And Now Some Good News

Good for you! Max is beautiful and looks very happy to have become a part of your family. Watch out, German Shepherds are super smart... he'll be running things before you know it. Rescues are the best- we have a few of our own. Have fun!!

I enjoyed your story Python; but what surprised me is that you were able to adopt an adult dog without him being neutered first!!!

I am glad you are getting this done soon. you will definitely enjoy him more without those hormones shaping his every thought.

Good for you Python. Nice handsome dog!
Glad he's getting neutered.

Max is a cutie and so good of you to give him a new lease on life.

Max is beautiful, he looks like he belongs. Thank you for adopting, there are so many dogs that need a good home.

Normally they do spay and neuter their dogs before rehoming them. We could have left him there and the rescue centre would have done it for us but because we travelled so far to see him and would have had to do the same journey again they let us take Max home - even without doing a homecheck. We have to get a letter of recommendation from our vet so Max has his registration health check at 5pm so I will arrange the date for neutering when I go tomorrow and they will put that in the letter.

Max really took a liking to us - and us to him. The lady who runs the rescue is quite elderly and has been doing animal rescue all her life. She struck me as a woman who if she thought for one second an animal in her care was not going to a good home she wouldn't hesitate to say no.

On the adoption papers we signed there is a clause which says that the new owner agrees to spaying/castration and if this is not done (you have to get a letter from the vet stating when the op was done) they will take the dog back. Years ago many people used to just get dogs and cats from the local dog and cat home and carry on breeding with them. They are much stricter nowadays and since there are so many unwanted pets then the neutering policy is a good one.

It's one of the reasons why I take rescues rather than puppies. Sadie was an ex breeding girl. I always wondered why she never liked her tail touched - even for grooming. I only found out the other night reading about how they treat female dogs (I can't use the proper word - it ends up as a load of asterisks). They breed the females every season with no break. If the female is reluctant to go to the male the puppy farmers pull the poor female by the tail:( No wonder Sadie never liked her tail touched:( :( :(

I've little time for the RSPCA but they have been trying to clamp down on puppy farms for a long time.

There are good breeders out there who care about their dogs (and cats) but there are many out there too who only want to make as much money out of these animals as possible:mad: I refuse to line their pockets:mad:

In the meantime we've just come back from our bedtime walk (good exercise for hubby too;) ) and Max is looking rather sleepy but happy and content. So far he's settling in well. The cats aren't so bothered about him now either.

He is gorgeous and definitely not a "Cookie". Max is a much more fitting name for your furkid. :)

I bought him a new collar yesterday complete with his name, address and telephone number. I had a good sniff at it and wagged his tail. Think he likes it:D

python, look into "the dog whisperer," cesar millan. if you haven't heard of him he's got a show on the national geographic channel. he's also got books and dvd's. this man knows dogs. watch him once and you''ll get hooked.

i am not a dog person, i like cats, but i watch his show every day for the shear beauty of what he can accomplish. his website has clips.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.co.../dogwhisperer/

anybody with a dog should at least know the basics ("exercise, discipline, affection").

Thanks Pinkbike. I'll have a look for that. We're going up to the vets in about half and hour. They usually have details of dog training classes as I think Max would benefit from that (and us too). He did try and chase my cat last night (the old, crippled cat who lives in our bedroom) and was scolded for it ("No!!! Bad boy!!!). He knew he'd done wrong and lay down quickly. Our last dog was the same initially with our cats but learnt very quickly not to chase our cats. She also learned the hard way when she went too close to one of our cats - and got her nose shredded. She soon learned chasing cats wasn't a good idea and for years the cats used to curl up with her, especially in winter. Us humans couldn't get anywhere near the fireplace. The furkids were all curled up in front of it:rolleyes: :D

What a lovely boy! Those eyes--you can just see the intelligence in them. He sounds quite spirited. Bet he's a real character. You're gonna have some good tales to tell about this boy, I suspect. Give him a big smooch for me! He looks like the perfect addition to your family.

I don't dig the dog whisperer, although some folks swear by him. I think he's a meanie! LOL. Tamar Gellar's book, "The Loved Dog," has given me some helpful advice in teaching my very active 7-year old golden, Maeve, some manners. Tamar's approach is love, positive reinforcement, etc.

We're just back from the vet. Our vet thinks Max is still a puppy! She said he's not fully grown yet. She also says he's 100% German Shepherd:D

We noticed last night that Max was sneezing quite a lot and had a bit of discharge from one nostril. Our vet thinks he's got a slight infection in his nose so gave him an antibiotic injection (he cried like a baby) and a course of antibiotic pills. As soon as the infection is cleared up he's going back to get vaccinated. As we're unsure if he has been or not we're going to get the vaccinations just to be on the safe side.

My reasoning (and our vets) is as he was abandoned by such uncaring owners, then the chances of him being vaccinated are very remote.

He is also booked in for castration on the 5th October. This will give him time to get over this infection, the vaccinations and allow him more time to settle in.

Poor dog. He looked really worried at the vets and was very subdued on the way home. No wonder. The last time he was at the vets, he got taken to kennels:( His eyes lit up when we got home. You could see the relief in them. He's such a gentle, loving dog I can not for the life of me understand the mentallity of his previous owners abandoning the way they did:mad:

However, I am a great believer in what goes around, comes around and they'll be punished for what they've done to him As my late mother used to say "There's always a higher hand".

I'm glad Max is so young! What a lucky boy to have you.

For what it's worth, most dog trainers do not like Cesar Millan. I personally am not fond of how he handles dogs. I find him a bit cruel.

I highly recommend the books: My Smart Puppy and also Bones Would Rain From the Sky

Those two books together give some great training ideas as well as a wonderful perspective on dogs.

We been given the name of a dog training centre who our vet has used for his own dogs and they're very good. I'm going to telephone and speak with them shortly.

I prefer to train a dog with the reward system. I do not, and never have, believed in using force to train any animal. Max is highly intelligent and although we've only had him for two days, already he has learned different commands. One is, and it's a very important one, is to sit at the kerb and wait until we tell him to cross the road. We make him do this at every kerb we come to, varying the times we make him sit and wait. At first he didn't really know what we wanted but when we took him out for his bedtime walk last night, Graham told him to sit and he did. He's a very quick learner and I think he will enjoy dog training classes.

Of course, in our house the other thing he has to learn is not to chase the cats. He's getting much better now and I don't think it'll be long before the cats are curled up with him;)

Python, congrats on your new furkid. He's very handsome and regal. You'll learn just how responsive, cunning and attuned these dogs can be.

I myself am active in gsd rescue and transport and I am always touched by the people who adopt a dog that was abandoned, neglected, or worse, abused. These dogs are so resilient and so willing to trust that many do work through their issues.

I found that rescues are usually in a *honeymoon* period for about 2-3 weeks. They are usually a little more docile and won't show their true colors until later. If you don't already, you might want to purchase a crate to give him a den to feel safe. (I use a collapsible wire crate with a slide-out tray.) It will also help him stay out of trouble when you aren't around. You might want to line it with one of your tee-shirts or sweatshirts so that he can bond with your scent quicker. A good safe chew, like a Nylabone, will help him direct his energy in an appropriate way.

If you can find a reputable trainer who uses positive reinforcement, it will help build his confidence and establish you as the alpha. It is also an excellent way to socialize with other dogs in a safe and controlled environment.

I hope you have many, many good years together. Thank you for considering a rescue. :)