worse without you getting her under control and managed.