German Shepherd Dog Forum:
Need some info: just adopted

My husband and I just adopted an approx. 2 y/o GSD three days ago. We already had a sweet Golden Retriever but just fell in love with this GSD! We got her for free, she was staying with a lady who shows her dogs with the AKC (the champion GSD was even there!)and she said that our new dog could have been a show dog and she thinks that someone stole her and then dropped her off. Then, we took her to the vet and she got a clean bill of health, but the vet said that he thinks that someone was beating her because of the way she ducks her head when we pet it. She is an extreamly sweet girl; what should we do to help her to trust us and know that we will love her? She seems to like me, but she is a bit afraid of my husband (who is so kind to her!), I think just because he is a man and has a different voice. She also barks a lot, always wants to look out the windows, and tries to sleep in our bed every night. Any advice or information would be appreciated! Thanks! :-)

Wow! This story sounds very similar to mine! We found Lexi running, and while she is the sweetest dog in the world, when we first got her, she was terrified it you looked at her the wrong way. She would pee if you raised your voice at all. But, after lots of patience and work, our efforts have paid off! One of the thigns we did immediatly was crate train her, so she wouldn't be scared when we came honme from somewhere. After a few minutes of ignoring her when we got home, we would let her out of the crate, and just keep things quiet. This really made her feel comfortable, and let her know we were coming back all the time :). Another thing, she would duck or pee if you went to pet her at times. To fix this one, we would NEVER look her in the eyes to pet her (now you can look at her wherever!). And, for awhile, we would lay on the floor, and bring our hands UP to her, instead of leaning over her and bringing them down. If your GSD was beat, this is more then likely how so she would be scared of this. Another thing, do some confidence building with her. Obedience class is a great way to communicate and build a relationship. Not to mention work on commands. :) Use lots of treats and praise. You can do this! Your dog will be all the better for you taking your time with her. I hope this helps. This is some of the things we found to work, and like I said, it took much time and patience, but I am SOOOO happy we did it and kept up with it. Good luck!