Posted on 03/30/2012 7:26:44 PM PDT by pops88
I just sent the following to someone involved with animal rescue, and wanted to share with Freepers. It's been a very hard day here :
I found out last night my family has to move overseas in the next 5 days because of my husband's job. I have a highly intelligent, well trained, well behaved, 4 year old German Shepherd. If I can't find a foster or permanent home, he will have to be euthanized. I've worked with him extensively. He's obedient and knows many commands, but he's not been able to be socialized to other people or animals. From the time he was a puppy he was fearful of other people and I was unable change that behavior. As a family pet, he has been wonderful. He was neutered as soon as possible to avoid problems with dominance issues. Some of the commands he knows: sit, stay, lie down, leave it, drop it, take, put (here,) give, find (person/specific toy), back up,wait, shake,kiss, crate, etc.
He is pool safe. He does not enter bedrooms or bathrooms unless on command. He does not get on furniture or eat food that has not been given to him. He will not take food from counters, coffee tables or the garbage. He is housebroken. If his water is empty he will nudge his dish and sit and wait. If a toy is taken away and put up he will not try to take it back. He doesn't beg at the table. When I'm cooking he goes and lies down. He is in good health and not over weight.
He can be a big ham with doe eyes or a head plant on a knee when he wants attention. He's so smart and communicative that I've referred to him as our toddler. He was taught to heel as a puppy, but because of his fear and aggression with strangers and other animals he has not been walked on a leash for several years. He's had to be confined to our home and backyard. My husband is a pilot and was unemployed several times in the last few years because of the economy. It's been a real struggle for us. We didn't have the money to take him to a professional trainer to deal with his socialization issues, and he was too big for me to handle on walks. He would be an absolutely wonderful dog for someone willing to work with him.
I've kept a file on all his vet records and papers (purebred from East German blood lines.) We absolutely hate the thought of having to take him to the Humane Society and be put down when he's such a wonderful dog otherwise, but again, we have to move overseas on extremely short notice and we're all pretty much in shock. I live in Las Vegas and expect to be driving to Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Thank you for the information, but I did also look at shock collars and did research. From my research, from experts, it was said a dog like mine needed a dominant dog collar and not a shock collar. His drive and focus are too strong and pain would not, will not deter him. I agreed with that assessment after working with my dog extensively.
Experts can be wrong. The cost of the collar would have been nothing, if it alleviated your problems.
Plus they might not have been aware Sportdog made the 400s, which is a *lot* stronger than the average training collar. No way your dog would have ignored this pain. He would have panicked, tried to figure out where it was coming from, looked to you, and that would have been the moment you needed to seize control.
Again, I haven’t seen your dog, but I had two, from a “breed” which was reputed to be untrainable (another I had of the same “breed” was the best trained dog I ever had - so much for the experts), they were out of control, and wholly ignoring me, the prong collars, my commands, and everything else.
Within minutes of being shocked, I was in control and they were going down with no questions and staying there. And within minutes of being together, they weren’t fighting.
Those dogs knew no pain, but they were easily controlled with the collar. Just file it away that it’s possible - it could prove useful someday.
I’ve had them for a couple of years now. All I need is tone IF IF IF IF IF someone decides to wander a little further than they should. AND, when Taffi takes off in high prey drive, after a coyote. (I up the ante, full bore in that case cuz I can’t see around the corner and don’t know if it’s a single coyote or a pack).
We’re TEMPORARILY living in a (stupid) place with no SINGLE backyard, so ... the stupid HOA, grumpy neighbor next door...I keep them on when they go outside for that reason...
I’ll never forget the first time I hit Taffi at #2 or 3 ....
Got her attention, right away. ;)
“As for choking the air out of your dog while “the pain is wracking him”, do you have any idea how brutal you come across?”
Seriously. My dominant dog collar is used as the last resort for getting an out of control, vicious, dangerous dog under control without harm to one’s self. It is NOT for normal training. It’s for keeping the dog from killing. My dog is completely under my command at all times unless he sees a strange person or another animal. Then his drive, focus and instinct kicks in and he’s ready to fight to the death regardless of what pain he might feel. Under normal conditions, all I have to say is “no” and he stops what he’s doing. Aside from finances, one of the reasons I didn’t want to send him for professional training is because it usually involves practices I consider inhumane. I’d rather keep him bubble dog than let someone treat him cruely under the guise of training.
Kidding!!!! ;)
So what are mental health professionals making these days ‘cause I think I need to send you a check?
LOL!!!
You saw, I see.............it’s getting crazy over there. :)
One dear lady just offered to buy me a bottle of Merlot. Har!
“No way your dog would have ignored this pain.”
LOL. He’s been near unconsciousness a couple times when he wanted to kill something. What is the setting just shy of “electric chair” with that? Can you recommend a way to get rid of the burning hair smell? Peddle your collar to someone else. I’m familiar them. They are not suited for my dog’s situation.
Sorry dear. I didn’t mean, in my reply to you, that you failed to socialize him. I worded my reply badly. It sounds like you went waaaay out of your way to do the best but it just didn’t take.
I’ve also had dogs around me for my entire life. Some just never lose the wild aspect. I had a Belgian Sheepdog, at the ripe old age of 14, that bit me and resulted in 300 stitches to my face. Luckily, a wonderful plastic surgeon was on staff that night and I hardly have any scars.
It just goes to show, you never know. They are animals after all. We have a Jack Russell Terrier now. I figure he can’t maim me as much as a big dog which I’ve always had in the past. Our Newfoundland was the most gentle guy so that logic doesn’t always work. :0)
I didn’t take your reply negatively at all, but as a kind word of support and it was greatly appreciated. I hope my post didn’t sound like I did.
“It just goes to show, you never know. They are animals after all.”
Indeed. Kudos on the bravery to have a Jack Russel Terror dog ;)
Admin Mod
I really appreciated reading your posts..
I just sent you a private message, but it didn’t go through for some reason.
>> the virtues of shocking and/or choking the air out of a dog
There’s no single method for discipline and control.
My daughter doesn’t want a new dog until her older GSD passes away. She doesn’t feel it would be fair to her current GSD.
I talked to my friend in Airedale Rescue (located in Nevada) and she told me that German Shephard Rescue in Nevada and elsewhere is already aware of this dog and trying to figure out what can be done.
“I’ll be praying for the best result - one that you AND Aldawin can live with.”
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. I had to give my daughter a faith pep-talk tonight that God wouldn’t impress us to get a dog then turn around and cruelly wrench him from us, because He’s carved us on the palm of His hand and knows we will sacrifice whatever He asks for, We’ve proven in the past what we’ll sacrifice for Him, so He can certainly find our dog the perfect home. She wasn’t too happy with the “maybe” reprieve on the time limit either. She’s had to flee a foreign country once in her life and was also, like myself, packed in a few hours. Neither of us were prepared for, or want, backpedaling. We committed ourselves 100% to the time frame for the move after being “asked.” It would be much harder for us to be in limbo with a “maybe” time of a few months.
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