I am looking at rescuing a German Shepherd Dog, but am worried about being gone at work for 9 hours a day. From what I am reading crating a puppy for 9 hours is too long and this is the big hold up with rescuing a dog. What do you guys do that work full time with dogs?

My family has had dogs all of my life and I am comfortable with being the pack leader, any other advice?

I don't crate my dog. Between my roommate and girlfriend the dog gets out throughout the day. I walk her everyday right before work. If for some reason I have to leave her for more than 8hrs (with no one around to take her out) I will go home for lunch and take her out.

I live in a town house so all I have is a fenced in patio. Do you have a back yard? Can it stay outside for the day?

Doggie Door is a good friend.

x2 on the doggie door. IMO, with a doggie door, the dog will be able to leave the house when it needs to. This works out to less "accidents". With a shepard, he/she'll be able to watch the backyard for you as well when you aren't around. My Rocco has chased off at least one prowler who was looking for things to steal from my backyard in the middle of the night.

The dog may experience some separation anxiety. My beagle, Guinea, had it pretty bad for about a year. I was at my wits end for a bit with her, but she eventually worked through it. There are ways to help the dog overcome it though. What was happening with Guinea is that she was worried about me when I left. When she finally realized that I would come back whenever I left, even for extended periods of time, she was fine. If you google separation anxiety, there is lots of help available for it.

My dogs are my best friends.. I couldn't imagine NOT having a dog now. The joy the dog (or dogs) will give you in the long run is well worth the initial headaches that rescues often come with.

One other thing, If you do find that your dog is getting anxious when you are gone, I found that a pal for the dog can be very good for them.

Oh yeah, and I think you should get a big slobbery dog, but I'm sure the Shepard will do fine.

Sorry to postjack the thread,but how is Kayla doing,datz?

IMO,every dog is different.They are adaptable.

Kayla is doing Awesome!!! She's a completely different dog now. Extremely well behaved. We took her up to my parent's house a few weeks ago and she did so well.

We've found that she's a very intelligent dog.. she knows when something isn't quite right. A couple weeks ago, she woke me up in the middle of the night nosing my arm and speaking to me in "wookie" (She sounds exactly like Chewbacca). I told her to go back to sleep, its still night time and she kept it up. So after a few minutes, I got out of bed and told her to "show me" and she walked out of the bedroom into the living room and stopped in a pointer-like pose. I looked and she was pointing at the doggie door. It turns out, the back door of my house, if you open it too far, kind of obstructs the doggie door and she can't get out, which is what happened. She knew it wasn't right so came and got me to fix it for her so she could go outside.

She also tells us when she wants to get on the couch to watch TV with us, and lets us know when she wants to play by talking to us. She also talks if she's hungry or not feeling well. Its really funny. I'm convinced that she thinks she is a person, not a dog.

Niki and I are slowly learning how to interpret what she says.

That would explain the grunting noises I heard John making on the trail last Saturday.

John, we don't speak Kayla, buddy.

I do have a backyard at least as big as John's and a doggie door is an easy install. I want a young dog, but also one that I can get used to taking on the trails. I have no problem adopting the "black sheep" of the kennel that no one else wants; it just concerns me that maybe an older dog won't take well to my cats or like riding in the truck for extended periods.

I have purposely waited on adopting a dog for at least 2 years now and feel that I am ready...being gone so long concerns me with a working dog like a GSD.

Get a puppy and let the cats keep it company. They're not exclusively indoor cats are they?
Dogs love trucks.

The cats are indoor cats due to a flea outbreak which is now under control. As soon as the doggie door goes in they will once again be indoor/outdoor cats. I would love to have the cats keep the puppy company, but I would be worried about letting a puppy roam free in my house for 8-9 hours while I am at work. I think this weekend I am going to make a trip up to a large GSD rescue and talk to them for some more advice.

My black lab, Bettis, stays outside during the day. We've tried having him in-doors in the day, but he prefers to patrol around anyway.

At night, we let him into the kitchen, he has a kennel with a mat, and we put a kiddie gate between the kitchen and living room. This way, he is inside with us, but not allowed "free reign" of the house. We have yet to have an accident, and he seems to like it, haha.

quote:

Originally posted by System-F:
t I would be worried about letting a puppy roam free in my house for 8-9 hours while I am at work.

Don't worry,the cats will train him.

You could do what my uncle does and make it so the kennel opens up to the doggie door, so they can go outside, or come inside into their kennel if its too hot, or they want to lay down, etc.

I don't mind the dog having free reign of the house once a relationship is established and they feel comfortable. I am just being overly cautious about getting a dog because it is a huge responsiblity. It sometimes blows my mind how John does it with three or my friend Chris does it with two, but I guess it comes down to proper leadership and care.

For my dogs, once I've established myself as the alpha of the pack, they all sort out their pack order on their own. Its really not too bad.

But yes, dogs are a big responsibility. Biggest thing is proper vet care and making sure they are fed and have water at all times. Other than that, they pretty much take care of themselves, aside from the normal things like baths, nail cutting, and coat thinning to reduce shedding.

One thing I would recommend.. Go see if there is a half-price book store (used books) near you and pick up a bunch of books on training and living with dogs. I have a small library of books available if I have behavior problems (which is rare).

If you are worried about establishing yourself as the alpha, there are some pretty simple (and non-abusive) things you can do everyday to make sure they know who is the boss.

quote:

How do you establish yourself as Alpha without resorting to the violence seen in some wolfpacks?

Put Yourself First
The Alpha always, always comes first. The first to eat, the first to enter the shelter, the first to choose the softest, most comfortable resting place.

You, as Alpha, need to establish a routine of being "First".

# Eat first, then feed your dogs their meal.
# Go through the doors of your house first.
# Get comfortable in bed first, before allowing your dog to settle.
# Be the first on the sofa when relaxing.
Also, if the dog is laying in your way, step OVER him, do not walk around him... walking around a dog shows them that they are higher ranking than you in the pack

Is your dog already running the show?

Time to take your position as Alpha back! Make your dog work for every little goody that comes his way.

# He wants to go outside?
Make him sit for a minute before you open the door.
# He wants more water in his dish?
Make him lie down at your feet first.
# It's dinner time?
No food until he's done something you want to, sit, beg, lie down ...
# He wants you to pet him?
Make him do something for you first.

By having him "work" for everything that he wants, you will take back your position at the head of the pack. It may take a while, some dogs are more stubborn than others, but it will work.

Remember, YOU are supposed to be the Leader, the "smart" one. There should no need for YOU to resort to outdated and violent training methods.