Please confirm our new rescue is a Dutch Shepherd

[Liz]

My husband and I rescued an energetic two year old shepherd from a shelter that is being shut down. The shelter's owner said that the dog is a Dutch Shepherd. A news crew called him a German Shepherd mix and a tech at our vet's office said he is a Brindle Shepherd, or Dutch Shepherd mix.

Poor guy has lived half of his life in the shelter. At first, they said that his name was "Mitch," however, he never responded to that name. He didn't even turn his head. Therefore, we have named him Rex and he scrambles to us now, whenever we call him.

Rex gets along great with the Mini-Dauchsund. He and our heeler mix, Leah, also get along great except when toys are involved. Inside our house, Rex is a toy hoarder and growls like a bear whenever Leah approaches any toys. Outside the house, Leah loves to catch balls and frisbees and bring them back to us. Rex also loves to chase the balls and frisbees with Leah. However, the concept of bringing them back isn't there. Leah usually gets the frisbee because she can jump pretty high up and snatch the frisbee out of the air. Ocassionally, though, Rex has caught the frisbee if it hits the ground. Then, he will run around with the frisbee in his mouth like he has won an Olympic medal. I can just hear the Rocky theme playing in his head. Then, when Rex hoardes the frisbee or ball, Leah attempts to take it and a "scuffle" will begin.

I have two questions or requests for advice. First, is Rex a Dutch Shepherd? After reading through this site, it sure seems like he is at least a mixed Dutchie. Secondly, are there any suggestions on toy control between the two dogs?

Thank you in advance from a possible new Dutch Shepherd home.

Liz

[johninny]

Welcome Elizabeth!
OMG! good for you! and Good for Rex!
the poor guy - locked up in a shelter so long!. no wonder he is not snatching Frisbees from the sky. he probably has had no chance to discover and then develop the wonderful leaping abilities of his DS brethren. also when they have been ignored in a confined, boring environment, their hind quarters are usually very undeveloped. hopefully that will change as he gets normal exercise and a new world of opportunities opens up to him.
I can see his victory laps and hear the Rocky theme in his head also -- now that is VERY DS ! and the concept of fetching, of giving up their loot as opposed to winning the prize seems like quite a foreign concept to a lot of DSs.
while I am not one of the very authoritative voices that you will find on this site when it comes to breed ID, training, and other specialized areas, he looks to me like he could well be a DS mix. I say mix because of the lack of black differentiating his face from the rest of his coat [ often even a black mask]. more comment on his body I will leave to others more knowledgeable. beyond his looks, it then comes down to whether he acts like a ds - physically, behaviorally, emotionally. if he acts like a DS, then from my non-show-dog point of view you pretty much have a DS, tho as a mix, the sharp edges of the DS breed may have been mercifully softened. your stories certainly are suggestive of a DS personality, but DSs have such distinctive characteristics, that we would need much more specificity to get a good feel. reading the many stories and discussions already on this site, you can probably get a good feel for yourself whether he has a huge dose of DS in him. but also, I am sure everyone here would love toget to know him better and hear more tales of REX's exploration of his brave new world with his new family; I know I sure would.
no matter what he is, he is a very lucky dog to have met you. thank you for saving him.
p.s., check my sakimadoggy youtube channel below to get a good feel for DS play behavior [ tho 2 DS together can be quite different than 1 Ds with a different breed, but still....]. also you can see lots of DS videos elsewhere on youtube - very handy for getting to know their moves and how closely REX corresponds to their behaviors.

[LyonsFamily]

In the first picture it definitely looks like at least a DS mix. It's kind of hard to tell with just these pictures, I think I groomed too many black dogs today on my black table and am staying up too late and now I can't see anything right, but all the more reason for you to take and post more pictures!

As for toy control, read up on resource guarding. Others can probably chime in with more suggestions. If scuffles are breaking out now, I would be inclined to get outside help in ASAP so it doesn't escalate farther. Even if you plan on doing the training yourself, having a neutral body in the beginning really helps you understand the behaviors and reasons behind certain actions.

I guess I'm a mean mom and don't let Odin play with toys with any other dogs. He's very ball driven and it's easier to avoid conflict and play with him separately. I'm not a big sharing person myself, so I'm fine with giving my dog the space he needs too.

For in the house, he needs a space of his own to chew/play in peace so he can learn that toys aren't a rare commodity that will always get taken away. Odin has an xpen and the door's left open 95% of the time. He keeps toys, chews, a blanket, and a water bowl in there. It really becomes a safe haven and visiting dogs are never allowed inside. If they're bugging him, I'll lock him in and he's a lot less anxious since he's secure. We try to avoid going inside as well, unless it's to clean or refill the water so that he knows the xpen is absolutely his place.

There are plenty of multiple dog owners on here that can give a little more advice.