# My "new" GSD



## Switchblade906 (May 5, 2012)

So yesterday we adopted a new GSD, He's 2 years old and is doing great so far. No one knew his old name so we chose Gunnar and after only 2 days hes already responding to it very well. He is also getting along with Zoey really well, and more importantly my Son who is 2-1/2. Its like he has been around kids his age all his life because he just takes everything (face poking, rubbing, screaming, tail pulling).


Gunnar by Switchblade906, on Flickr


Gunnar by Switchblade906, on Flickr


Gunnar by Switchblade906, on Flickr


Gunnar by Switchblade906, on Flickr


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Nice looking boy! I question this though:
*more importantly my Son who is 2-1/2. Its like he has been around kids his age all his life because he just takes everything (face poking, rubbing, screaming, tail pulling).*

WHY would you subject your son to a dog you don't even know and let him do this...and WHY would you think the dog should be ok with it? You are setting the dog up to fail.


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## Switchblade906 (May 5, 2012)

onyx'girl said:


> Nice looking boy! I question this though:
> *more importantly my Son who is 2-1/2. Its like he has been around kids his age all his life because he just takes everything (face poking, rubbing, screaming, tail pulling).*
> 
> WHY would you subject your son to a dog you don't even know and let him do this...and WHY would you think the dog should be ok with it? You are setting the dog up to fail.


Its not as if we are not watching and making him stop. Its just that he is 2-1/2 and he cant just be looked up while the dog acclimates. He has an awesome temperament and hes not being set up to fail, we have a son so if he wants to be part of this family then he will have to put up with it.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

ok then....


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Congrats on the new addition, Gunnar is a handsome boy.


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

He's beautiful! I love that last shot of him. Glad he's adjusting well


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## Switchblade906 (May 5, 2012)

onyx'girl said:


> ok then....


Really? You obviously took what i was saying the wrong way. Its not like my sons torturing the dog.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I won't take away from your thread as Gunnar is really handsome and congrats,thank you for rescuing.

I just think you should be careful with a new dog, until you know the dog better it is best to keep things a bit on the side of caution. You want to keep your son safe, I'm sure. http://www.bigdogsbighearts.com/2_week_shutdown0001.pdf


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## Switchblade906 (May 5, 2012)

fuzzybunny said:


> He's beautiful! I love that last shot of him. Glad he's adjusting well


Thank you, on tuesday we are going to go to the park and ill get some better shots of him (hopefully). We are going to upper GA at the end of the month and we plan on doing some hiking so im glad he is adjusting as well as he is.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Congratulations! I agree with fuzzybunny, the last pic is nice.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Switchblade906 said:


> Its not as if we are not watching and making him stop. Its just that he is 2-1/2 and he cant just be looked up while the dog acclimates. He has an awesome temperament and hes not being set up to fail, we have a son so *if he wants to be part of this family then he will have to put up with it.*


Jane made an excellent observation based on your own words - "face poking, rubbing, screaming, tail pulling" - this type of treatment is not acceptable regardless of your child's age. You are taking a huge gamble thrusting a dog with an unknown history into such a scenario - why set yourself up? 

In bold - I don't even know how to respond to that! New place, new people, new scenario, taken from a shelter/rescue environment, who knows what his background was, treatment or life prior to rescue....and now he has to "put up with it" - just wow! Thanks for rescuing, but really? 

Nobody suggested locking up your child - but you need to take a more prudent approach when integrating an adult rescue dog into your home. Take a look at the following links and tread carefully. You are responsible for properly integrating your new dog into the family - that type of treatment is unwarranted. You are taking a big risk by allowing your child to behave in such a manner towards your new rescue. I introduce babies, toddlers, children to my dogs all the time - but the children are NEVER allowed to treat my dogs in that manner as it unsafe for both child and dog - with usually the poor dog getting blame if anything (knock on wood) does happen...

California Golden State German Shepherd Rescue
Tips for the First 30 Days of Dog Adoption - Petfinder
Bringing Your New Dog Home
Kids and Dogs | Agape Animal Rescue
Kids and Dogs
Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society
Introduction - Best of Friends: Kids and Dogs - University of Illinois Extension
Your Adopted Dog: The First Two Weeks | HugABull
Dog integration into their new family/pack


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## SueDoNimm (Jul 3, 2012)

Please be careful with your son around this dog. Rescue dogs can take some time to show their true personalities as they get adjusted to their new surroundings and family. It took about two weeks for my dog to settle in and show his true colors. Even the most patient of dogs can snap when they've had enough and a GSD is very strong. I've had my dog for nearly a year and he's never shown any kind of aggression towards me or my family. I've had to clean his ears many times, which was painful to him because of a bad infection, and he never tried to bite or even get away. Yesterday, I was brushing him and he tried to walk off and I kind of grabbed the fur on his chest to stop him and he yelped and went to bite my hand. He wasn't at all rough and didn't leave any marks, but it was surprising as he's never done anything like that before, even when he's been accidentally stepped on or something like that.

My point is, you never know with dogs and a dog can put up with a lot before lashing out and the last thing you want is for your small son to be on the receiving end of that. My girls want to lay on the dog and kiss him on the face, and I'd never imagine he would harm them in any way, but I don't let them do it because it's not fair to the dog to have to tolerate behavior that makes them uncomfortable.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Is this the dog that was heartworm positive?


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## LifeofRiley (Oct 20, 2011)

Congrats! Great photos... I also think the last one is a framer!!!!

Glad to hear that he is adjusting well to his new family! It sounds like you are already supervising all encounters with your son, that is great! 

I will caution, like others have already, that it is important to take time to get to know a new dog before putting them in situation where they may fail. I know that would never be your intent. But, take it easy, have your family spend time in positive engagement activities with your dog and be sure to continue to supervise all interactions with your child. 

I know how exciting it is to have a new dog in the house. The inclination is to immediately want to do all sorts of fun stuff with them inside and outside of the home. But, my experience with fostering and adopting dogs has taught me that it is much better to take it slow! Let them acclimate and never set them up for a possible fail while you are still in the "getting to know you" stage of your relationship with the dog.


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## LifeofRiley (Oct 20, 2011)

Oh, and also, there is another thread that is active right now that I think you might find interesting. It is titled “GSDs and Children.” The OP’s name is Malachi’sMama. I think KZoppa and others gave good input on how to introduce and integrate a new rescue dog into a household with small children.

A lot of people shared great stories about how well their rescues adapted to family life. I think most rescues do well without problem. But, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be careful when you are just getting to know the dog : )


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## Malachi'sMama (Jun 10, 2013)

Congrats on your new furball! As LifeofRiley mentioned, I am going through a similar situation right now. Just rescued a 1yr old GSD-with history unknown-and I have a one year old daughter and four year old son. PLEASE be careful! Check out the thread I started 'GSDs and Children'..lots of people left great input. Malachi is doing wonderfully so far with my one year old, but I am taking things VERY slow...

seeing this website was enough to make me err in the extreme side of caution, please check it out and please LEARN ABOUT DOG BEHAVIOR. This 2yr old died from a dog bite from the 'family dog'..I couldn't fathom this happening to my kids.
Liam J Perk Foundation - Cape Coral, Florida

There are SIGNS (shown on the above site) that a dog will show you-many times usually-before he snaps. Most dogs are patient, just like people, but just like people they have LIMITS. Your son may be able to poke and prod and pull for years before the right situation presents itself and he snaps. This is your family and your decision, I won't tell you how to raise your child. The first thing I did with my son is teach him how to be respectful of dogs. I want to limit the possibility of something tragic happening as much as I possibly can. I don't want anything to happen to my children, and I don't want my Malachi put down.
As a parent and a dog owner it is MY responsibility to keep them both safe.
Best of luck to you and your new family member!!


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## Switchblade906 (May 5, 2012)

BowWowMeow said:


> Is this the dog that was heartworm positive?


No it's not, they found a rescue for him.


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## Switchblade906 (May 5, 2012)

I know you people are just being concerned for my son and the dog. Obviously I worded it wrong, let's just say that they are both getting along really well. Come on people I would never put my son in a situation where something bad could happen to him. Everything is supervised and when my son starts getting a little to ruff with Gunnar he is always told to be easy with him.


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## jafo220 (Mar 16, 2013)

Switchblade906 said:


> I know you people are just being concerned for my son and the dog. Obviously I worded it wrong, let's just say that they are both getting along really well. Come on people I would never put my son in a situation where something bad could happen to him. Everything is supervised and when my son starts getting a little to ruff with Gunnar he is always told to be easy with him.


Loves the pics. Beautiful GSD! I love the first two pics. You can almost read some body language.....it's like he's saying "I finally made it!" He just seems so relieved and content to be where he's at.

It's good to hear that the dog is adjusting well.


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## BellaLuna (Jan 27, 2013)

Pretty ... Congrats ...


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## Switchblade906 (May 5, 2012)

jafo220 said:


> Loves the pics. Beautiful GSD! I love the first two pics. You can almost read some body language.....it's like he's saying "I finally made it!" He just seems so relieved and content to be where he's at.
> 
> It's good to hear that the dog is adjusting well.


Im so surprised/relieved at how well Zoey accepted him into "her" family. 



BellaLuna said:


> Pretty ... Congrats ...


Thank you.


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## gregalabama (Jan 5, 2011)

/dog talk voice on
Him a good doggy! Him like cool tile floor!


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

Both dogs are beautiful! Congratulations!


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## julie87 (Aug 19, 2012)

So sweet thanks for saving him!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

very handsome! (both are!)

I don't think anyone was saying you are putting your child in danger at all.

I think what most are trying to convey is, be careful, it takes most dogs days/a month or more to really settle into their new environment and show their true nature, tho it may appear otherwise.

Don't take for granted right now, that he is as sweet as you think he is. Hey he could be like this (sweet) and great around your son the rest of his life which would be GREAT! Just be aware of what 'could' happen in a split second until your 100% sure he's going to stay the way he is.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

He is beautiful!


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## 3GSD92_00_12 (Mar 28, 2013)

Gunnar is very handsome. I really like the last picture of him. He appears to be smirking and his eyebrow is lifted up almost as if he saying "what's up?". Zoey is very beautiful, too.


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## myshepharley (Feb 11, 2011)

I learned this lesson the hard way about ten yrs ago. My shep at the time was only about nine months old and my youngest son was still little. It was dinner time and dogs were in kitchen. I had to quickly run into living room, well my son who at the time loved dog food, decided to have some as well. Apparently he put his face down to bowl and Cash turned around and bit him in the face. My son still has scars to this day. Wasn't anyone's fault but my own because I turned my back for that split second. Cash left my son do things to him also, but that day was different. With Harley, if there are any kids around, I am watching like a hawk or I make him come to my side and stay. Accidents happen but can be somewhat prevented. He is a very handsome boy!!! Glad he has a new loving home.


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