# Need advise on foster dog...



## leo_j (Apr 22, 2015)

Hi All,

I am an active reader of the forums and have benefited greatly with the advise all of you have to offer. I need it again now to help with a situation. This might end up being a rather long post and I appreciate the time all of you will spend reading it. Thank you ! 

Here is the long story. We applied to foster a dog from a rescue organization. We have a very calm and well behaved GSD. He is so well behaved that it amazes us at times. The Foster dog is a strong breed mix ( think Rottie/Pit Bull etc) and is very high energy. She has had a rough past and has been in and out of the shelter. When we got her out of the shelter, and got her home, she got along well with my GSD except for some minor issues. She used to bark at strangers on walks and we trained her out of it. She reacts to other dogs on walks and can pull on the leash. We had put tons of time into getting her better. I want to say that she was 10% better than before. She has fear of confined spaces and we worked on it as well. She is now fully crate trained and sleeps through the night in the crate. She has learned to wait to eat her food etc. Several areas that she has improved. 

She has separation anxiety issues that we need to work on . This was something that did not bother us so much. From the past 3 weeks, she has developed issues with resource guarding. We noticed it with her bed and for a spot she sniffs in the backyard. What this lead to is unpredictable situations with her. We could not be sure that she would maintain her composure. My GSD did try to correct her a couple of times but we were not ready to risk any injuries to either dog. Long story short we had to crate and separate them all the time. Any interaction with each other would be on leashes and in the backyard with two adults monitoring them. This just lead to a very hectic and pressured lifestyle for all of us. It also meant that the GSD was in the crate more ( as he was the calmer one ). 

Last week a family adopted her and we were very happy for her. Today, they have informed the rescue organization that they are not able to handle her and she needs to get back to the shelter. This is just heart breaking for us as we know that there is a fun loving dog in her . She does need behavior modification in a couple of areas but can be a good dog for someone who can handle her. 

Here is where I need your expertise. The rescue organization has offered us the chance to Foster her again. Is this something I should consider. I understand that my task would be to get both the Foster Dog and GSD to get along with each other. Should we give this another shot or give up on the idea considering the dogs don't get along. What other training ideas might help. Should we consider an e-collar + muzzle combination OR is it best to hire a trainer who is an expert in this area. 

Thanks for your advise on this. I do appreciate it. I want to give the dog a second chance and not let our months of effort go to waste .


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I would not risk it a second time. It may take them a long time to place her again.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

I don't understand why it would be your task to make sure the two dogs get along if you would decide to foster it. 

Some dogs simply just don't like each other. It is common for different types of dogs to communicate, play and act differently and never get along because of it. There are good reasons that they advise if you have a herder, get another herder. If you have a hound, get another hound and so on.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

IF you decide to foster again...

Your task as a foster is to teach the dog to be a good dog. Obedience. Behavior modification within your skill set. If the rescue is paying for training then go for it. Period. It is not to subject your dog to a dog that may or may not attack him. Crate and rotate the dogs. They don't need to interact. The foster dog does not need to interact with your dog. If one of the requirements is "no other dogs" then so be it. I had a foster RUIN one of my dogs because he would attack when he got excited. Crate and rotate. Zero reason to put your dog at risk. 

If you feel that can not be done then let someone else foster her.


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## leo_j (Apr 22, 2015)

Thank you all for the feedback . We really appreciate it. I do agree that if we decide to do this again , it should be at the consultation of a behavior specialist . I am not sure if the rescue will provide for the training.

Few follow up questions if you don't mind me asking 

1. @MineAreWorkingline - Are you suggesting that my GSD will possibly get along better with another GSD or is it the energy levels that we need to focus on/match . 
2. When we got the Foster home, she was very submissive to my GSD ( rolling on her back etc). My understanding was that the pack hierarchy/structure was now established as Me > GSD > Foster. What could have changed from then ? Is it possible that the foster got more assertive and wanted to re-establish the pack structure. I am trying to understand where we missed out on spotting this 
3. Would NILIF training help in this case ? 
4. We did switch her food from Orijen to Hills Science ( this is what she had in the shelter). Would that matter ? 

Per - Dogs Fighting in Your Household 
Even the food you feed your dog can have an impact on his behavior. Poor quality protein can interfere with a dog’s ability to make use of the serotonin that occurs naturally in his system. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and sleep, and also affects memory and learning. Foods containing high-quality protein can contribute to your dogs’ behavioral health and physical health. 

Thank you again for your time and advise. It has helped us make a decision on this. At this stage, we feel like having her home puts our GSD in an uncomfortable state and will involve a lot of "Crate and Rotate". We will continue to monitor her progress with the shelter and step in if absolutely necessary. Have a great day ahead !


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

1) It is proven that dogs tend to get along better with their own type of breeds. Different dog types have different methods of communication, different energy levels and different playstyles as well. Coppinger"s research found that LGD puppies and herders simply refused to interact and play with each other while they would happily do so with their own kind. Also, you have to look at the breeds in your foster. One breed, while not bred specifically for dog aggression does not fault it while the other breed is genetically bred to be dog aggressive. 

2) It can take a foster months to show its real temperament. 

3) Can't say whether NILF would have helped or not. It is not something that I practice. It is to my understanding that NILF is good practice for the humans. 

4) IMO, food should not have that much of an input.

I did not read the entire link you posted but I did not see it address genetic dog aggression. See my response regarding genetic aggression in #1.


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## leo_j (Apr 22, 2015)

thank you @MineAreWorkingline !


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

How active are you with the dogs? What does a normal day look like?

I ask because a bored, insecure dog with pent up energy is just hard for anyone to deal with. I would run this dog into the ground regularly. Like uncle Stonnie says, there is an adverse relationship between anxiety and being tired. If I had this dog here, I would start the day with 2 hours of physical and mental challenges. Let the dog recharge and then do it again. I'd do this for a couple weeks and then back off a little and see where the dog goes.


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## leo_j (Apr 22, 2015)

@David Winners A typical day with the foster was 

7:30 AM release from the crate to backyard. She is by herself for about 20 mins for potty
10-15 mins of tug , fetch after that. She would be tired after that.
45 mins of walking ( between 1.5 to 2 miles) . Part of this would be to train her to not react to other dogs.
Food at 9:00 AM
relax on her bed ( next to where my wife works) until noon.
Potty break at noon , play with kids in backyard
Crate time or on leash until 4:00 PM
Snack at 4:00 PM. Usually a bully stick. She also used to get a Antler to chew on but was not crazy about it.
Basic obedience training in the backyard ( not every day)
7:30 PM ( or when it was cool enough to take the dogs out) - Second walk - 45 mins of walking ( between 1.5 to 2 miles) . Part of this would be to train her to not react to other dogs.
Dinner between 8:30 and 9:00 PM
Relax after.
Typical day for my GSD would be similar to the above except he would cover more distance on his walks as I take him on a bike. Also, we would not need to train him . We did end up having him more in the crate than usual as he did not have a problem being in the crate. My kids were vocal about that being unfair to him but we had to do that so we can work during the day. 

Thanks again for taking the time to review this. !


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