[luv2fly]

I have aa 4 yr old female German Sheperd "Emma" she is very smart and knows many compands but has a jumping problem and a bath problem. I am forced to keep her outside because my mom hates dogs but it breaks my heart so i sneak her in sometimes. I think if i was able to correct her jumping and bath issues then she would be alowed in more often.

p.s. i have tired many things with the jumping issue, ex: turn away so so she doesnt get attention from it, stick your knee up to block her, praise her when she doesnt jump but she only jumps when i bend down, first greet her, or pet her talk in a excited voice to much.I think she might have alittle bit of anxiety because she allways pants even in cold weather. for the bath thing she just really hates water its so sad because she cries, and she is a big dog so it is hard for me to keep her in one place.

 

[Amaryllis]

She's acting this way because she's forced to live outside away from her family. GSDs are very intelligent, very people oriented dogs with huge need for work and mental stimulation.

I really think that if you can't do what's right by her because of your mom's feelings on dogs, you should contact a rescue and have her rehomed to a family that can give her what she needs. Her situation is just tragic.

 

[luv2fly]

yes i know i have read thatabout gsd but i cant get rid of her i love her too much and in a couple of years i will be able to leave and take her with me. but if i can stop the bad behavior then she can come inside as long as i am home and mom is willing to be patient with the training proccess

 

[luv2fly]

this is a picture of her

 

[NewfoundlandOwner]

yes i know i have read thatabout gsd but i cant get rid of her i love her too much and in a couple of years i will be able to leave and take her with me. but if i can stop the bad behavior then she can come inside as long as i am home and mom is willing to be patient with the training proccess

My cousin's family had a dog that was very ill. They kept her alive with them, despite the fact that she was in tremendous pain, because they "loved her too much" to have her euthanized. She finally died, and by that time she could barely even move. That isn't love. Love is dealing with your own personal loss to do what's best for the one you love. They refused to do something painful for them, and instead made their dog suffer. Two years, if you in fact are able to gain a place of your own to live by that time, is about 15% of your dog's entire life. To put this into perspective, think of how you would do if someone kept you in an isolated room, with very little to do, for 10 to 15 years. If you cannot do more for your dog in the immediate future, my advice would be to rehome her. It's incredibly painful, but it is much worse to make your dog suffer because you can't face the pain of her loss.

I really hope you can convince your mother to allow Emma inside, but if this doesn't work out, please consider finding her a home where she can be with her people. Dogs aren't meant to live apart from their families.

 

[LilasMom]

yes i know i have read thatabout gsd but i cant get rid of her i love her too much and in a couple of years i will be able to leave and take her with me. but if i can stop the bad behavior then she can come inside as long as i am home and mom is willing to be patient with the training proccess

Making someone suffer while they wait for you is not love. She will develop more behavioral issues if kept outside. She needs a home where she is allowed inside. If you can't provide that right now you need to do like Amaryllis said and contact a rescue. Making a dog wait years for attention because it would make you "love her too much" to let her go is pretty heartbreaking. A dog's well being is more important than our emotions.

 

[Willowy]

Look, you CAN provide enough attention for an outside dog. It's possible. But do you? How often do you take her on walks? How much time do you spend with her every day? How much exercise does she get? Usually adult dogs that jump do so because they're attention-starved and under-exercised. It just takes some effort and sacrifice to spend some more time with your dog .

 

[Snoopy11]

It sounds to me like you need to have a very honest (and non-confrontational) conversation with your mom about her expectations for the dog. If she truly "hates" dogs as you say, that does not bode well. If this is true, I'm surprised that she allows you to keep a dog at all. How long have you had Emma?

I'm also curious about how is Emma currently housed, because some situations are better than others. Is she on a tie-out in the yard? In an enclosed kennel? In your garage or another outbuilding? Does she have a nice dog house where she can get out of the elements?

I think that you need to find out point blank whether or not there is a possibility for the dog to ever live in the house, and then you need to accept that reality once you find out for sure. You say that "you think" your mom would allow Emma inside if you just fix the 2 problems you list, but are you sure? Talk with your mom and get it straightened out now. There is a reason she hates dogs, and there are probably additional reasons to what you list that she doesn't want Emma inside. Be honest and try to get your mom to air all of her grievances to you... for instance:

Does she fear your dog?
Does it maul her for attention/bug her all the time when it's in the house?
Does it bark and disrupt the peace?
Does it make messes inside that she doesn't appreciate - shedding, tracking in dirt, peeing?
Are you taking 100% responsibility for the dog's feeding, watering, exercise, grooming, etc every day... or does it sometimes fall to your mom to care for it?
Does it make your mom mad when she finds out that you've been sneaking the dog inside against her wishes?

I'm not saying any of those is the case, but you need to find out if there are compromises or conditions that can be met where your mom and Emma can co-exist.

If it's the dog's behavioral problems that are the issue, you should explain crate training to your mom as an option, and try to make her understand that keeping the dog outside will never result in better house manners. House manners need to be trained in the house, so the dog learns what is acceptable. And it is much easier to train any new behavior when you start training inside, in a quiet, non-distracting environment. If you crate-train Emma, she will be confined and out of your mom's way when you are not there to care for her.

Why is the bathing issue a problem with your mom? If Emma is dirtying the house when she comes inside, you should try intermediate steps to keep her (and the house) cleaner as you slowly work through her fear of water. Wipe her feet clean when she comes through the door. Use those dog wipes, or try those spray-on, towel-off dog shampoos.

The jumping up can be trained out of Emma with patience and practice (and sticking to ONE method), and you can work on her greeting people calmly. Above all, you need to play and train with her daily to give her the stimulation and human interaction she needs. If you have the commitment to working with her every day and cleaning up after her, have that talk with your mom and see if there is a viable option for Emma living in the house. I'd recommend the crate training, starting with the crate acclimation in her current outdoor living area, and eventually moving it indoors.

 

[luv2fly]

alright I talked with my mom she didn't exactly say yes but she didn't say no to my suggestion of letting emma inside whenI get home from school. So here is a pic of our first try it went. Well but we havnt tried it with the cats yet

 

[NewfoundlandOwner]

She's a beautiful dog, and will be a great friend to you. If you're willing to put in the time and convince your mom to bend a bit for the good of Emma, you can make this work. My hopes are with you - just please don't let Emma suffer alone outside for years if this does not turn out well. She'll more than likely sustain severe emotional damage.

 

[luv2fly]

ok so i have some good news i have talked to my mom and she never gave me a straight no answer so it was like she couldnt say no but didnt want to say yes so i gave emma a very long bath (3 hr) and then a good long walk/jog, nobody was home so i took her up to the door and made her sit and stay before i told her to come in and she did really good and didnt get to excited she was a bit nervous but i took her back to my room where there arnt as many smells and she calmed down i let her up on the bed and put a movie in and she fell asleep. about an hour later my mom came home and wasnt mad but told me to put her out before my stepfather came home so it was like she was trying to make it our secret =) but i had put a note on the door to warn her before she came in that the dog was in my room and i forgot to take it down so my stepfather saw it and teased me about it but wasnt mad so i think we made some big progress. but i will eventualy have to have her meet the 2 cats we have because my mom wont let her come in if they dont get along or if they cats stay hidden because of the dog ( i had the cats locked up in a seperate room while emma was inside)