# GSD Problems.



## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Hello! I have a GSD that I hold very close to my heart. He turns 1 in November, and his name is Sherlock. I was promised this dog after we moved and I my parents had asked me to give up my other dogs because it would be a few more moves until we could have a house with multiple dogs. So we kept our yorkie, Romeo, who is turning 5 this year. In order to understand my situation, I'll tell you everything.
We purchased Sherlock off of craigslist from a woman when he was five weeks old on Christmas. That same night he came down very ill, and turns out, he was sold to us with parvo. We hospitalized him and he pulled through enough to come home ( it was too expensive for him to stay there more than a week. Spent some $2000 dollars on him when we first got him. ) We also got a female Spanish water dog mix who was 1 year old that I picked out for my little sister. She had come off of Craigslist too, and was covered in ticks and fleas. She also had worms and needed to be spayed, as Romeo was going crazy over her. Turns out, Romeo and Lily both came down with parvo, too, but we were in a tough situation with money and had to treat them on our own by keeping them hydrated and giving them baby food with a syringe. We also syringed anti nausea medicine to them. 
After that, we moved from my aunts 1 bedroom apartment into our new, lovely house. The dogs were allowed inside at first, but had accidents frequently and spanking was used to reprimand them all. ( Which is bad, I've heard, but they don't respond to no sometimes, and that's coming from anyone in my family. ) We ended up making them into outside dogs after Sherlock started shedding this summer. I've taught each of the dogs sit, shake, and lie down, and I'm working with Sherlock on a leash. Romeo stays on a dog run by the porch so he doesn't run off, and Lily ( and Sherlock ) are both good off leash. Lily is very obedient. She loves to please, and you can tell she's been hit a little too hard by her previous owners, and she's the only one who responds very well to the word no. ( I know she isn't a GSD, but I have a training question. She's very submissive and when I was training her, she though rolling on her back and exposing her belly meant lie down. Now she does it every time I ask her to lie down. Is there any way to correct this? )
Now, we used to spoil the dogs and give them treats and lots of love for no reason. My mom and sister and I have used baby talk before, too, but after research a few days ago, I've come to a conclusion to completely stop doing these things.
Here's where the problems come in. Sherlock has been very disobedient, even on purpose. One of the many, many situations is that he'll do something even after all of my family members has told him no. But things have been getting worse. When younger, he's growled at me a few times before, especially when in trouble. Sometimes Sherock gets into nasty fights with my other dogs ( most of the time they're all best buds! ) and when I try to pull him away, he turns and growls at me or snaps at me. The other week he got into so badly with Romeo that Lily joined in and Romeo got scratches on his neck and tummy. They healed two or three days later, but I had never heard Romeo scream for his life before, and that's why I stepped in, but Sherlock snapped at me and snarled. 
We've had several situations like that, but a few times when he's growled at me, Lily tries to fight him. Is there any way to stop them all from fighting, and the growling too?
We also had 14 chickens. Over time, Sherlock has killed them down to 2. We only have 1 Roo and 1 hen, and last Friday, Sherlock killed our second to last hen the second we let him out after eating. On Tuesday he killed our remaining 3 males and attacked our last Roo, who is in a state of depression after loosing most of his flock and in fear from being attacked. My little sister came outside that morning and went to spank Sherlock and he growled at her. It was morning and I was getting ready for school, and it was quiet in the house so I went to see what she was doing, and I couldn't find her in the house. Right when I go for the front door she comes in crying and holding a feather to me, telling me Sherlock killed my birds. ( He broke through the fence and got inside of the coop. ) Wheni went outside, he growled at me once. Lily noticed his growling at me and jumped to defend me, getting in a fast by nasty fight. I take Sherock by the collar and march him over to the first bird I see, and when I go to tel him no ( I didn't even move to spank him ) he snarled at me. I decided to tell him no very loudly and then check on the bird in my coop, who were scared to death. ( the birds didn't eat for three days after the incident and still don't come outside into their grassy area )
I close my birds up and let them stay inside all day, and then I grab Sherlock by the collar and take him inside. He growled at me as I put him in his "box." ( a command they know, if you say box they climb into theirs ). Lily and Romeo come inside too. 
The same day, my dad puts up a dog run for Sherlock, so he can no longer run around on 5 acres freely with a mind of his own. We tied one of the dead birds around his neck, as we've heard it works to get them to stop killing the birds, but he chewed the bird off within a few hours. He also growled at us when approaching. Now we keep him on the run and take him off only to leash him. We're working on obedience but his constantly disobeys. I asked him to sit a few times yesterday when walking him around and trying to get him to learn heel, but he only sat and listened to me 2 or 3 times. Then he wouldn't do it period.
What can I do to fix all of this behavior? My family is afraid of having a dog we can't trust, easpecially since he's been growling and disobeying. My sister is only 10, and she's tiny and too sweet to be around a potentially aggressive dog.


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## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

You have a very serious situation and need professional help to keep things from getting worse. Is it possible to consult with a dog trainer who can actually meet Sherlock?

My fear is the dog is going to seriously hurt someone in your family. Without help from a dog trainer, I can see this dog being put down. Unfortunately, your family has made some serious mistakes raising him and, getting him off of Craig's list, he may genetically have a poor temperament.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

There are so many things wrong with this situation. My advice is to contact a GSD rescue to either take him or help you rehome him.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Find a trainer immediately with experience working with Gsds.It's not possible to learn what you need to know over the internet.The dogs need to be shown what you want them to do.They have no idea what behavior you expect from them.
Look at it from the dog's perspective.....people are yelling at you in a language you don't understand ,and hitting you when you don't follow directions that you can't understand.You would feel frustrated,angry,and afraid.
Please find a trainer ASAP!


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

what a disaster - everything about it .
Does the dog need to scavenge for food?

agree "There are so many things wrong with this situation. My advice is to contact a GSD rescue to either take him or help you rehome him."

rehome all the dogs .


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## MishkasMom (Aug 20, 2015)

Jax08 said:


> There are so many things wrong with this situation. My advice is to contact a GSD rescue to either take him or help you rehome him.


 Agree


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

I really don't want to give up on him or any of my dogs. They're such sweethearts, and my entire family loves all of them. On another view, I don't want to rehome Sherlock if he's a threat to someone else. 
Sherlock has never needed to scavenge for food - we feed him every night, and he used to get extra treats all the time, but after the attack on my birds, we've put him on the dog run and have only rewarded him with praise when he does something good. Otherwise, he doesn't get positive attention. We're thinking about trying the NILIF training, but all this regiment talk has me worried.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Also, when he kills the birds, he doesn't eat them. He's even killed them right after we had let him out after eating.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

dogma13 said:


> Find a trainer immediately with experience working with Gsds.It's not possible to learn what you need to know over the internet.The dogs need to be shown what you want them to do.They have no idea what behavior you expect from them.
> Look at it from the dog's perspective.....people are yelling at you in a language you don't understand ,and hitting you when you don't follow directions that you can't understand.You would feel frustrated,angry,and afraid.
> Please find a trainer ASAP!


Are you willing to get a trainer to come evaluate the dog and your situation?Where are you located in Oklahoma? If you want some names of trainers in Oklahoma that have experience with GSDs, then it would be helpful to know where you are in the state. Like the others have said, you all have pretty much done everything wrong with this puppy. In the meantime, stop hitting and yelling at him. You are making it worse. 

Killing chickens has nothing to do with him being hungry and wanting to eat them. It's prey drive. They move, he chases and kills.


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Rehome Sherlock for sure before something extremely bad happens...(use your imagination here)!!


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

We live in the country outside of Tulsa. I can talk to my dad about getting a trainer to come evaluate him. We have stopped yelling and hitting him - we realized that it wasn't the right way to train a dog.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I would suggest calling Susanne Shelton of Austerlitz GSDs. She is in the Tulsa area. Here's a link to her bio: Austerlitz German Shepherds: Meet the Breeder. 

Seriously, get in contact with her! Good luck and let us know how it goes.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Thank you for linking me to her! I'll talk to my dad about contacting her ASAP. I'll post and update on how things go.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

bearfaith said:


> I really don't want to give up on him or any of my dogs. They're such sweethearts, and my entire family loves all of them. On another view, I don't want to rehome Sherlock if he's a threat to someone else.


Does this mean that either he gets the training he needs from a professional or he gets a bullet in his head?


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Good! She's also on Facebook if you want to contact her that way. Austerlitz German Shepherds on FB


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Excellent Diane  There is no substitute for a hands on trainer.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Moriah said:


> You have a very serious situation and need professional help to keep things from getting worse. Is it possible to consult with a dog trainer who can actually meet Sherlock?
> 
> My fear is the dog is going to seriously hurt someone in your family. Without help from a dog trainer, I can see this dog being put down. Unfortunately, your family has made some serious mistakes raising him and, getting him off of Craig's list, he may genetically have a poor temperament.





Stonevintage said:


> Does this mean that either he gets the training he needs from a professional or he gets a bullet in his head?


We would put him down if he was a threat to any other family. I wouldn't rehome an aggressive dog, in the case that someone might make the same mistakes as us. Another thing with rehoming is that Sherlock could end up in a cycle of being rehomed again and again and again .. I don't want that for him or any other family if he turns out to be aggressive. If a trainer can't help him, we may have to put him down. I wouldn't want him to go into a bad cycle or hurting anyone's family.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

I will definitively contact a trainer. Thank you all very much for helping me!


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Good luck, and please let us know how it goes.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

bearfaith said:


> We would put him down if he was a threat to any other family. I wouldn't rehome an aggressive dog, in the case that someone might make the same mistakes as us. Another thing with rejoining is that Sherlock could end up in a cycle of being rehomed again and again and again .. I don't want that for him or any other family if he turns out to be aggressive. If a trainer can't help him, we may have to put him down. I wouldn't want him to go into a bad cycle or hurting anyone's family.


This is what I was afraid of. IMO - some problems have been allowed to develop here. When the first chicken was killed there should have been seperation so it couldn't happen again and again. Training given has been poor and is probably responsible for the growling. These problems were not taken care of. That is your responsibility. The dog may now die?

I don't think that you are qualified to make that decision. This dog, at the very least, if you cannot provide the training he needs - deserves to have you take the time to place him in a home that has well qualified owners with no children or livestock who know exactly what they are getting. 

They are out there and not hard to find. Please don't take it into your hands to be judge, jury and executioner with this pup if you decide that he is too much for you to handle. Find him a home - you can do it.


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## BauerWhite (Mar 18, 2015)

bearfaith said:


> I really don't want to give up on him or any of my dogs. They're such sweethearts, and my entire family loves all of them. On another view, I don't want to rehome Sherlock if he's a threat to someone else.
> *Sherlock has never needed to scavenge for food - we feed him every night*, and he used to get extra treats all the time, but after the attack on my birds, we've put him on the dog run and have only rewarded him with praise when he does something good. Otherwise, he doesn't get positive attention. We're thinking about trying the NILIF training, but all this regiment talk has me worried.


Are you feeding him once per day? And how much are you feeding him? What kind of food?

You people have made so many basic mistakes that I think it's very questionable whether you are all responsible enough to raise this dog properly. And the fact that the dog is from craiglist from an obviously bad breeder makes the situation far more difficult.


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## BauerWhite (Mar 18, 2015)

Though the fact that you're on these forums is a good first step.

You sound like you're in high school? 

This sounds like it's all your parents fault. You've done the right thing by asking for help.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

WOW ...to many dogs and to much "Old World" thinking!

When the first chicken was killed ... a proper solution would have been a trainer skilled in 
the proper use of an E-Collar!

The solution to the housebreaking problem was "not" throw the dogs outside ...it was through the use of "proper" Crate training!

Feed the dogs in the Crate to start, Crate training would look like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jWzHPEIY3U&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop&ab_channel=SolidK9Training

It looks like you have a line on a good trainer, please enlist their help here if not seriously consider rehoming the dog before he bites someone!!!

In order to keep that from happening in the meantime, use a "Drag Leash" on the dog a short leash with no handle to get caught up on furniture! No one should be grabbing on this dog with there hands! And yeah no more hitting but "you" seem to get that, 

Teach the Dog the "Down/Stay" you can do that, it's better for control, looks like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaVvwbT7iYw&ab_channel=SolidK9Training

And review these links and threads lots of info here:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...90569-aggression-towards-freindly-dogs-2.html

You'll gain a better understanding of what you're dealing with but ...at this point you will need eyes on from a skilled trainer and the proper use of necessary "tools!"

Good for you for "stepping up" sorry it's gotten this bad! It can be fixed but yes at this point ... you're going to need help!

Welcome aboard and sorry for the bumpy ride but ...rest assured you not alone!


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## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

It sounds like you are trying to be responsible. Please stay on the forum and read everything you can find (or search) on raising and feeding puppies and training and taking care of dogs. You are a young person who might get dogs in the future and you would want to be more educated about dog ownership--for the sake of any dog under your care.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

BauerWhite said:


> Are you feeding him once per day? And how much are you feeding him? What kind of food?
> 
> You people have made so many basic mistakes that I think it's very questionable whether you are all responsible enough to raise this dog properly. And the fact that the dog is from craiglist from an obviously bad breeder makes the situation far more difficult.


We feed him 2 cups of food each day around 5 after I get home from school. ( I'm a senior in high school. ) I have been working with him and we contacted the veterinarian and were told the growling is because we were getting between him and his kill - the chicken.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

BauerWhite said:


> Though the fact that you're on these forums is a good first step.
> 
> You sound like you're in high school?
> 
> This sounds like it's all your parents fault. You've done the right thing by asking for help.


My dad doesn't spank the dogs, but I've been telling my mom it isn't the right way to reprimand them after I researched and found that it traumatizes dogs! I am a senior in high school. I would like to actually be taught how to correctly train and have a dog in your life - I love animals so much, and dogs are my favorite. That's why I don't want to give up on Sherlock! It's very difficult to keep him trained and worked because I have school, but I'm getting a schedule fixed now. I'm going to wake him every day after school and spend a while on obedience training. Only say no when he's doing something wrong and using the positive behavior enforcement training. I'm also not going to let Sherlock run free on our 5 acres unsupervised anymore. He was allowed to do so all summer and that's when the chickens began dying and he began being disobedient.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Chip18 said:


> WOW ...to many dogs and to much "Old World" thinking!
> 
> When the first chicken was killed ... a proper solution would have been a trainer skilled in
> the proper use of an E-Collar!
> ...


Thank you for linking all of these to me! I'm going to be working with Sherlock the most but also with my other two older dogs.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

2 cups? for a growing German Shepherd??? That's it?

And your veterinarian is not a trainer. They should stick the medical and should not be giving advice for behavioral training.

And please do not use an e-collar when your dog is growling at you!!! You do NOT use them in cases where there is aggression!


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Moriah said:


> It sounds like you are trying to be responsible. Please stay on the forum and read everything you can find (or search) on raising and feeding puppies and training and taking care of dogs. You are a young person who might get dogs in the future and you would want to be more educated about dog ownership--for the sake of any dog under your care.


Thank you for the advice! I'm definitively going to do that. I plan on always having dogs in my life but I want to make sure I'm raising them correctly.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

bearfaith said:


> My dad doesn't spank the dogs, but I've been telling my mom it isn't the right way to reprimand them after I researched and found that it traumatizes dogs! I am a senior in high school. I would like to actually be taught how to correctly train and have a dog in your life - I love animals so much, and dogs are my favorite. That's why I don't want to give up on Sherlock! It's very difficult to keep him trained and worked because I have school, but I'm getting a schedule fixed now. I'm going to wake him every day after school and spend a while on obedience training. Only say no when he's doing something wrong and using the positive behavior enforcement training. I'm also not going to let Sherlock run free on our 5 acres unsupervised anymore. He was allowed to do so all summer and that's when the chickens began dying and he began being disobedient.


Before you work on "obedience" you need to work on bonding and engagement. This dog does not trust you. With good reason.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Jax08 said:


> 2 cups? for a growing German Shepherd??? That's it?
> 
> And your veterinarian is not a trainer. They should stick the medical and should not be giving advice for behavioral training.
> 
> And please do not use an e-collar when your dog is growling at you!!! You do NOT use them in cases where there is aggression!


He's 45 pounds and the bag says to feed him 2 cups. Should I feed him more? He doesn't look - or feel - under or overweight. 

I'll definitely contact a trainer about it then. Thank you! And i didn't know that! We don't have an e-collar, and I'm not very fond of them but if we get one I'm glad I know that!


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

I've had him since he was 5 weeks old .. I'm sure he does at least trust me and that were bonded. He gives me kisses and I love on him back, he just growls when in trouble or when he's got a chicken or bone.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

bearfaith said:


> I've had him since he was 5 weeks old .. I'm sure he does at least trust me and that were bonded. He gives me kisses and I love on him back, he just growls when in trouble or when he's got a chicken or bone.


Quickly, on this. Just because you have had him since 5 weeks old and he gives you kisses, does not mean you have strong bond or that he trusts you. The growling/blatant disregard for you is a clear indicator of the distrust and he is warning you to back off with his growling. 

As for the chickens, that is not his fault. Your family had many opportunities to either train or remove the chickens from his reach (so to speak). That is instinct and he will do what dogs do. 

In other things. I can appreciate you reaching out to do the right things. Many have provided great advice and training suggestions for you. 

Personally, I would almost start at square one with your dogs. Bring them back inside, crating/rotating, potty training, individually bonding and positive training experiences. No more spanking, clearly this is not been working for your family. There needs to be way better management of these dogs or you will have more and more issues.. to include, possibly more than just dead chickens. 

Get a trainer to evaluate your dogs and help you train/manage them. If it is decided that your GSD is too much dog for your family, you should rehome them to a reputable rescue. They will not home him with just anyone and will do extensive placement with all their dogs.. they won't just give him to anyone. Quite often they also require, per contract, the dog be returned to them if the owner can no longer take care of the dog.


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## BauerWhite (Mar 18, 2015)

bearfaith said:


> He's 45 pounds and the bag says to feed him 2 cups. Should I feed him more? He doesn't look - or feel - under or overweight.
> 
> I'll definitely contact a trainer about it then. Thank you! And i didn't know that! We don't have an e-collar, and I'm not very fond of them but if we get one I'm glad I know that!


2 cups doesn't sound like much food. what type of food is it? 

And the dog is 1 year old and only weighs 45 pounds? Is it a pure bread german sheperd or is it a mix? My male GSD puppy weighs that much and he's only 4 months old. We feed him about 3.5 cups per day (spread out over 3 times per day... 7am, 1pm, and 7pm)... so a bit over 1 cup per meal. 

Maybe post a picture of your dog? 

You should also feed him two or three times per day rather than just once per day.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

BauerWhite said:


> You should also feed him two or three times per day rather than just once per day.


Once per day is perfectly fine as long as the dog is being fed the right amount per day. The amount of times a dogs gets fed a day is purely based on preference of the owner, and some cases the dog itself if it won't finish a whole meal in one sitting, etc.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

There is a problem here. This is opening the door to lots of great information to better take care of the dog - however, unless the mother or whoever takes care of the dog most of the day while she is in school ( or doing homework, regular teen activities etc) is onboard and has the same ideas with training - what chance does this have to work?

I would love to see one of the adults in the household participate with their daughter to give this an honest try. What is the chance of having that happen I wonder?


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

bearfaith said:


> He's 45 pounds and the bag says to feed him 2 cups. Should I feed him more? He doesn't look - or feel - under or overweight.


Two cups *twice* a day should be fine!




bearfaith said:


> I'll definitely contact a trainer about it then. Thank you! And i didn't know that! We don't have an e-collar, and I'm not very fond of them but if we get one I'm glad I know that!


 I recommended the "proper" use of an E-collar for the chickens! I made *"Zero"* mention of the growling and an E-collar??

My advise for that was a "Drag Leash!" So you don't have to put "hands on the dog!" 

The only trainer that I am aware of that could do otherwise is "Baillif" and says he can train people in doing that if they chose to do so. 

More than likely the "chicken problem" will be solved with the* "Proper use of an E-collar" 
*

It's a protocol called Crittering:
Game Chasing (Crittering)

If your training can stop that from happening without the use of an E-Collar in short order, I'd be impressed! 

The only one that "I" am aware of that had a "game chasing problem" that was solved without the use of an E-collar is well ...."me!"

I taught my Boxer to chase rabbits to the North Mountains and not South towards the Hwy, off leash and in the desert with the use of the command "NO!"

I seriously doubt that most people struggling with a dog with behavioural issues can do that??

But hey I'm not a "Pro" so what do I know??


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

-The OP's situation is a total mess. 

Too many untrained dogs being blamed for being untrained.

Humans involved appear clueless.

Find the dogs a new home and do not own any more pets.

Frankly, this is so overboard it is hard to believe it is a real situation.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

wyoung2153 said:


> Quickly, on this. Just because you have had him since 5 weeks old and he gives you kisses, does not mean you have strong bond or that he trusts you. The growling/blatant disregard for you is a clear indicator of the distrust and he is warning you to back off with his growling.
> 
> As for the chickens, that is not his fault. Your family had many opportunities to either train or remove the chickens from his reach (so to speak). That is instinct and he will do what dogs do.
> 
> ...


I've been starting at square one with all of them since the chicken incident on Tuesday. I'll try to reply to everything in this reply. So, Sherlock now has a dog run and isn't allowed to run free on our five acres unsupervised anymore. I've been using leash training a lot more frequently as well, and I've been asking him to do a command each time he wants something. I've also been taking him on walks. My other two dogs are house trained and crate trained ( so is Sherlock ). Today I used to leash the most and kept him by my side for a few hours and asked him to perform tasks for me, and he's been listening and much more obedient.

I think if I fed him twice a day it might be too much! I'm a little worried of that because his body looks perfect as far as the weight appearance goes. Pictures will be attached to this post. If you still think I should feed him two cups twice a day, please tell me after you've seen the pictures! I just took them because he is on he dog run.

As for if he is pre bred or not, I'm not sure. The woman never gave us papers for his shots or for his registration, but we think it's be ause she knew all the pups had parvo. The ads in the area on Craigslist warned about a lady selling parvo infected puppies in the area came around after we purchased Sherlock. She said the mother was a white GSD and gave a color of the father, but I honestly don't remember. 

I've spoken with my family and talked about the importance of us all being consistent with all of the dogs training and no more spanking. I also mentioned a trainer.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Alright, I couldn't upload the images from my phone to the site, so I uploaded them into my stash on my art website. Pictures of Sherlock here: Sta.sh Uploads 324 - BEARFAITH's Sta.sh
I just went outside and took these, he's currently out on the dog run playing in his water. When I went out he was excited to see me and listened to me and immediately did as I asked him to ( which was to sit  ) 
I'm almost entirely sure that I can train him and work with him and that with time I can fix the mistakes my family and I have made. In just these few days he's been doing a lot better with minding. I love him so much.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

BauerWhite said:


> 2 cups doesn't sound like much food. what type of food is it?
> 
> And the dog is 1 year old and only weighs 45 pounds? Is it a pure bread german sheperd or is it a mix? ......
> 
> ...


Ummmm...exactly


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

I was told he was pure bred by the woman I bought him from, but now that you guys are saying his weight is off I'm not so sure  Either way, I love my boy very much and want to train him correctly.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Stonevintage said:


> There is a problem here. This is opening the door to lots of great information to better take care of the dog - however, unless the mother or whoever takes care of the dog most of the day while she is in school ( or doing homework, regular teen activities etc) is onboard and has the same ideas with training - what chance does this have to work?
> 
> I would love to see one of the adults in the household participate with their daughter to give this an honest try. What is the chance of having that happen I wonder?


My dad has been actively participating as well, and has never spanked Sherlock. He's done research for training as well, and I've spoken with my mother and little sister about the importance of everyone being on board and helping


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

bearfaith said:


> My dad has been actively participating as well, and has never spanked Sherlock. He's done research for training as well, and I've spoken with my mother and little sister about the importance of everyone being on board and helping


This is great. Sometimes when you are older it's hard to find activities to participate in with your Parents. This would be a great one. Once you get some good basic commands down with your GSD, maybe you guys can train together, each with a dog on a lead - you have enough to each have 1 - your own personal dog training school

If you are really into animals as you say, this could be an opportunity. If you can pull this off - it could lead to some interesting things down the road. It isn't easy and takes schedule and consistancy but it can be done. Wouldn't it be great to be able to look back a few months from now and see amazing progress?

This is very serious though and I hope you don't get distracted and get lax - even a few days without the training time can give them a setback until the training is well established.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

First of all yes you need a trainer, but good for you for recognizing that. It does sound like you love your dogs and you are smart enough to know that what you have been doing is not working. 
Against my better judgement I looked at the pictures, I don't normally touch links from people I don't know. He is a beautiful dog, and yes he looks a good weight. Something about his face and his build looks off, but there is Shepherd there. My first thought was Malinois, but I don't know that might have just been his color. His eyes just don't look Shepherd, and his back end looks different. Looking at his pictures, I kept thinking cattledog.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. He is a dog that needs help to become your best buddy again and that is what you need to focus on.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

bearfaith said:


> Alright, I couldn't upload the images from my phone to the site, so I uploaded them into my stash on my art website. Pictures of Sherlock here: Sta.sh Uploads 324 - BEARFAITH's Sta.sh
> I just went outside and took these, he's currently out on the dog run playing in his water. When I went out he was excited to see me and listened to me and immediately did as I asked him to ( which was to sit  )
> I'm almost entirely sure that I can train him and work with him and that with time I can fix the mistakes my family and I have made. In just these few days he's been doing a lot better with minding. I love him so much.


Uh wow??? Not an expert by any means but that sure strikes me as perhaps a GSD/Malinois cross???

Not uncommon if that is the case but it "definitely" means ..."up your game!"


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Looks like a Belgian Malinois mix. Im glad you see improvements but you can not do this alone. There is no more room for mistakes. You do need a trainer and your family needs to work together. I was the one who took care of my dogs since I was in 5th grade. I walked, bathed, groomed, fed them and exercised them. It is what I enjoyed. I did not have your challenges but with a trainer to guide you -you will learn so much,


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Wow! He looks more Malnois than he does GSD! Either way, I still love him to death, and my family and I will be working on training him every day.  I'll post an update in about a week on how things are going!


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

bearfaith said:


> Wow! He looks more Malnois than he does GSD! Either way, I still love him to death, and my family and I will be working on training him every day.  I'll post an update in about a week on how things are going!


Buried in my post of links and threads you will find "Sit on the Dog" and "The Place Command" you need to do these!

If you can't find them let me know. And yes he looks like a Mal not a good choice for a newbie! 

But no matter, the two methods listed above are a large part of what you need!

And yes a pure breed just not the one you thought! Your "still" in the right place however!


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

He is stunning! I have always been a fan of that color, though I to agree he looks like a GSD/Mal as well (but we've established I am terrible at this game so don't take my word for that)

He looks like a good weight so I wouldn't change how you are feeding him. 

I am very happy that you have talked with your parents and as Stonevintage said, this could be a great thing for you and your parents to do together. Take some of the training links shared here, along with some others you find when reading this site and get to work!  Please, too, keep us posted on your progress with them.. it will be trying at times and may take a little while to fix everything but I believe you guys have the right attitude now.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

that dog is not a GSD and I don't think it is a malinois cross either -- the head is untypically heavy with a central line, cleft, between the eyes that you don't typically see on either of these breeds .
Did you see the parents, or at least the dam?

Does anyone see that in not one picture does the dog connect through eye contact with the person taking the picture ? There is a brooding tension in all of them , a long 30 yard stare , evident in all , especially in picture 6.

I don't know what a trainer can do . You can't change the spots on a leopard , you can just manage the leopard better , I guess. This isn't going to be a normal pet dog . Nothing in this situation indicates that this will be the outcome. Best result is to minimize potential hazzard. 

This dog never had a fair shake. Who knows what the scramble of genetics gave him. 
In my opinion an irresponsible breeder . 
The rest of the story is a train wreck. 
They sold you a dog at 5 weeks of age , bought on a whim from a craigslist , at Christmas. 
Pup in one arm outstretched to pass pup to new owner , other arm outstretched to grab the money. Christmas bills to pay , don't you know.
The breeder should have spent more , or some, time with you to see if you are a good home or not .
By your own admission you had a "quantity" of dogs (quote "my parents had asked me to give up my other dogs because it would be a few more moves until we could have a house with multiple dogs. So we kept our yorkie, Romeo, who is turning 5 this year. ") which were rehomed to accommodate a few relocations as far as housing. 

The breeder should have kept the dog , even if only for legal purposes till the pup was at least 8 weeks of age.

To compound things "We also got a female Spanish water dog mix who was 1 year old that I picked out for my little sister. She had come off of Craigslist too, and was covered in ticks and fleas. She also had worms and needed to be spayed," A ten year old child doesn't need her personal dog , especially this . 
What about the 5 year old Yorkie?

Then the vet let the pup down because he should have taken action to shut the place down , because of the condition of the dog , and the age at which he was sold to you.

A horde of parvo sick dogs in " my aunts 1 bedroom apartment " , then banished to outdoors, then getting into nasty fights "Sherock gets into nasty fights with my other dogs" one of them being a Yorkie , and then the water-dog mix gangs up in a two on one on the Yorkie. "We've had several situations like that" The Yorkie screaming for his life.

the drama keeps on going on and on . The chicken predation is going to be the light part .

You said you gave treats and baby talked and the dog kissed you and he is your sweetie -- BUT in all the pictures you gave there is not one where the dog is even looking at you !! 

There is no connection. 
If you are going to have effective training you have to have a connection , trust , and safety with the dog -- mutual safety .

Can it be done ? Can you do it ? I don't know , such a tall order -- doubt it . Not you alone , without support of your family.
Protect that younger sister .


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

Image - BEARFAITH's Sta.sh

 

If I were to guestimate a breeding background I would say Sherlock is a pittie mix of some sort , as is this dog that I chose to show the line between the eyes .


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

I'm the pictures I took, grandmother and grandfather were leaving and getting into their car. I think that's why he wasn't looking at me.

However as far as the pit part comes in, I've had a few thoughts on that before. His head had the look of pits - my grandpa has always had a a pit and I've always thought they're beautiful. At certain angles he does look like he has some pit him him .. 

Either way, I want to train him and do what's right for him. It's only fair to him.


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## bearfaith (Oct 10, 2015)

Is it possible that he may be a cross between all three?


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

bearfaith said:


> Is it possible that he may be a cross between all three?


 It is definitely possible to have more than two breeds in a mix.. especially in a rescue


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