Don't make me join another forum! Dog gone it!

General The Pub
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I know this is a DIY forum, but the Pub is a place for anything, right? I don’t want to go to another forum because I feel there are plenty of people here who can help me. This is about dogs…

Or rather one dog in particular. I’ve raised German Shepherd Dogs all my life. But, each one was raised from a pup with the exception of my current dog. I got him at about 2-1/2 years old. I have reasons to believe he may have been abused before. Such as he has a rather large calcium deposit type knot on one of his ribs. In my mind I just picture a pointed toe of a cowboy boot causing that. Nothing to base it on though and it could be from anything. But also when I first got him he was quite a flincher. If I moved too quickly, especially my hands, he would flinch.

But not after more than 2 years with us, I feel we’ve loved a lot of the fear out of him. He no longer flinches which I’m happy about. But there are issues and I’ve all but given up on fixing them. Maybe @ozo or another member with more experience handling adult dogs can help. Because they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Right? I don’t believe it.

The problems I’m having are these. First, he is an inside dog. But he gets in moods where he wants to be outside and will pace the floor as if he’s about to take a huge dump. I’ll let him out and moments later he’ll want back in, having not pooped. Then he’ll want right back out. At one point I thought he wanted me out with him so I would try that. It seems to calm him down sometimes, but some it doesn’t. I could chalk it up to him being a high energy dog.

Next is when I do let him out he bull rushes the door. I’ve worked for 2 years on making him sit/stay a few feet back from the door till I open it and say “ok” for him to go out. I have to constantly force this issue. I never get frustrated and let him win either, yet his dumb ass will continue to try and push past me sometimes. Problem is he’s huge (130 lbs) and can easily get past my wife. Still, I’ve established myself as the alpha here, so what’s the friggin deal? I suppose I could learn to ignore it but he also stomps our feet when he gets close to us. Here in SC we go round barefoot a lot, and when a dog that big steps on you it hurts. Whatever, a 45 to the head would fix it. But I would love an obedient response instead.

Next problem is he hates to be alone. It took us a while before we realized he would destroy our house if we tried to force him to have alone time. He’s dug deep grooves in the door trim around 3 different doors in the house. Sometimes I’ll put him in his crate (in my bedroom) and let him bark it out just so I can have some peace. But when I let him out he just goes nuts again, stomping my feet and begging to go outside.

When he does spend time outside and isn’t trying to come right back in, he barks. At nothing. Many times he just lies there under the tree and barks. Gets on my last f’ing nerve. I’ve tried to see if I could outlast him. Can’t. He’s been outside and barked for 8 straight hours. So there’s little hope I’ll ever convert him to an outside dog.

Ok, when I got this mut I found him advertised on Craigslist. The previous owners may have been lying or telling the truth, I don’t know. But they said he wandered to their house and they loved him but just didn’t have the room. I immediately took him to the vet for a checkup. Had to treat him for heartworm which was like $1000. I also feed him Canidae - 44 lbs bag is like $62 and only lasts 5 weeks. Point is I’ve invested a lot of time and money into this dog and don’t want it to be wasted, but I’m seriously at the end of my rope.

Does anyone have suggestions for fixing these problems? I need advice!

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He does sound an anxious soul. Have you tried any of the pheromone behaviour stuff?

Something like this springs to mind

Might help settle him when he’s alone/crated?

And I’m pretty sure you can use herbal remedies for dogs, like valerian drops…will go google to check - brb :+1:

Edit: don’t know if there’s anything here to help?

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Is he your only dog? Maybe he needs a canine buddy.

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Get him a dog anxiety vest, sounds like he has separation anxiety. My dog Abel has the same issue, dogs have their own personality. He’ll never be perfect but there’s ways to lessen the affects. Also a bark collar will help it sucks but sometimes necessary. Ohh and when he’s all wound up and keeps coming back in go out and play fetch with the guy German shepherds are work dogs and need a constructive outlet.

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In my mind winding a dog up even more when he already is wound up is a bad idea. I would say that what he needs at that point is some exercises that calms him down, something he is really good at and knows how to do.

For some dogs chasing a ball or whatever you throw is building up stress and stress is the worst thing and something we want as little of as possible in our dogs, at least the negative stress. Positive stress on the other hand is something totally different and something we as owners control, positive stress can be anticipation of a treat in obedience as an example.

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It sounds exactly like anxiety. The foundation beneath this emotion can be complex and deep-rooted, but have no fear, it can be easily treated without prescribed medicine.
Calming essential oils can be diluted with an oil like olive, almond, avocado, etc. Mix 10-12 drops CEO to 2 Tbsp olive oil, rub some in on his neck and chest with your finger. Some calming oils are rose, sweet orange, vanilla, lavender, neroli, marjoram, and can be mixed to a scent of your liking. Try several blends.
Can you take him for regular walks…around the neighborhood? There’s no way to know his prior environment. His hearing is keen, and he may be hearing something that caused his anxiety from his old residence. By walking him regularly, he can see the threat is not at his home, and you will be there with him, protecting each other. He will get used to the other sounds around him.
Another key point, if you are stressed, or anxious, he will read that and be anxious also.

A 400mg, up to 600mg valerian capsule (or tablet) can help soothe his anxiety, Other effective herbs to try include skullcap, kava, chamomile and St. John’s Wort. You can mix them in his food if he will eat them, but better to put the capsule in the Pill Pocket treats. Oscar Mayers work pretty well too,eh?

Another good calming remedy is to put a spoonful or two of cooked oatmeal on his food.
Which Canidae do you feed, Life Stages dry? Most Canidae has oatmeal in it, about 8-10 ingredients down, so I would still put some cooked on his food.

There is no ‘overnight’ fix [my magic wand is broken, or I would loan it to you], but you should have fast results. I always use chemicals/medicine as a last resort, and I think you can cure this without them.

There are also Rescue Remedy’s available that many swear work [you can google them]. They are basically flower extracts (homeopathy) like Helianthemum nummularium, Clematis vitalba, Impatiens glandulifera, Prunus cerasifera, and Ornithogalum umbellatum.

I say calm down, give him some oatmeal, some herbs, mix some essentials oils, put some on him…some on you (seriously), and go for a walk. Take the spouse too.
We have known each other for a while, I think you know I take this seriously.

When you get back from your walk, ALWAYS have a good treat to HAND him, while telling him what a good boy he is.

Do you have a McDonalds you can walk to? Walk thru the drive-thru with him? Get him a cheeseburger to give him when you get home. Yeah, you think I’m senile.

My rescue friend Eldad taught me this with cheeseburgers. Ever watched his videos?
His first dog rescue…he saw one and wanted to help, and only had a cheeseburger. He used it to befriend the hurt, lonely, and frightened dog. He, and his team, have been using them (cheeseburgers) ever since.

I have to go tend to my own critters at the moment, but I will be available soon if you have any questions. I can give you my phone number if that would help…I always love a good chat.

Please, have a look:

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I’m with @skiball on this, he definitely has some deep rooted issues, and I’ve seen this kind of thing before, and although I have never tried or needed them on my dogs I have heard good things about the vests from friends with difficult dogs, and yeah…it sounds very much like he’s been mistreated at some point, that shit will stay with stay with him to some degree but you can do things to calm him down, a dog shrink would be the next step.
hope you sort somethin man it breaks my heart to see a troubled pooch

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No, you need a professional. No quick fixes here. Either that or you need to become an expert.

Vests, pills, etc are short term which may be fine. My understanding would be you need a professional and/or to read a hell of a lot and probably 2 correction devices. Dominance collar and a e-collar.

Seriously the answer for this is not on a forum. For your and the dogs sake I wish it was. It’s not a terrible problem. Just requires high end knowledge to have a look. They in turn will guide you how to proceed. Good luck.

Dealing with similar dog problems, not major, but complicated.

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How does fetch stress a dog? Does going to the gym make you feel stressed? Or maybe a better analogy would be do you feel stressed after a basketball game? Germen shepherds are working dogs they need to do just that. Be it herding sheep, finding drugs or getting a ball.

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To answer your question and ignore that bad analogies. Dogs do stress when it comes to chasing objects, some more than others but there is for the most part always some stress involved in it. You might not see it but others will.
I agree that they are bred for work and should be able to do some sort of work. But honestly fetching a ball can’t be considered work. I would say it is a lazy owners way to give that dog better condition.
If we are talking work i would say doing exercises where the dog is using the head is far more exhausting then it is running after a ball and on the plus side it does make the dog tired.

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Ya i guess the guy could get some sheep for it to herd. Or maybe get some drugs to hide around the house. You have no problem tellme how wrong i am but offer no real solution.

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I’m gonna butt out of this thread since i get the feeling that no matter what i write you have issues with it in some way.
I’ll continue to talk to SthrnMixer privately as long as he feels he wanna do just that.

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I certainly wouldn’t claim to be any kind of expert but I have a strong feeling, if that means anything, that punishing him with a shock collar would only make matters worse. I asked if he was your only dog because of his behavior when he wants to go out. If I read correctly, he seems to want you with him but then this doesn’t satisfy him. Because of his skittishness when you first got him, and because you don’t know his upbringing, it could be that he was raised with a large pack of dogs where some of the humans treated them well and others were abusive. Most dogs learn to see humans as their pack during their first few months of life but if he didn’t, he may need another dog or two to feel fully comfortable.

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Anyone suggesting a collar, I want you to wear it first. Let me take you for a walk,eh?
You surely didn’t read what Robert said, or you didn’t comprehend.
A collar is the last thing Robert’s baby needs…a bullet would be better.

If you are here to guess, or learned your degree on youTube, or Galaxy Jackson,…
go away before you step in it deeper.
Mix your fantastic, world renowned, all-your-friends-love-it, premium juice wrong…
no mistake, just dump it. No harm done. Doesn’t work like that here.

The Dominant Dog Collar

The dominant dog collar is used for belligerently aggressive dogs who cannot be depended upon to respond to verbal instructions and who will not respond to more gentle corrections given by way of a less restrictive collar.

Like a prong collar, the dominant collar must be fitted just behind your dog’s ears and under the jaw line, as opposed to further down along your dog’s neck.

The idea of the dominant collar is not to inflict pain on your dog. Rather, the idea is to lift upward with a steady, gentle pressure, thereby cutting off the dog’s air supply as you lift him up off the ground by the collar, if necessary.

It is essential that you never jerk on a dominant collar, since sudden violent movements can do terrible damage your dog’s neck muscles. Rather, the collar must be drawn tight with a gentle, steady pressure.

For an extra layer of security, you can attach a dominant collar to your dog’s lead along with his prong collar, so that if the latter should pull apart, you will still have the former in place to help you deal with any sudden displays of belligerence.

No dog acquired as a puppy and raised according to the instructions of this workshop should ever require a dominant collar. Indeed, if your dog reaches the point that a dominant dog collar is needed, then, to be sure, a great many things will have already gone very seriously wrong along the way.

No dog so poorly controlled as to require a dominant collar, should ever be taken out to any public place.

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Wow, lots of good stuff here. [quote=“ozo, post:14, topic:103560”]
No dog so poorly controlled as to require a dominant collar, should ever be taken out to any public place.
[/quote]

That’s where I have no issue. This dog isn’t just non-aggressive, he’s literally the sweetest dog I’ve ever encountered. Of course I don’t leave him alone with my little twin granddaughters, but I don’t kennel him when they’re here either. He gets such a gentile nature when they’re around.

I like the suggestions from @Lolly and @ozo of using natural remedies, oils, scents, herbs and such. I’ve not tried anything like that nor have I ever had to with this breed in the past. Non of my other GSDs were ever remotely like this, but as I stated, were all raised from pups and I reckon I must be a pretty good trainer because each was very obedient and, well, happy.

Also I don’t have any of the terrorism that accompanies many anxious dogs. He doesn’t growl or show other forms of aggression. In fact I would call him moody. Reason being that those behaviors I laid out in my initial post are mostly here and gone, meaning that one day he will act “normal” and another he acts out. Wife sometimes suspects a bitch in heat in the neighborhood and getting him neutered would be a good start. I’ve never neutered a male dog and really don’t want to start now, but if I had a strong feeling it would help I think that’s exactly what I would do.

Also I’ve received some kindly worded PMs since I posted and I thank you for that too. I’m taking it all in and feel confident improvements are in the near future.

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Robert, I only made it through the first paragraph, so I don’t know if this has been addressed or not, but I’m gonna go ahead and put this out there. German Shepherd Dogs are a working breed…they have a ton of desire and a ton of energy. They need release. Not a hand release, lol…they need an outlet. Running, playing, pleasing the owner, chasing shit, like a ball or stick. Throw 20 balls out in the yard at once and give him the job of retrieving them. He needs work…he is a working breed.
I won’t go on, as I’m sure this has been addressed, but I said my piece…I think you know what I do for a living, and I think you have my number. You are MORE than welcome to call me anytime and i’ll work with you on this guy.

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Ares, God of War, son of Zeus and Hera
Pray for him as he fights this battle, and is triumphant.
A family is at stake, and no blood need be shed to conquer the demons.
[art by a friend Peterprime]

Ares_Mars_Greek_God_Art_02_by_peterprime.jpg894×894 99.1 KB

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Ignore my collar suggestions, I really don’t know enough anyway and that was my point. If you can afford it get in a pro with bona fide references, if you can’t afford it get a book from a bona fide expert and study it hard. Don’t trust us, I mean look at my post. I meant a halter collar not dominance I don’t even know enough to tell the difference.

I have a dog and we went to puppy school and I just have done exactly what we were taught, and now he’s a bad resource guarder and it s causing issues as we wish to bring in a rescue dog to our home. He’s smart and obedient knows his place, except for the resource stuff, food, toys, etc. We are getting a professional in to help us as it’s beyond my knowledge. With the new dog is causing issues. They do train with an e-collar, not a dominance one though my bad. Though my understanding is with the collar they are not a magic cure all and not for every dog either, that’s what we were told as I was hesitant to use it at first, but the trainer the rescue society provided reassured me that they were fine. He’s coming along its hard work being consistent no matter what.

Yours is a real subtle requirement from what I’m reading into it, great nature all round. The separation anxiety and your issue with in/out are I would say tough ones. Good luck, if you can afford it get that pro in as I said. I’d think with dog training hands on and observe just cannot be beat. Sounds like you know a fair bit to begin with.

as your post said, you were looking for experts, and on reflection I just should not even chimed in as that I am not. I suppose when you own dogs most of your life you like to think you are, but it does not make me one. This experience of bringing 2 older dogs together has taught me how little I really know and have been fudging it all along. I just stuck to what I was taught at RSPCA it’s served us well just not the intricacies. Rambling again, stop now.

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My Malamute Shepherd had some similar behavior but not all the time. He was a rescue and somewhere between 1.5 to 3 years old at the time. He would bull rush the door and just start barking for no reason. But not always. One day while I was walking him, the UPS truck rolled past and he went completely batshit. I started putting things together and came up with the idea that the UPS truck must have a resonating frequency that he didn’t like. I started taking him out at the same time and each time the truck went past he would go crazy. When I received my next package, I asked the driver if it would be ok if I took Athos out to the truck and why and he agreed. After about a month he started to calm down and the drivers (we had three different drivers at the time) started calling out to him “Just me Athos” or “Hey buddy, it’s OK” things like that. After a while he just calmed down. After a while he would just lift his head and turn his ears toward the street but remained calm.
Maybe there is some machinery in your area that is causing him to lose it. I would suggest you pay attention to things that normally wouldn’t cross your mind as far as your dog is concerned. I’m not a dog expert, just relating a similar experience. Animals are just as complex as humans but without the ability to communicate with us in a way we can understand. I’ve had dogs that are afraid of the dark and one that hated the ring tone on my phone. Good luck. Don’t give up!

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I am very glad you took the time to 'splain yo’self, Lucy. [Ricky and Lucy]
It’s not always easy to understand where folks stand, on social media.
God bless you.

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