[Soozis]

I have never owned a dog before
But there are a pack of stray dogs that looks like a gsd mix ( Dad, mom and daughter) they are extremely friendly and sweet I’ve been feeding them for months now they hang out sometimes at my neighborhood and sometimes I don’t see them
The females are kinda shy and reserved they don’t like to be petted much and they don’t spend much time at my yard but the male is so friendly ( we call him Ollie) and so happy when we even look at him through the window he’d wag his tail and come to us
My family don’t really like dogs so they won’t let them inside our fenced yard
We have an outdoor cat and they chase cats so we can’t let them in
The male tho (Ollie) is not interested in chasing cats and he got in a few times and was ok with the cat and didn’t annoy him at all in fact he ignored him every time, but when he’s with his pack they’d chase him
The mother and daughter hate cats and they even killed our neighbors kitten so my family won’t let them inside anymore

So I really want to adopt Ollie since he’s good with cats (I have 3 cats)
And is the best dog I’ve ever met he’s so cheerful and friendly doesn’t have any kind of aggression and patient,he doesn’t even bark he’s so calm. And although my family don’t like dogs they like him
But the only problem is that he loves his pack so much and I think he can’t be seperated from them or he’ll be depressed
What do you think?
When he comes alone he isn’t as happy as when his pack come with him
So I think it’s hard to seperate him from his pack in this case ?
Do you think he’ll be fine without his pack?
I really don’t have enough experience with dogs
And I don’t want him to be depressed
Yes and one more thing I tried to get him inside the yard and closed the door to see if he’ll adapt to the inside but he’ll scratch at the door every time to get out sometimes to call his pack and sometimes he’ll just walk away
I don’t know is that normal? I’ve heard that if you want to know if a dog like the indoors you have to try and get him in and if he scratches at the door then he doesn’t like it?

 

[Lillith]

Since this dog is a stray, I would imagine he's pretty bonded with his dog companions. So, yes, there is a good chance he may become distressed being confined away from them. They may be littermates and grew up together, who knows. And sometimes the dog is perfectly fine after a few days once they realize the humans provide food, water, and comfort.

My two cents, if the dog is scratching at the door to get out, he probably is not comfortable with any sort of confinement. You would have to treat him as a puppy that knows nothing. You would have to potty train him, teach him not to dig in your yard, teach him to accept a leash, crate train him, teach him not to chew on furniture or shoes. I imagine he has absolutely no experience with common household activities or knows any house manners, so you may be dealing with a dog who climbs counters to find food, digs through the trash, or climbs up on the table.

All of those behavior problems can be fixed, of course, with time and training, but you should be aware of what you might potentially be dealing with. Would your family still like him if he did those things?

 

[Soozis]

Since this dog is a stray, I would imagine he's pretty bonded with his dog companions. So, yes, there is a good chance he may become distressed being confined away from them. They may be littermates and grew up together, who knows. And sometimes the dog is perfectly fine after a few days once they realize the humans provide food, water, and comfort.

My two cents, if the dog is scratching at the door to get out, he probably is not comfortable with any sort of confinement. You would have to treat him as a puppy that knows nothing. You would have to potty train him, teach him not to dig in your yard, teach him to accept a leash, crate train him, teach him not to chew on furniture or shoes. I imagine he has absolutely no experience with common household activities or knows any house manners, so you may be dealing with a dog who climbs counters to find food, digs through the trash, or climbs up on the table.

All of those behavior problems can be fixed, of course, with time and training, but you should be aware of what you might potentially be dealing with. Would your family still like him if he did those things?

I agree i tried once to train him
Not serious training but simple commands like come, and his pack are always there distracting him and when they’re not there he’d scratch to go out or he will not respond so I never force him to do anything I let him go out whenever he looks uncomfortable, and when he’s with his pack he responds well and looks much more comfortable and all
But what I want to know is how would I even take him if I decided to adopt him? I have no idea
I don’t know how he’ll react to the leash
He doesn’t like to dig, I think if I provided him enough chew toys he won’t chew the furniture?
He does dig in the trash x
So do you think he might not be good for an inexperienced owner? Cuz I’m afraid he’ll be spoiled then

 

[Lillith]

I agree i tried once to train him
Not serious training but simple commands like come, and his pack are always there distracting him and when they’re not there he’d scratch to go out or he will not respond so I never force him to do anything I let him go out whenever he looks uncomfortable, and when he’s with his pack he responds well and looks much more comfortable and all
But what I want to know is how would I even take him if I decided to adopt him? I have no idea
I don’t know how he’ll react to the leash
He doesn’t like to dig, I think if I provided him enough chew toys he won’t chew the furniture?
He does dig in the trash x
So do you think he might not be good for an inexperienced owner? Cuz I’m afraid he’ll be spoiled then

There are plenty of people who teach dogs who have never lived in a home to have good house manners, but they put a lot of time and energy into the dog. You just have to decide if you're willing to commit to that level of management. You will have to make sure your trash is locked up or out of reach, keep your home picked up so there is nothing for the dog to chew, block off entire rooms if he chews furniture, 100% supervise at all times, and when you can't, crate. You will probably have to potty train him as if he was a puppy. You will have to keep food off of the counter or tables, because I imagine as a stray he is always thinking about this next meal.

As for the chew toys...he probably doesn't know the difference between a chew toy and inappropriate furniture. You will have to teach him the chew toys are for him, and everything else is not. Like I said above, you will have to watch him 100% of the time as if he's a little puppy, and when you cannot, you have to have him in a crate or confined to a dog-proof room.

As for how you would take him, based on the behavior you described, he may panic when he realizes you aren't letting him out. He may become extremely distressed when he can't return to his pack. It's really hard to say. It's possible to teach him to be a good house dog, you just have to decide how much you and your family are willing to put up with and take the time to solve.

 

[hanksimon]

He is not a good dog for an inexperienced owner. Although he is smart and friendly, the habits that help him survive on the street would be destructive in a home. Also, he gets to 'socialize' with two other dogs all the time, and he might chew and scratch on furniture, if he was alone.

I don't know if you want to but you could continue to feed and train him, and possibly his family, understanding that it is like feeding a wild bird - They visit but are unhappy if confined.