Elda's Progress in 'Baby' Steps

Elda continues to make progress at her own pace, and is looking “softer”, but there's still a ways to go. When I say ”progress”, I don't mean that she's running up for a fuss, and I haven’t attempted to touch her. However, she didn’t bark at me this morning as I let her out. 

In fact, she ran by me to get in the run. Until now, she's waited for me to leave  before venturing out. She still does a really sad cry., but also enjoys her enrichment activities. These have to be kept simple as it appears she's never been taught how to interact with them. Lickie mats are obviously easy but I have to put the treats on top of the snuffle mat. If you hide it she doesn’t seem to grasp it. Kongs she gets the bits that are easy access and doesn’t seem to know how to navigate the insides. She loves food so it’s not that she isn’t motivated by it. 

I honestly think it's because she’s so shut down, a not unexpected response to how she's been forced to live for past two years.

 

Use of the clicker, and tossing the treats away gives her the choice to come back. Again we move at her pace, allow her develop her confidence, and how she responds.

This morning I remained outside the run, and she responded well by coming closer to investigate. Being careful not to present my hand, I offered the tube of tasty treats and again responded well by investigating and taking some treats.

The fact that she doesn't advance, but backs away usually means that she should be easier to work with. It’s heartbreaking to see her so confused, and unsure, but it's still early days and we'll get there with baby steps. 

Keep up to date of Elda's progress via these links:

• A Very Special Welcome to Elda
• Elda's First Day
  
• Elda's First Weekend
  
• Elda's Progress in 'Baby' Steps

Debbie Hill

GSD Welfare Fund Chairman

Behavioural Topic - Problem Behaviour?

Lisa Hird's latest article looks at when problem behaviours are actually problems or not, by knowing your dog and examining the context.

Lisa Hird is an experienced and qualified behavioural expert and you can find out more about her services on her website - https://www.dogbehaviourclinic.co.uk/

We now also have an archive for all of our articles which can be found here - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

Problem Behaviour?

I posted up these images on my own personal Facebook page a few years back. The bed was chewed by one of my own senior dogs. Comments that followed were all humorous and in keeping with what I intended. The behaviour was not a problem to me. It is very typical of the way she played - pouncing, digging, ripping, and “shredding and deading!”

She had some typical terrier traits. Terriers, whether they be Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier or any other kind of terrier often enjoy:

• Digging - she dug her bed, our bed, and covers on the sofa
• Barking - yep, she enjoyed barking for sure
• Pouncing, ripping and shredding type play - she always loved pouncing on toys and ripping them to shreds

It occurred to me that we often talk about problem behaviours in dogs, and these form the bulk of my work as a behaviourist. This shredding and deading of a dog bed could be identified as a problem behaviour, and often is!

But who is the behaviour a problem for? It certainly wasn't a problem for her - it is part of her natural behaviour repertoire. She thoroughly enjoyed pulling out the stuffing and slept soundly afterwards! It might well be a problem behaviour for an owner though - dog beds aren't cheap!

So what can we do?

Dogs have various natural behaviours and preventing them from displaying these goes directly against welfare. Does that mean we should let dogs rip up all the dog beds? Not at all. Instead, we must look for alternative ways to direct these natural behaviours:

A dog that digs up flower beds - could have a sandpit or a specific area where he is permitted to dig.

A dog that enjoys ripping up toys - could have a cardboard box to be shredded or a selection of safe stuffed toys purchased from a charity shop.

A dog that scavenges and raids the bin - could have his dinner scattered, hidden around the garden or given in interactive food toys.

It is our responsibility as their owners to understand their needs and their natural behaviours, and provide opportunities that are acceptable to us, while meeting those needs.

The “dead” bed

This is one of the reasons I always talk about enrichment opportunities and using scent games.

In respect of my little one ripping up the bed - well that was my own fault. I knew there was a tiny hole in it and hadn't sewn up the hole. Consequently, she had spotted a tiny bit of white fluff sticking out, so she did what came naturally to her - shredded and deaded it!

Discover other informative and useful articles not only concerning GSDs, but for other breeds here -  https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

Elda's First Weekend

 

Saturday and Sunday were spent pretty much the same with me tossing treats into her run every time I passed. Lots of enrichment was kept in her run to help keep her mind and body occupied. Her barking has continued to reduce when she sees me, but instead gives a low, sad cry. 

Elda's body language remains still, quite stiff, and fearful. When released into her run this morning, she gave the “sad cry”, but went straight to her snuffle mat that Auntie Mary sent. She’s continued eating all her meals, her appetite not affected by the change in her circumstances should be a positive sign. Even with all the enrichment I've provided her attention was spent mostly watching what is going on. 

It's still early days, but Elda's doing great. 💖

Keep up to date of Elda's progress via these links:

• A Very Special Welcome to Elda
• Elda's First Day
  
• Elda's First Weekend
  
• Elda's Progress in 'Baby' Steps

Debby Hill

GSD Welfare Fund Chairman

Elda's First Day

Elda’s first day with us went well as could be hoped, considering what she has endured over the past couple of years. She spent most of it in her run which we'd laden with enrichment items like Kongs, wobblers, and a lickie mat, and then went in at bed time. The kennel she's staying in is to the side of the other dogs, so she is not worried by them - she'll have the chance to meet them at her own pace, and when she feels confident and safe in doing so.

Her kennel doesn’t have a big run, but does open to a garden available to her when she's ready. We won’t allow her into the main play area until she's comfortable with me putting a lead on her etc.

To help build trust and familiarity (which can be a long and painstaking process), every time I passed, I tossed chicken in. By the afternoon she'd stopped barking at me, also waited expectantly. She ate all her meals, although they were reduced to allow for the enrichment food fed to her throughout the day.

All in all a positive first day. The video captures her yesterday morning after I let her out. Of course she went straight to her lickie mat! And I made sure to film her from a distance so as not to upset her.Keep up to date of Elda's progress via these links:

• A Very Special Welcome to Elda
• Elda's First Day
  
• Elda's First Weekend
  
• Elda's Progress in 'Baby' Steps

While we haven't set one up for Elda specifically (yet), we do invite our generous supporters to sponsor the dogs in our long term care. If you sponsor one of the listed dogs on the sponsor page then you'll also receive a printed sponsorship pack - see more details here - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/sponsor-our-dogs.html

A Very Special Welcome to Elda

The committee of GSD Welfare Fund are thrilled to welcome this little girl to the Welfare family. She's been in "police custody " for almost 2 years after a bite incident. 

Below I have copied what the defence expert witness wrote about her. When you read it you will understand why we are so thrilled to have her with us. Thank you to the defence expert witness who made it possible for her to join our family. 

We have named her Elda, a name of Germanic origin meaning warrior (it also means Wise Adviser in Anglo Saxon). Your new life starts today sweetheart. Let’s all be thankful she is finally safe and where she needs to be. Once she has settled we will take some nice photos. 

Elda was seized in July 2020 after a second bite incident involving a child. A voluntary order had been made the first time, which the owner subsequently breached. The judge was rightly not pleased with the owner's attitude and ordered that the owner pay substantial compensation. He also received a sentence of 2 years, which was suspended for 2 years. He is also banned for life for having a dog.

The position of the police and the expert they used was that the dog should be destroyed. I have owned and rehabilitated many, many dogs like this, particularly this breed and I believed rehab was appropriate.

The experts had to do a second assessment each last Autumn as agreement could not be reached.

I realised that this dog had not been exercised since seizure. Had no view other than a wall and her kennel was bare of any toy or chew. I raised this with the court and police via a report. The police refused to move the dog to a different kennels. The staff then started interacting with the her and were able to provide daily exercise. This was after a little more than a year of no exercise.

This morning a new report appeared from the prosecution expert who had been back for the third time at the end of March. As this hearing was due today I had no time to properly evaluate this late evidence or go to check again myself.

I attended court and the judge made it clear he wanted to make an order today.

This dog is now going to a breed rescue for rehab. She will wear a lead and muzzle in public and cannot live with children. I look forward to seeing her again in rehab.

Thanks to the rescue for their assistance in offering her help and thanks to my assistant Andy Hoyle for his help at the first assessment.

Keep up to date of Elda's progress via her playlist on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcJKHkODDGk&list=PLbY9KRl9MWIRLW-LWbg21m7KICRw7jVNr&index=1

Dickie's Diary - Slow-Mo Superhero

Hello fellow pupstars. I'm so excited that I can barely run at normal speed. After all these weeks, I have it! Proof that I am destined to be a superhero. If you watch this video carefully you will see that they have to capture the video super slow because I am running super fast - even with the lead trying to hold me back! 

I knew that I had to immediately tell all my friends. Soon I'll be fighting crime! I must prepare for a mission of retrieving the stolen treats, so Dickie 'Faster than Lightning' Hill signing off for now.

What do you think my superhero name should be? And how can I keep my super-identity a secret from mum? She will worry. Tell me your suggestions below and let's make a plan together... 🐾 🦸 🐾

Back Street Breeders

Being in rescue I am always hearing people moan about breeders. People think that if breeders stopped breeding, then there wouldn't be any German Shepherds in rescue and more people would adopt rather than buying a puppy.

Whilst I understand the logic of their thinking, it is not quite that simple. There are a lot of "GOOD" breeders around and those of us that love the breed need them. Being a GSD lover means you want the breed to continue. We don't just want any GSD, we want the parents to be health tested and have good temperaments. Reputable breeders strive to improve their breeding stock. They choose stud dogs that they think will improve their lines and they also take the temperament into account.

GSD Welfare Fund was actually started by a group of GSD breeders and obedience people. In 1975 a GSD bit a child, and the press generated a lot of coverage. Owners that had had their dogs for years but who had children, suddenly wanted to get rid of their loving pet. The fact that their dog had never done anything wrong didn't matter one little bit. There was a lot of scaremongering about "how the GSD can turn any time". Because there was a surge of GSDs needing homes and not enough rescue space in the re-homing centres, some breeders joined together and formed German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund. Many a time in the beginning, this group of GSD breeders/enthusiasts were paying kennel fees from their own pocket, especially our previous Chairman.

Most of the dogs we have come in are not from reputable breeders. Most reputable breeders send their puppies out with a contract stating that in the event the puppy/dog needs re-homing it must be returned to the breeder. I will not lie; we do have dogs come in from breeders who when informed do not want to know or do not want to take the dog back but on the whole most of them will do their best to help with the dog and lots of them even support Welfare.

The majority of the dogs that come in are from what we call "back street breeders". These breeders have a pet German Shepherd and think it will be "fun" to have puppies from her, or they see it as an easy way to make a quick buck. 

This often means that they do not have any of the health tests done therefore giving no thought to the heartache they may cause the puppies' new owner later when the dog develops Hip Dysplasia or some other illness that could have been avoided, if the parents had been health screened. Lots of them do not conform to the breed standard. Many of the dogs being used to breed by these people are pet shop/back street breeders’ dogs themselves. All that matters is the money that they sell the puppies for. When put in a situation of a dog needing to come back to them, they either don't have the space or time to take it or generally just don't want to know. These are the majority of the dogs that find themselves in Welfare.

Of course, there will be times when circumstances prevent a responsible breeder from taking back a puppy they have bred. None of us know what is around the corner, or what circumstances we will find ourselves in tomorrow. We are more than happy to work with these breeders.

The bottom line is that RESPONSIBLE breeders should be applauded. We need them if we want our wonderful breed to continue. I know I do. In fact, I would love a puppy but my heart aches too much for the dogs we have in Welfare so if there is room in my home for another dog, the Welfare dogs take preference, but I don't give up the dream of one day having a fluffy bundle who I haven't got to take months to rehabilitate. Having said that, the love you get back from a rescue that you have had to work with is beyond words. 

What I would like to see is the people buying puppies ONLY buying from responsible breeders. Parents that have been health tested. Parents that the breeder is happy to introduce you to so you can check the temperament. Breeders that take an interest in the puppy's life and not just take the money and wave goodbye. That is when Welfare and other rescues will not be constantly trying to raise funds to help yet another poor GSD.