# Reactive dogs new friend?



## Amurphy26 (Jul 22, 2012)

I really need some advice. Some of you might know I have a reactive 18mth GSD. She is NOT generally dog aggressive. When she's been properly introduced to a dog she becomes a typical bouncy, playful adolescent. We've been considering getting another dog for a while. We also have a 10yr old dog but he doesn't have time for the GSD and she is desperate to play with him and still tries to cuddle up to him at night but he just can't be bothered with her. He's old and cranky now. 
So, we decided to take our friends 18mth old male golden retriever for 2 weeks to see if we can handle a third adult dog and how the dogs would cope. It's amazing! The GSD has calmed down, she absolutely adores him (it did take an hour and a half for her to stop lunging at him and for the muzzle to come off) but now they play brilliantly, lie together and are basically very relaxed with each other. When I lead walk both of them the GSD is so much easier.
So we can handle 3 dogs. We have a massive garden, an outdoor kennel and run for when we're at work. The old dog goes to work with me while the young dog spends about 4 hours in the kennel and run. 
My question is what breed? Originally we thought the GR was the ideal breed but as good as he is for our GSD they're just not for us. I've never seen a dog moult so much and the slobber! He's also very dopey and big and because of his size struggles to go for a walk more than 3 miles in length. He is like a miniature Newfoundland. I could be persuaded but my husband will not budge. He now wants another dog as much as me but NOT a GR. 
I would love another GSD but with one reactive GSD we don't think it would be a good match. I do know of a breeder who breeds long haired GSDs with brilliant temperaments and I'm very tempted. 
What's your thoughts?


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Any dog breed can be fat and lazy. The owner controls what the dog eats, so don't blame the breed. 

IMO, temperament is far more important than breed when it comes to dogs interacting. Look for a dog whose energy level, play style and temperament all fit with your current dog. 

I have a Cane Corso and A Pit x Lab that get along with my WL just fine. Her best buddy in Afghanistan was a field bred Lab. 

David Winners


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

I agree with David, it's all about the temperament. It sounds like your dog does well with a lower energy dog.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I also agree. I have two goldens and 2 GSD's. The goldens don't drool or slobber and they are not couch potatoes. They play nicely with each other. Goldens tend to gain weight and be out of shape if they aren't fed right and exercise. They need that 3 mile walk. I wouldn't rule out the breed completely. All breeds have different drives and temperaments within the breed. You will need a lower energy dog with the right temperament.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Consider the old guy in this, too. How's he going to be with doggo #3?


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## Amurphy26 (Jul 22, 2012)

The old one is great with other dogs and has grown up with other dogs coming and going in his house. The whole dynamic of the house is great with the third dog. We did have three up until a year ago when our young collie died following a series of epileptic seizures. 

I think this golden is heavily show bred. He's not overweight at all just heavily built with a huge head. He stands taller than my GSD and weighs 40kg. The size isn't really the issue it's more the hair and slober. I just don't think we could cope with it long term. This is a picture of the golden and our GSD.








I know the breed doesn't determine temperament but breeds can have characteristics that wouldn't suit a reactive dog. For example our Huntaways bark can wind up the GSD and I wouldn't get another barking breed because she's anxious. Has anyone any experience with two GSDs one of which is reactive?


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## blueangele (Aug 5, 2013)

My vote would be a lab..and the only reason I say that is because my dog's best friend is a lab (a rescue, just like he is) and they are amazing together. The only issues we have had is when we are done with our agility 'club' we let all the dogs play, the two labs play together great and my dog is so jealous that he barks at the other (not best friend) lab, who of course completely ignores him LOL. That being said, I have met labs who are jerks, but most of them are completely mellow.


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## Charliehound (Jun 5, 2014)

My 10 yr old GSD Charlie is reactive to other dogs. We recently got a GSD puppy who is now almost 4 mos old. I wasn't going to get another dog until Charlie passed, but when my old Mal passed, he was so heartbroken (anxious, lost weight, laid around doing nothing) Getting the puppy was the best thing for him! They are doing great together now! They play tug of war and wrestle, and nap together. I have to supervise them and guide their playing, as Charlie does get irritated when he is done and can be rough. So far, so good! They are great together!


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

One of the best things I've done for my reactive dog based on a suggestion of a dog friend - fostering. It helped me see how my dog would cope and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that once adjusted and integrated as a pack, my reactive dog really loves having a friend of all types and breeds that I've fostered (which is limited). With each successive dog, the time it took for her to adjust decreased considerably. It built her confidence and gave her a friend to feel more confident in public when she's out and about. The playful fosters taught her how to play and let her guards down and the shy/unplayful ones that came later was taught by my dog how to play. 

If you're not in a rush to have a permanent new member, foster a couple dogs and see what works best with your reactive dog and adopt the one that is super amazing with everyone in the family. From my experience - all the fosters had been amazing at all ages and breeds, but I did make sure to select the ones that are dog friendly.


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## Amurphy26 (Jul 22, 2012)

Thanks for that advice. I spoke to a rescue about fostering but because of her reactive behaviour they weren't happy so it didn't happen. I've also been in touch with a rescue over the last week to see if they would consider us adopting but they're not happy either. I can understand why so although disappointed I'm not annoyed with them. 
I'm now thinking of adopting a very well socialised and well behaved 6 mth deaf Dalmatian but my other half isn't sure about adopting a deaf dog. 

Originally we did think if getting a puppy but I'm so worried about it picking up her habits. 

Our holiday guest retriever goes home on Friday and she's going to be lost without him.? 


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

Amurphy26 said:


> Thanks for that advice. I spoke to a rescue about fostering but because of her reactive behaviour they weren't happy so it didn't happen. I've also been in touch with a rescue over the last week to see if they would consider us adopting but they're not happy either. I can understand why so although disappointed I'm not annoyed with them.
> I'm now thinking of adopting a very well socialised and well behaved 6 mth deaf Dalmatian but my other half isn't sure about adopting a deaf dog.
> 
> Originally we did think if getting a puppy but I'm so worried about it picking up her habits.
> ...


That's happened to me. I think if your dog is not vicious, just reactive / shy, you should explain it that way - that your dog just takes a bit longer time to adjust but once adjusted he'll be ok and during the adjustment phase he'll be leashed or closely monitored. You can mention also how you've already done this once with the golden successfully. 

The way I presented it was to say my dog is fearful of pushy dogs so the type I prefer to foster are the ones that are more respectful around dogs yet still playful. Once you fostered one and they see it being successful, the other rescues will start to open to you and soon you'll have rescues knocking down your door. 

I was fortunate to find a local GSD rescue that understood this kind of behavior in GSDs and gave me a "starter" foster - a fantastic 6 months old GSD puppy - to test it out. It took my dog 3 days to adjust. The adult foster after that one took 4 hours, than it was down to minutes for all the dogs after that. She got to the point where she thought the main purpose of the fosters are there to play with her and got a bit disappointed when some fosters didn't want to be best friend immediately (kept bouncing around them and play bowing till they give in).


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## Amurphy26 (Jul 22, 2012)

Bear L said:


> That's happened to me. I think if your dog is not vicious, just reactive / shy, you should explain it that way - that your dog just takes a bit longer time to adjust but once adjusted he'll be ok and during the adjustment phase he'll be leashed or closely monitored. You can mention also how you've already done this once with the golden successfully.
> 
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> ...



I really like the idea of fostering. I might get in touch with one of the rescues and see if they would consider us again given the success of the retriever. Our house is set up now with an outdoor kennel and run so if things really weren't working out there's a safe space to separate them. 



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## Keeno Beano (Jul 19, 2014)

*Reactive dog's new friend*

I have a golden retriever and a german shepherd also. Goldens do not drool or slobber and by no means are they couch potatoes. The two get along great. They often wash eachother's ears. The golden can handle the shepherds energy. The only difference is the golden is always returning with stuff for me and the shepherd has to be told to drop his ball. Lol


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Amurphy26 said:


> Thanks for that advice. I spoke to a rescue about fostering but because of her reactive behaviour they weren't happy so it didn't happen. I've also been in touch with a rescue over the last week to see if they would consider us adopting but they're not happy either. I can understand why so although disappointed I'm not annoyed with them.
> I'm now thinking of adopting a very well socialised and well behaved 6 mth deaf Dalmatian but my other half isn't sure about adopting a deaf dog.
> 
> Originally we did think if getting a puppy but I'm so worried about it picking up her habits.
> ...


A deaf dog isn't a bad thing. Dalmatians can be of higher energy and are athletic muscular dogs.


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## Colie CVT (Nov 10, 2013)

We had a deaf foster. He didn't make things really easy. We had a lot of trouble getting him into a house, he wanted to have something - be it dog or human - around at all times to let him know if things were okay. He sadly got rougher and rougher with the dogs that we lived with. He couldn't hear when they said, hey that's enough. But every dog is different. 

Just wanted to chime in with not all goldens are couch potatoes or unable to do long hikes. Mine can go all day, hikes for miles, swims for hours. He is ready to go back out again when we get home. Upside is that he can chill when we want him to lol. My golden and my shepherd puppy are best of friends.


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## Amurphy26 (Jul 22, 2012)

I'm gutted but I think the deaf Dalmatian has found a home. It sucks because I thought she would be a really good fit. I'm hoping to do therapy work with the new dog and the pup was really social and well behaved but it obviously just wasn't meant to be. 

This golden has really ruined my husbands view of the breed. He's just such a big heavily built dog. He's not fat at all. He definitely wouldn't be capable of a long walk but my husband has said he's willing to go see some other golden retrievers to compare them.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Here is my year old golden after swimming for hours..he weighs 65 pounds and is very athletic


http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=228978&stc=1&d=1406473430


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## Amurphy26 (Jul 22, 2012)

llombardo said:


> Here is my year old golden after swimming for hours..he weighs 65 pounds and is very athletic
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> 
> 
> ...



Just showed the picture to my other half who thinks your dog looks really nice. Maybe there's hope yet.



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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Amurphy26 said:


> Just showed the picture to my other half who thinks your dog looks really nice. Maybe there's hope yet.
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Just like any breed, research breeders and let them know what your looking for. Goldens love to please and they can do just about anything. I'm looking into dock diving for my younger one. My older one did really well with Rally.


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## Amurphy26 (Jul 22, 2012)

Hubby is of to see a 6mth Border Collie tonight with our social older dog. We've experience of the breed which is making me think I stop researching others and stick to what I know. The retriever goes home on Friday and our GSD is going to be lost without him. 









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