Adopt A Dog Month on October, 2024: Help with adopted dog?

October, 2024 is Adopt A Dog Month 2024. October is Adopt-A-Dog Month : Save a Life, and Enjoy These Deals ... What Can an Adopted Dog (or

Dogs are NOT vegetarians and you would be worsening the problem by feeding him a meat free food.

Could he have an allergy to something in your house? Carpet cleaner, floor cleaner, dust, mold, soap etc..?

A week isn't enough time to see improvement. It would takes months. An allergy isn't going to be cleared up in 7 days. All of the allergen needs to get out of his system and then you'd see improvement. I would suggest a grain free AND chicken free food. Many dogs are allergic to chicken.

I'm going through a similar problem with my GSD (but I have it under control now). I would suggest doing this:

- Switch him to a grain free and chicken free food. Such as Blue Buffalo. I switched mine to Taste of the Wild Pacific grain free food. It also has no chicken in it and has omegas in it for skin/coat health. Once you switch him keep him on the food. You're only causing more problems by switching the food all over the place. Also grain-free/chicken free treats.

- Start him on some Omega three fish oil pills to help his skin/coat as well. How many mg's you give depends on his weight. For a small dog under 35lbs you would go one 350mg (or the lowest dose you can find) pill once a day three times a week. For a dog 35-50lbs you would get the next dosage up say 750mg and do the same schedule. Above 50lbs you could do 1000-1200mg pills. The dog cannot overdose on the pills and there are no ill side effects. Here is the schedule I have my dog on:

Mon/Wed/Fri one pill in the morning. 1000mg (my dog weighs 70lbs). She gets it in a clump of wet dog food. You can also put peanut-butter around it to encourage the dog to eat it.

- Get him on a special shampoo to help control the itching. I would suggest ordering from Amazon..they tend to have the lowest prices even with shipping. Take a look at this shampoo: I would suggest bathing him once a week for a month. Use cold water as warm/hot water will irritate his skin. Then you can use the shampoo as needed.

Once you get this under control it will be a bump in the road. Allergies are common in dogs just like in people. Good luck :]

What is your story about Adopting A Dog? Tips?

I adopted both of my dogs, a 30 lb GSD mix female at 10 months old and a (at the time) 48lb GSD/Husky mix male at about 11 months old.

I moved into a condo and was on my own for the first time, this was to be my first dog that was mine and not a family dog. I worked full time, lived alone and while I had a large balcony I had no yard so I knew I couldn't handle a puppy, but I wanted a dog young enough to be safely introduced to my cats. The cats had been raised with my moms Great Dane so they were dog friendly. I went in thinking I wanted a short haired male and walked out with a long haired female! I visited my closest shelter with no luck but she was the first one I saw at the second shelter. She was sitting forlornly in the corner, when I got to meet her she walked over with her tail wagging slowly, sat and leaned against me. I immediately knew she was mine, she looks like a mini GSD; quit literally like you shrunk one down! I named her Sookie. She turned out to be a handful with fear based dog excitability, food aggression and pretty severe separation anxiety. I enrolled her in training and have since over come these issues, she is in fact CGC certified and currently in training to become a therapy dog.

I wanted to get a second dog all along, and I thought it would be good for her. I spent a lot more time on this, I needed an adult that was good with cats or young enough to be introduced to them, and I needed a male who was submissive. Sookie is dominant, and all my research suggested getting a male in this situation. So I stalked petfinder.com and visited my local shelter weekly. I wasn't too specific on breed but I was caught between a husky and a GSD, I prefer the northern breed look. When a young male Husky/GSD mix pop up at the shelter my girl came from I immediately took notice; but this shelter is farther than my local and he disappeared after a few days before I could go visit. However about a week later a different named dog but with the same dogs picture came back up at the same shelter. This time I immediately loaded Sookie in the car and headed over. He was very standoffish with humans, but he and Sookie hit it off right away. At one point I had ten workers and volunteers gathered around me as we observed their play and decided if they were a good match or not; they were very involved and wanted this to work out for him. Sookie is a very loud player and he wasn't quit sure how to play, but they were trying to work it out between them. At just 11 months old I was to be his fourth owner, the second owner had abused him so badly that the third owner felt they couldn't handle him and that was why he was returned after barely a week. He was so sensitive and skittish about his rear end I feared he was permanently damaged or heaven forbid had early signs of displasia. The vet x-rayed him and gave him a clean bill of health, he was hurt in the past but there was no permanent damage and no signs of future hip issues. He was extremely underweight and matted, he had to be on a prescription food and medication to stop the diarrhea (the worst I have EVER see!) and help him gain weight. I named him Riddick and he is now 60 lbs and finally off the prescription kibble, though I still have to be very careful with what he eats. He was very scared of humans, specifically tall, light skinned dark haired men, the description of his second abusive owner. He took a lot of work with the vet, temperament testing and training classes but he has come so far! He will sit and accept food or even allow people to pet him not, even men! He still has some ways to go but has made so much progress.

Tips; I can definitely recommend starting from square one for potty training no matter how old they are, a shelter environment can set them back.

If they have a bad past, don't dwell on it. Don't baby them, just keep moving them forward.

Introduce them to as much as possible, new flooring (sand, dirt, cement, grass, linoleum, tile, carpet, ETC), new sounds (waves at the beach, children at a playground, traffic, ETC) and new environments (dog friendly stores, dog friendly gatherings, visit the vet just to say hi, go to a friends house).

Get enrolled in a training class as soon as possible! A class is vital for safe socialization with other dogs as well as other people (tall, short, men, women, children, elderly, light skinned, dark skinned, over weight, skinny, ETC). It's a great bonding experience for you both and sets the tone right away.

Begin as you mean to end, don't let them on the couch 'just this once' if you don't want them up there in the future. Don't reward begging and get mad when they keep doing it or beg a guest. Don't encourage a game of chase and wonder why they won't come when you need it. Set boundaries on day one and adhere to them, if you are inconsistent than they will obey inconsistently.

Good Luck!

Adopting neglected 9 month old dog. Help?

So, 2 male dogs, one 6 months and the other 9 months....what will likely happen, they will come into maturity and fight for dominance. Make sure BOTH are fixed and train them together, walk them together. They can learn to live together if done right. The neglected one needs to get on a daily exercise regime and feeding schedule....twice a day....higher protein diet (check dog food advisor). He needs to have a healthy outlet for all this energy.

Great of you to take this dog. He has a future now. You willl have to work hard but he willl come around. Be consistent and correct any dominance issues right away.