MIA HAS A SPECIAL NEW HOME AND FAMILY
- Sunday, December 27 2015 @ 03:38 pm UTC
- Contributed by: erik
- Views: 2,456
MIA IS A SUPER ACTIVE GSD WHO NEEDS A SPECIAL FAMILY TO UNDERSTAND HER FREE OF OTHER DOGS OR CATS.
A SINGLE DOG HOUSEHOLD IS BEST FOR HER
we have a potential adopter coming Thurs for her This narrative was written by Mia's owner, who is a well respected and qualified foster and trainer for us. It is extremely accurate and identifies what a special needs dog she is. If you wish to meet her please make sure you are qualified, have no other small pets and are willing to undertake the task of dealing with a very (overly) active 2 year old GSD.
Mia is a 2 yr old stunning cinnamon GSD. I was her foster mom and adopted her. She has been with me since August 2015. Mia needed doggie bootcamp as she had had no training or guidance and her behavior reflected that. Her behaviors were barking, not respecting her humans personal space, no leash experience, barking nonstop in and out of her crate, and bad dog to dog manners, separation anxiety. She also would not eat and was emaciated.
After months of unsuccessful training my vet and I decided she needed medication. Mia was to anxious and it blocked her ability to learn. Mia is now on Prozac. This drug is widely used for severe separation anxiety/ generalized anxiety in dogs. She should remain on it for a year or so and along with continued training with come to have much less anxious behavior. In other words the longer she lives in a calm state it will become second nature to her and then the meds won't be needed. I get it at Walmart with a vet script for under $20 for a 3 month script. Not expensive. It takes up to 8-10 weeks before you really see the full effect and she is on week 5. She is familiar with an e- collar as well.
So where is Mia today. She is not barking as much. She still gets anxious during transitions like when it is Time to go outside to pee, walk. Then she will start barking and it's then that she needs a calm owner to calm her before she goes out. She no longer barks at me at 5 am to get up. She gently licks my hand at 730am which is far better. She still barks in her crate, she does go right in, but she still has separation anxiety. She is better with giving me my personal space and is better with other dogs.
Mia is very very active. She is very thin and will be a skinny girl. She has to eat puppy food to maintain her weight of 58-60 pounds. I have tried every food out there as she would not eat at first and finally found a combo that works. Blue puppy kibble and vital chicken which comes in a log form.(both at per supermarket) She is fully vetted and records will be provided.
Mia personality is sweet. She is a soft dog who likes cuddling on the couch. She loves to make eye contact and get scruffed. She loves and lives to run and play with her toys. She is very puppy like. She and my male GSD are inseparable. They chase each other in my large fenced in yard. She loves to swim. She would love to run next to a bike, rollerblades. She is an athlete. She does enjoy lying at my feet after her energy is drained. I currently walk her 4-5 miles a day. She knows basic commands but is still bratty about performing them. Once her anxiety is improved that will change.
She should not be in a home with small dogs, or cats, or kids under 12. Her prey drive is to high and she is chasing my cats and small dogs which is the only reason she has to leave my home. Her prey drive is just showing itself now as her anxiety is lowered.
She has made amazing progress. So I have no doubt that an experienced shepherd owner with a calm household , I cannot stress calm household enough here, with a dog playmate will succeed. She is intimidated by aggressive dogs. I will be available to chat if someone wants to ask me more questions.
One of the most important training things that helps calm Mia is the "Place" command.
If I tell her to go to place when she is starting to escalate she does and it calms her. Part of her daily training was to sit on place for an hour or more to keep her mind in a calm place. She would chew a bone and sleep. I will show you how it's done for continuity.
A SINGLE DOG HOUSEHOLD IS BEST FOR HER
we have a potential adopter coming Thurs for her This narrative was written by Mia's owner, who is a well respected and qualified foster and trainer for us. It is extremely accurate and identifies what a special needs dog she is. If you wish to meet her please make sure you are qualified, have no other small pets and are willing to undertake the task of dealing with a very (overly) active 2 year old GSD.
Mia is a 2 yr old stunning cinnamon GSD. I was her foster mom and adopted her. She has been with me since August 2015. Mia needed doggie bootcamp as she had had no training or guidance and her behavior reflected that. Her behaviors were barking, not respecting her humans personal space, no leash experience, barking nonstop in and out of her crate, and bad dog to dog manners, separation anxiety. She also would not eat and was emaciated.
After months of unsuccessful training my vet and I decided she needed medication. Mia was to anxious and it blocked her ability to learn. Mia is now on Prozac. This drug is widely used for severe separation anxiety/ generalized anxiety in dogs. She should remain on it for a year or so and along with continued training with come to have much less anxious behavior. In other words the longer she lives in a calm state it will become second nature to her and then the meds won't be needed. I get it at Walmart with a vet script for under $20 for a 3 month script. Not expensive. It takes up to 8-10 weeks before you really see the full effect and she is on week 5. She is familiar with an e- collar as well.
So where is Mia today. She is not barking as much. She still gets anxious during transitions like when it is Time to go outside to pee, walk. Then she will start barking and it's then that she needs a calm owner to calm her before she goes out. She no longer barks at me at 5 am to get up. She gently licks my hand at 730am which is far better. She still barks in her crate, she does go right in, but she still has separation anxiety. She is better with giving me my personal space and is better with other dogs.
Mia is very very active. She is very thin and will be a skinny girl. She has to eat puppy food to maintain her weight of 58-60 pounds. I have tried every food out there as she would not eat at first and finally found a combo that works. Blue puppy kibble and vital chicken which comes in a log form.(both at per supermarket) She is fully vetted and records will be provided.
Mia personality is sweet. She is a soft dog who likes cuddling on the couch. She loves to make eye contact and get scruffed. She loves and lives to run and play with her toys. She is very puppy like. She and my male GSD are inseparable. They chase each other in my large fenced in yard. She loves to swim. She would love to run next to a bike, rollerblades. She is an athlete. She does enjoy lying at my feet after her energy is drained. I currently walk her 4-5 miles a day. She knows basic commands but is still bratty about performing them. Once her anxiety is improved that will change.
She should not be in a home with small dogs, or cats, or kids under 12. Her prey drive is to high and she is chasing my cats and small dogs which is the only reason she has to leave my home. Her prey drive is just showing itself now as her anxiety is lowered.
She has made amazing progress. So I have no doubt that an experienced shepherd owner with a calm household , I cannot stress calm household enough here, with a dog playmate will succeed. She is intimidated by aggressive dogs. I will be available to chat if someone wants to ask me more questions.
One of the most important training things that helps calm Mia is the "Place" command.
If I tell her to go to place when she is starting to escalate she does and it calms her. Part of her daily training was to sit on place for an hour or more to keep her mind in a calm place. She would chew a bone and sleep. I will show you how it's done for continuity.