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Our -hopefully- new lil guy!

edited November 2009 in General Discussion
Me and my boyfriend have been in search of a new dog - I can't bring mine when I move, unfourtantly because my mom is too attatched to them and they would freak in a different enviorment. So, me and him gave up on our search and he applied at a rescue for a second job, and to our suprise we have found a dog we have been looking for the entire time - breed wise - a German Shepherd! He was a stray and has hip problems which will involve surgery and he is also working on gaining his weight back, he's a little skittish but the cutest thing ever! We will be working in trying to foster him and once I move we will officially adopt (if no one else adopts)! <br>His name is Kimble and I am not fond of that name, so any name suggestions would be considered! :P<br><br><a href="http://i33.tinypic.com/2pruww7.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://i33.tinypic.com/2pruww7.jpg</a><br><br>And I was wondering if anyone has fostered a dog before? And what it's like?<br>Kimble will need constant supervision becuase of hips and also after his surgery.

Comments

  • Fostering is pretty amazing. <br>But it can also be frustrating since you never know exactly how the animal is going to act 1. in a new environment. and 2. around you/your family/ and guests.<br>So it's definately a risk, and can be a huge money issue if you foster a problem animal, from meds to ruined furniture. etc.<br><br>But overall i have found it to be very rewarding, just don't get too attatched to the animals, because if you keep fostering, you can't keep them all and you have to hope they go into good homes. :wink:
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  • <span style="font-size:92">-flails-<br>GSD !<br>I absolutely -adore- GSDs. :D<br><br>&& personally, I've never fostered before, so I can't give you any advice. xD<br><br>But I can give you names ! :D<br><br>-Max [very common, but :3]<br>-Thunder<br>-Ryu [Means Dragon in Japanese. :D]<br><br>All I can think of for now. xD</span>
    bluehh.
  • That's the main reason why I want to foster him before adopting, to ensure that we can handle him, he will aslo be around my boyfriends current dogs, two labs, which they are goofs and will accept him. And fostering will help his skitish behavios if we decide not to adopt.
  • BlueIsis wrote:
    <br>-Ryu
    LOVE that name. thanks.
  • Avla wrote:
    BlueIsis wrote:
    <span style="font-size:92"><br>-Ryu
    LOVE that name. thanks.
    <br>Really ? :D<br>Glad to be of help. ^_^</span>
    bluehh.
  • Fostering + German shepherds = <3 :D<br><br>I train military/police/normal German shepherds so I can give you some tips on the skittish behavior. I am also a huuuge Cesar Milan fan so some of my advice is based on what I've learned from him. I'm not sure of your whole situation but I can throw out what I know :)<br>- If he is nervous or unsure when you take him home (which he will be) let him choose his place to hide or go to (like a kennel perhaps?) and deal with his nervousness on his own. Reward him when he decides to come to you (when called or not) but don't give affection while he's acting skittish. Does he become aggressive in a fearful way when new people or any person approaches him?<br>*I have a lot more knowledge about skittishness but I don't want to throw them all out in case you don't need them lol<br><br>- I've fostered a GSD with -seveeeeere- hip dysplasia while a court case between the owner's boyfriend (long story short, he was a suspect in killing his gf who owned this dog). Honestly, the best thing for him until he has surgery is exercise. He needs to keep his legs in motion (at his choosing, like running in the yard) because you don't want the muscle to shrink away from inactivity and it will keep blood flowing more to that area. A good squishy dog bed for him to sleep on is the best thing, esp after his surgery. I'm not sure on post hip dysplasia care because the boyfriend took the dog back and finally got him the surgery he desperately needed and I no longer work at that vet clinic so I don't know how he's doing. *We also gave him daily glucosamine-chondroitin pills as it helps with the pain, but I'd ask your vet about it first.<br><br>I hope this helps! If you have any questions or problems regarding the GSD, feel free to ask!! ;)
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  • Thanks, germanshepherds09. I was thinking about going into training police dogs after Animal Behavior College - but it's still undecided. xD<br>He shows no sign of aggresion, just fear - usually, he warms up to you it just takes time.<br>Thanks for the advice!
  • Avla wrote:
    Thanks, germanshepherds09. I was thinking about going into training police dogs after Animal Behavior College - but it's still undecided. xD<br>He shows no sign of aggresion, just fear - usually, he warms up to you it just takes time.<br>Thanks for the advice!
    <br><br>Police dogs are so fun xP the bite suit is my favorite. I'm glad he's not fearful aggressive. Good luck with him! He's gorgeous! :)
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  • What is it like training police dogs?<br>How do they know who to "attack" and who not to attack?<br>And thanks. ^^
  • Aww! He's cute!! xD<br><br>Names -<br>Taz<br>Ranger (xD)<br>Morse<br>Reece<br><br>Lol, idk. Randomness.
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  • Oh, Lava, a new dog? Yea! Good luck with him, I've never fostered or had a german sheperd, so no advice avalible, but good luck.<br><br>Name wise, I second Kaley's idea for Ranger.
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  • I have to agree luvy, Ranger is coot! And I like Taz too. xD<br>And yep, a new dog, my boyfriend will be asking about fostering this weekend! :D<br>I bring home more pets than I do shoes. xDD
  • Avla wrote:
    What is it like training police dogs?<br>How do they know who to "attack" and who not to attack?<br>And thanks. ^^
    <br><br>Oh it's so fun I'll probably write a novel haha...I'm around 5'2, 120 lbs ish and I can tell you it feels like a brick wall just slammed into you ahaha but I don't find it scary. The thing I keep in mind when there's an 80-100lb dog snarling and running after me is that it's important for me to give the dog a challenge and ensure he gets a good solid bite. Shepherds have a tendency to "scissor bite" (where as say a bull breed dog just bites and holds on) and you have to teach them to keep their mouth completely on the arm.<br><br>They are so intelligent and driven that when they see someone in the sleeve or suit, they know exactly who they're going to be after. They actually want the sleeve/suit, not the person in it. The dogs are taught to attack on the right arm, since that's the most dominant arm and where a weapon would usually be held. Buuut like any dog, they do make mistakes and miss the sleeve (happened to my boss once, he lifted his arm too high so dog missed and bit his stomach.) and there have been dogs sent after someone in a crowd (dumb idea!!) and the dog bit the wrong person. The dogs in our State Patrol don't see me as a threat at all b/c I'm small and female so it's a huge challenge for me to keep their attention on me. I recently did muzzle fighting with a 105lb male ( :shock: ) they imported from Denmark, and I literally had to dance and jump around while yelling and making weird noises to keep him from just going off to do something else. The agitator is the most important person when training b/c they're actually the ones training the dog.
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  • Wow. That sounds exciting. xD<br>We have a k-9 training unit about 10 minutes away from our house - but, I never see anyone out there.<br>This may sound like a dumb question. xDD Do you get your dogs from a working line? Do they have straight backs? I've been wondering this too, becuase I have seen slanted back dogs in the police field - which I never understood how that would go over well becuase of hip issues and I would figure that would affect the dogs job becuase they run in a hyena like way.
  • Gunther . :]]<br><br>German Shepherds = my #1 .<br>Grew up with a Sheppy , named Gunther . ^`.^
    i know you're supposed to cherish life , but this crap isn't paradise .
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  • We've decided to name him Kodiak (Koda for short) I'm so excited! I get to see him next week. :DDD<br><br>EDIT: And it turns out he doesn't need surgery! The vet said it will heal naturally. I'm not really sure what happened to his leg though. :x
  • Oh, Lava, a new dog? Yea! Good luck with him, I've never fostered or had a german sheperd, so no advice avalible, but good luck.<br><br>Name wise, I second Kaley's idea for Ranger.
    <br><br>Oh, why dank oo.<br><br>
    <br>I have to agree luvy, Ranger is coot! And I like Taz too. xD <br>And yep, a new dog, my boyfriend will be asking about fostering this weekend! <br>I bring home more pets than I do shoes. xDD
    <br><br>Wwhy dank oo too. ;D
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  • Gorgeous dog, Avla. Great pick! (:<br>German Shepherds are wonderful. I've read a hell of a lot about them and plan to get a mix when I'm older. They're great security and companion dogs. I've never owned one, but would call myself very lucky if I did!<br><br>Good luck with Kodiak, hope he makes a great pet!<br>(And awesome about him not having to get surgery! All the better.)
  • I love that name! And that's good he doesn't require surgery, that's normally a really expensive one. Good luck with him :)
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