# Should I take him in? Rescued boy, 3yo



## nadyahalim (Jan 7, 2008)

Hi all,

I had been contacted by a local independent rescue who found an all black male GSD wandering around a forest park nearby, and was asking if I was willing to take him in. (Our first Sibe, Feliks was from them, so they know me already.) 

When he was found (two weeks ago), he was malnourished, dehydrated, had tick fever and a maggot-infested wound on his hind leg. The rescue group has sent him for treatment, and today he will be going in for a neutering. He's almost better already, put on a fair amount of weight, and is great with other dogs at the shelter. He is small though, only 24kgs, and his third birthday is in November.

He has a microchip, and a check with the kennel association led us to a lady who claims that she used to own him, says that she doesn't want him anymore, as he did not make a good guard dog for her house. Told the rescue people that she was willing to pay the cost of PTS if they can't find him a permanent home. Here in Malaysia, GSDs have a 'bad' reputation, if you know what I mean, so finding him a home is going to be hard.

Meeting him the first time, he was really a sweet boy, but a bit on the skittish and shy side... Absolutely no basic training yet, but he has learned to pee and poo in one place, so I believe he's a smart boy.

My worry is this - Will he be able to get along with the pack at home? Two sibes, and one GSD female. The girls are OK with all dogs, but my boy sometimes have a problem with other male dogs who display dominance or aggression. How do I make the introduction as smooth as possible? How do I make sure its a success?

My second worry - will it be hard to teach him? My only experience with a rescue was our Sibe, and he came fairly young, just over a year old, so he was still eager to learn. At the age of nearly 3, will he be able to learn house manners and basic obedience?

The shelter does not have much room because it's just the house the rescue lady lives in, and she currently has 14 dogs. He must find a home soon. 

I would like to thank everyone for looking in. I know in my heart that he found me for a reason. I just need some reassurance that I can make this work...


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## LadyHawk (Jan 19, 2005)

um - well it seems to me that you really DO want to take him in under the wings...... 
As far as the peeing and pooing in the home, I find GSD's waaay too smart to worry much about that part(personally) 
The main thing (and he'll be neutered - this will help immensely) is to take the boys out separately for a walk- and meet up along the way - never face to face - along side one another keep your emotions light and happy bring a bit of cookie with you keep it upbeat and happy - then repeat with another dog- until everyone has met - keep them separate unless you are around to oversee play dinner time, etc...........


Good luck!


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## Papanapa (Mar 1, 2008)

I don't think the training part will be much different than training a puppy. They are a very smart breed and seem to pick up things so quickly. The same with the house training. The rest of the pack will probably help out with that too









Go slow and easy with the introductions and hopefully all will be well. From the way you describe his nature you may get lucky and he will not have a problem with the other male.

Good Luck with whatever decision you make. I hope it works out well for you though.


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## nadyahalim (Jan 7, 2008)

By the way, this is a picture of him, taken when I first went to see him last week...


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## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

He certainly is a looker. I think the other people have given good suggestions. Follow your heart! I hope evrything works out for you!!


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## Mom2Sam (Jun 9, 2008)

He is gorgeous! I agree with everyone else, follow your heart, only you know if it will work out for you and your family.


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## Timber1 (May 19, 2007)

I would take the dog in. I would not worry about teaching the dog, or your comments about the dog might be shy. Whether it is a few days or a few weeks this dog will bond with you.

The kicker is the other male. I have had problems having more then one male in the house, although it is about fifty-fifty. And I have no idea why some get along fine and others are aggressive toward each other.


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## nadyahalim (Jan 7, 2008)

Thank you all, for your kind words...

He will be boarded at the vet's place for a few days after today's neutering, and we will probably bring him home over the weekend.

We will try to make the introduction as smooth as possible - neutral ground, happy voices and lots of treats. Hopefully it goes well... Also, sorry for the silly questions, but how long should we keep him separated from the pack?

Was at the vet just now to visit him, and I brought one of the girls along. Anouc, our baby girl seems to be getting along OK with him. That's a great sign!


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## Daisy1986 (Jul 9, 2008)

I am not a training expert. They are on here. You might want to post there in training questions. 

I my situation bringing in new dogs. I never separated. 
I try to have them meet on neutral ground. Walk together. Then to the back yard maybe before the house. 

If they are going to be together it should be right from the start, I think.

With cats, I see you have those too. (me too, one), I think you separte them for a while, put the new cat in a room, so the others can sniff under the door get used to the scent. 

I think it is different with dogs. That is the way I feel anyway. 
Very cool to talk to someone so far away!!! Got to love the internet. 
Good luck!







Way to go for taking him in!
He is very nice looking dog, by the way!! Cannot believe he had such a bad wound.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Work with the rescue. If he and your male don't get along, ask if they will take him back. 

Don't worry about training. The 4 yo that appeared in my back yard (requiring quick vet action) was incredibly easy to train. He loved the attention and was a real show off at class. (Really built my reputation locally!)


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

So? Whadyado?


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## nadyahalim (Jan 7, 2008)

Hi hi all









Sorry been a bit busy with the new boy at home, since we brought him home on Saturday. Introduction went well, took them the pack to a park nearby, and we let the new boy out about half a block away and walked to the park to meet up... They just hit it off, running and chasing around... Thank god!

Took them home, and he pretty much settled in over a day. The girls are in love with him, and our boy is getting used to having a playmate that can play with him all day (the girls don't really play all day).

We have named him Vern, since the rescue lady called him Raven, and we thought Raven is just too girly for such a handsome boy like him.

He does understand quite a few commands, and mostly in German, so I have reason to think he's been trained before, just no idea how much training he's had. He also seems to be housebroken, because he went out to the garden to pee and poo on his own when we open the door (our house is fenced in).

He's only issue is that he was a bit shy, but he's warming up nicely. He doesn't like to be touched on the limbs though, and shrinks away from hands sometimes. Most likely been abused before?

He is also a tad possessive of his food bowl, so we think we need to work on those issues. Otherwise, he seems happy and content, and he's learning the house rules from the pack very quickly... Maybe he was fated to meet us...

On a funnier note, DH, (who used to hate dogs by the way, until we got together), was the one who Vern followed around the house! And DH told me, "I thought you were the dog person in this house, and he likes me!" and he was proud of it! LOL!

Thank you all for your support. I wouldn't have been able to do it without your encouragement!







Will post pics of Vern with the pack as soon as possible!


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