# Just rescued 2 2 yr old GSD's, need advice



## GSD_mommy (Apr 18, 2010)

Ok, how do you untrain bad behavior and retrain the right behavior? I just got Dauner, 2 yr old male intact GSD, and Blitzen, also 2 yr old intact female GSD, on Thursday the 15th. They needed to be rehomed by their owner due to an illness in her family so she placed an add on Craigslist...I left a message and luckily, as she was at the pond surrendering the dogs, she checked her VM...

Anyway, These two are beautiful, but they were allowed to get away with alot! The female showed ALOT of aggression towards my other dogs, however, I think I may have that somewhat under control by telling her to "play nice"...She also really suffers from seperation anxiety, not only from myself, but the male GSD as well. If he leaves her site, or I do, she gets upset. I crate her when no one is home, so far so good. The big issue at this point is they both think they belong on my $2000 couch and in bed with my fiance and I. The bed is a full size and these dogs are 78lbs and 92 lbs!!!! How do I convince them that they belong on the floor?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

They are both intact? You better seperate them or you'll end up with an oops litter.

Use treats to get them off, do they have a dog bed? If so you can give them a command to go to their dog bed and lay down and reward them with treats when they lay on their bed.


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## GSD_mommy (Apr 18, 2010)

Yeah, both intact. They are a breeding pair. The previous owner was told by the pound that they "believed" the female was pregnant already....


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

GSD_mommy said:


> Yeah, both intact. They are a breeding pair. The previous owner was told by the pound that they "believed" the female was pregnant already....


Spay her now then. There are TOO many pet quality dogs in the world.

Have they been to the vet? They could have illnesses that can spread to your dogs...


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

GSD_mommy said:


> Yeah, both intact. They are a breeding pair. The previous owner was told by the pound that they "believed" the female was pregnant already....


That was GREAT of you to give them both a home. How nice they could stay together in their new home. But I think I would see about "fixing" both as soon as you can. Good luck with them.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Definitely do an emergency spay, and get the male neutered as well, asap. Also get them to a vet for shots, exams, etc.

As for bad behaviors, redirect and anticipate. Don't LET them jump on the bed. Work on training them one at a time, and body block them from getting on the bed. When/if they sit (ask for a sit if you have to) treat and praise. Don't let them in your room if you're not there so that they can't get used to doing it themselves. I second the go to bed command idea as well.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

first let me say thank you SO MUCH for being there for these dogs, who surely might not be alive if it weren't for you. you will find lots of experienced advice here on this site. 

the first and most important thing i want to say is...it is URGENT that you do not become comfortable with the "play nice" command and that you make absolutely sure that you protect all these dogs and prevent a fight. somewhat under control is not enough, especially as this new girl becomes more comfortable in her new surroundings. until you have seen grown dogs of this size try to kill each other (and have gotten bitten yourself trying to separate them, and have spent days in the hospital with blood poisoning), you cannot appreciate the seriousness and importance of this advice. it has kind of become a personal crusade of mine to prevent others from having to go thru what i did. be SO careful and don't let your guard down for a long, long time. my two packs each have an alpha bitch and will never be able to be together, ever, which is very time consuming, but do-able. 

until they are much, much, much more acclimated they should sleep in crates, and they should NEVER be left unsupervised, no matter how short the period of time. and you should also begin to practice NILIF (nothing in life is free), i know there is a detailed explanation of NILIF elsewhere on this site.

i whole-heartedly agree with the emergency spay suggestion, and having the male neutered, the last thing you would want is a litter of puppies.

good luck, come back often and let us know how you're all doing. btw, i noticed you're from wampum, i spent my childhood summers at my family's farm in ellwood city (a very, very long time ago).

take good care.


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