# I'm having a hard time with this 10month old German Shepherd



## wkincaid91 (May 4, 2016)

So last Saturday I got a 10 month old german shepherd from someone off craigslist, in the picture she looked really skinny too. Well when I went to go pick her up she came to my boyfriend and I really fast she didn't really want anything to do with the owner's friend any longer. We took her into Petsmart to grab her just a couple of things and she didn't want anything to do with going in. First of all we have a puppy, who is half Pit and half terrier, he's a total sweetheart and gets along with other animals really well. Anyways, when we picked her up she looked extremely dirty and malnourished, I kept asking questions along the lines of where did she sleep; outside, how often did she eat and what kind of food did she eat; she ate 2 to 3 times a day (obviously she wasn't eating that much a day because she is so skinny you can feel every single bone in her body) and they wouldn't tell me what kind of food she ate. I tried to give her a bowl of food when we got home and she wouldn't eat it, since then I've boiled up some chicken for her which she ate the entire bowl which I also mixed in some of our dog food with, but since then its been a struggle to eat. I've been mixing in some wet food with the dry food and it seems to be helping a lot more, I've also tried an egg too and she seemed to like that. So the next morning we woke up and gave her a really deep bath but I did notice that she does have some redish spotting on her stomach, leg area and vagina. I'm not too sure if its just from not being cleaned often and it will go away itself? I plan on giving her another bath on friday because you can tell she still needs another cleaning. Also, she's been kind of aggressive with my other pup, they said she was around other dogs, and I do believe that, but it kind of scares me the way she acts with my pup. I think she was also abused in some sort of way because when we had picked up a stick we use to lock our gate as and extra lock she freaked out put her ears back and went straight to the ground. I'm happy I saved her from where she was living, but I need some major help with how to help her. I know she is having trust issues, I am working on her with that now. I think she is realizing I am just trying to help her get better because she has been a little bit more lovable with me. But any advice would be helpful please!

One of the pictures is the picture I first saw of her on craigslist, one is before the bath the morning that we gave it to her, one of them is after the bath, and then one of the pictures is from today when I was playing with her outside.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

She is beautiful. If you haven't already taken her to your vet, please make an appt. for a complete physical - and shots, if necessary. Since she was apparently not well cared for, she might not be UTD on shots. She may also have parasites or other medical issues that need to be addressed.

Do not give her too much freedom, too soon. I recommend the 'two week shutdown'. (You can do a search.) It gives the dog a chance to become acclimated to his new home. He can observe the routine of the home without being actively involved. The dog can feel relaxed and secure, while just watching.

How old is your pit mix pup? Can you describe the behavior between him and the GSD that is making you uncomfortable? I would limit their time together. If you do allow them together, monitor closely and never leave them unattended. Just take things slowly. This girl did not have a good start in life. She needs to learn to trust. That is not going to happen over night. Please be patient with her.

Welcome to you and your new girl!


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Excellent advice above.Go slowly with her and make that vet appointment asap.She'll settle in on her own time.Thank you for rescuing this lovely girl.


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## wkincaid91 (May 4, 2016)

My other pup is about 9 months old. I do have an appointment for our local Vet, they did say she was up to date on all her shots, but I have no idea if thats true or not with the way they treated her.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I would first get her in better shape before giving her the vaccinations to make sure her body can handle these. She has survived so far. Also if you decide to spay her, wait for one heat (any time now) and watch the other pup like a hawk if he is older than 5 months.
Many rescue dogs in bad shape get tormented with spay/neuter, vaccinations while their bodies are already in healing/surviving mode.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

wkincaid91 said:


> My other pup is about 9 months old. I do have an appointment for our local Vet, they did say she was up to date on all her shots, but I have no idea if thats true or not with the way they treated her.


Did they offer you her medical records, or at least tell you which vet they used? It would be nice, if you could verify what shots she has already had.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

wolfy dog said:


> I would first get her in better shape before giving her the vaccinations to make sure her body can handle these. She has survived so far. Also if you decide to spay her, wait for one heat (any time now) and watch the other pup like a hawk if he is older than 5 months.
> Many rescue dogs in bad shape get tormented with spay/neuter, vaccinations while their bodies are already in healing/surviving mode.


At 10 months, isn't it possible she has already had a first heat? I agree, you don't want to give shots and spay, if she is in a weakened state. OP should definitely confer with the vet. If the pit mix is 9 months and not neutered, the GSD going into heat could be a disaster. It would be just as bad, if not worse for this bitch to get pregnant, than to be spayed, IMO.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> At 10 months, isn't it possible she has already had a first heat? I agree, you don't want to give shots and spay, if she is in a weakened state. OP should definitely confer with the vet. If the pit mix is 9 months and not neutered, the GSD going into heat could be a disaster. It would be just as bad, if not worse for this bitch to get pregnant, than to be spayed, IMO.


Your vet can probably tell you if she has had a heat already. Then you wait two months before spaying her so her uterus can get back into the normal state. If your male is not neutered and she goes into heat you have a 99.9% chance of pups if you don't separate them for an entire month.
Unplanned pregnancies tend to take very well and they usually result in large litters, somehow. Good luck with her, she looks like a very nice dog.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yep, vet first. 

Forget where you got her. Change her name, and treat her in a firm/fair way. 

Dogs live in the moment. The sooner we all forget about her background, the sooner she will. It WILL take a little longer for a 10month old puppy to assimilate totally to the new routine than it would for an 8 week old. But don't treat her as if she has baggage. She will trust you if you provide clear and consistent boundaries/expectations, if you fallow through with commands, and praise her for doing things right and help her if she does not get it right, until it is right, and then praise. Every time. It doesn't take long if you are consistent. 

Taking her to classes can help. 

If she is under-nourished, 4-6 meals a day, and I mean, figure out how many calories she should have, let's say 2000, then if the food you are feeding is 333 kcal/cup, then she will need 6 cups. If you are doing 4 meals, give 1.5 cups, put it down, and pick it up 10 minutes later. She will get the routine. An egg is 75 calories. You can shave a little off of the kibble and give an egg, twice a day. Good for the coat, and yes, they like them. Scrambled, nuked, hard boiled, raw. Eggs are animal-based protein and excellent for dogs, not even all that expensive.

Try to use training treats that are balanced nutrition, and healthy. Avoid sugar and molasses in them. Fresh Pet Vital has a meal, sold in the refrigerator, perfect size for training treats. 80% meat, 10% fruits and veggies. My dogs love it. I couldn't afford to feed it as a meal, but as training treats, it is high value treats. Other treats would be cheese, chicken, steak. A little vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt doesn't hurt either. Try to stay close to the proper calorie intake for her for moderate weight gain. 

Over-feeding can/will cause a loose stool, and nutrients will be lost. 

Good luck.


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