MissMaddy

When I got my girl I wanted to feed her a raw diet. Once I started doing a bit of research over the internet, I got so confused as to which one to follow, that I gave up! I'd still love to feed her raw, but I found it so hard to know which way to go, who's books to buy, etc, that I'm not confident enough to do it.

What coat enhancer do you use? I'd be interested in using one for my GSD girl.

My girl (also a German Shepherd) is now just over 12 months. She was a very well behaved puppy (although I kinda expected VERY naughty just to be safe), and then all of a sudden went feral, and very naughty at about 7-8 months (it was like she was making up for being so good). She came into season at around 8-9 months, and I now know I can partly attribute this behaviour partly to hormones, but also partly to age. She has a run outside and a crate inside so that she's not in the position to destroy things when we're not home. She's still naughty, although is starting to calm down a bit. I think she's also getting closer to her next season as she's become more sooky recently, although she could also be starting to settle down. All the girls I've owned weren't desexed until later as I planned on showing and breeding, but it's a pain in the butt when they're in season not being able to walk them in your own area and having to be so careful about it, not to mention the mess! If my girl gives me any reason not to breed her, and I decide not to continue showing (which I probably would as I show her mainly to be sure that she's a good breeding prospect), she'll be at the vets within a week (or probably that day ) to be desexed. She would have been done before her first season if she wasn't my show girl.

Thanks for the reply Ashka, I'll check her food to see what the levels of everything are compared to other foods. I'm thinking of changing her over to BARF patties for a few weeks or longer to see if there is any difference, and if there is, learning how to do it myself and keeping her on it permanently. I've had someone suggest chlorella tablets, but I'm not sure what they are and where to get them.

My GSD is now 12 months old, and has been fed Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Organic formula since she was around 6 months old, plus meat, bonesm yoghurt and sometimes rice. She looks good on it (coat is nice and shiny and she needs small amounts to keep her weight), but I've noticed she's lost some pigmentation on her nails (they started to get pale lines in them that have gotten bigger) and is getting a tiny pink dot on her nose. I'm just wondering if there is any link between her food and colouring? Or another possible reason to have lost some of her pigmentation? Her muzzle is still very dark, and the rest of her nose is still black. She had very dark nails and nose when I got her as a puppy and only lost the pigmentation recently, so I'm trying to figure out what the reason may be for this. What supplements can I give her to try and get her to get this pigmentation back? Her food already has kelp in it, so I haven't added this in. Someone suggested zinc for her, and said turkey may help, but wondering if anyone can suggest anything else? Thanks

Also, when we have visitors, she's OTT excited to see them (as well as if people give her attention on the street, although that's only sometimes), and is often put on the lead (just starting recently, and making a huge difference) to stop her trying to jump on them and getting over excited.

Thanks MarkS for your reply, I'll try and answer your questions as best I can. -If I'm home with her through the day, I'll take her for one walk which is in the afternoon usually about 30 mins to and hour (I've only recently built her up to this, however, due to her age and breed). This can include walking around different areas of the neigbhourhood, some jogging, and sometimes going to an empty park and throwing her kong wubba for her, as well as doing short amounts of obedience training at diff times in our walk. - I would say she is high energy/drive for a showline GSD, but also has a very good off switch when needed. - She's not often shut in her run when we're home any more, although she used to be (and will be more), usually for around 2-4 hours max, just so that she doesn't just associate it with us leaving her. - Her run is about 5m x 5m (I think?) - No, she doesn't bark at us when she sees/hears us coming, she just sits at the front watching/waiting for us to let her out. If she's not let out straight away, she just goes and lies in her kennel. - When she barks, sometimes she'll just stay sitting or lying down where she is doing a muffled bark, or will run to the front or back door doing that very typical howling protective bark. - If I leave her outside longer than she wants, she just goes and finds a spot to lie down (and often goes to sleep) and wait until you ask her to come in. - If I'm home, she'll spend almost the whole day with me, but I try and give her short times on her own still so I can also try and stop her barking then. - When she's inside, she doesn't follow me everywhere, she often finds a nice cool spot (under the a/c right now), and goes to sleep, or may find a toy and bring it to you to ask you to play. She also likes to bring my shoes out to me and just leave them and walk away. - She doesn't patrol the fenceline outside, unless she hears a noise, or see a possum or strange cat. - When she was younger (about 4-6 months I think), she used to sometimes bark at people that were walking near us if out on a walk, and then want to go and love them to death! Now, she will only bark if it's dark (although almost never), and the person is a bit suss, or I'm a bit tense. - The bark she does is that really deep, howling, protective bark that she also does when people come to the door. Funnily enough, she's not a very vocal player, she rarely vocalises when I'm playing with her, and has to get pretty excited with another dog to really get vocal. She's also not at all whingy and almost never cries (nor has since she was a puppy, she has always been quite a lot more independent than my other GSDs I've had), and I've left her tied up while I ride my horse, and she just goes to sleep.

Yeah, I was thinking that by giving her attention that they were rewarding her, therefore she'll now bark every time she hears them make a noise for their attention, but they've only been doing it very recently, and they said she's been barking for a while (one of them has been sick and it's not really concerning them, so they didn't say anything) before they would talk to her. I don't think it's bothering anyone at the moment, as we know the neighbours on all sides (these neighbours were horrified when I mentioned that there were electrical anti-barking collars and didn't like the idea of using one), but I don't like her barking all day. The only thing that worries me about you're suggesting mita, is that she can be very sensitive to some things, and I don't want to create a fear of loud noises in her (she's currently fine around gun testing at club, but I'd hate her to become gun shy).

Thanks Erny, I feed her morning and night at the moment so I can give her different toys (such as her kongs) and bones during the day to entertain her. I don't have to feed her in the morning, I am doing it to keep her entertained more than anything. She doesn't seem to have a problem being left alone, and will often sleep for a lot of the time she's alone (I've snuck up on her a few times), and doesn't cry or whinge at all being alone. She actually appears to be pretty secure being on her own (especially when I do take her out and need to tie her up somewhere, she just goes to sleep). What do you mean by checking my "pack status"? I've heard it mentioned before, but don't quite understand it. I have no problem getting her to do something when I ask her to, and has shown no signs of dominance with me at all. The barking doesn't seem to be from stress, as she will start when we're home, but also stop when told (at possums, neighbours talking, walking along the fence, etc). It's at every little noise she hears from the neighbouring properties, and the next door neighbours said that she doesn't stop until they actually stick their head over the fence (she knows them well), and then she gets all excited thinking they're going to come in and say hello to her. ETA- if we're going to be out at night time, I leave her inside in my room as she doesn't bark when she's inside (and almost never barks when she's in my room).

Thanks for your quick reply Erny, I think it was mentioned that you hire them out. I would say she is sensitive in some ways, but not sure if she's sensitive enough for a jet air collar to work, so hiring sounds like a great idea. I do go out to her just to give her attention when she's not barking (not specifically because she's not barking, though, as I only realised she was barking so much tonight), and when we're home, she barks a lot lot less. She also spends a lot of the day inside with me when I'm home, or I'll often take her out with me when I can so she's not bored at home on her own, so this gives her a lot less of a chance to bark. I'd love to absolutely exhaust her so she's too fast asleep to bark in the mornings, but then I can't feed her as well, because of the risk of causing bloat. I'm currently considering exhausting her, then paying someone to come in a few hours later to leave some treats for her in different treat toys.

I was just told tonight that my 12 month GSD barks an awful lot when left home on her own. I knew she was barking a fair amount at 6 months as our next door neighbours have little yappy dogs that were teaching her to bark, but I thought since she's now in a run, and she know what "quiet" means when we're home, that she wasn't barking as much. So now I'm trying to think of ways to stop this excessive barking. Basically, she barks at just about any small noise, such as a neighbour opening a door, if they accidentally drop something, or just generally make any noise. When we're home and she starts to bark, she'll usually stop when we tell her quiet (or if she barks it's very, very quiet and muffled). So far, I've been trying to stimulate her in various ways just to make her time alone a bit less boring (before I realised she was barking so much). I walk her morning and night if she's to spend time alone through the day. Her morning walk isn't too tiring, though, as I'm worried about causing bloat by feeding her soon after a walk given her breed. When I leave her (usually 3-4 days a week at the most), I make sure she has treat toys that she has to work for (she has a couple of kongs, a treat ball, and another toy that you also put food in), as well as often giving her marrow or brisket bones to occupy her. She's been doing obedience training since she was 10 weeks old as well, and I'll usually do small bursts of training during our walks about 5 times a week or more. I bought an ultrasonic collar for her a few months ago, but she now just barks every time she hears it beep. I was considering a citronella collar, but have been told that the smell hangs around, therefore still punishing them even when they're quiet. I was told about a collar that sprays air or something, and was wondering if this would be worth while? Any other training suggestions would also be appreciated (I will be getting a trainer in shortly, but was just hoping for some suggestions to help decrease her barking in the interim).

Thanks Erny, I might see if I can organise something with Trish next weekend at Kepala, and then decide where to go from there, after hearing what she thinks. Then I'll decide whether to make the hike out to Keilor for training, or whether to continue training with Cosmolo. I might contact both, and see what will work out best, whether I have a session with Cosmolo beforehand, or whether I ogranise on with Trish for next weekend.

Thanks for that Arya, extremely helpful! I became so focused on her being social with other dogs because my last shepherd had a bad experience and became a little fear aggressive (only growling, never ever anything else, and it stopped when she realised the other dog was friendly), and I was determined that Zali would be dog social! But I know she's social with other dogs, and I really see where you're coming from in suggesting I limit her exposure to them. I'll see how she is to determine what happens with the next Kepala meet, but there are separate runs there, so I can use it as a chance to keep her attention on me even though there are other dogs around (I think I might try some "me" focused play in a separate run, maybe some short interactions with the other dogs, and then a break in the car or the run on her own, so she realises they're not all that matters!). Edited, because I accidently hit complete too early. Great idea with the hose Arya, I'll just try a few things to see what keeps her attention under the most distraction. So far, the kong wubba is winning! The rolled up towel is very close behind, though, except that she ends up ripping holes in it.

Once again, thank you everyone for the fantastic replies, all very helpful! Thanks for that PAX, I didn't think about it like that! I know when I train her myself, I try to have her still fresh and training well before we stop. And I just got back from the park with her (no other dogs), probably the best she's ever been! I got given a kong wubba by a friend, and she goes nuts for it! I used that in conjunction with the food I had, and had the most beautiful focus from her! And then, as it was late and there was no one else anywhere around, I did some off lead with her retrieving the wubba. She had a ball, was racing after it, and racing back almost as fast to give it back so we could continue the game! And then when she decided to do zoomies in some puddles, her recall was absolutely fantastic, she bolted over, and skidded to a stop so she could play with her toy some more! I think I may have found her currency! Just have to really get her focused on that in more and more distracting situations (in conjunction with a professional of course). Zali doesn't care if they're dominant or submissive, it just determines whether she'll jump on them or just chase them. She plays much better with a more dominant dog, though, because they'll keep her in line when she starts to do the bullying stuff. Even when there was a dog that had just tried to have a go at her for no reason, the minute he was after her ball, she still wanted to chase him (but I stopped her of course). I'm pretty sure it was Trish I spoke to, the one with the training centre opposite Kepala and in Keilor. I guess I'll get onto Cosmolo first then, and see when training starts back up, and organise some private lessons or consultations first. I was planning on taking her to the next Kepala meet to take her for a swimming lesson, and someone else has organised a consult with Trish there, so I may see if I can organise this in conjunction with the other person before I start up with anyone closer. If she's going to be too full on though, I'll just take her in a separate run with another dog that I know will be good with her.

I think it's probably because I put more effort into it lablover when at obedience, because in my mind (and I've also put it in hers now), obedience is for work, park is for play. I still do train her at the park, but currently under minimal distraction until I get her really focused there, so it will be easier to get and keep her focus under distraction. She's also a lot better and way more focused when all the other dogs are on lead and under effective control of their owners. She does get easily bored at training though, and I usually just take extra play breaks when I can feel her getting bored, but am still not happy where I've been going (their reply to my issues on keeping focus are that my food isn't good enough and that's it!). No, she won't recall under all distractions, and is rarely off lead unless I have a very good view of who's coming, as she's got a great recall when no other dogs are around (I've had to experiment a bit with my tone to achieve this, but we're finally getting there).. It's not good around other dogs, so I don't really have her off lead around other dogs unless it's an enclosed area. This focus issue (and the chasing stuff) is the reason why I'm going to have a look at a few other places to train after Christmas (and probably get a consult from Cosmol asap), especially one which will help me to utilise her prey drive, but also stop it when I want/need to.

Thanks lablover, but she's not untrained. She's not my first dog that I've trained, and she actually won an obedience class in a recent fun day and got top scoring bitch there, so she's definitely not untrained. I've just never had a dog that is so hard to get her focus on me (although when she does, like at the fun day, she works superbly), hence why I've asked for help, and suggestions on where is most appropriate to receive this help.

Thanks for all the replies, Cosmolo I will have to contact you after Christmas is over to try and organise something with you. BP- trust me, if I was in a situation to get another dog, I would! But at the moment it's not a possibility. Myzska- I wasn't sure as to the effect this was having on the dobe (and it's really only become a problem recently), but I do keep her on the lead and away from her, and only allow her to play with other dogs who'll keep her in line or who play differently so it doesn't become an issue. I just don't understand how the dobe used to bully her (so she kinda taught her the behaviour), but now freaks out at play that's nowhere near as rough at it used to be when they were younger (and neither got freaked out then). And she has been going to training at a club since 10 weeks old, and plays really well with the other dogs there (none off lead). She's also doing really well with her obedience, although I'm not happy with the instructors, which is why I've been looking into a new place to train, hence my request for suggestions!

Also wanted to add, does anyone have recommendations of professional trainers in Melbourne (preferably near Camberwell). I've contacted 4paws and will be going to have a look there, but was also going to contact Erny about the training on Erny's website. Any other recommendations? I think she'd probably do best in training that utilises her prey drive.

Thanks for your help BP, I'll contact Steve asap about his training. I''ll also have a read of the thread you've put up when it's not so late. I can see what you mean about issues arising from dog parks (some of the dogs we see there really aren't social at all), the reason why I keep her on lead unless she's contained with another dog I know. I guess the reason I take her to dog parks is probably more my stupid sentimental reasons! I love seeing how much enjoyment she gets from have a good play with another dog, and I also don't mind the social part of it! I also wasn't aware that it could be quite easy to control her drive with other dogs, which I guess is why I haven't done so already.

Thanks for your reply. So would you suggest limiting her interactions with other dogs to just a quick hello, and leave until I can try to use this to my advantage? When there are other dogs around, I find it extremely hard to try and get any sort of focus from her, unless we're at training, which she's learnt is different from our local park. At the moment, other dogs are definitely her 1st priority, and getting her focus off them is the hardest thing, especially since she's very hard to even get to play with a toy if there's another dog around and running. The toy I use is a rolled up piece of towel, and she goes crazy for it, just loses her enthusiasm for it when there are other dogs around. I guess I've been so focused on ensuring she's dog social, that I've let her become a bit too obsessed with them! Although she had improved a lot in recent weeks, especially after going to Kepala. She's starting to move her focus back onto me, as the novelty of the other dogs starts to wear off. ETA- I think I better contact k9 dog training to do their training in prey drive by correspondence. Given how focused she is on any other animal moving at a fast speed, I think if I can get this focus on me, we'll be set for obedience.

I'm wanting to do this with my German Shepherd, Zali, but I have always been told to waith until Shepherd's are 18 months to do any jumping. Can you do a special course for the younger dogs so as not to have to worry about joints? If so, does anyone know of a good place to go in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne?

My German Shepherd girl is practically 12 months old now. The biggest problem I have with her is her prey drive kicking in when she's around other dogs. While I know it's part of her playing with them, she will chase another dog until she's about to drop pretty much (and loves it when they're going flat out, such as chasing a ball). Once she catches the other dog, depending on how dominant/submissive they are, she'll often jump at them, make a lot of noise, and if she knocks them over, jump on them and try to play really roughly. While other German Shepherds don't seem to have a problem with this (they'll take it in turns as to who chases who), some other dogs (and more often their owners) get a bit intimidated by this playing. One dog (a doberman) she's been playing with since they were puppies (and this dobe used to be the one doing it to her) has started crouching and fear biting at her. I now just keep her away from this dog (which isn't fun, because my girl thinks she's her best friend), as it just turns frustrating when Zali tries everything she can to get her to play and the dobe just gets more scared. I'm just wondering if anyone can suggest some strategies to try and control this prey drive in situations such as playing with other dogs that aren't as full on, so that she doesn't intimidate those dogs that don't see this as a fun game (like she does)?

I lost my last beautiful old girl to a tumor on her spleen. Unfortunately we didn't know until she had internal bleeding and was in intense pain, so we didn't even check if it was cancer, given the high % that are. I would think an enlarged spleen is a sign of something important. Good luck with her, whatever it is, it sounds like you've picked it up early, but sof's suggestion for an exploratory exam is a good one.

I've got my third GSD now, and have to say, some are easier than others. I like to keep mine lean for showing (and their joints), but my last girl was always hard to keep the weight on. She got fed a fair amount, but just wouldn't put on weight. I think part of it was that she was more active than I realised with our other dog, as she put on a lot of weight when we lost him. The other part, I think, was that she was an anxious girl. She had bad separation anxiety, due to something that happened before we got her, and I think this nervous energy was also what burned off all of her food. I've now got a 9 month old girl, and she's the complete opposite. While she doesn't like being on her own, she doesn't stress, she just sleeps most of the time. She's very easy to keep the weight on, although as I try to keep her lean, I have to be careful that she doesn't get too thin. I have noticed, though, that as soon as she goes out and has a really good run with other dogs, that she does lose weight in the next day, so I then need to increase her food to keep up with the amount of energy she is burning off. She's still growing as well, though, so I need to watch her for weight loss due to growth.

My German Shepherd did this for over a month when we brought her home. Initially I was really concerned, and did everything I could to make her eat, including giving her stuff she did like (which was only raw meat). After a while, I decided it was too much trouble, so used the method sas and poodle wrangler mentioned, by taking it away and not feeding her til her next meal (and I found it pretty hard 1st few times). Funnily enough, it only took a few meals for her to realise there was nothing else coming, and she'd go hungry! She never really liked her dry food, however, until I got her Natural Balance dry food, which she loved from the start, and looks great on it, so I've kept using it. I tried various supermarket brands, as well as Eagle Pack initially, and she ate them the 1st few times, then didn't want them. She would eventually eat them, though. She's now 9 months old, and I still have her on the Natural Balance, but she'll devour anything you give her! If I give her just dry food and no meat, she looks at me as if to ask "where's the rest?!" but still eats it cos she knows she'll go hungry! ;) Good luck, but you need to get tough if you don't want a fussy puppy all his life.