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Hello, I just adopted a 4 month old shepard/chow dog named rusty. He came spayed with a chip already inside him. Not sure what type of shepherd but thinking german. Shelter said owners brought in dog for excessive whining when left outside and not letting other dogs eat. I keep the dog indoors when Im home but when I go to work for now I have a 30 foot leash connected to him just in case he trys to escape. In a few weeks I will not use the leash if there are no signs of destruction or escape. The dog will whine for 2 min then is totally fine after I leave. I have a security camera on him all day and have reviewed it 3 times with no problems. He just lays on the grass in the sun most of the day. I cant believe how smart he is. Only 2 accidents in the house before I put in a doggie door. Now he goes outside all the time on his own. He is soo sweet, he sleeps with me and hangs out by my side whenever im home. I though it would be a nightmare training him because the person at the shelter said he was wild toward them, but I was up to the challenge. There were only 3 dogs there that were totally calm when I was looking at them and he was one of them, thats why I picked him. I know nothing about training dogs, but I had a question about being around other dogs. I have mostly got him to walk near me on a leash but sometimes he will hurry to smell something, im trying to keep the leash at 3 feet to keep him close to me. I recently went to a dog beach and had him on a leash and he would go crazy when the other dogs would run circles around him. He would bark a little but would jump in the air toward them, not to bite but in a excited way. I was too afraid to take the leash off thinking he may just run toward all the dogs and I may have to chase him in sand on a pretty big and crowded beach. Now this is the first time I have taken him near dogs dont know what contact the original owners had only about the food issue, he is only 4 months old, just wondering if its a normal behavior or does it just take time getting used to other dogs. If I hold him he will calm down and the dogs would come around him and sniff each other but if dogs run by and circle him he jumps after them. Should I just do this more often on a leash, or is this just how he will be. He is totally nice to people and loves everyone he meets. Do I need to just unleash him in a crowd of dogs and let him go crazy and have fun? Im thinking more leash time and alot more walks to slow him down some because he is obsessed with smelling everything. Another thing is this dog will only relieve himself in our backyard. Not in the car or on walks only at home. 2 hours walking and driving and nothing until he gets home. Now im not complaining just curious if that is normal. Thankfully right now he does not mark his territory, I hate seeing dogs do that every 4 feet sometimes. I will post some pictures of him. Maybe someone can tell exactly what type of dog he is, on the back of his tongue he has a big blue spot thats why they thought he was part chow. The darker photo had no flash, the second pic is more of his correct color. He also has ears that flop down halfway.
He looks cute enough, however I'm thinking I see Great Dane in there rather than Chow, due to the ears. I could be wrong, it's happened before, just don't tell my husband, he's certain I'm always right
My best suggestion before getting him (or is it her?.... you said he and then said spayed??, just for the record the males are neutered and the females spayed ) into obedience training. Don't be shy in letting them know that you are a first time dog owner and there's no such thing as a stupid question, except of course the one that isn't asked.
I'm leery of leaving a leash /lead on him as that can get him into trouble. Is there perhaps a way you can give him his own room? Like the one where the doggie door is, put up a child's gate or something to contain him into that room.
He might well behaving pretty well now, but you and he are in the honeymoon period and once he starts feeling comfy he'll start to test the limits and boundries.
Keep him up on his vet visits, feed him a super premium food and get him trained and you'll have a wonderful friend for life
Neutered early enough so prolly will not mark like many intact males do. The jumping lungeing while at beach and such is excitement as others go past without stopping to say hi.
Is your yard fenced in as say keep on lead so not escape? Hate tied dogs (also makes them meaner) and if have fence and he not whining like they said he did maybe was he just never got the love and attention and now he is and knows you be back so do great. I also like the block a area near doggie door idea also.
If he was with other dogs hope had seperate dishes but many dogs can be food aggressive even if usually a mild tempered dog I know as have this here with my 7 and have 8 dishes but someone always has to see if something better in another dish.
Yes he is a male, I hate keeping him on a leash but I have a harness on him, im always concerned about choking or getting tangled up, but the patio he is in is wide open with just one tree near the end of it. I just think escaping is more of a concern for me. Right now I only work 5 min away so at lunch I stop by and peek through the window just to make sure everything is ok. Im hoping he will be trained with the leash on so when it does come off when I leave for work he wont try to explore the world outside the fence. Dont have to worry about too much sun because at all times half of it is in the shade and there is plenty of water. Also he never barks unless he sees a cat or when I was at the dog beach. Even with the neighbor dog making noise he is quiet. The dog is in a 7 foot high wooden fence area within the patio, then the other exit for the patio has a 4 foot high lattice gate. That leads into the backyard with 3 sides of 7 foot high fence and one side 4 foot high brick/lattice wall. I feel more comfortable with the patio now, 1/2 grass 1/2 concrete half shade all day. Too many dogs behind the other fences. 2 are nice but 2 others are pit bulls that bark at anything that moves. Dont want to have a barking concert with no one home. But when Im home the gates are open and he runs all around. Patio is around 10x40, backyard is 50x60 mostly grass and dirt.
A few thoughts:
If your yard is securely fenced and he cannot escape nor can someone steal him from inside the fence, it's best to leave him off leash. Dogs can strangle themselves on leashes while unattended. If you intend for him to always have outdoor access at will, then you're doing okay. If you expect for him to be left indoors at times without outdoor access, you may want to work on training him to stay indoors for short periods, starting with 3 or 4 hours and gradually increasing the time as he gets older, to ensure he can hold his bladder and bowels when he needs to.
The jumping and bouncing when meeting other dogs is normal. He wants to play. You need to give him opportunities to socialize with other dogs, and obedience or puppy kindergarten is the ideal place for this. Please do not let him off leash at the beach, or anywhere else, for that matter. I'm in rescue and we see many, many wonderful dogs in shelters and rescue because they were separated or ran away from their owners. Try to take him for regular car rides, and give him opportunities to meet lots of people, men and women and kids.
If trained consistently, dogs learn to eliminate in specific places, but exercise will often induce elimination, so always bring a bag on walks just in case. My dogs don't pee on every bush, pole or fence they see, because I've trained them not to. They will poop on extended walks though.
Good luck with your new dog, and thanks for supporting rescue.
Congratulations on a great-looking guy! I won't venture any guesses about his mix. I recently adopted an alleged "cattle dog mix" who looks like a large white mutt with odd brindle markings. I asked my vet what mix she thought he was, and she said, "Cute and cuter," which covers it. When your dog is full grown, his features might be clearer (not to mention his adult size).
I can't add anything to the advice you've already gotten, except to echo that it can be good to find a way to give the dog his own (confined,defined) space. Like if your kitchen ahs smallish doorways, put up a baby gate or something. I housebroke my original two puppies by putting them in the bathroom at night (when I worked). I keep a baby gate up to keep them from going upstairs into the loft, where there is a carpet. And so on.
The dog is very sweet looking. Best wishes with him!
Sounds like he adjusting well and maybe just because he is comfortable has quietted him down and now that he gets attention. Fenced pretty good hopefully soon he can be trusted enough but do see your concerns.
Thank you for saving this great looking pup! He does have some German shep in him )
I don't know how the weather is where you are, it's getting into Summer and i would not be leaving him outside for too long with a leash on. I agree with above posts regarding that issue.
Have you considered getting a crate?
Do you have a Petsmart nearby where you can take him for basic obedience? There are great books on dog training as well, you can do it all yourself and learn from it.
You can always ask questions regarding certain issues that you might be having, i feel you will be a good and respoinsible owner.
I have another idea for you and for anyone with a dog that escapes the yard. Jazz could get over a 6 ft fence at age of 12 weeks and would any time I left , if I was home she would stay put. I put up a covered dog run outside the dog door so when I am home the dogs can go out to pee and poop but she could not escape. It is their own bathroom!. I trained them both about using it so when I go to work or am not home they are inside but have the dog door to the doggie bathroom. It also keeps them from going outside and barking to annoy my neighbors as it is not a huge run and they prefer not to hang out where they eliminate.
It gave me peace of mind as when I am at work I know Jazz is not jumping the fence and running around. She will pee on walks but unless we are out for hours usually waits to poop in " her bathroom"! Dash prefers to do both on walks but he was a year old when I got him while Jazz was a puppy. He will use the doggy bathroom when he has too.
When they were younger they were only allowed to be in the dining room where dog door is and kitchen while I was gone. As they became trustworthy the living room was added to that.When I am gone they are downstairs but the upstairs bedrooms are off limits. They like to take kleenex out of the box on the bed side table and eat it and Dash likes to get under the covers of the bed and jump around so that soon they are on the floor.
Cute Pup. Good luck with the training and yes as a novice I would go to obedience class. You learn alot and it is a good social outlet for you and Rusty.
I kept him off the leash today while at work, came home and he was still there just laying around. Checked the security camera and he did the same thing as if he was tied up. Im in san diego and the weather here today is in the 90's. Almost at all times the patio is in half shade so he should be fine, its actually hotter in the house then outside. Im still going to keep him outside only when im at work and the other 15 hrs he can go in and out. Thanks for all the good tips, will look into a petsmart for some type of training with other dogs. I noticed today while he was chewing a big knotted rope dog toy there was some blood on it, since he is 4 months old could the baby teeth be coming out, its hard to tell he doesnt let me open his mouth easily.
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