Showing 3 posts from June 2009
Helping a Battered German Shepherd Dog gain Confidence
My Experiment with Rani
Rani was a German Shepherd Dog whom I had purchased from an owner who used to torture her. Rani (3 years old female) hailed from a good bloodline, as her pigmentation and structure said, but did not have the essential mental trait of a pure bred German Shepherd. She was a bit too difficult to be handled. Shy was shy and sometimes too aggressive to human. She used to bark continuously when kept alone, while couldn’t tolerate other dogs when kept together. She was highly unpredictable. This was due to the fact that she had lost trust in human beings, which is too common in most abused dogs.
Most German Shepherd Dogs that have been abused often becomes too difficult to be handled. Read out an article: How to Deal with Difficult Dogs. Remember, once they have lost trust in you, you cannot treat them in the way you treat other pets. And that had what exactly happened to Rani. She even couldn’t stand other dogs and puppies. I adopted certain tricks to win back her trust on us humans and good news was that I succeeded in the test. Those were just my experimentation and I want to share those tricks.
Regaining Confidence While on Play
In my program of helping her gain confidence there were certain simple steps. First off, I allowed her to succeed. I released her with other dogs, Rex and Reva and threw a ball that was instantly chased by Rex and Reva. Rani attempted to run, but didn’t go far and stopped at a short length with a submissive action. She was scared of running, which implies that she used to have good slashes while trying to run. I ran with along her. When she ran I patted her, loved her and made her feel that it was a game and I would love to see her chasing the ball. She was intelligent and could grab things faster – as all German Shepherds do. Soon she learned that play was a part of her life. It took me not more than just a weak to regain her confidence while on play.
Regaining Confidence While on Work
Whenever I called her, she always came to me with submissive action setting her tail between the legs, bowing and ears carried backwards. She refused to come too close to me. This implies she had been battered whenever she refused to carry out the owner’s “COME” command. I decided to call her softly, not by standing before her… rather by crouching down in front of her. I did this because I knew that shy dogs will never readily come with confidence near standing humans before him/her. My actions confused her at first as she had never come across such actions of human beings. Soon she identified my actions to be safe one and started gaining confidence on me. She came on calling but stood a couple of feet away from me. For the first couple of days I stepped towards her and praised her lavishly. Gradually she started closing the distance! She was then taught to “SIT”. While teaching things to dogs – especially German Shepherd Dogs, physical force doesn’t actually work. Physical tortures are the root to all submissive behaviors in dogs. Yelling at them and forcing them to do something by physically torture will always interfere effective learning.
Regaining Confidence outside the home
I found this to be really crucial for Rani, but that doesn’t mean you’ll also find this hard with your subject. Certain things vary from dog to dog. This is actually socializing. When I took Rani out for strolls, her movement showed that she wasn’t confident while dealing with the external world. She was scared of sounds and couldn’t stay aloof from many external things that happened around her. This proved that her previous owner never socialized her. I used to take her on stroll almost every evening and used to talk softly with her constantly. She was allowed to sense and smell things and experience different actions of nature such as falling leaves, hooting vehicles, running buffaloes, rushing bikes, falling dried branches and even rain.
After some days she started pulling me, and that was a good sign. She was allowed to take me wherever she wanted. She took me to different corners of our locality and I used to go there with her. After reaching her desired place, I used to play with her for some while – not off leash though!
Regaining Confidence While on Bath
Bathing was something that Rani was not happy with. She never used to come eagerly while bathing. The first day I remember I forced her but didn’t batter her physically. From the next day onwards she was rubbed softly, rinsed softly and I started playing with her with water. I used to start wetting her from legs, and not directly by pouring water on her body. Soon she learned that bathing was just like fun, and not something painful.
Gaining Confidence in Swimming
I took her to the pond for the first day and she was loath to give a dive. I don’t know swimming so I couldn’t take her deep. I released Reva before her as she is a great swimmer. Then I threw the ball, as she had already learned to chase the ball. Excited Rani gave her first dive the water.
Rani gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about the breed. Sad part of the story is yet to be revealed. One of my friend asked Rani from me. Rani was then like other GSDs; she could eat well, run to fetch things, pull like other show dogs, and could walk with full confidence. I gave Rani to my friend for free as he promised me to take care of her. Bad news was waiting for me the following week. The guy rang up to me and said that Rani fell down from the 35 ft high terrace while casing a cat. God saved her, although she had broken her right front limb. I went there to see her and found her plastered. She crawled towards me and laid her head on my lap and slept. I found tears floating her eyes. That was the last day I met with her years back. After that whenever I called that man he was never reachable. Now his number doesn’t exist. I went to his house, but neither could I find that guy, nor Rani. I don’t know where she is these days and how’s she doing. I miss her a lot!
Read out:
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG TAIL POSITIONING
and
BASIC INSTINCTS OF GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG BREED
My Experiment with Rani
Rani was a German Shepherd Dog whom I had purchased from an owner who used to torture her. Rani (3 years old female) hailed from a good bloodline, as her pigmentation and structure said, but did not have the essential mental trait of a pure bred German Shepherd. She was a bit too difficult to be handled. Shy was shy and sometimes too aggressive to human. She used to bark continuously when kept alone, while couldn’t tolerate other dogs when kept together. She was highly unpredictable. This was due to the fact that she had lost trust in human beings, which is too common in most abused dogs.
Most German Shepherd Dogs that have been abused often becomes too difficult to be handled. Read out an article: How to Deal with Difficult Dogs. Remember, once they have lost trust in you, you cannot treat them in the way you treat other pets. And that had what exactly happened to Rani. She even couldn’t stand other dogs and puppies. I adopted certain tricks to win back her trust on us humans and good news was that I succeeded in the test. Those were just my experimentation and I want to share those tricks.
Regaining Confidence While on Play
In my program of helping her gain confidence there were certain simple steps. First off, I allowed her to succeed. I released her with other dogs, Rex and Reva and threw a ball that was instantly chased by Rex and Reva. Rani attempted to run, but didn’t go far and stopped at a short length with a submissive action. She was scared of running, which implies that she used to have good slashes while trying to run. I ran with along her. When she ran I patted her, loved her and made her feel that it was a game and I would love to see her chasing the ball. She was intelligent and could grab things faster – as all German Shepherds do. Soon she learned that play was a part of her life. It took me not more than just a weak to regain her confidence while on play.
Regaining Confidence While on Work
Whenever I called her, she always came to me with submissive action setting her tail between the legs, bowing and ears carried backwards. She refused to come too close to me. This implies she had been battered whenever she refused to carry out the owner’s “COME” command. I decided to call her softly, not by standing before her… rather by crouching down in front of her. I did this because I knew that shy dogs will never readily come with confidence near standing humans before him/her. My actions confused her at first as she had never come across such actions of human beings. Soon she identified my actions to be safe one and started gaining confidence on me. She came on calling but stood a couple of feet away from me. For the first couple of days I stepped towards her and praised her lavishly. Gradually she started closing the distance! She was then taught to “SIT”. While teaching things to dogs – especially German Shepherd Dogs, physical force doesn’t actually work. Physical tortures are the root to all submissive behaviors in dogs. Yelling at them and forcing them to do something by physically torture will always interfere effective learning.
Regaining Confidence outside the home
I found this to be really crucial for Rani, but that doesn’t mean you’ll also find this hard with your subject. Certain things vary from dog to dog. This is actually socializing. When I took Rani out for strolls, her movement showed that she wasn’t confident while dealing with the external world. She was scared of sounds and couldn’t stay aloof from many external things that happened around her. This proved that her previous owner never socialized her. I used to take her on stroll almost every evening and used to talk softly with her constantly. She was allowed to sense and smell things and experience different actions of nature such as falling leaves, hooting vehicles, running buffaloes, rushing bikes, falling dried branches and even rain.
After some days she started pulling me, and that was a good sign. She was allowed to take me wherever she wanted. She took me to different corners of our locality and I used to go there with her. After reaching her desired place, I used to play with her for some while – not off leash though!
Regaining Confidence While on Bath
Bathing was something that Rani was not happy with. She never used to come eagerly while bathing. The first day I remember I forced her but didn’t batter her physically. From the next day onwards she was rubbed softly, rinsed softly and I started playing with her with water. I used to start wetting her from legs, and not directly by pouring water on her body. Soon she learned that bathing was just like fun, and not something painful.
Gaining Confidence in Swimming
I took her to the pond for the first day and she was loath to give a dive. I don’t know swimming so I couldn’t take her deep. I released Reva before her as she is a great swimmer. Then I threw the ball, as she had already learned to chase the ball. Excited Rani gave her first dive the water.
Rani gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about the breed. Sad part of the story is yet to be revealed. One of my friend asked Rani from me. Rani was then like other GSDs; she could eat well, run to fetch things, pull like other show dogs, and could walk with full confidence. I gave Rani to my friend for free as he promised me to take care of her. Bad news was waiting for me the following week. The guy rang up to me and said that Rani fell down from the 35 ft high terrace while casing a cat. God saved her, although she had broken her right front limb. I went there to see her and found her plastered. She crawled towards me and laid her head on my lap and slept. I found tears floating her eyes. That was the last day I met with her years back. After that whenever I called that man he was never reachable. Now his number doesn’t exist. I went to his house, but neither could I find that guy, nor Rani. I don’t know where she is these days and how’s she doing. I miss her a lot!
Read out:
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG TAIL POSITIONING
and
BASIC INSTINCTS OF GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG BREED
White German Shepherd Dog Information
I have been receiving so many emails from my readers, looking for White German Shepherd dog information. Although I own the regular black-and-tan German Shepherds, and not the white one, yet I can share my little bit of knowledge on white German Shepherd Dogs that I have gathered by studying about them all these years.
Greif - the grandsire of the first registered Shepherd – Horand von Grafrath was a white dog. Hence the gene for the white coats has always been a part of the German Shepherd Dog breed since it’s very inception around 1898. Strong efforts had been made by Germany and other countries of the world to eliminate the white German Shepherds, but an increasing popularity have been noticed with passage of days. Around hundreds of whites German Shepherd Dogs are being registered in Canada, and thousands in the United States each year.
The white color was made disqualification in GSD Breed Standard by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America sometimes around 1960s. Up until that time, the White German Shepherd Dogs were allowed to compete in conformation show rings. Since white GSD has been disqualified from the AKC and CKC show rings, most GSD breeders do not breed white dogs. Fortunately the White Shepherd clubs in North America has been pursuing the target of breed separation for the white GSD for years now, in the hopes of getting the proper recognitions that the beautiful White German Shepherds actually deserve.
Extensive studies have been carried out with the White GSD breed and has been finally determined that there exists a significant gene pool that make it a separate breed… naming it as White German Shepherd Dog!
My view about White German Shepherd Dogs
My view is that, this is just a misconception that white coated German Shepherd Dog will be best treated by separating it as a distinctive breed altogether. Why should the beautiful White GSDs be outcast, just because of their natural white recessive gene? Just the white color of the coat (by natural recessive gene) cannot be the basis for breed separation. Good news is that the White German Shepherd Dog Club of America (WGSDCA) does not support breed separation.
Just like any other pure bred GSD, the white coated German Shepherd Dogs are quite a lot versatile and can be found working with police forces, in drug interdiction units, bomb detection squads, tracking, community activities, attack work, rescue departments, herding flocks, guiding the blind, assisting the handicapped, working as therapy dogs, guarding the home and what not???
Stay tuned… up next the White German Shepherd Dog FAQs!
I have been receiving so many emails from my readers, looking for White German Shepherd dog information. Although I own the regular black-and-tan German Shepherds, and not the white one, yet I can share my little bit of knowledge on white German Shepherd Dogs that I have gathered by studying about them all these years.
Greif - the grandsire of the first registered Shepherd – Horand von Grafrath was a white dog. Hence the gene for the white coats has always been a part of the German Shepherd Dog breed since it’s very inception around 1898. Strong efforts had been made by Germany and other countries of the world to eliminate the white German Shepherds, but an increasing popularity have been noticed with passage of days. Around hundreds of whites German Shepherd Dogs are being registered in Canada, and thousands in the United States each year.
The white color was made disqualification in GSD Breed Standard by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America sometimes around 1960s. Up until that time, the White German Shepherd Dogs were allowed to compete in conformation show rings. Since white GSD has been disqualified from the AKC and CKC show rings, most GSD breeders do not breed white dogs. Fortunately the White Shepherd clubs in North America has been pursuing the target of breed separation for the white GSD for years now, in the hopes of getting the proper recognitions that the beautiful White German Shepherds actually deserve.Extensive studies have been carried out with the White GSD breed and has been finally determined that there exists a significant gene pool that make it a separate breed… naming it as White German Shepherd Dog!
- 1999 – The UKC officially recognized White German Shepherd Dog as a separate breed from April 14, effective from May 1, 1999.
- 2002 – The FCI officially recognized White German Shepherd Dog as a separate breed, naming it as "Berger Blanc Suisse".
My view about White German Shepherd Dogs
My view is that, this is just a misconception that white coated German Shepherd Dog will be best treated by separating it as a distinctive breed altogether. Why should the beautiful White GSDs be outcast, just because of their natural white recessive gene? Just the white color of the coat (by natural recessive gene) cannot be the basis for breed separation. Good news is that the White German Shepherd Dog Club of America (WGSDCA) does not support breed separation.
Just like any other pure bred GSD, the white coated German Shepherd Dogs are quite a lot versatile and can be found working with police forces, in drug interdiction units, bomb detection squads, tracking, community activities, attack work, rescue departments, herding flocks, guiding the blind, assisting the handicapped, working as therapy dogs, guarding the home and what not???
Stay tuned… up next the White German Shepherd Dog FAQs!
German Shepherd Dogs were primarily bred for herding cattle, and they still carry the heritage. The unflagging popularity of the breed has marked spaces for them in the apartments too! German Shepherd Dogs are actually not for apartments and small houses; they require a lot of space to move around in their room and outside. If you're considering a GSD for a pet or for guarding purpose one issue you'll want to consider is whether you will be able to keep him in your apartment or should you consider not to bring him at all if you are a permanent apartment dweller. Remember, German Shepherd Dogs living in the flats in urban areas are not happy. Rural living is preferred if you have one or more German Shepherd Dogs. Usually the rural atmosphere, freshness and vastness of space welcome these dogs. I have seen a lot of my acquaintances keeping GSDs in flats and apartments, but these dog are give sufficient exercises. They are relatively inactive indoors and do best with at least a large yard. If you are planning to bring a German Shepherd puppy in your apartment the first thing you need to look for is whether you will be able to provide him space for exercise. If you have a big yard in front of your house, nothing more is required.
You can’t find ponds and pools in cities, near your apartment as easily as they are found in rural areas. Swimming is a great exercise for German Shepherds. Most important thing about swimming is that it’s a mode of rational treatment for Degenerative Myelopathy. Walking and swimming are the two most effective forms of exercises that must be given to German Shepherd Dogs. Swimming develops muscle tone and allows movement without stress on joints and helps the dogs in many ways even beyond mere heeling. Long brisk walking is another most important thing that would maintain your dogs heal and mind. Walking along the rural paths is preferred as it keeps your dog away from inhaling the pollution that is too common in city regions. Dogs live long amidst freshness and green!
