I think I got a great DS. Let's make him happy

[Amboaman]

Hi everyone,

I just adopted a dog that was called a Shepard but looking at him and doing research I think he is a DS. Just to give you a little background I got him from the rescue with a broken femur and we are going to a vet tomorrow to get a surgery to repair. I have had him for a week now and I am in love. I am pretty sure that he is a DS so I am looking for any suggestions to giving him the happiest life ever.

Hope to hear from you,

Adam

[LyonsFamily]

We'd love to see pictures. Any plans with the dog after he recovers? Family companion? Farm hand? Obedience competitor? Kudos on taking on a high energy injured dog. That could be a handful, but if he's anything like most of our DS, he will turn into something great.

[Dutchringgirl]

how wonderful of you to adopt a dog with a broken leg! Yes, we need pictures ! They do have a bad habbit of making you fall in love with them, it is very dredful. Give him love and play and a job and he will be happy.

[Amboaman]

Here is some pictures of my little boy, sitting at home worried now cause he is under the knife today to get neutered and have his leg fixed.

He is going to be the family dog, we live in a South Jersey suburb of Philly, so his job is going to be having fun hopefull .

But on a serious note, my initial thoughts on a job was collecting sticks in the back yard that fall from two large trees I have in my yard. It would be great to teach him a specific place to put them so each time out there he could look for more and try to put them in his pile. Any feedback on whether that would give him mental/physical stimulation in line with what this breed needs?

I also travel occasionally for work so I would like him to develop a strong protective instinct over my wife and young daugther? thoughts on how to foster that would be appreciated.

[LyonsFamily]

In my experience, unless you're getting into serious sport or personal protection work, there really isn't a need to foster protectiveness. Shepherds tend to stay loyal to their owners and a bark is more than enough to scare away most people. You could also work on a bark on command and a silent command to scare off people.

The best deterrent, I've found, is to have a dog solidly obedience trained. I find it so surprising how many people will avoid Odin when he's perfectly heeling and halting at intersections, yet they come running to the dogs that are wrapping their owners up with the leash. If someone comes to the door, I call him to me and put him in a down stay where he can watch. When he is in a stay he has this creepy way of staring people down that makes strangers leery (ask the old lady at Petsmart today).

I think the sticks gathering would be a fun exercise to teach him, but he might require more demanding activities such as fetch or swimming too.

[Amboaman]

Thanks Stephanie, that is good info. I just found out today the hip that we thought was going to require surgery is healing pretty well on its own and my vet suggested swimming, too bad it is really cold here in Jersey and I don't know anywhere that is indoors and allows dogs in it. Maybe dock jumping could be in his future.

I think fetch will also be a daily activity as soon as I can teach him.

[TIGER]

I trained my male dog tiger to help me gather sticks around the yard and put it in a pile by the fire pit but he will only put them there if I am collecting wood to.