We are getting back to being home in France and are considering getting a companion dog for our German Shepherd. He is very kind but a rescue dog and likes to guard the house. He has made friends with neighbour’s dogs (indeed shows no problems with any other dogs) but has nobody of his same kind all day. He shows huge nervosity when people come round. Incessant barking on arrival and on departure. It is a problem. He is only 2 so young. Having been kept in a garage for over a year before we got him he now finds everything over stimulating. We are thinking an older calm dog might just settle him down. We have the space, time and the love.
One way we found our (also rescue) dog Bertie calmed down quickly was to take him down to our gite on a lead and tell our guests to take absolutely no notice whatsoever of him - he is a non-dog - no eye contact/ heads up, talking to each other as if the dog isn’t there. Within a minute or so he settles - often lays down at my feet. Thereafter contact with our gite guests is not an issue. Just a thought.
1 Like
That is good advice. However no matter how many times he meets them and they ignore him he barks. Then when they get up to leave it is the same. He never barks outside his perimeter so thinking it is guarding his ‘flock’ or his home. We can take him anywhere outside. It is just at home we have this problem
1 Like
Our Jules is similar, he loves people and so welcomes them with open howls when they arrive, and then, when he detects that they are about to leave he rushes to the gate and howls again mournfully until they are out of sight. But he is no problem in between while they are here.
As I haven’t managed to stop him, and in fact gave up a long time ago because everyone who comes here regularly finds it charming and flattering, I can offer no advice to stop yours from doing what he does.
Where abouts are you in France, I may be able to suggest sources for a companion?
1 Like
That is exactly it. As if ge is keeping his flock from being intruded. Then stopping them being split up. Will message you. Thanks
Totally agree, love that slow mournful howl.
Many lovely dogs at rescue center’s looking for a loving home 
3 Likes
Totally agree. 
After our Max passed on we tried rescue centers both locally and outside France, 5 times they lied about the dogs we enquired about. We now have a 1 year old Labrador who absolutely loves the neighbours Retriever. After our experience we wont be going there again.
1 Like
There are yes, also there are some bad ones, and the centers are not forthcoming sometimes like Rocam has experienced.
I do not agree with the SPA policy of not putting down their bad dogs but to continue sending them to prospective homes until the reality manifests and it starts all over again. This policy is no good for the dogs nor adopters alike and is the reason that I will not support the French SPA.
1 Like
Unless things have changed there is no ‘SPA policy’, for killing dogs or anything else. The SPAs are not like the RSPCA, they are individual organisations making their own rules.
And in any case how do you define a ‘bad dog’?
Some years ago SPA Perigueux had a policy of no kill and, as a result was overrun and had overcrowded pens with dogs suffereing mental stress as a result. Bergerac on the other hand had the opposite policy. I was once asked to collect a dog on a Thursday which had been adopted to deliver it to its new owners. I was told I had to be there at the gates on the dot of 2pm and asked why so specific. The answer was that Thursday afternoons were closed to the public because that was when the vet came in to kill all the condemned dogs. If I was there at 2 I would be let in but the gates would be closed behind me until i had the dog and left.
The policy at Bergerac was simple, no overcrowding and the criteria for who lived and who died was simple too. Age. If the overcrowding was really bad some quite young dogs were put down at those times. Phoenix had a string of dogs to be saved and the way it was done was to find as many as possible foster homes with promises of further fosters to keep condemned dogs alive. Hence my love for Beaucerons was born, I had 3 through my hands in similar circumstances, the last one was here for 9 months without a single enquiry. When the one enquiry arrived, and turned into an offer, we immediately adopted her ourselves.
2 Likes
Like anything aquired one normally considers the pros and cons, especially a living creature.
Someone I know adopted a puppy from Les Anlmaux, just by the photo on the website 
He has grown into the most adorable dog, so loving 
A couple of years ago they ‘aquired’ a puppy from a bad owner:face_with_symbols_over_mouth: He is extremely loving in the home, but could not be trusted outside the home environment 
Being a good deterrent around the property has been a blessing in disguise 
Not sure where you are @blade46 patience will find you a suitable companion for your dog 
PS. We had two rescue GSD’s over a 25yr period, first one badly treated, second one surrender because of small flat huge dog! I was wary of the 1st dog, because our son was about 10/11yrs at the time and this was our first dog. After a challenging couple of weeks, nothing serious, there was an incident on our walk in the woods, something agitated the dog and he started barking aggressively at my son, I turned on the dog and shouted NO so loudly I startled the poor dog:pensive: that was the day I knew he was definitely staying with us. Best dog ever until the next one came along 
1 Like
That’s how we found Bertie. I saw a photograph from someone who worked at the Cahors rescue, who had posted it on a forum. So we drove there, - hour and a half - said hello to him and brought him home. That was 11 years ago.
10 Likes
@blade46 There is a dog who would make a good companion for your dog but not quite according to your specification in that she is only 2 and half years old. Her name is Shanna and I brought her to the pension nearby in July last year. She is thought to be a Shepherd X. She was fine with Jules before entering and in the car. A lovely soft black coat and reported to be very gentle, obedient and sociable with other dogs.
She has been there ever since, 14 months without a single enquiry. The reason? She was rescued only because of urgent danger to herself and taken under PAD’s wing at the request of a member. But as the PAD forum is populated almost exclusively by Dobermann enthusiasts and no-one else. I would have taken her myself but she is far too young for us.
Anyway here she is and if you think you might be interested let me know and I will make further enquiries of Sharon who runs the pension. Then, if you like, I will ask to take her into temporary foster here to live with us for a week or 2 so that I can assess her first hand for you and report on her behaviour generally, and specifically, how she gets on with with Jules.
PAD is a French association dedicated to the saving and re-homing of Dobermanns although there are exceptions, usually because a dog has been rescued with a Dobermann. Like my old Rottweiler, Boss, and our current Beauceron/Dobermann X, Jules.
5 Likes
Sorry, been in gardrn for two days as it is cooler.
Thank you all. I agree that “patience” is the way to go!
We will take it slow and sure (at least as best as we can be sure!)
OH is concerned we may end up with two barking dogs!! I’m not so sure. We will see
@David_Spardo my goodness what a beauty! She is drop dead gorgeous. Indeed not to our ‘spec’ but who can say that a spec applies? I’d like to message you further after talking to my OH if that is ok?
Everyone has been so kind. All the pics are great and heart warming. Thank you
3 Likes
If she was here we would see how association with our barker/howler affects her behaviour without the need to take the chance. Of course, on her own she could behave differently and do all the barking of her own. 
First thing to do is ask Sharon at the pension how she is with others and on her own, but the latter might be difficult to judge with so many there.
There is a danger of course that if she was here, I might not let her leave. 
But I have thought about it ever since we met her at Poitiers and have decided against because of our old, and her young, ages.
@David_Spardo don’t dare keep her until we know 
We will probably never know about the barking as ours only barks in his own territory. Let’s see when you have more questions answered as my pm
Oh dear, this is what Sharon says, and is not what was mentioned on the forum
She can be a bit over the top with other dogs
Sharon
A bit bitey
Sharon
I’m not sure she’d suit an excited gsd
Sharon
There is a Dobie/Beaucie X female that has just arrived who is about 5 and a half years old. We have only just managed to get her from a refuge at St. Etienne after trying for several weeks. I couldn’t go myself so the journey was shared by others. Sharon will let me know in a few days how her character developes after settling in with the others, and, now she knows what you are looking for, may come up with ones more suitable anyway.
BTW re Shanna, when she says bitey I think she means mouthy, it wouldn’t be a secret if she really was biting other dogs.
Ours is mouthy too but not bity. May be okay? They could just play rough then no more when they reach agreement? As dogs do
Sounds like you’re talking yourself into it, but what does your husband say? 
But I do think you have a point, so might suggest a trial here to Mary, the Presidente.
I’ll keep tabs on it in the meantime, I might have to go over there anyway soon so I’ll see for myself.
Not sure if I’ve posted this before but it ably demonstrates the term mouthy. Not having a video in those days I took a whole sequence of stills of this playfight between my lovely Beauceronne, Ramona (who bullied him into it) and Bernie who was here for 14 days as a foster. I was completely at ease throughout but some might have been alarmed.
2 Likes