newly adopted fur family member and need a bit of help

While german shepherds are "known" for having sensitive tummies, someone forgot to tell mine.  Sometimes dogs just enjoy snacking on grass.  If her poop is fine and she's not vomiting, I wouldn't worry about it.

Shepherds are herding dogs so what she views as "unruly" behavior, she may try to correct.  Or, she might just be trying to play with the kids and not understand how.  For now, honestly, I'd keep her on a lead or inside, when the kids are running.  This is something that the trainer can help you with more easily than we can online.  "Leave it" is an invaluable command, and hopefully someone can explain the hows of that better than I can.

Dogs often use their mouths like we use our hands.  But, it isn't acceptable and again, leave it is crucial.

Just be sure that the bone, if it's a real one, is totally solid if you leave it for her while you are gone.

In defense of crates, most of my guys LIKE to be in their crates when we aren't home.  There are some good reasons for them, but I'm not going to try to sell you on them.

Welcome to idog, and thanks for rescueing this gal! 

thanks,  

I did look at the online descriptions of "leave it" as a command and we are going to work on that.  

When I say chew bone, I am meaning a raw hide type thing, not a real animal bone.  

Good to know that some dogs just like grass, I know she loves bugs.  lol.  

When I was reading online resources the running with the kids stuff sounded like it could be one of three things.   A) herding although from those sites most of them disagree with the idea of a German Sheppard instinctively herding children  B) Prey seeking behavior kind of like hunting training.   ( Not in an agressive way, discribed more as how they would play with other puppies in their litter) and C) just over excited and over stimulated with the activity and that would fit with her age bracket.                When the kids are out playing, she stays on a lead or leash, we didn't notice it till we started trusting her off to get some extra exercize by playing ball. My kids are more naturally fit and active so they are joining in with her.    We will try talking to a local friend that does alot of training and see if she can pop by for an afternoon and help us with this one.

one book we got talked about teaching bite aversion which sounded like it might be something good to do with her. (basically teaching her to eat from your hand but take the food away if her teeth touch skin.) And as my son has already taught her to drink from a water bottle she may do well with this. Now to decide to work on leave it first or bite aversion first.

She has been using our (my husband and my) bedroom as kind of her "crate" . Due to some allergy issues the kids have she isn't allowed on the second floor of the house at all as thats where their bedrooms are, but she is allowed in our room and seems to like that as her "crate" but has done fabulous just having free run of the house.     it is rare she is home more than an hour alone as we homeschool and I when I do work its opposite my husband.   but she did have to be alone for 10 hours last week and did great, my brother came over and let her out for a bit of a potty break and people time.   No problem what so ever.        

The getting too excited with the kids is an either/or kind of thing in many cases.  It could be either, really.  She simply might not know HOW to play nicely with others and that's why "leave it" is such a handy thing for her to know.

My dogs love both "real" marrow and knuckles.  My concern with rawhide is that sometimes it gets all slimey and they can bite off a chunk and swallow it, and it doesn't digest which can lead to a blockage, and hefty vet bills for the surgery.  If you opt for the real thing, and most butchers will cut you a nice 5 or 6 inch long marrow bone, be sure to scoop out the bulk of the marrow (soft gunk in the center) since it's really rich and could cause runny poop.  Another thing you might try is a big, black kong, and stuff it with say yogart, maybe some fruit and freeze it.  Or any of the interactive, food dispensing toys are great with kibble or little treats, and less messy in a not confined area!  Or, if you want to continue with rawhide, just really check it good before you go out and leave her.

Again, if she behaves and you are comfortable leaving her free in the house, that's entirely your choice.  My dogs will often go in the middle of the day when we are home and just hang out in their crates because that is their "room" and no one else is allowed, but, that's MY dogs.  Whatever works for yours!

 Congrats and thank you for adopting! Keep asking questions and welcome. (We love pictures too.)

ETA: Your pup is still in the honeymoon phase, so asking all these questions are great.

 Hi there and welcome!  Congrats on adopting!  Well done, yippee!

If you are the sort who also learns from books, I suggest Patricia McConnell's The Other End of the Leash.  I found it at my library; liked it so much, I bought a copy from amazon.com  It is easy reading, chock full of info.

 My dogs are all rescues, arrived here as adults.  I don't have any children, and I don't crate train.  I can't really suggest anything for you and Bella, just wanted to say: HI!

Welcome and congratulations on your new pup.  At eight months she's at an age that many dogs are given up due to behavior issues such as you describe.  It's very important that you learn as much as possible about dogs and their behavior to insure you can help her adjust to your home.  I agree that she should not be allowed to chase the kids.  It's a combination of all three things you mentioned and perfectly normal but not something I would encourage.  You never know when your kids' friends may set off the chase game with bad results. 

Since your son has already begun training with her I'd encourage him to learn too so he understands the easiest way to teach her some basics, with adult supervision, of course.  It is important for everyone to be consistent when teaching anything to lessen confusion and frustration.  It's unfair to the dog to allow certain behaviors in some circumstances and with some people and not at other times.  Be consistent.  Training is a long term commitment but well worth the time and effort.

If you like to read you can find many excellent books on dog behavior and training.  Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson is a good book that offers training advice and insight into how a dog's mind works and why some of our beliefs about dogs are often the cause of us making mistakes that are hard to correct later.  Anything and everything by Patricia McConnell.  Sophia Yin is another favorite of mine.  Another classic that explains how classic and operant conditioning work is Karen Pryor's 'Don't Shoot the Dog'.  It's a great book.  All of these are written by experienced professionals with PHd's in behavior and years of training and consulting people with their dogs.

Training classes are great.  I'd recommend a trainer who uses positive reinforcement.  Many people claim to be dog trainers and many know just enough to be dangerous.  Educate yourself and be your dog's advocate because you will ultimately be the one who is responsible for this dog for the rest of it's life.  If you feel uncomfortable about advice you're given, don't do it unless you've assured yourself it's based on known training/behavior principals.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Congrats to the new family member and welcome to the forum.   It is great that you are asking questions.  Although I had many furr babies in my lifetime it was after the kids left home that I finally became an "educated" pet parent, lol.  It makes all the difference in the world for both human and furr. 

I think we can be more helpful if we have pics?