Possible New DS owner in Ma.

[Neptune]

Hi Everyone, My name is Warren and I may be adopting a DS shortly.
I have had multiple dogs in the past and have done rescue work with a few different rescues. To date my wife and I have fostered and placed about 15 dogs. Recently a friend of ours neice decided to place her DS and we were asked if we'd like to take him.
From what she told us about the dog, he is 6 yrs. old and when he was a yearling had military training.
I guess her father ( the neices ) bought this dog and gave it to his daughter ( she is in her late 20's ) when she moved into a different state.
Now, the dog was 2 when all this happened and she ( in the last few years ) has really done nothing with the dog and he has developed a few bad habits..... he is abit over reactive to certain situations ( he went through a screened window, to chase off the mail man, and at a Christmas party he nipped one of the guests that came through the door ) but overall besides being abit on the "active" side...he sounds like a great dog.
She got married about a year and a half ago and now has an infant in the house so she was looking to rehome him.
Now, I've dealt with everything from Chi's to Great Danes and most everythgin in between while fostering,adn have dealt with a number of behavioral issues but any advice on DS's would be very appreciated. We are going to be picking him up this weekend for ..lets call it an extended "trial" period that will last a few weeks at least to see if he is a fit for us.

[Dutchringgirl]

Welcome !!! Its great that you foster dogs!!

First I want to ask, what are your days like? Are you home? at work ? WHere will the dog stay when you are gone? If you are gone all day, were will the dog go and what will he do?

DS are not your average family dog. They need to work alot or they will find a job, and humans usually dont like the jobs that the DS's find.

Going through the window at the mail man is not really "reactive" its normal, these are protection dogs and that is what he was doing. With good Obedience training, you can teach them that they dont need to protect you against the mail man.

Sadie went through my screen last week because I didnt know I was having a visitor so I was caught off guard and Sadie took it upon herself to " welcome" my guest.

For the nipping, herders heel, that is how they keep the sheep in line. I know, we are not sheep, but they dont know that. Herders keep the flock [ us] together. My youngest, Sadie, herds my kids, me too sometimes. you can teach him not to nip.

Keep him on a leash for a while, so he stays with you and learnes the ropes with you. When you know company is coming, he should be on a leash.

You can train him to be in a down or sit when someone comes to the door and he is to wait for your command as to what he is to do.

[Neptune]

Hi,
Thank you for the welcome.... I am a business owner but can get home on a daily basisi as needed ( I work 10 minutes from the house. My wife is a part time nurse and only works 7-3 a couple of times a week)
He would be crated when we are not home, but it would never be for more than 4 hrs. at any stretch.
Oh by the way, we have 3 other dogs a spayed 3 yr. old GS/Hound x and 2 neutered 10 yr. old Boston Terriers... they are all use to fosters and are super stable.
In the past I had a fully trained GS ( tracking, light protection, on / off lead, english/german commands ) so I am familiar with sheperds in general... just not DS's
Luckily we have a ton of experience with "dog issues" so dealing with the issues I've mentioned just seem to be result of lack of leadership and a continuance of his former obedience training. In fact, we have already started looking into agility training classes near us to really start to bring him back to his former glory.
He is a beautiful darker brindle, about 60 lbs and from the way he was described... fingers crossed he should blend beautifully into our home. We bicycle ( I have a dog bike attatchment ) hike, kayak ( and yes, I'd love to try to get him to come out with me ) so I think that he will enjoy his new "more active" life.

[LyonsFamily]

Going through the window at the mail man is not really "reactive" its normal, these are protection dogs and that is what he was doing. With good Obedience training, you can teach them that they dont need to protect you against the mail man.

Sadie went through my screen last week because I didnt know I was having a visitor so I was caught off guard and Sadie took it upon herself to " welcome" my guest.

Elli went through my glass storm door last week because I was out mowing the grass and she thought she'd make a more convenient passage for her and Odin. The only reason we had a glass storm door is because Rokko turned all of our screen doors into window jumps last month. They don't do bored well.

Warren, Lisa has some good advice. Your lucky you're getting a 6 year old as you won't have to deal with puppy antics on top of being a first time DS owner. Consistency and training will go a long way and keeping a long line on the dog for your first two weeks will really help.

Odin would attack any new person that walked into our home. Dogs can't distinguish between the friendly elderly lady next door that they've never met and a burglar, so we use obedience and train through scenarios to help control him when we want to until he can be properly introduced or put away.

[Neptune]

Wow, it sounds like I am about to really have my hands full.... I will leave the leash on alot and have him follow me around in the house and outside. We are picking him up on Saturday morning so luckily I'll have a few solid days with him ( my wife has Monday off ) before we are back into out more normal schedule. I just hope that we are up to the challenge that this breed has to offer.

[Neptune]

Is it better to use a collar or harness when walking this breed? I use a pinch collar for my GS X now when we are out and she responds beautifully to it.

[Dutchringgirl]

Collar!! Especially while you are new to each other. The only time I use a harness is when I take them swimming. Otherwise I never have one on.

If you are comfortable with pinch collars, I would keep it handy, see how he is with you on walks. I love pinch collars with Sadie. I never have to use it but just having it on, keeps her in check. As a pup my elbow made some strange noises that I dont think it was supposed to.

Stephanie, I got a good chuckle! Screens dont last long with DS. My parents usually have a doggie door in their back door for their Basset. Well, they put in a new sliding door, but didnt put in a new doggie door yet.... Sadie took it upon herself to make the way for the new doggie door.

Neptune, you will have your hands full. Find a good Obedience trainer ASAP and you will have a lot better time with him.

Also, can you make a signature line so we know who we are talking to and where you are from? Thanks

[Neptune]

Hmmm.... ok, you have me abit nervous...I've had dogs all of my life, a bunch of rescues.placements.and yet, it sounds like these DS's are just a whole different story. His current owner says he is a real sweety, gets along well with other animals, is normally good with people, travels well.. and she has only had those two instances of issues over his life with her. I can only assume that these dogs have a lot of good traits as well so.. it will be interesting.

[Dutchringgirl]

Yes, they are a whole different story. These are herding dogs, their job is to stay in the field all day and watch the sheep and keep them where they are supposed to be and to keep the predators away from steeling the sheep..

They still think that is their job. I am sure he is super sweet, they all really are. That is why Sadie has avoided the soup pot, because she is a real sweet dog. Its not that they cant be sociable, get along, love you, but they are protective, have a lot of drive, and much more than any other dog, except a Malinois.

This dog will not be like anything else you have had. They are great, super, loving, fun and will make you pull your hair out. Its not that it is a bad trait, it just is how they are and we humans have to learn how to channel their drive to something other than destruction. See, that is what they love, but we dont, so to them, its not a bad trait, they are protecting us, doing what they are bred to do. SO its not bad, we just say its bad because we know that the Mail man is not here to hurt us, but they dont.

[cake73]

Hi, Neptune.

Hope your "trial period" with the DS is working out well!

You mention,
"In the past I had a fully trained GS ( tracking, light protection, on / off lead, english/german commands ) so I am familiar with sheperds in general... just not DS's
Luckily we have a ton of experience with "dog issues" so dealing with the issues I've mentioned just seem to be result of lack of leadership and a continuance of his former obedience training. In fact, we have already started looking into agility training classes near us to really start to bring him back to his former glory."

For what it's worth, I think you'll be fine. Not every dog of a particular breed has exactly the same personality, exactly the same level of drive. Sure, some will get into refrigerators or eat through sofas, but they all won't.


It sounds to me like you've got a solid background with shepherds and have a plan to give this boy a great life and something to do. The DS is described as a "Malinois with an off switch." LOL.

Our DS are both rescues and both more "pet quality" than "working quality." Kaya, the more active of the two, came to us at about 3yo, trained in English, French, and hand signals. She was also a nervous nelly away from the house. She was content to hang out all day, keeping watch over our driveway and our neighbors'. However, she did expect a morning and an evening walk and some interaction in the evening when we came home for work and she wasn't shy about giving us reminders (vocalization, that Dutchie stare, etc). She loved to tug. She loved to chew. Both dogs barked heartily at the mail man, garbage man, oil delivery man, UPS/FedEx man, cable guy. All visitors to the house (except family members) were greeted with enthusiastic barking and sniffing. It didn't matter if they were just in the house and went out to the truck to get something and then came back to the house. Same greeting. However, they never jumped. Kaya did once nip a guy who was installing a new front door, but he reached over a gate in the house to try to pet her and he readily admitted he should not have done that (I was on the same side of the gate as she). The only place she herded us was upstairs to bed.


All of this rambling probably sounds sort of trivial and may not be helpful. I've been super sentimental.
I just wanted to chime in and say if the previous owners describe him as a "sweetie" then he may not be one of those psycho DS who don't settle down in the house or ever. If he had "military training" but is not doing that sort of work now, there may be a good reason and it may be he's more of a family DS than a working DS.

I know a fellow who was very active in French Ring (NARA) with his female DS (she's now 11yo and is retired) and is now training his young male Mal for the same sport. I think he's done some work with K9 Top Performance in Reading, MA, should you need a trainer. (http://www.k9topperformance.com)

Best wishes and have fun!!!