Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[Alerian]

Heyo !!

So, I am currently too young to own a dog on my own nor do I have space, but
I have always wanted a German Shepherd and was wondering if anyone had tips
for owning a dog of the sort. I only have experience with Labradors.

German Shepherds overall, are really loyal dogs!
The only thing I can think of that you would need to stay on top of with GS is they need to be stimulated. Such as long walks, toys, some kind of activity to knock their energy to 0. Otherwise you'll have holes in your wall, yard, furniture, etc.
This is what I've personally experienced with GS as well as witnessed with others who've had them.
You will need a good amount of free time on your hands to tend to them since they are considered (more or less) sports dogs.

[Imzadi83]

Heyo !!

So, I am currently too young to own a dog on my own nor do I have space, but
I have always wanted a German Shepherd and was wondering if anyone had tips
for owning a dog of the sort. I only have experience with Labradors.

I would advise going to dog shows, talking to people in breed clubs, contacting breed specific rescues to get a more rounded idea of what the good and bad is in regards to owning a GSD. When you have the space consider fostering a few to get a better idea of what you can and can't handle in a particular dog and whether the breed is for you. If/when you're able consider also volunteering with rescues/shelters and at dog sporting events to spend more time around dogs and their owners so you can ask questions and learn more about the breed.

[kismetkandi]

Hi! My dog Maxi is almost 2 years old and she's a siberian husky. I have having trouble training her! i find her always ripping apart expensive pillows, trying to steal food off of the counter, ripping my clothes, and biting all my family members! I was wondering if anyone could give tips? I swear, I've tried, EVERYTHING ! I don't know what to do!

[Radoppie]

@imzadi

wow thank you for all that good advice she doesnt bark at all when i try to tease her she just kind of jumps up even tho she knows not to do that and she play bow and runs around and gets real frustrated 😂 but no bark so thank you wont rewarding her for barking on her own teach her its okay to bark in that situation tho?? like the only time she barks is when there are people at the door or she sees another dog outside i think the treats i use are very like by her because they meat and she usualy do anything for them but bark she makes no sound

[Imzadi83]

@imzadi

wow thank you for all that good advice she doesnt bark at all when i try to tease her she just kind of jumps up even tho she knows not to do that and she play bow and runs around and gets real frustrated 😂 but no bark so thank you wont rewarding her for barking on her own teach her its okay to bark in that situation tho?? like the only time she barks is when there are people at the door or she sees another dog outside i think the treats i use are very like by her because they meat and she usualy do anything for them but bark she makes no sound

Have you tried having her tethered when you try to get her to bark? Sometimes knowing they physically can't get to the reward can be more encouraging to get them to vocalize.

Also, no, teaching her to "speak" via capturing won't encourage her to bark at other times. Putting barking on cue is actually a technique used by trainers to get dogs to stop barking at other times. And you can always teach her a "quiet" cue as well.

[Angelus Gaston]

Hi! My dog Maxi is almost 2 years old and she's a siberian husky. I have having trouble training her! i find her always ripping apart expensive pillows, trying to steal food off of the counter, ripping my clothes, and biting all my family members! I was wondering if anyone could give tips? I swear, I've tried, EVERYTHING ! I don't know what to do!

How much exercise does she get sibes need alot of exercise and stimulation to be warn out enough to train. When I had mine before we even started with training we did an our hours free play, if she isn't getting warn out from exercise she won't concentrate on commands.

[Imzadi83]

Hi! My dog Maxi is almost 2 years old and she's a siberian husky. I have having trouble training her! i find her always ripping apart expensive pillows, trying to steal food off of the counter, ripping my clothes, and biting all my family members! I was wondering if anyone could give tips? I swear, I've tried, EVERYTHING ! I don't know what to do!

Siberian Huskies require a lot of physical exercise and mental stimulation. If you tire her out that way she won't have the energy or desire to do a lot of the behaviors she's doing you don't like. Remember the old adage "A tired dog is a good dog." Feed her meals in puzzle toys or through training only. Go for walks/runs, play games, try dog sports, etc. Enlist your family members to help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwZI1isnvPQ&t=31s I'm sure you're providing some of those things now, but it clearly isn't enough, you need to up your game so she's too tired to up hers.

For the destructive habits is she doing them when you're there or when you leave? If it's the latter I'd be concerned it could be isolation distress or even separation anxiety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPQKLh883s&t=90s

A big thing with destructive behaviors is management. You and your family need to be committed to this or nothing will change so I'd advise sitting down with them and having a serious discussion. Put away the pillows or keep her in another room or in a crate so she can't get to them. If she's ripping up clothes on the floor don't leave them out and close closet doors. Keep food off the counters when you're not there to supervise her and teach her not to counter surf via training. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZCIeEUm_n8

When you can't keep an eye on her (like when someone is busy cooking) train her to lie on a dog bed or simply deny her access to the room via a crate/baby gate/door/etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wesm2OpE_2c This would be a great time to bring out a chewy or puzzle toy to entertain herself with.

As far as the biting can you be more specific? Is she breaking skin, is this occurring during playing, when you said ripping your clothes did you mean while you were wearing them? What is happening when these incidents are occurring? Because you weren't specific and I can't tell whether this is biting because she lacks inhibition or she is being aggressive I recommend contacting a positive reinforcement based trainer/behavior who is comfortable and knowledgeable dealing with biting issues.

Here are some places to get started locating someone...
https://apdt.com/
http://www.ccpdt.org/
https://karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer/?source=kpctnavbar#!directory/map
https://positively.com/

Also in general it sounds like she needs to be taken to some (again positive-reinforcement based) basic manners classes. Even if you've trained a dog in the past this is still a great way for you and your dog to bond and for you to improve your training skills. Training in a new environment is also good mental stimulation for her.

[Kira Nightblade]

Do dogs have nightmares? Because Trump was just sleeping and then randomly let out a loud yelp and woke up? (He's back asleep now) nobody did anything to him and I'm confused o.o

[Imzadi83]

Do dogs have nightmares? Because Trump was just sleeping and then randomly let out a loud yelp and woke up? (He's back asleep now) nobody did anything to him and I'm confused o.o

No one knows for sure, but based on the way dogs act in REM sleep it is very likely that they dream and if they dream there is no reason why they couldn't have nightmares. Personally I believe they do. Chloe will whimper, whine, flick her paw, her breathing increases, her eyes move more rapidly and she has even howled a couple of times in her sleep. One time it woke her up and she looked around wondering where the sound came from, lol. When I'm here and she starts to whimper in her sleep I'm able to pet and talk to her and calm her down without waking her. It's not something I'd advise you try through as some dogs could snap, known as sleep aggression.

[Radoppie]

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