Make Me Feel Better

[4horses]

We adopted a Belgian Shepherd (named Meka) from the local shelter when she was a 6 week old puppy. They claimed she was 8 weeks old but she was only 6 lbs. I knew after the first 4 weeks we would have our work cut out for us. Probably put hundreds and hundreds of hours into her training. I walked her to the mailbox one day and she pulled me over on the rocks because she went ballistic at the sight of the neighbors dogs. And she broke her choke chain on a walk at the local state park and went after someone’s Dalmatian puppy. Didn’t actually do any damage but scared everyone!

She did turn into a good citizen eventually. She was a terrible puppy because she had no bite control and would shark you with her teeth. She would run up to greet you and shove her teeth into your hand. Had to keep a pacifier toy in her mouth as much as possible.

She’s a wonderful dog, but I don’t want another one like her. I have a friend with poodles and they are 10x easier to train.

She’s wonderful with my cats and kittens, and horses. Great family dog but it was an uphill battle to get her trained and socialized. I had many concerns with her that first year and really regretted getting her, but once we got through that things progressively got better.

She’s 8 years old this year and I hate the fact she’s getting old! One of my foster kittens disappeared one day and I brought her in and said “Find the kitty.” She went through the entire room sniffing everything and went to the dresser and stopped. Sure enough the kitten had climbed in through the back of the dresser and was stuck in the dresser drawer.

Her adolescence was tough. I remember taking her on 4-5 mile hikes and even that wasn’t enough exercise.

[yaya]

“A drunk gorilla with a hearing problem”

[IdahoRider]

@yaya

“A drunk gorilla with a hearing problem”

That describes the behavior perfectly. I mean, honestly? I don’t think he has any idea as to why he does what he does. He is so all over the place.

I laid puppy tracks for him when he was younger. I will start that again since he really enjoyed it. I’ll just make them longer and with more turns.
Sheilah

[IdahoRider]

@Raincityrider

You sound to me like an ideal GSD owner- thoughtful, involved and willing to put in the time training your dog.

Oh, God! That is what I needed to hear! Thank you so much. I knew what I was getting into, I just didn’t plan on spending months recovery from one thing after another. And now, with the broken ribs, I have to be so protective of my body.
Sheilah

[Kyrabee]

You just have to start over. Unfortunately, his age/size makes it harder but it can be done. He will get there. That little meme that jherold posted looks about right. My friend has a GSD she got for a service dog. She fit that description and was a handful of service dog. Unfortunately she has had a back injury and was retired as a service dog. They do take a lot of work. Jingles, you get your body lined out which will make it not such a daunting task.

Susan

[IdahoRider]

@Kyrabee

Unfortunately, his age/size makes it harder but it can be done.

You should have heard my friend’s gasp when he got out of the car the other day. She said, “he is ginormous”. He has always been big.
Sheilah

[frugalannie]

@IdahoRider, I’m so sorry for your travails. It’s been a rough time for you physically and mentally, and you now have a rambunctious adolescent to deal with. Just like with horses, priorities must be set. 1. You have to be safe so you can heal. 2. You are the boss. Use tools judiciously to emphasize this (ie: prong collar). 3. Keep track of where things are day to day. When you look back, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve accomplished.

I have no doubt that you will succeed and have a fabulous partnership. You may have to ease your timeframe, but that really won’t matter in the long run. Enjoy the journey.

(And BTW I have to use prong collars when walking my two 20 lb terriers because they seem to think it’s funny when they pull me over. Prong collars fix that!)