# Captain Rambone update



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Warning: this is really long post

So I have had captain almost two weeks now. He IMO has been a great dog. Playful, loving, loves his toys, and friendly with other dogs. I also groomed him ! He looks much better now. I have noticed that when I brush him with the furminator barely any fur comes out, just wispy hairs, but nothing like when I brushed my husky or my previous gsd Sailor. I wonder if he even has an undercoat? I still have to mop my house but I only mop every couple of days vs. 2x+ a day with Sailor. So that is definitely a bonus. 

My biggest concern with Captain was that he wouldn't be protective and we would have to rehome him. For the last two weeks he has been very sweet and well behaved, maybe a little too well behaved. Never barked, never alert barked. And my husband and I started getting a little worried. I was already getting close to captain and wasn't keen on the idea of re homing him. My husband on the other hand couldn't stand him. Hubby was always complaining about how useless he was and he wants a dog like Sailor, that barks and growls at the door to protect the house. My husband was talking about rehoming him in a few months if he doesn't start exhibiting those behaviors, and I of course was like noooo. Haha. 

Last night everything changed. My mother in law came to house (captain has never met her). She rang the doorbell and captain stood up and looked at the door but didn't bark at all. When she opened the door however, he growled and barked at her (he was inside his crate but facing the door). After she came In and sat on the couch, captain was calm, and I let him out and he went over and sat by her next to the couch the whole time. He was fine. I was so proud of him for alerting when he saw someone come in the house! And proud of him for being calm enough to behave himself with someone in the house. The only thing I need to work on is training him to bark when he hears the doorbell or a knock, but that is trainable yes? 

Then my husband and I got into an argument later that night about something else, and my husband was so sad and upset. Captain came over to him and dropped his favorite squeaky toy at his feet. At that point my husband turned to me and said "captain is a good boy. I think he is trying to cheer me up cause he knows I'm upset. He is trying to get me to play with him so I feel better. I guess we can keep him" yay!!! Yay! Captain has officially passed the test. He will be our forever dog. Good boy captain! Welcome to our family


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

He sounds like a very nice dog! 

In the future if you require certain temperament traits to keep a dog, I would get a dog bred with those traits rather than take in a rescue only to rehome him again.

You've barely had him, 2 weeks is really nothing. My first dog took about 6 months before she would consistently alert or bark, and she never did learn to bark on command (she was not a barky dog).


----------



## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

Wow MAJOR difference in the before & after.. he looks soo much better!  I'm happy he now has a forever home :wub: Post lots of more pictures!!


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I love it when dogs bark and growl at visitors/friends/family I welcome into my house.....you were kidding correct?....because I was.


SuperG


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

SuperG said:


> I love it when dogs bark and growl at visitors/friends/family I welcome into my house.....you were kidding correct?....because I was.
> 
> 
> SuperG


And here I am correcting my dog for it. :thinking:


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Liesje said:


> He sounds like a very nice dog!
> 
> In the future if you require certain temperament traits to keep a dog, I would get a dog bred with those traits rather than take in a rescue only to rehome him again.
> 
> You've barely had him, 2 weeks is really nothing. My first dog took about 6 months before she would consistently alert or bark, and she never did learn to bark on command (she was not a barky dog).


I suspect he might be the same. He Is not very barky.


----------



## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Glad that Captain is doing well. One thing I _think_ I know is that german shepherds have this protective instinct. They are protective of their owners, their home, themselves. Don't fret, Captain has it already built-in! Does he have a deep bark? Good luck.


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Is "barking on command " the same as "speak" ?? Or is "barking on command" supposed to be a fierce bark??


SuperG


----------



## SkoobyDoo (Oct 7, 2014)

> *In the future if you require certain temperament traits to keep a dog, I would get a dog bred with those traits rather than take in a rescue only to rehome him again.*


x2 ! 
I don't know who would give up such a beautiful dog like that for such a frivolous reason


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

SuperG said:


> Is "barking on command " the same as "speak" ?? Or is "barking on command" supposed to be a fierce bark??
> 
> 
> SuperG


I prefer they don't bark at all. I like the element of surprise....


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Debanneball said:


> Glad that Captain is doing well. One thing I _think_ I know is that german shepherds have this protective instinct. They are protective of their owners, their home, themselves. Don't fret, Captain has it already built-in! Does he have a deep bark? Good luck.



His bark is more of a "hey someone is here, look who it is!" Type of bark. Except yesterday when he saw my MIL it was a different bark. It was deeper, and i suspected less of an alert, and more of a fearful type of bark. I haven't heard him do this kind of bark before. He usually doesn't bark. I am trying to teach him to bark when he hears the doorbell. Even if it is such for alert, it doesn't actually need to be protective. My ultimate goal is if someone comes to my house and rings the doorbell, I want them to hear a dog in the house so they know, there is a dog in the house. That is basically what I have decided. I really don't think captain is protective at all. But I think I can compromise on that as long as he can alert bark. Let's see how his training goes. Haha.


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

llombardo said:


> I prefer they don't bark at all. I like the element of surprise....



Haha that's funny. I disagree (in my own home) I like a dog that barks. However, I couldn't imagine someone walking into your home and seeing 7 big dogs staring back at them. You must have the safest house on your block haha.


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

llombardo said:


> I prefer they don't bark at all. I like the element of surprise....


I've had 4 dogs to date and teaching a dog to "speak" was perhaps the easiest thing to "teach" a dog to do. Obviously, they come out of the box with the ability.....and as far as the "setting them up for success" method..well, how can one miss on on that?....I'd say it's more of a feat at times to teach a dog to be "quiet". And yes..I prefer less barking. Of the 3 GSDs I have had...alert and guard barking seemed to be innate....no training required in most all ordinary situations.

SuperG


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

SuperG said:


> I've had 4 dogs to date and teaching a dog to "speak" was perhaps the easiest thing to "teach" a dog to do. Obviously, they come out of the box with the ability...LOL....and as far as the "setting them up for success" method..well, how can one miss on on that?....I'd say it's more of a feat at times to teach a dog to be "quiet". And yes..I prefer less barking. Of the 3 GSDs I have had...alert and guard barking seemed to be innate....no training required in most all ordinary situations.
> 
> SuperG


I thought it was innate too, but not so much with this one haha. Sailor would always bark to let me know someone was outside, captain on the other hand is completely silent. UNTIL someone actually IS inside the house. I want to train him to associate the doorbell sound and sound of knocking with him giving a few barks. It is a little more difficult with him because he is a very quiet dog. I guess that is a good problem lol.


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Mine will bark on occasion if someone knocks--I don't have a doorbell by my choice. They don't bark at the mailman or ups driver. They don't bark if I'm talking to the neighbor outside the door or at kids playing. They don't bark if someone is delivering food. When I say don't bark I mean excessive barking. There might be a couple short barks, enough that people know dogs are present. I'm very comfortable with them being great deterrents with or without excessive barking. 


This is what someone would walk into...


----------



## kelbonc (Aug 25, 2014)

llombardo said:


> This is what someone would walk into...
> http://s275.photobucket.com/user/ll...C351B8C5-50A1-4B39-8EC7-57C04C57B1D3.jpg.html


 Now that's a great looking greeting committee!!


----------



## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Bella67 said:


> I'm happy he now has a forever home :wub: Post lots of more pictures!!


He has a forever home as long as he learns to bark  I'm pretty sure the husband calling him useless and saying they should rehome him is the _anithesis_ of a forever home.


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Thank you love echo. I'm glad I have your support. ANYWAY, I would be glad to post more pics of him. Also, he has gained one pound as of last week, and next week I am taking him to the vet for a checkup so will weigh him again. I hope the vet says his health is good, and that his weight is getting better.


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

...


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Just a thought or two regarding your dog's behavior and your expectations of him. 

1.) as others have cited who have had experience with rescued dogs....the dog needs time to decompress and adjust...Unless you have open forthright dialogue with the previous owners...who knows what Captain has been through? Captain certainly is becoming familiar with the scents in his new environment but is most likely still figuring out his new routines and humans around him....the dog is off balance and most likely seeking consistency and a routine which he can rely upon. The lack of his guarding behavior which you place such a priority on, may have been squashed by his previous owners...who knows? Patience on your behalf will be your best friend to help Captain get up to speed.

2.) comments you have posted such as "_My biggest concern with Captain was that he wouldn't be protective and we would have to rehome him." _and "_ My husband on the other hand couldn't stand him. Hubby was always complaining about how useless he was_ " especially since you have only had him for 2 weeks seem a bit harsh. I am sure you are smart enough to know that these comments would solicit responses from others in here which might not agree with you...Personally, anyone who is contemplating giving up ( rehoming ) on a rescue dog or any dog for that matter after just 2 weeks certainly makes me scratch my head as well.....but as the old saying goes..." to each their own".


SuperG


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

SuperG said:


> Just a thought or two regarding your dog's behavior and your expectations of him.
> 
> 1.) as others have cited who have had experience with rescued dogs....the dog needs time to decompress and adjust...Unless you have open forthright dialogue with the previous owners...who knows what Captain has been through? Captain certainly is becoming familiar with the scents in his new environment but is most likely still figuring out his new routines and humans around him....the dog is off balance and most likely seeking consistency and a routine which he can rely upon. The lack of his guarding behavior which you place such a priority on, may have been squashed by his previous owners...who knows? Patience on your behalf will be your best friend to help Captain get up to speed.
> 
> ...


Not sure if you or anyone else has read all of my other posts about captain. Even if we did want to get rid of him, it wouldn't be right away. We decided to give him 3 months and then decide. My husband can be harsh and especially still dealing with the loss of sailor, he has extra resentment, bitterness, whatever you want to call it when it comes to a new dog. The weird thing is in the beginning, HE was the one who said he wanted captain. Anyway, I can't control my husbands comments or behavior. I can only control my own. For the people who want to talk at me,myou are talking to the wrong person. I never said captain was useless. Someone else did. The reason I explained the way my husband was feeling is to make a point on this huge change he made, coming from feeling the uselessness of captain. To all of the sudden having that epiphany, realizing captain was valuable and a good addition. He changed his mind. It was more of a surprise! We are keeping captain! Type of statement. Like I said, even if we weren't going to keep him, he wouldn't have just been dumped somewhere right away. I took him in, in the first place with the goal of fostering him, and training, socializing him, and bringing him back to health. My hope was to be a foster failure and end up keeping him. I'm not sure what is wrong with the fact that I was unsure on whether or not I was keeping him. The reason I even got him in the first place was to rescue him because his owners were going to dump him at a shelter, and he was really underweight. I wasn't sure if he was the right dog for me, but upon meeting him, I realized he could be the right dog for someone. And what a waste it would be to leave a dog like this in a shelter, and possibly euthanized. And so, in the meantime he could stay with me until we figure out his future. I just didn't want to see him go down this road.mi regret nothing, and am pleasantly surprised that he is going to be our forever dog.


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I am happy for all involved that the Captain has now been received as your "forever dog".

Cheers !


SuperG


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Oh, this just breaks my heart. You're giving him three months to live up to your expectations. Three months to grow accustomed to you and love you and your family, them kick him to the curb if he isn't perfect. 

I've no doubt he'll understand. After all, it's already happened to him.


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Lilie said:


> Oh, this just breaks my heart. You're giving him three months to live up to your expectations. Three months to grow accustomed to you and love you and your family, them kick him to the curb if he isn't perfect.
> 
> I've no doubt he'll understand. After all, it's already happened to him.


Yeah because kicking him to the curb is exactly what I said I would do. Just open my front door and let him out right? Yeah that's what I said.


----------



## kelliewilson (Jan 1, 2015)

thats a good looking dog! love his eyes


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

In my limited experience of having 3 GSDs over my lifetime...I'd suggest to another contemplating a GSD as their dog of choice...that they are a 2 year project...give or take a few months. 

SuperG


----------



## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

SuperG said:


> In my limited experience of having 3 GSDs over my lifetime...I'd suggest to another contemplating a GSD as their dog of choice...that they are a 2 year project...give or take a few months.
> 
> SuperG


You know, when we got Sage, my boyfriend didn't like her at all, and she didn't like him either. So they ignored each other. _For 2 years._ One day, the two of them just clicked, and now he's crazy about her. She likes him too now. I really don't know what changed!


----------



## Ozzieleuk (Mar 23, 2014)

Take it easy folks,

Barbie is a great rescue mom for Captain Rambo. Sharing the details helps many other folks that are too shy to post their details about their pets on the forum.

I have my boy Maxwell, a 2yr old GSD male that I adopted from the animal shelter in Charlotte, NC. (I have a posting about this.) I went to see about him because the shelter called me and said they think they have my GSD that went missing.
I knew he wasn't my dog, but he was so skinny and in bad shape, but had such a bright face and didn't whine or bark, he just looked up at me intently. The tech with me said they were going to destroy him in 72 hours, so I adopted Maxwell and they let me have him for $10 as long as I brought back canned dog food for the shelter.
Best thing I ever did in 2014!! :wild:
Sorry to say, no word on Scooter yet. A few animal rescue shelters have called me and asked if I heard anything yet. I did hire a man to look for him and it looks like Scooter was stolen and taken out of state. 

Anyway, Maxwell is doing absolutely great, and just like Captain, he was shy, timid and reluctant to do anything unless he walked up to me for affirmation. He slowly gained my trust and started eating. I was very worried that he had something seriously wrong with him.
After he went to the vet and had blood panels ran and got all his booster shots and heartworm meds, he has gained about 18 pounds and looks terrific.

He now barks like a maniac at anyone or anything walking by the house at night.
He used to just lay down and barely move around very much--he was like that for 3 weeks. He also likes to rough house with me now and knows not to be rough with Mommy. 

By the way - Captain looks very, very German Shepherd and he's handsome too.
I'll bet if a crook saw Captain through the fence, he would just keep walking! :-0 
That stern face is intimidating....

Keep us posted Barbie!!


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Fostering is fine, but I still think expecting barking and guarding behavior within 2 weeks, especially with one person who admittedly did not like or want the dog to begin with (the dog can tell!!) is a bit much. Some dogs are how they are with anyone and adjust very quickly, but other dogs need months, maybe even a year, to really warm up and come out of their shell. Some fosters are a longer term commitment if they need that kind of work. I wouldn't set deadlines on how a dog has to act to be adopted beforehand. If you are commited to fostering the dog, than it needs to be an indefinite timeline or at least have a reputable rescue backing you up so the dog can go to a better suited foster if needed.


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Ozzieleuk said:


> Take it easy folks,



Hey Ozzieleuk.....

Were you thinking of rehoming Maxwell after a week or so?

Just wondering.


SuperG


----------



## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

I really don't know what to say about this situation without expressing my feelings on it, so I won't. I hope all works out for your family and captain, and wish you luck.


----------



## Ozzieleuk (Mar 23, 2014)

Oh yes SuperG,

Especially after he got all those unsightly fur balls in my truck after I took him to the vet!! His hair was even in my hair!! Ewww Yuk!! ;-/

JUST KIDDING!!
Never in a million years or a million bucks!


----------



## Suka (Apr 9, 2004)

llombardo said:


> I prefer they don't bark at all. I like the element of surprise....


:thumbup: :rofl:


----------



## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

Liesje said:


> Fostering is fine, but I still think expecting barking and guarding behavior within 2 weeks, especially with one person who admittedly did not like or want the dog to begin with (the dog can tell!!) is a bit much. Some dogs are how they are with anyone and adjust very quickly, but other dogs need months, maybe even a year, to really warm up and come out of their shell. Some fosters are a longer term commitment if they need that kind of work. I wouldn't set deadlines on how a dog has to act to be adopted beforehand. If you are commited to fostering the dog, than it needs to be an indefinite timeline or at least have a reputable rescue backing you up so the dog can go to a better suited foster if needed.


:thumbup::thumbup:, this is it in a nutshell...


----------



## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

I'm going to jump in here for a moment...

While there are certainly aspects to this situation that give me reservation, I may have a bit more info from a previous post that others are missing, so here is what I believe to be true:

This dog was rescued from a person found on craigslist.... While not specifically looking for a dog the need to help this one dog was urgent, and the OP evaluated the dog (to see if it was something she could help rehome/foster and make into a productive citized should that be the case) and agreed to take him if vet checks were good. The whole intention was to save the dog....Still grieving from the recent loss of Sailor, the hopes that this dog might have talents that she needs and wants, she reservedly hopes that he will meet these 'requirements' (which we all have) for her to keep him as her life long friend... If not, she would be a foster for whatever term necessary,helping him learn, get healthy, and be a great friend for whoever would get him....

As with most GSD's, an attachment has already to begin, which if anyone has fostered knows is a risk, and her husband who also is still grieving, had a little resentment towards a living new dog... one that wasn't like his lost friend.... Giving alert was one of the main criterias in the OP wanting to keep this dog (again, who hasn't bought a dog knowing what purpose this dog is to fulfill and praying it does... some give it back to breeder, rehome, sell it if it doesn't fulfill it's purpose, others keep it and get another - she rescued this dog with the intent to foster if it was unable to fulfill the protection bark she needs in her situation), she has been posting to let us know how the dog is unolding... Yes, 2 weeks is a very little time for a untrained, rescued dog to acclimate to his surroundings and really show who he is, which is why the joy when he did show some hope in this area - as the OP is already getting attached... The husband who in his grief has said things unkind, also began to see the wonders this dog has much to the OP's relief, and so it looks like the dog will be in a forever home.... IF IT HADN'T WORKED OUT... The OP would have continued to foster (the time she allotted for was 3 months before she would detach emotions and help the dog, but not nurture her love towards the dog in the way a foster has to 'love' but not LOVE a dog that will find a new home) until an appropriate home was found... I hope this clarifies some... IF I am wrong on anything, I hope the OP will clarify it... I just stated what I recall from the previous post (where most everybody was excetpionally pro this rescue/adoption/foster happening)..


----------



## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

My rescue took couple months before it started barking one bark for each alert. He'll bark once, acted surprise of his bark, looked at me for re-assurance that was ok. It was hilarious. 

Now, a year later, I have to teach him to SHUT UP! He likes to opine on everything. Someone at the door - bark bark bark. I paused on a walk - whine whine. I shared some thoughts with him - whine whine. He sees a squirrel outside the house - bark bark bark. He sees me outside the house while he's locked inside the house - bark bark bark. I'm not driving fast enough to his outing - bark, whine, bark. I'm taking him out - whine bark whine. He came so quiet and gentle the first couple months. Now he sometimes acts like a feral dog who thinks he's hot stuff. For the first couple of months if I even talk too loud at him he'd pee on himself. Now when I give corrections - he runs and ditches and gives attitude. 

I once fostered a male GSD who was always quiet but very confident. In the few circumstances we've encountered, he's proven he'll no doubt take care of business when needed. However, day to day, he just thinks nothing is big enough of a deal to bark unless it's a real threat - which he will confidently handle without losing his head. This is the kind of dog I prefer. Stable, quiet, always thinking clearly.


----------



## Kaiser's Girl (Dec 17, 2014)

You have a beautiful dog! Good luck!


----------



## DonnaKay (Jan 20, 2014)

Hineni7: That's the way I read it, too, foster with maybe the hope of a foster failure.

I think it's great that Barbie has been able to open her heart to this dog and her husband starting to come around after only 2 weeks when she had serious doubts it would happen at all after the loss of her heart dog. 

It's a foster fail of a dog that had no future. That's a wonderful thing! Captain looks healthier and happier. May the love bonds deepen over time and the 3 of you have great fun together!


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Thank you donnakay and hineni. Finally two people who get it. Notice how all the nitpickers are silent. Anyway, hineni said it better than I could have myself so thank you. This is a dog that needed to be saved whether I liked him or not. I saved him, and now he has surprised me and my husband by making his way into our hearts. 

3 months was what we were giving him for US to decide. Even after we decided that didn't mean we were going to get rid of him in 3 months. We would take however long it would take to find a suitable home and I'm very picky, so it probably would have been longer... 3 months, 3 years... Didn't matter, but now it's irrelevant. He will stay with us


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

BARBIElovesSAILOR said:


> Notice how all the nitpickers are silent.



Wonderful......


SuperG


----------



## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

Barbie, I really think you're a great person for taking in Captain and caring for him. But I honestly think the people that you're referring to as 'nitpickers' are just trying to give you the best advice for you and Captain.


----------



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Bella67 said:


> Barbie, I really think you're a great person for taking in Captain and caring for him. But I honestly think the people that you're referring to as 'nitpickers' are just trying to give you the best advice for you and Captain.


I actually don't mind people who give me advice, even if I don't like it. I am grateful that they are spending the time to tell me. The nitpickers are people that want to quote me and tell me what I am doing is wrong. They offer no constructive criticism. They just want to talk AT me. For the sole purpose of up insulting. For example... Lillie.


----------



## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I want to chime in here and say that you don't want to encourage fearful behavior like fear barking. I had two dogs who were fear aggressive and it was so much more difficult to manage them. Be careful what you wish for...

It took Rafi almost 3 years to start barking when people came to the house.


----------



## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

BowWowMeow said:


> I want to chime in here and say that you don't want to encourage fearful behavior like fear barking. I had two dogs who were fear aggressive and it was so much more difficult to manage them. Be careful what you wish for...
> 
> It took Rafi almost 3 years to start barking when people came to the house.


Hopefully your point isn't missed Ruth. Calling that type of behavior protective leads to MIL's getting bit.


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Or little girls...cause we all know how dangerous they are.


----------

