Hi, I have a GSD 19months old, neutered. He is my baby and I love him more than the world but he has his bad behaviours. From 12weeks to around 7 months he was at training but he just got worse and worse with other dogs, he has always been nervous of new people but soon settles down unless they are extremely nervous of him. He is ok with most dogs but is very boistrous which makes other owners scared, he wears a muzzel on walks because he doesnt like terriers due to being attacked. I am at work now sometimes for 7 hours a day which is a recent thing and although he has run of the large garden I hate to leave him this long and he is now crying out for attention, although he is not chewing things and ripping things apart his behaviour is just getting worse and worse. Would u suggest re-homing? Also how would I do this obviously finding him a suitable home with VERY experienced owners of difficult GSD's. Would a GSD rescue benifit him more? He thrives on love and attention and loves his cuddles-I will miss him dearly but I want what is best for him. Please help him :(
I am a member on here but am too ashamed and upset to be me right now so please do not try and guess.

Oh dear, what a sad position to be in.  Yes, I would suggest rehoming.  Ordinarily if it was simply a matter of extended working hours, I'd suggest a dog walker, but with those sorts of problems, he really needs a dedicated experienced owner to manage, if not solve these types of problems.  A good GSD rescue will help you to find him a home with somebody whole appreciate him, warts and all.

I hope you find the strength to do what you have to, for the good of your boy, and well done for recognising you have a problem, and taking the steps to sort it out.  Don't think of yourself as having failed him, you're giving him the best possible chance {{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}

I feel so sorry for you that you can't appear on the board under your own name :( What a dreadful situation to find yourself in as well :( Would it be possible to talk to a GSD rehoming centre and ask for their advice ? Maybe that would help?

As someone actively involved in GSD rescue what the poster is asking a rescue like ours to do is take the dog in totally retrain him & then find him a home. This could take upwards of a year + in he meantime the kennel he would be could have hosuesd several other dogs that could be rehoused without the retraining that would have to turned away. If it turned out he could not be rehomed he would have to be PTS or kept in the keenls for the rest of his life denying hundreds of GSDs a temporary place in the kennels & he would be condemned to a life in kennels

GSDs do not need someone with them 24/7 but they do need stimulation & training & if you do not have the time to do that you do not have the time for any dog.

This will sound hard & unfeeling but with a dog with such a bad character as this one there is only one real solution & thats the final trip to the vets. Rescues cannot afford to rehome dogs with poor temperaments as they will be held responsible for the dogs conduct afetr it has been rehomed. The GSD welfare people were taken to court by the CPS when a GSD rehomed by them bite someone, the people in court had never even seen the dogs but as the trustees were the liable parties & they were fined £1000 each(pre DDA days)They now have to get a leagl document sighned to state the adopter accepts all liability for the dogs & have loss some good homes because people are not willing to sign it

Like all workings GSDs need socialization & training from an early age & that training needs keeping up throughout it's life. This is why I repeat time after time after time before buying a dog research the breed find healthy parents with good characters & temperaments & train & socialize from day one. My collie who was PTS with cancer two weeks ago was savaged by a GSD that ripped through his ear & throat, he did not attack GSDs afterwards because I sort out better GSDs to mix him with, he hated Labs & a lot of other collies after being attacked by dogs of the breed(he was nearly all black which does cause some dogs to attack)but I trained him to avoid eye contact & concentrate on me totally so I could control his desire to retaliatae

I've no personal experience with GSDs but my friend has two, her youngest (now two) went through similar stuff but with perseverence, lots of training and using a halti (and I think an anti-bark collar) she's come through it and is now much more settled and well behaved (and my mate works full-time but spends every other minute almost with the dogs). Have you thought about a behaviourist for some one to one training?

If you want to chat do feel free to PM me, i will keep any confidence if that helps :)

It may be that rehoming is the best thing;  if you do go this route, be very very careful who you trust to take care of your dog. I am sure some are excellent but one person i know of who is involved in GSd rescue uses hard training methods and has messed up one dog that i know of. So, just saying to be careful.

If you want to keep the dog it may be just that you need the right help; having a dog alone all day is not ideal but perhaps there are some solutions.

Best of luck

Lindsay
X

I'm so sorry to hear of your dilemma - life can be a bi**ch, and it is such a shame that you don't feel that you can post under your own name - you shouldn't be given a hard time because you have decided, in the best interests of your beloved dog, that you have to give him up!

I do hope that maybe some alternative suggestions from the board might help you find a different solution - have you looked into the availability/costs/practicality of day kennels in your area?

{{hugs}}  Margot

Sorry you are having such problems. You might want to try ringing the GSD Helpline - http://www.gsdhelpline.com/. I've never used them but have heard good reports of them. Is it possible that your boy is bored? Being a GSD there are lots of activities you could do with him and formal training for something might help to settle him down with other dogs. I know that he got worse at the training class as a pup, but he is older now and a class is only as good as the trainer. Another possibility if you can afford it might be a short period of professional training. I do know one male GSD that was completely turned around after a fortninght with a good trainer. As poppynurse says he is still just a big teenager at 19 months so some more time might help too. Hope you get things sorted for the best & best of luck.

I feel really sorry that you can't post under your own name. I can't see anything to suggest that you are a bad owner, if anything you are better than many, you want what is best for the dog. Don't feel ashamed, you are having a difficult time, not something i would ever like to face, but i don't think you have done anything to be ashamed of.
I'm sorry i can't offer any more advice. I have a BC with similar traits to your GSD and it is hard, but it does sound as if you are trying your best.