OK if any of you have read my other posts regarding this pup you are going to think I am nuts.
It seems like I am having nothing but issues with him.

He arrived Tuesday night late. So I didn't feed him just gave him water and went to bed. So he hadn't eaten since the early morning cuz he had been on a plane all day.

Now I normally feed BARF but decided to try some of his kibble the breeder had him on for a while to keep something normal in his life.

Didn't eat anything till Friday night, then it was 2 cups of kibble and I had to hand feed it. Tried letting him eat on his own Saturday morning, but he refused.

Saturday night, I thought well I will offer him a chicken wing, what dog would refuse? He at one in about an hour. I offered him more this morning and 30 minutes later it was still there.

Am I nuts, doesn't this dog need to eat??????????

I am starting to get really upset about this dog. Not only is he not at all what the breeder advertised but now he won't eat at all.
He is working lines GSD. He was also bought as a SAR prospect, supposedly with some training. But he is afraid of his own shadow.

Breeder keeps saying to give him time, I know I am impatient but I thought working line dogs were supposed to be BOLD. Let alone SAR dogs are supposed to be.

Sorry to vent, but my husband is getting sick of hearing it. He says, well he is good with the baby. But I didn't buy him for the baby, I could have gone to the pound for that kind of pup.

ARGGGG!!!!!

Patton, how old is the dog?

He may not be eating well because he is in a new environment and under a lot of stress. Do what you can to give him some space for awhile, and he may come around. You may want to try offering him a little cooked chicken or something too. Something that he can't refuse and see if he's interested <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Now if he is nothing like the breeder told you he was, you may have a problem there. One of mine has excellent nerve, and she came off the plane and into our lives like a whirlwind. No problems eating, very outgoing, curious and excited about her surroundings. While it is true that it sometimes takes dogs awhile to settle in, this could very well be a sign that the breeder misrepresented the dog. If that's the case, I would return him in a heartbeat and never deal with that breeder again.

Good luck!

Also, how does he act? Is he playful or is he acting lethargic or sick? If he seems to have a lot of energy and is playing and acting ok, I would worry a whole lot about him not eating yet. If he isn't acting the way a dog should, that's another story.

Melissa,

He is almost 6 months old. I can understand that his world is in turmoil. He has lived at the same place for 6 months. And has never lived in a house.

Now he is with new people in a new place, his life is nothing the same. But that happens to SAR dogs, they travel and such. I expected since the breeder said he had been in training for SAR that he would have been exposed to things. The breeder said he would pull me on walks cuz he is so eager and curious. When we walk I drag him, he is afraid of other dogs barking, trash cans. My vacuum has sent him into practical spasms and a hand held massager we have sends him into avoidance. My camera rewinding sent him running. My babies toys that talk keep him out of the room. He isn't curious about much of anything.

I had a show lines dog who was not afraid of anything. Honestly he acts as afraid as a dog I got from an abusive home. But he hasn't been hit I can tell that. But he is that shy.

I guess I really expected what you got. A whirlwind.

I have been in constant contact with the breeder. I honestly don't think he would take him back.

I am just frustrated because I have waited 3 years for this dog.

He is playful to an extent. But I expected him to be off the wall. He is just afraid when things are different than the norm if that makes sense.
i.e. he is out of his element.
But we went to the park the other night and he was fine cuz it was quiet and there were not scary things.

When you say that he was in training as an SAR dog, what exactly does that mean? Isn't he a little young to have had much training in SAR? I'm asking because I've never trained in SAR, but it sounds a little fishy to me.

If this dog is as spooky as you say he is, I highly doubt he is going to change. Sounds like the breeder screwed you over. No, I don't think you're overreacting at all. I have a dog with bad nerves, and yours sounds worse than mine was at that age.

Did the breeder offer any type of guarantee on the dog? It sounds like the breeder misrepresented this dog, big time. I don't know what you spent on him, but even if the breeder tries to refuse to take him back, you can probably resolve this legally, if you choose to go that route. This is a breach of contract on the breeder's part. He told you that you were getting one thing, and he sent you something completely different.

How long have you had him? At this age he may have good nerve and just be going through a fearful stage that will come around soon. You would think after acouple weeks he would come around hopefully. If he has not been in the house then he would not have seen any of the things you have described before. How much time does it take him to come around? As far as SAR training, he could be on run-aways or short blind searches. He may also have been introduced to dead scent and should have some basic obedience.

Fom reading your original post it sounds like he is a kennel dog and maybe(probably) undersocialized with the house scenario etc. Some dogs that are complete "outdoor" dogs react like this when you remove them from the kennel/dogyard scene. It will probably take a while to get him to react the same as a dog that has been raised with more house time. You said he was ok when you took him to the park so it sounds like outdoor stuff doesn't spook him so that is what makes me think he's a bit kennel bound and hasn't ever been exposed to household noises and experiences. Maybe you could outdoor kennel him and gradually build up his exposure and tolerance to the house in smaller doses. Also feed him in his kennel. It is probably stressing him out a bit much to do such a big transition form kennel
to house and a completely new enviroment to boot.
It might take hime a bit of time to make him realize how good it is to be in the house. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Patton:
For heaven's sake..slow down with this 6 month old baby that has only been with you since "tuesday" As I figure it..that's less than a week. This is a puppy that doesn't know you nor family or household. Expecting this pup to immediately slide right into your world is totally unfair to the dog.

You state that you waited three years for this dog..well..what's another couple of months of time to allow the youngster to have the benefit of learning his new surroundings and people???

This pup is totally stressed! Quit scaring the baby! And for heavens sake..slow down! Your impatient vibs are being picked up by the pup and consequently..stressing the baby that much more.

Your expectations are beyond reasonable horizons for that of a 6 month old puppy that has only just come to live within your household..five days ago.

I agree, calm down.You just got the poor dog for goodness sake.

Give the little one some love , kindness, gentle reassurance and patience.Not to mention, a quiet place to call home away from all of the noise of your house. I still put my 6 mo. old pup at the opposite end of my house when I vaacuum and I've had him since he was 8 wks. old.

I have 4 kids and a noise level that can rival a rock concert at times, but I made sure that when my new pup came home that he wasn't traumatized. For a while I comanded everyone to be aware of the pups feelings so he could adjust and feel secure and start to come to us and seek us for comfort and solace.

You might want to consider that what you do(or don't do) with the pup can have alot to do with how he reacts to you and his new surroundings.