german shepherd/great dane mix

**cynicallynn** · 08-17-2008, 03:52 PM

I know this thread is long dead but I just wanted to add my experiences for anyone who might find this in a search like I did. I rescued a German Shepherd/Great Dane cross eight months ago. I love her dearly, but she is a handful and I imagine many less-than-passionate dog owners would have given up on her by now. She was only six months old when I got her, but she had already been adopted and returned for being "destructive". These are a few of the issues I've had with her:

-She has severe separation anxiety. When I leave the house, I have to lock her in a crate and secure the door with around 5 or 6 carabiner hooks to keep her in. The hooks get replaced often as she can sometimes break a few of them in the time I'm away for work, especially if it rains as she has a bit of storm anxiety as well. If she manages to escape and finds the house empty, she will tear the molding off the walls and chew on the furniture. If we are shorthanded a work and I need to put in overtime, she becomes so distressed by the decreased time together that she acts neurotic and is nearly unmanageable.

-She is extremely timid. As far as I know she's never been abused, yet if she is spoken to in a harsh or angry voice she will panic and thrash around like a spooked horse. I've ended up with scratches on my face and neck from her doing this.

-She does not learn commands easily. So far the only thing she will do reliably is sit, and sometimes she will lay down or roll over. She is not completely housebroken yet.

-I am beginning to suspect she may have sebborhea. I bathe her every Monday and by Thursday she is as dirty and smelly as my old roommate's Dalmatian mix who was only bathed once or twice a year.

Don't misunderstand me, I love my dog and I am totally committed to working with her through any issues she has now or may develop in the future. But I know most people just want a dog to be a companion and are not willing to make a lifestyle of it, and for that reason I STRONGLY discourage anyone from creating more GSD/GD mixes. You may get lucky and end up with a litter of well-behaved, even-tempered pups, or you may end up with a whole bunch of near-impossible-to-adopt-out 100lb. maniacs. I see that others before me have already covered the overpopulation/euthanasia angle, so I won't go too far into that except to say that ANYONE who considers breeding ANY dog for ANY reason should visit a shelter in a high-kill community first. If you have the resources to care for a litter of puppies and are willing to deal with the unpredictablity of mixed breeds, please consider fostering a few for your local shelter or rescue group!

**Karen** · 08-17-2008, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by cynicallynn

She was only six months old when I got her, but she had already been adopted and returned for being "destructive". These are a few of the issues I've had with her.

Poor thing, who knows what she went through before you got her. My older brother rescued a 3/4 Great Dane from a household where she was "only beaten when she barked or made noise .." The poor thing was terrified of everyone and everything when I first met her, and clung to my brother like he was a security blanket.

In time, Princess (named by my then 6-year-old niece - only a small girl would name a big black galoot of a dog (130 pounds when full grown) Princess!) became a calmer, braver dog, and helped raise her three human siblings.

I am so glad you have her, and love her, and are working with her to overcome her issues. I wonder if her "stinkiness" could have to do with food allergies, if it's not the sebborhea.

What's her name?

**cynicallynn** · 08-17-2008, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by Karen

Poor thing, who knows what she went through before you got her. My older brother rescued a 3/4 Great Dane from a household where she was "only beaten when she barked or made noise .." The poor thing was terrified of everyone and everything when I first met her, and clung to my brother like he was a security blanket.

In time, Princess (named by my then 6-year-old niece - only a small girl would name a big black galoot of a dog (130 pounds when full grown) Princess!) became a calmer, braver dog, and helped raise her three human siblings.

Aw, poor baby! Glad to hear she's doing so well now. Mine is slowly but surely getting better with meeting new people. One thing that's really helped has been taking her to the dog park. She loves other dogs and tends to take her cues from them if she's unsure of a situation.

I am so glad you have her, and love her, and are working with her to overcome her issues. I wonder if her "stinkiness" could have to do with food allergies, if it's not the sebborhea.

Thanks! I'll look into getting her a limited ingredients diet to see if that helps. She's very greasy and itchy, could that fit with a food allergy as well?

What's her name?

Her name is Meme. My computer geek boyfriend named her. Her nametag reads "No, you can't have a pony. NOT YOURS. My name is..." My friends and family refer to her as "The Horse" or "The Mule".