adopting a DS this weekend looking for tips

[katm4110]

Hi, my husband and I are adopting a 3 year old female dutch shepherd this weekend and would love any tips you all could offer. We have researched the breed and are committed to making sure she has plenty of exercise and lots of stimulation. We have 5 children ages 11, 8, 6, 3, and 6 months. The middle 3 are very sweet and energetic little boys who have been begging for a dog for awhile now. We originally went to look at some younger dogs at a local shepherd rescue but fell in love with the dutchie (who we've named Stella). I'm not sure if she is pure bred or not but will attatch a photo. She had the high energy we were looking for but didn't seem hyper at all. She was very sweet and wanted lots of affection. She responded very well to the baby just quickly sniffed and licked her then left her alone.

We have a large fenced in back yard and spend a lot of time at local parks as well. We will be doing a leash training class with her and then an obediance class. There is also a local organization that we plan on joining that will allow us to use an agility course on certain days and times. (excuse my lack of terms this is our first dog) I figured that would be helpful in the winter months.

I am looking for any tips or suggestions on making her transition easy for every one. I would also like to know if any one has a good reccomendation on dog food. I would like to use a grain free dry food and was looking in to Solid Gold brand.

I have purchaced her some different toys (balls, and a kong toy) we're getting a large wire kennel as well. I have a 15ft adn 6 ft lead too. If anyone can think of anything else that I should get her please let me know! The woman from the rescue suggested a pinch collar for training and I would love some insight and suggestions on that as well. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide!

[Dutchringgirl]

Stock up on your liquor cabinet and load your gun!


Just kidding..........sort of. Sounds like you are prepared for the new addition ! Give her time to settle in to the new home and routine and have lots of fun.

[alexis]

Congratulations on your adoption! She looks like a sweet dog! I'm no expert on introducing a dog to a new home, but did adopt a rescued DS about a year ago, so hopefully this will be helpful -

It sounds like you have the basics with a crate, leashes, toys, and classes. You might also want to pick up some training treats in advance and a mat/dog bed as well. You should also make sure to pick up grooming supplies and heartworm preventative/flea-tick preventative pretty soon too. I was surprised by how many blankets and towels Zane required as well (we now have 3 dog towels for drying off plus a blanket to protect the sofa, a blanket to cover his crate and a spare sofa/crate/car blanket). You may be more used to having to use a million towels since you have kids!

I like a harness for on-leash walking - there's a wide variety available - Zane has done well with the easy-walk harness (clips to the leash on the chest and is good for dogs who pull or those who want to chase things while on leash).

You may also want to get a stuffed or squeaky toy or two. Those will be destroyed fast, but most dogs do love them. There are a few threads on the board about durable toys. A tug toy may also be a good idea.

There are tons of wonderful training books and dvds you might want to check out - again, there are resources and recommendations all over the board. Also, keep an eye out for Leih's posts - she can explain how to train your dog to do anything (except maybe make you coffee) - and has probably already posted instructions on lots of things you'll want to train your dog to do.

Lastly, about food, pick up a bag of whatever she was being fed in rescue and gradually switch her over to the new food. Otherwise you may be facing some stomach upset. In my experience, grain-free food was too rich for Zane and he's done better with kibble with rice included supplemented with veggies and meat. But, only time and experimentation will tell you which food works best for your girl. There's also lots of information about feeding raw on the board if that's something you're interested in.

I'm sure other people will have more input and advice on introducing a new dog to kids!

[katm4110]

Thanks! I am a stay at home mom with 5 kids.... I keep my liquor cabinet well stocked!


I have read some about raw but am scared I won't have the time to invest in doing that. I will pick up a small bag of what she is currently being fed and slowly switch over to the solid gold and see how she does. I did take a blanket (medium sized throw) to the rescue for her to lay on so she's familiar with the scent of our home lol not sure if that will help but she now has a blankie. As you guessed I'm constantly washing towels so maybe I will designate some for her!

I did see some "no pull harnesses" at petsmart maybe I should try that first and if it doesn't work get the pinch collar?

She's being spayed today so I'm guessing she'll still need to take it easy when we pick her up Sunday.... I'll go get her a comfy dog bed to lounge in!

Thank you all so much for the advice.... as a first time dog owner I'm slightly clueless but very willing to learn!

[felixone123]

welcome and thank for rescuing her!! Love the name Stella - reminds me of you know "S-T-E-L-L-A" (Marlon Brando)

Anyway, best of luck with her - you will have tons of fun!! There are lots of experts on here to give great advice. I am relatively new to the breed also. We rescued 2 (not at the same time) from North American Dutch Shepherd Rescue (NADSR)!! All I can say is that they are by far the best dogs ever - and so smart!!

[felixone123]

BTW - she is a nice looking Dutch!

[Dutchringgirl]

Raw can be very overwhelming at the beginning, I had many heard attacks watching the girls chomp the bones. Get used to each other first and get to know each other and love each other, the last thing you want in the beginning is upset tummys. I do raw and my girls thrive on it. I also do Honest kitchen foods plus raw, it is very easy to do.

I do the pinch collars. I have always done the over accessorize with soft hands, its from my horse days. Prongs can be harmfull if used wrong but it is much nicer on my elbows, shoulders and back and I dont "use"it, They know its there. I only use it when I take the both girls for walks down town for power steering.

[Christie M]

I am a big advocate for leaving a leash attached whenever she is hanging out in the house and supervised. It gives you a "handle" to communicate information while she is settling in without you havign to actually get physical with her - for instance when she starts to explore the counter or get comfy on the couch. The leash allows you to stop those behaviors without causing conflict by actually reaching for her collar.

[katm4110]

Oh great idea, Christie! Is that something I should I only do for the first few days? And can I do that with her just wearing her regular collar? I would like to train her to stay off of the furniture.

[Christie M]

Oh great idea, Christie! Is that something I should I only do for the first few days? And can I do that with her just wearing her regular collar? I would like to train her to stay off of the furniture.

I think dogs should be born with a leash attached and it should fall off when they are grown up and good dogs I think all too often we push dogs into aggressive responses because we get physical and they get scared. So I would leave the leash on in the house for as long as it takes to get to the point where you never feel like you have to use it.

[katm4110]

I'll definitely be doing that! Now if only I could leash my children

[felixone123]

I did the leash thing with both Odin and Kai and sometimes Kai has to go back on it, but it really helps as Christie said. Kai is only 8 months, but sometimes he acts like he's 4 months
For me, Kai was 2 months on leash in house and he never goes on the furniture now. He learned "off" very quickly.
Also, I was able to watch him while he was on the lease so he did not chew everything he saw. He did learn "leave it" pretty fast too. I always carried something of his to exchange it for the thing he was not suppose to have.

[leih merigian]

Your whole family must be so excited! Congratulations!

Totally agree with the drag line (leash on in the house). You may want to cut off the handle, so it's not likely to get caught up on corners of furniture and stuff like that. (You'll end up with a ton of different leashes, trust me ).

Until you are much more familiar with each other, and unless you have a fenced yard, you may want to get a LONG line (like 30-50 ft), which you can make yourself with some kind of rope. That will enable you to do fetching and active stuff while still having the saftey factor of the leash if needed (you don't have to hold the end of it all the time, but you get very adept at stepping on it when you need to, same thing in the house with the drag line). This also enables you to work on the most important cue, your recall (that's what you call the "come" command), from a distance.

One thing to keep in mind is that it's always better to prevent unwanted behavior, rather than to let them practice any of it. Practice makes perfect, after all . So, don't want her on the furniture? Fine. Don't wait until she's up there and then tell her to get off, but rather, prevent her from getting up there in the first place (you'll be keeping her close to you for a longish while anyway, so pay attention to her and when she looks like she's headed for the couch, head her off and give her something else to do that you prefer, behavior wise, such as lying on a rug next to you on the floor).

I think one of the most difficult things about bringing a new dog into a family situation is getting everyone in the family on the same damn page . With dogs, things have to be very black and white; something is always OK or always wrong/unallowed. If you keep her off the furniture, but your kids secretely invite her up, that's very confusing to a dog and doesn't help her to learn how to be a good canine citizen in your home. So, make sure you have lots of family meetings where you all come to an agreement on how to define things to and for her and yourselves.

Oh yeah, and have fun

@Alexis...you make me blush, girl

[leih merigian]

Oh yeah...you may want to hold off on the prong collars and such until you get Stella home and see how she is. She may be fine on leash without needing a prong or a harness. And, if you do decide you need more control, I'd recommend that you try a head halter first. This is your first dog, and the last thing you'll want to do is try to use a tool (prong) without any knowledge about how to do it properly.

With a head halter, it takes a bit of time to introduce it properly (I assume with all those younguns you have a healthy supply of peanut butter around the casa? ). Personally, I like one called the Comfort Trainer. But there are several different brands around. The point with a head halter is that if you control the head, you control the dog, and these little halters enable you to do just that with a great deal of leverage. The main no no is NEVER EVER jerk the head with a halter on; it can injure the neck. All you need is gentle upward pressure, or sideways, and she's like there.

[Marjolein]

have fun with the new brindle!

On the leash, that is a very good idea, I use that too, but I always like using one without a loop, just to make sure they don't get stuck in it with a paw My Ivil had a real talent for it...

And on prongs, harnesses etc. Eh? How about getting the dog, and see how she is first. Go to class, they will help you pick the best "tool" and hey, maybe you can just stick with a collar

[katm4110]

Oh my goodness I LOVE her! I will post pictures when I'm home and at my computer. Thanks so much for all the advice. We keep a short leash on her in the house and I rarely ever have to grab it. She is totally house broke great with the kids... doesn't even attempt to get on the furniture or go upstairs. She's SO smart.... I've never had a dog before and never realized how smart they can be. It sounds like this breed is known for that she's got tons of energy outside but is such a lady in the house! She does get kenneled at night and when I'm gone (not too often) but all I have to do is walk her over to the kennel and say "kennel" we'll start classes next week. She's just the perfect dog. Oh and she walks pretty well on a leash so I doubt ill need a harness or prong collar. She notices every squirrel but doesn't try to chase very often I just say "leave it" and tug her leash a little.


I bet I've been asked 5 times what kind of dog she is... her markings really intrigue people. She's so exotic looking I just love her to pieces! We all do!

[alexis]

Glad to hear her homecoming went smoothly! I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we can't wait to see photos!

It is amazing how fast they catch on - after a day or two of nosing around the house, Zane knew what was his to play with and ours not to touch and got the house rules down really fast. That said, expect her to test you and get a little naughtier once she's settled in and comfortable!

[TexasMedy]

Great to hear you are all getting along. I love stories like this. She is lucky girl to have found you. There are so many bad dog homes where the owner is never committed from day one to the life of the dog.

[katm4110]

Great to hear you are all getting along. I love stories like this. She is lucky girl to have found you. There are so many bad dog homes where the owner is never committed from day one to the life of the dog.

I think we're lucky to have found her!

[Sugars Mom]

Can relate to the you're feeling!! Very cool...the smartness is pretty impressive on these dogs

Can't wait to see pics!