Cuko13

I'm fully aware of the potential risks of my dog roaming. He doesn't roam often anyway so the criticism in that regard is unfounded. His past the tendency to roam is irrelevant here. Every dog will roam when driven by biology, whether he's been a stray roamer all his life or securely house trained, they'll all most likely roam when the time comes. So the problems with him roaming now are not due to negligence or a lack of training, they're due to a sudden and unexpected rise in sexual drive which caught me by surprise, and could've done the same to any elite dog owner passing judgement in this thread. In the last few months I could freely leave the gate open all day and he would never step outside, even if I wasn't there. Now he's trying to dig his way out and goes running off at every chance. To call that negligence is a slippery slope. It's sexual drive pure and simple. My only query was wether this increased desire to roam (and lack of sleeping/playing/eating) would cease once neutered.

Thanks for your support, but sadly unlike most pet forums and resources out there, it doesn't sound like this is much of a place to ask for help, let alone get helpful advice. From my brief interactions with this forum it's been clear from inception that this is simply a medium of titillation for holier-than-thou pet owners looking to exert their self-righteousness. I'm actually quite let down that this would stretch as far as suggesting a dog should be punished by being plucked from his original owner and environment and put into a dreaded pound where I'm almost certain he wouldn't get the care he requires in regards to his allergies and joint disease. In seeing the poor reactions on here, I can say that thankfully, in comparison, my neighbour has been extremely understanding and patient in considering that it's a big dog, is going thru a natural ageing process, and has usually been mature enough to display self-control and thoughtfulness when left alone. I'm also unable to even contemplate the supposed negligence of my past, such as falling medically ill and having a family emergency to attend to back overseas. I can only assume all posters here have the abnormal luxury to avoid illness and have completely abandoned any family responsibilities which would require their tend, because clearly it's unacceptable for these things to unwillingly occur when you own a dog. For the record I will also state this is the same dog with hip dysplasia, but again I cannot even contemplate this inherent level of guilt and negligence I'm supposed to feel for this happening beyond my control. Heaven forbid any owner here has ever taken their dog for medical treatment due to an uncontrollable illness. Im not going to engage in this system of judgemental self-praise, but I will say that if you're concerned for the dogs welfare, all don't be. He's always been completely contempt and received care well beyond the standard I've seen. I think most owners here need a lesson in tolerance and outward thinking instead of confining to a (quite frankly) pretentious and rude attitude. Regardless, to each their own. Best regards.

Thanks for responding. I should clarify his roaming has never been an issue. I walk him off-leash all the time so he actually knows how to avoid the roads, move a safe distance in case of cars, and to never go past someone else's gates into their yard. This is something I always stopped him from doing so he always knew not to cross into private property. I did make small efforts to train him not to leave and he listened, I could often leave the gates open all day without him going out. Like I said, it's just this last week or so that he's completely ignored all this and started sneaking into my neighbor's yard, even against my commands. There is definitely something extra urging him. If he could go back to the way he was before (maybe an occasional roam down the dirt track to do his business, stretch his legs and then come back as he always did) then I'd be more than happy.

My German Shepherd is about 2 now, still not desexed as I've been putting it off. This past week and a half he's been a complete stranger to me. He's not eating, pooping, doesn't want to go for walks or play, and won't listen to anything I command. And of course he's constantly roaming. He's always been a roamer as we live in a large, empty street so he likes to take a short walk and come back. But it's gotten completely out of control now. One of my neighbors has an unspayed female (toy dog, wouldn't even be possible I'd imagine hehe) and he's only interested in going there. He's ended up in their yard about 10 timed this week, sometimes multiple times a day, just sniffing around wherever the female has marked. Luckily he hasn't made any sexual contact yet, maybe he doesn't even know how. I've had to make sure our front gate remains strictly shut, and often I just find him standing at the gate wanting to go out. If I leave it open for even a minute he's gone, and I always find him at the exact same spot. Anytime I come outside, he just sprints to the gate eagerly wanting to go out. He'll lead me straight to the same spot. Is this almost definitely a case of hitting puberty and reacting to sexual urges? He's still yet to hump or mount anything, but I can't even imagine it would be anything else causing this complete change in behavior. I've made an appointment to have him neutered anyway. I've always planned on doing it anyway. How likely is this to fix the urges and desire to roam and do nothing else (if that is what's causing this behavior?). I feel so bad, my only option is to leave him locked up for most of the day while I'm at work because my neighbor has gotten annoyed and we have cars coming in and out all day so there is too much of a risk he will get out.

I'm letting him go because after a lengthy round of treatment and surgeries for my health problems, doctors have not given me the best prognosis. It is for this reason that I have decided to visit back home for a few weeks later on this year. With all that going on I no longer have the time or energy to care for him. Re visiting him once rehomed, I wasn't aware that there is an agreed concensus on this. I've known a few friends who've given their dogs to other family members and still been able to visit them without issues. The dog is usually confused at first but eventually just learns to accept that the original owner won't be around as much anymore so he clings to the new alpha. I can understand that there may be a bad image associated with the 'original owner' because in most cases they heartlessly abandoned their dog without a care, but this is quite different tbf. The idea of letting him sit abandoned in a foster care pound wondering why I've left him absolutely kills me. I would sleep easier knowing that he was (hypothetically) put to sleep which would alleviate any suffering or misery on his part. This is especially true because it could be a long time until his hips are properly treated and he finds a new home. I don't want him in and out of foster care in constant pain and a broken heart as well. I've taken down the ad and am currently in contact with a few rescues. If no luck I will repost with an asking price and disclosure that he needs hip care.

Thanks very much guys! I've been in contact with someone who saw the ad and they work with rescue groups and are assisting me in getting him rehomed to the best person. I may end up using a rescue organization. However this has become really sad for me as rescue groups aren't likely to disclose who the dogs go to, and I wanted to be able to visit and check up on my boy after he's gone I feel like it's unnecessarily cruel for both me and the dog to never be able to see each other again!

Hello friends. Due to personal illness I'm no longer able to take care of my 11 month old white GSD. I've put up an ad on Gumtree and had hundreds of enquries in just 1 day. There's a lot of demand for him so I'm interviewing candidates and having them see the dog before making a decision. I will make sure he goes only to a good home. First and foremost I wanted to get any advice with my selection as I hear there are people who take free dogs to use them in fights or as breeders, especially one this rare. I want to make sure this doesn't happen but I can't be completely sure. I would be happy if someone from here wanted to get in touch and view him. Here is the Gumtree ad with all the details. https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/horsley-park/dogs-puppies/very-rare-white-german-shepherd/1144700444?utm_source=com.android.mms&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialbuttonsVIP&utm_content=app_android

I am in Western Sydney. Will be travelling around June this year. Thankfully I spoke to an acquaintance whom I met at the park a few months ago. He loves my dog and said he would be happy to take him while I'm gone. He works full time but has a few other dogs at home so as long as he could get along with them he would be fine staying there. I would probably offer to pay him a basic fee just cover any expenses also. And yes he has HD which I'm managing with supplements and physio. The most important thing is that he gets enough room to excersize everyday and his food is loaded with his joint capsules. Shouldn't be an issue for anyone taking him on.

My yard is left open all day while I'm gone, he knows not to leave without me. If he does, my area is very secluded and safe and he knows how to make his way back home without going too far. I'm not worried about him escaping and getting lost. There is also no chance of him getting shot.

Due to some family issues back home I've decided to go on a long awaited vacation to Europe. I will be gone at least 9 weeks, possibly a little more. I am dreading about what to do with my German Shepherd while I'm gone. He'll be just over a year old when I leave, and he's already more than capable of spending most of his time alone as he stays outside. However I've taken him on long walks and play sessions everyday since I got him as a pup. He's obviously gotten used to my presence and formed a routine. He see's a lot of me everyday because I work from home so I come outside often to keep him company. I've already spoken to a few people who might be happy to take him for the time I'm gone. My neighbor has free access to my yard and has offered to feed him everyday (although that is a big ask as I feed him raw and use a lot of supplements with his food). Whatever happens, he'll be fed and looked after but there's no way anyone else would give him as much attention as I do. Nobody I know is that fond of dogs or has the time to be walking him everyday. Although we all live on large farms so he'll likely have plenty of space to run on wherever he goes, I'm concerned about what would happen to my dog from suddenly never seeing me anymore? Would he be likely to fall into depression or rage? Would he recognize me and be able to go straight back to our old routine as soon as I get back?

Thanks so much! I would love if you could find some names of people who could help in Sydney. Also can you give me a timeline of how long the treatment took and roughly how much it cost? I will start working again soon and as soon as I get on my feet again I'll do whatever it takes to get my dog to maximum health.

I bought him one of these previously also, he didn't like too much because he couldn't get comfy on it so went back to the concrete arghh

I don't bring him inside because of allergies and the pain of cleaning hair everywhere. He is more than happy outdoors as I have a very large land. I agree he sleeps on the porch because he likes to be as close as possible to me, but even if I put the bed on the porch hell sleep right next to it instead of on it lol.

You don't need to feed them cooked/scrambled. I'm pretty sure raw eggs would retain the most nutrients than something cooked. Plus dogs love them raw. I crack one in his food bowl as a treat or daily supplement if I'm low on meat, shell and all. He loves it, always has.

I have a 10-month old German shepherd. He has hip dysplasia so I'm taking measures to improve his comfort and lifestyle. I heard sleeping on hard surfaces is one of the worst things for a dog with HD, unfortunately he has a bad habit of doing just that. Ever since I got him he's slept on our front porch (concrete), eagerly waiting for me to come out at anytime. I have recently bought him blankets and large doggie beds but he doesn't seem to like sleeping in them. He will go in them if I encourage him but as soon as I leave he'll get up and lay on the concrete again. My only solution so far has been to keep him locked in a small room in the garage while he sleeps, which I covered with all sorts of old blankets and pillows so he has no choice but to sleep on them. Is it possible that he prefers the concrete simply because of the hot weather? The doggie beds and blankets are very warm and padded so I can imagine he'd definitely get hot while sleeping on them. He is likely just going on the concrete because it's a lot cooler for him. I don't want to force him to sleep on the hot beds if he doesn't want to, but will this correct itself when winter comes around and he looks for a warm place to snuggle? What can I do in the meantime?