# Advice for new foster



## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

So today I brought home Max the (fat) yellow lab. He's very sweet and very affectionate, but wildly out of control. He's got a serious jumping problem. Does anyone have any tips on how to get him acclimated, how to get him to calm down, and the best way to work with him to teach him manners (without corrections)? When/how should I introduce him to my very submissive GSD? I want it to be very clear that Echo is above him in the pecking order. 

Thanks!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

The two week shut down would be an excellent place to start, especially in teaching him "pecking order" so to speak.
Are you familiar with it?


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> The two week shut down would be an excellent place to start, especially in teaching him "pecking order" so to speak.
> Are you familiar with it?


I've been doing some reading here! After some time in the yard to potty/stretch his legs/say hello to me, he went back in his crate. He's been sleeping in there, totally quiet. Echo won't go in that room currently, but I figure with some time he might be ok. He's usually totally fine with other dogs in the house (when we dog sit or have visitors), but he seems a little freaked out... I think that Max is a little overwhelming. Echo's VERY sensitive, so I want it to be 100% clear to Max that Echo is "above him" so to speak. Max marked everywhere in the yard, so I don't know if perhaps that's freaking Echo out. He even tried to pee on my husband... yikes. Any time out of the crate is going to be totally structured and supervised... I don't think he'll jump the fence if we're with him (he's very clingy), but he also jumps to a point that it's dangerous. I think for the next couple of days, my plan is to keep him crated 100% of the time except to potty and 10-15 minutes of supervised time in the house and yard. What's the best way to introduce them? Max on leash?


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

On leash, off property.
No nose-to-nose at all at this point. 

But walk separately for now. That lab sounds like a basket of issues. You also don't want him too clingy right now. Ignore attempts to "cling" to you.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> On leash, off property.
> No nose-to-nose at all at this point.
> 
> But walk separately for now. That lab sounds like a basket of issues. You also don't want him too clingy right now. Ignore attempts to "cling" to you.


 
Ok. By off property, do you mean take them both somewhere else? (Sorry if that's a stupid question). I've been trying to be as aloof as possible- pushing him away if he leans, turning my back if he jumps, crate in the other room, etc. He was sleeping but now he's awake; I sat in there with him and if he was calm I'd pet him, if he started getting worked up I'd walk out of the room and only come back in once he was dead silent. That seems to be working. Echo's totally out of whack... we've had other dogs here, like I've said, but I think he can tell this is "different". I don't plan on taking Max for walks at all for a bit... 100% crate time (aside from potty needs, etc) for a few days, then leash work in the yard. Echo will continue his daily routine with me (we go on a walk/run every morning, followed by nosework in the park and swimming at the beach), so hopefully that will help. 

Another question-- should I feed Max in the crate? Echo's crate trained (though we never crate him anymore), but we never fed him in there.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Leashed yard walks are fine. I used to take Luke across the road and play in an empty field and let him potty over there too. 

Off property if you take them together, but have someone help you and walk one while you walk the other.

I feed fosters in crates, yeah. Makes things easier for everyone, I think.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it!

He seems to be calming down a bit, slowly but surely. He likes the crate once he's in there, but persuading him to go in requires a lot of patience and a lot of cheese. The boys met this morning, Echo seemed to be pretty assertive which I liked and Max didn't seem to try and challenge him at all. First thing he did when I took him out this morning was roll over onto his back. They did run for a minute, sniff, etc... then Echo laid on the porch and Max laid at the bottom step (he's learning "off" pretty quickly). Echo's not too sure what to think... right now he lays in the other room and just stares at the crate.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Sounds like Max has found a great foster home, labs are such loving dogs and they about burst trying to contain it. 

Hope that everything works out for you, and that Echo and Max will be best of friends before you know it. Thanks for giving Max his chance.


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## Billie (Feb 13, 2012)

LoveEcho said:


> So today I brought home Max the (fat) yellow lab. He's very sweet and very affectionate, but wildly out of control. He's got a serious jumping problem. Does anyone have any tips on how to get him acclimated, how to get him to calm down, and the best way to work with him to teach him manners (without corrections)? When/how should I introduce him to my very submissive GSD? I want it to be very clear that Echo is above him in the pecking order.
> 
> Thanks!


 Why would you not want to correct him? How is he going to know right from wrong? May as well set boundaries from the get-go...Introduce dogs with a fence or gate between them,or him on a leash. But you may have to teach him some manners on it first. Good luck doing that without corrections.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

If he's fat and hyper he's not used to getting much exercise. Assuming he's old enough for long walks, he's going to eventually need a lot of exercise to get out all that energy. I prefer my fosters to have toys in the crate to keep them busy and not bored. You don't need more than one piece of cheese or a treat to get him into the crate. Throw it towards the back so he can't reach it unless his entire body is in the crate. Editing because I found this after I posted. It's a very good explanation of the 2 week shutdown. They suggest the dog is tethered TO YOU when he's on the house, on leash at all times. I agree with that, it's what I do with my fosters. http://carebullies.org/forms/Two Week Shutdown.pdf


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Billie said:


> Why would you not want to correct him? How is he going to know right from wrong? May as well set boundaries from the get-go...Introduce dogs with a fence or gate between them,or him on a leash. But you may have to teach him some manners on it first. Good luck doing that without corrections.


I'm willing to bet this dog has been corrected up the ying yang and guess what? He's now been dumped and is in rescue and in a foster because _it didn't work._
Luv - there's many many videos on youtube showing how to work with a dog in a positive manner, using positive reinforcement. 
He could be overweight because he's used to being free-fed. That's amazingly common in dogs we get here in rescue, as well.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Thanks, Msvette. Please go back and read my previous reply, I was editing when you were replying to me. I found a good explanation on 2 week shutdown, so I took out some of what I said.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Whew, I can relate to your story!

I took a long time until they were free together. (Two weeks.)

I'd up the out of crate time, though. Just 10-15 minutes out isn't enough. I have a super long thread on getting my wildchild and resident dog to acclimate. http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...needed-my-dogs-littermate-headed-shelter.html

Again, it's really long, but I ended up getting tons of great advice, so maybe there's something helpful in there for you.

Good luck!!!!!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Oops! I meant LOVE, too. Had Luv and Love confused 

And yes, I'd recommend tethering inside, too, we do that w/our fosters at first


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Hey guys, thanks for the input. Quick update on Max: We've been keeping him out of the crate for longer, 1/2 hour every 2-3 hours. He's MUCH better with the jumping, once he's out of site of the crate. I don't force him in, but he does need to be lured with cheese. He has a kong in there that he enjoys. When he's in the house he's on a leash, and when he's outside it's about 50/50 on leash and off (fenced in yard...he seems to be shy about going to the bathroom on leash). He was definitely free fed, but seems to get the idea now that when I feed him is when he eats. I still haven't really let he and Echo spend too much time together. Chelle--thanks for the thread, that's definitely helpful! Echo's definitely been thrown a bit out of whack, so there is definitely some good advice. Anyways, they already have several applications for him, and I'm confident that he'll be an awesome boy with some manners. We had him outside with us yesterday while relaxing on the porch and he was perfectly content to lay next to us and be pet for a while.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

The boys relaxing


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

LoveEcho said:


> The boys relaxing


So cute!!!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

That's great news. I love fostering Labs. I doubt I'll ever own one, but I love the breed


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## CelticGlory (Jan 19, 2006)

LoveEcho, do you know what type of lab he is? (Show/Bench, Field, or a mix of the two?). I love labs as well and I'm a member of two lab forums, I still want to own one but, I will wait for that day to come.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

If I had to guess I'd say "American" not the "English" lines...or "field". Especially from the sounds of his behavior.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> If I had to guess I'd say "American" not the "English" lines...or "field". Especially from the sounds of his behavior.


I'd have to agree. My brother's got two English lines and they look like different breeds... they behave the same, but that's a product of a total lack of training from my brother  

He's a total basket case, and a little overwhelming at times (he just about outweighs me so dealing with him when I'm home alone can be a little tough) but he's SUCH a sweetheart. I've made it clear to the rescue that he should NOT be in a home with young children; he displays NO aggressive behavior but he's so wildly out of control sometimes...if he can cause as much damage as he has to me from flailing with excitement, I hate to think about a 3-4 year old around him before someone's really had a chance to work with him. It's going to take a lot of time, but he'll get there. He's much better out of the crate with the jumping, though getting him out of the crate turns into an epic battle of exploding wild dog. Echo's starting to acclimate and be a little less discombobulated, so yay for that!


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