Family pets?

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mama2lovebugs

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This might be off topic for a Catholic forum but I thought I’d ask anyway…

I love animals, I’ve had them all my life and taken really good care of each of them. About a year and a half ago my dh and I and our two small children (under 5) got a large breed puppy. We took care of this dog for a year and then decided, after MUCH destruction, that we couldn’t handle her anymore. We rehomed her with a dog trainer that had experience with this breed;however, last week she returned the dog to us (after 4 months) because the dog was too much for her to handle. We took the dog back because we don’t want anything bad to happen to her but it is still more work than I feel I can handle with two small children at home. I walk her two hours a day, with two kids, in the rain (most of the time) and make sure to take her to an off leash park each day and throw a ball around with her. But it still isn’t enough for her, she has so much energy. Plus my house and car are totally muddy and I have real issues with cleanliness.

I feel that this added stress makes me a less patient and attentive wife and mother, but after our experience I don’t feel that anyone else will be able to handle this dog and she will end up being destroyed.

Any tips? Advice? Moral stance? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
mama2lovebugs said:
This might be off topic for a Catholic forum but I thought I’d ask anyway…

I love animals, I’ve had them all my life and taken really good care of each of them. About a year and a half ago my dh and I and our two small children (under 5) got a large breed puppy. We took care of this dog for a year and then decided, after MUCH destruction, that we couldn’t handle her anymore. We rehomed her with a dog trainer that had experience with this breed;however, last week she returned the dog to us (after 4 months) because the dog was too much for her to handle. We took the dog back because we don’t want anything bad to happen to her but it is still more work than I feel I can handle with two small children at home. I walk her two hours a day, with two kids, in the rain (most of the time) and make sure to take her to an off leash park each day and throw a ball around with her. But it still isn’t enough for her, she has so much energy. Plus my house and car are totally muddy and I have real issues with cleanliness.

I feel that this added stress makes me a less patient and attentive wife and mother, but after our experience I don’t feel that anyone else will be able to handle this dog and she will end up being destroyed.

Any tips? Advice? Moral stance? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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If you have no other recourse you could take the dog to the local shelter.That’s what they’re there for.There’s no shame in not being able to handle a dog, especially if a dog-trainer can’t.Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.Sad to say.
We had to return a large dog to the breeder once because it wasn’t compatible with small kids.Thankfully it was a trial basis to see if the dog would work out or not.The kids were dissapointed but got over it.
We tried a smaller breed later on & it worked perfectly.
 
Have you checked out Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer? He gives good advice as whether the humans or the dogs are the pack leaders in the family.

But in any case, your family is the first priority. If, after some reasonable effort, you can’t manage the dog and and you can’t find a new home (ads, rescue organizations, etc) then you may have to take the dog to a shelter, however regrettable that would be.

In the future you might be wise to select a dog who is two or three years old. Dogs younger than that need a great deal more care, supervision, and companionship.
 
Find the breed rescue from the official national club of your dog breed.

You will find them here

akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

If you cannot find a breed rescue on that site, contact the breed club

akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm

When you get a dog, you have made a long term commitment. Part of that is to find a good place for the dog to “land” when you see you made a mistake.

Rescue people are great people, they will help you find a forever home.
 
What kind of dog do you have? I believe and have seen that everyday training is a must for a happy and obidient dog. Also, taking a dog for a walk or to an off leash park is not always going to lead to a non destructive dog. Dogs need to be walked and give structure before they are allowed to play. I have a large breed and would hate to see you give up. But I understand. Good Luck.:highprayer:
 
This is really sad for all involved. Is it that your dog has too much energy or is it that it is uncontrolled energy? What kind of dog is it? a number of dogs really need a job to do and as someone else stated they need structure…

I may get blasted for this, but if it is more that your dog is uncontrollable and will not listen to you, you may want to try a training collar. Make sure that you get adequate training on how to properly use the collar for training, they can really make a difference. Most have several settings including just a beep sound as well as electrical stimulation. Many dogs just need the beep it gets their attention so that they can then focus on you. Others do end up getting a jolt but it is important for the handler to know how to properly apply verbal cues along with any additional stimulation. This may seem very mean but it can really be a life saver literally for dogs that are looking for things to do such as chase cars ect…
 
kage_ar said:
Find the breed rescue from the official national club of your dog breed.

You will find them here

akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

If you cannot find a breed rescue on that site, contact the breed club

akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm

When you get a dog, you have made a long term commitment. Part of that is to find a good place for the dog to “land” when you see you made a mistake.

Rescue people are great people, they will help you find a forever home.
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👍

Yep. Rescue is great!! It’s far better for an animal to be temporarily fostered by a Rescue family than be placed in the pound.

Which breed do you have? I used to volunteer for Keeshond Rescue, and we worked closely with Saint Bernard Rescue. I love Saint folks. 😃
 
Thanks so much!

We have a German Shepherd.

Previously, I contacted the German Shepherd rescue and was really repremanded by the lady for being so lazy and irresponsible, which I am not at all, and she refused to help because “my dog was not her problem.” Anyway, we tried to rehome her ourselves and we had several people interested and then back out of it after they “tried her out” for a night or two. Then a dog trainer offered to take her and we thought it had all worked out and we eventually felt at peace with our decision. However, now the dog has been returned to us and after all this I just don’t feel confident or optimistic about her future if we try to rehome her again.

When I take her out I really run her hard, but 2hrs is my limit and she could go all day. On the weekends we take her for 4hr + long hikes or bike rides. That and the dirt really get me down. i don’t understand how everyone else manages to keep their dog and their house/car clean.

Maybe I am just being unreasonable. I really want whats best for everyone, including the dog
 
So, she’s about 18-24 months old, right?

My husband’s GSD went through a rough puppy period, when obedience training was so hard. His family didn’t have any other “dog” experience, and felt unprepared.

Do you have a fenced backyard, where she can run around by herself? If you don’t have a secure, fenced yard, how about a system like this one?

unchainyourdog.org/Trolley.htm

Installing a trolley would give her enough room to run around all day outside, without chaining her up.
 
Mama, do you have a treadmill in the house? I have a German Shepherd Dog, too, and she also is a big bundle of energy. I bought a used electronic treadmill just for her. It took her a couple of tries to get used to it, but now she absolutely loves it. On the days when she just has way too much energy (which is my fault when I don’t take her out to run for a while) she climbs on the treadmill and waits for someone to turn it on. Seriously! I let her warm up for a few minutes, then let her go at a full run until she starts to tire (I can tell because she slows down and slips to the back of the tread), then slow her down for several more minutes as a cool-down.
Another thing I do with my dog is take her out for a 30 minute bike ride. Trike ride, actually. I have a racing tricycle, and Aeryn (my dog) has the job of pulling it for 2 miles or so. I have a regular walking harness for her, and she loves to see me take it off the hook by the door because she knows she’s gonna go for a run! I let her pull me on the trike for her big portion of our workout, then she runs alongside as I cycle for my part of the workout. You could try this with a regular bicycle if you have very good control of the bike. You don’t want her to pull you off balance so that you fall off the bike. It is surprisingly easy and quick to get the dog accustomed to running alongside a bike.
The hard exercise gets Aeryn in the perfect frame of mind to learn or practice obedience, so usually after a good workout we do some basic obedience. It is amazing how a good 30 minutes of hard exercise (more than she’d get just going for a walk) really focuses the mind and allows her to concentrate on obedience work.
 
juno24 said:
Mama, do you have a treadmill in the house? I have a German Shepherd Dog, too, and she also is a big bundle of energy. I bought a used electronic treadmill just for her. It took her a couple of tries to get used to it, but now she absolutely loves it. On the days when she just has way too much energy (which is my fault when I don’t take her out to run for a while) she climbs on the treadmill and waits for someone to turn it on. Seriously! I let her warm up for a few minutes, then let her go at a full run until she starts to tire (I can tell because she slows down and slips to the back of the tread), then slow her down for several more minutes as a cool-down.
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JANE!! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!!! 😃 😃

(If you know the TV reference, you will know why this post made me think of it!).
 
I second the bike idea. We had a black lab for years that I would run on the bike, and now we have a golden who also runs with the bike. I use the nose halter (gentle leader) so he can’t pull me over. It works great! The dog gets to run at full out speed, we cover much more territory, and the dog is very tired out when we return home after several miles at full speed.

I also second the idea of finding out who the alpha leader is. If the PEOPLE are the alphas (and they MUST be), the dog will listen. Also, make sure he has toys to keep him entertained at home (bones, chew toys, etc.)

A GS is a working dog…so they are happiest when doing something.

Do you get the animal planet channel? If so, watch the show “It’s me or the dog” sometime with Victoria S…something.

As far as dirt…the companionship of a well trained dog will be long remembered over a clean house! Guaranteed!👍
 
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