Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hello! My name is Milo and i'm logging in from south carolina! I am super excited to have the opportunity to speak with all of you and cannot wait to meet you all. I own 3 dogs of my own but 7 in total share the house with me, its a pretty packed house! Kingston (Frenchie), Murphy (German shepherd), Breezy (Dutch shepherd), Red (Australian shepherd), Fiona (Old English Sheepdog), Nena (Chinese crested) and Piper (Schnoodle). We have an acre of land and a separate lot I plan to turn into my dog training haven. I have fallen in love with the dutch shepherd breed with my first one i've owned...even though I may not have him for much longer.
Breezy was purchased from a working dog family in North Carolina where he was of course; a working dog-however it was made pretty clear that the life was not for him. He was an anxious mess when we brought him home, he actually tried to scale a wooden privacy fence to get away from us. He wouldn't even take high value treats from us. He seemed to not know what toys were. He would perch on the arms of the couch against the wall and just hyperventilate...but now? he's part of the family. He wants to follow whoever is moving and he is silly and affectionate. He loves cookies and treats and is starting to play fetch with us as well as tug..However, Breezy does have a lot of issues of his own. Excessive fear mainly. He full body trembles when taken into stores such as Petco or Petsmart, absolutely no strangers can touch him, he has a threshold for stress so low that it seems like he has no threshold at all. We've had multiple 'near misses' with him involving teeth..And the weirdest thing? Sometimes he seems to completely forget who people are. He has had multiple episodes where he seems to forget who family members are-and he barks and growls at them as if they were intruders. We have had multiple people tell us to consider putting him to sleep but I am hoping to get advice from people who know this breed well...

Welcome to the forum.

moonbark+ wrote: ↑Wed Apr 04, 2018 3:56 am He has had multiple episodes where he seems to forget who family members are-and he barks and growls at them as if they were intruders

This can be troubling behavior, but I would ask that you pay real close attention when this happens. Is it really, a protection action? You may want to do a search on the site for "Crazy Hour."

Radar still acts like this from time to time, and it usually starts with low Chewbacca noises and then grows into barks and growls in an attempt to get attention.

Also, the teeth thing as someone else stated is one way they show affection.

I think firm, fair, and consistent training will help, but you probably need some expert advise to evaluate the dog's behavior - lots of times you can't always see the signs on your own, not to mention you're own confirmation bias kicking in to explain the behavior (even if it's wrong).

I feel as there is something going on there.. Yes, they can be hyper, and mouthy and anxiouse but the " forgetting who is in the family" . He has settled in a bit to you , so that is a good thing. I would find a GOOD animal behaviorist.

These are not my nature, social creatures, taking them into public, unless started from a pup is very stressfull.


My Sadie, who is 8 now, is barky and stresses easy. It took me a very long time of taking her to town and staying away from people but training her to sit quiet as they pass, not be afraid of lout trucks as they pass the car etc. She is still not social but that is her and I respect that.

How old is he? My guess is that at the other home, something happened.

For now, my advice would be to keep him on a leash and attached to the person he has bonded with the most. you are now his human. He needs consistency. In the house, on the leash at al times, a long line but he needs to have a human to help him cope. No baby talk, but guidance. If he is scared and trembling, ignore him, dont look at him, if you are sitting next to him, pretend he is not there. Make sure the other dogs treat him properly too, feed him separate or in a crate if there are problems there.

If yo take him out, he is to stay in the car, do not bring him in places yet. If you have quiet areas in town or a walking place, take him there and SLOWLY let him see the world.

Find a good trainer, maybe small classes or one on one. a GOOD trainer.

what is the trigger when he "forgets" who the family members are?

He is going to need a TON of slow and careful help from you if he is going to survive

I know of a good trainer if you can travel to NY. It’s Steve on here. Maybe boarding him with Steve. But I will say I don’t know if that is the answer as it sounds like breezy needs help at home.
Best of luck to you. You sound like an amazing person to take on so many dogs of various breeds.