have a 7 month old german shepard, he is shy an does not respond to his name, cannot get him to eat, not house

Question

he is not housebroke, but i have been able to get him to go outside to pee. it is like the people i got him from abused him.He seems to be warming up to me, it is like i got a shadow. please help me. i had a stroke a year ago and i do not remember how to do a lot of training. thank you very much!!!

Answer 1

i send people to Dogbreedinfo.com alot, it's full of information that is better than what i can give you, i wish could help you more, if i can feel free to email me . Good Luck!

Answer 2

Don't make the common mistake of thinking it was abuse; nearly always fear is inherited. What has worked for me is basically letting the dog alone. It is quite hard to do any serious training until a good bond takes hold. In a dog like this, never get harsh; even verbal corrections should be subdued. Since you provide the food and water, he will start investigating you by creeping up and sniffing. When he appears better at ease, slowly move to scratch under his chin. It won't take long after that until the trust builds but beware, a scared dog can (and it is very important to) be managed by training but it will always be scared. In addition, they often become possessive of the human(s) they trust and resent their human paying attention to another dog or a human who gets too close. The bottom line is that you will have to be quite careful with him and if you haven't done so already, consider a neuter as it often lowers aggression in males and a scared dog, no matter how good the pedigree, should not be bred.

Sounds negative, doesn't it? Not really, though. With being careful, training, and the strong bond a scared dog develops, they can be a very rewarding experience for both you and the dog. Plus in time, you will know what makes him react which makes management all so much easier.

Answer 3

Get him scanned at an animal shelter to make sure he wasn't stolen and sold. Also, there is a possiblity that he did not sell when his littermates did, at an earlier age and he has grown up in a pen with human contact only for feeding and watering. There are many possibilities, and either of these could be reasons that he does not seem to know his name.
When you get him checked at your Vet, get his hearing checked. What a great breed you have, and even if he can't hear, he will be so acutely tuned into you, it will be hard to even notice. He would feel vibrations and be very attuned to hand signals.
What are you feeding him, and is it the same thing the people you got him from say he was eating? You might consider getting him on a high quality food like Canidae All Life Stages which has a great balance in this formula, for your dog. He might like the taste better too, just mix some of what he is being fed now with the new food, gradually increasing ratio of new to old until he is adjusted.
For housetraining, getting him on a regular schedule (for eating, walks etc) and then taking him for potty breaks around that will help a lot.
Like: Out first thing in the morning in the area you want him to go, tell him same command each time, like "Take a Break". Reward with a small training treat and praise, and pet him when he does his business, either number, there.
Say you feed him twice a day, once at 9 a.m. and once at 5 p.m. take him out two hrs. after he eats to his potty spot. Tell him "take a break" reward if he does.
do the same at two hrs after his last meal. Say you schedule two walks. Make one in the morning just before eating. He'll probably go potty then just to make his mark in the neighborhood. Take your clean up bags with you so neighbors will like him too. ; )
Then take him for his second walk just before his evening meal which will lead to him going outside again.
Then two hrs after dinner take him to his "potty spot" and give the command. Then for a final potty run before bed time.
If you keep a regular schedule he will more then likely let you know, with a nudge or a look, if he needs to go out any time in between.
Consider enrolling in basic obedience classes with him. It will socialize him to other dogs and other people as he learns basic commands he may not know yet. PetSmart has basic classes for a cheap price. Not the champagne version of training, but good for beer budget and a great experience in bonding and working with your dog.

Answer 4

It sounds like your GSD is having a bit of trouble adapting to his new home. I own a German Shepherd myself and know the breed to be extremely loyal and bonding to their owners. He may be a bit wary of you but if he's following you around like that, that's a great sign! When you bring a new puppy home (usually around 7-8 weeks of age) they follow you around like a shadow until approx 4-5 months of age. So him following you around is a good sign but if it bothers you, once he gets use to his new home and becomes more independent, you'll probably miss him at your heels. =)

As for the housetraining, just be patient. German Shepherds are extremely intelligent dogs and usually pick up things very quickly. It just needs to be established that your house is his "den" since wild dogs will typically avoid going to the restroom in their dens. Take him out frequently to where you want him to go potty (preferably a spot in your backyard) and reward him with treats and lots of praise for going outside. If you catch him eliminating in your house, yell just enough to startle him as that will stop his pee flow and get him to go outside with you. Stay there as long as it takes for him to go potty and once he does, reward him. NEVER let him see you cleaning up his accidents inside the house. You wouldn't want him to think you were his maid or something. Of course not! German Shepherds are great dogs and I'm sure he'll bond to you in no time. Just keep being patient with him and perhaps look into taking some obedience classes. That way you can learn how to handle and train him, have a new and exciting way to bond with him as well as having someone to personally answer your questions. Good luck!

Answer 5

if you cannot do the training yourself, it would probably be best to hire a trainer to come into your home and help. That way, it's easier on the dog because he is learning in an environment that he is already becoming comfortable with, and doesn't have to be brought to a strange new place where he is too busy being terrified to pay attention to any training.

Answer 6

check out a book or video by a behaviorist for dogs by the name of Ian dunbar. he is from the U.k awesome instructions -all very nice. your dog is probably nervous still if he was abused. the first thing is to try and figureout his schedule or create one for him. also, make sure his hearing is o.k before you decide he is ignoring you.

Answer 7

Is he eating anything? You can help to stimulate an eating response by causing his blood sugar to cycle-- rise and fall. When it falls the dog will eat. Use syrup or sugar water to do that.

Answer 8

First I recommend taking the dog to a vet. If he was abused he may have a problem. Good Luck with this dog. If I can be of any help, please email me.