From: janicki@gblaut.enet.dec.com (Victoria Janicki)
Subject: Re: To Greg...regarding GSD adoption
Reply-To: janicki@tuxedo.enet.dec.com
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation, Littleton,MA
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 15:33:41 GMT


In article <1992Nov12.183736.23271@eos.arc.nasa.gov>, dencisco@eos.arc.nasa.gov (David Paul Encisco) writes:

I did not see the original post but did want to add some of my
experiences with older German Shepherds.

|>Sorry Greg (and to others with bandwidth concerns), but
|>I inadvertently deleted the headers of your message and
|>lost your address...little happy fingers!
|>
|>>Since you have adopted discarded GSDs maybe you could
|>>tell me about your experience.  I am thinking of getting
|>>a GSD in the future and do not want a puppy.  Do you 
|>>have any advice on what to watch out for and precautions
|>>to take with discarded GSDs.  
|>
|>Yes, avoiding puppyhood will save you from a lot of grief and
|>destruction. Once you take-in a discarded GSD the word gets out and
|>you may get a couple of calls from breeders.  So there's you first
|>word of advice: make some contacts with GSD breeders. A good breeder
|>usually follows the adoption of their puppies and quite often knows of
|>a family that has been overwhelmed by the "sweet" little puppy's
|>transition to teenhood - so to speak - and now the family can't handle
|>the dog. Also, some breeders will take back their dogs and attempt to
|>place them into another home. So I would first contact a breeder or
|>two (go to some dog shows and make some friends...although GSD people
|>tend to be some of the more antisocial dog owners...okay I'm sorry, I
|>just had to say it) and tell them you're looking for a forlorned
|>shepherd.
|>
|>Okay so the drawbacks:
|>
|>-	You're going to have to spend more time with your dog
|>	since you missed its formative years. The dog could
|>	be domineering, scitterish, and/or abused.
|>
|>-	You might get a nip kisser. Have been know to give bites
|>	that require stitches.
|>
|>-	You might get a dog with hereditary problems; some of the
|>	problems are just blemishes.

Dave makes excellent points. However, it is possible to get an older
puppy or dog that doesn't have any problems, just problem owners.
Sometimes the personalities of the dog and its family do not fit. 
For example, I know a puppy that has gone through three homes. The
first home which raised this dog from a puppy felt the dog was too
hard to correct. The second home found this same dog was too submissive
and couldn't handle corrections. The third home just loves this dog
to death and doesn't have a problem. 

I'd like to reinforce one point that Dave discussed. Understand what
you are getting when you adopt an older dog. Some dogs due to 
temperament problems, abuse or poor early socialization are not candidates
for adoption except by an experienced patient trainer. This is especially
important when you are dealing with the protective breeds like German
Shepherds. A dog which is inappropriately aggressive will be difficult
for most dog owners to deal with. 

I'd also second the suggestion to get to know a few breeders. A 
responsible breeder will accept dogs back. A responsible breeder will
evaluate the dog before placing it again. The breeder I work most
closely with places a good number of adult GSD's. She carefully
screens the homes and provides follow up help. I would recommend you
look for a similar type breeder. 

As Dave noted, AKC dog shows are not always the best place to look for
such a breeder. Other places to look for a breeder is through dog training
clubs and obedience areas. If you see a GSD you admire, ask the owner
which breeder they used. I am always happy to talk about my GSDs.

|>
|>>Do you have any experience with professionally trained "protection"
|>>GSDs and how they might or might not fit into a family home?
|>
|>Sorry I don't, I like to do my own training and would be a little
|>hesitant about adopting a trained protection dog. I would think
|>it would be a very intense experience. There are some out there, they
|>usually fail when it comes to gun shots. Have you ever seen a dog
|>try to stuff itself into a small box? I have.
|>
|>Hope this help!
|>Dave
|>

As far as protection training, it really depends on how good the
trainer is and how temperamentally sound the dog is to start with.
A dog trained in Schuthzund protection should be perfectly reliable
around people and children. There are some dogs that cannot be trusted
but a reputable trainer should tell you that up front. The breeder I
mentioned above has Schutzhund titles on both her "house" dogs including
one that participated in the USA Nationals. All the dogs have no problem
dealing with her 2 1/2 yr old son or the numerous nieces and nephews. I
know two local trainers who have placed Schutzhund trained/personal
protection dogs with families with no problem. But they are careful to
match the dog with the family.

Unless you feel you really need an active protection dog, I would 
recommend that you not spend the extra money (which is significant)
for a professionally trained protection dog. If you do decide on a
protection dog, be aware that such a dog will need periodic 
maintenance training. If you stop training heeling, the dog soon
looses that crisp response. Same with protection training.

For what it is worth, our first dog was raised from a puppy. Our
next two GSD's were obtained each at 18 months of age. I was very
familiar with the backgrounds of each of these dogs before considering
bringing them home. Would I get an older dog again? Probably. But first
I want to bring try raising a dog from a pup now that I actually 
know what I am doing. :-)

--
Victoria Janicki
Digital Equipment Corporation
Littleton,MA
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