Rescued German Shepherd puppies stay terrified for weeks after adoption
10 posts across 5 communities in the last 90 days; 40% from r/puppy101.
“Hi everyone, I just brought home a 4 months old puppy. I'm not going to lie, he looks terrified, not moving from his spot at all, I tried to talk him outside to potty and he's not moving from the door at all. He's also not walking around, sniffing or anything. He did eat (very…”
“Recently I received as a gift 2 German Shepherds, both male, and according to the person who gave them to me, they are both 4 months old. When they arrived, they would only stay close to each other, side by side. This afternoon I tried to put on a leash to bring them closer to…”
“We have had our first foster pup for a bit over two weeks. She’s guessed to be ~1.5yo and was found as a stray. The first week she was terrified of us and spent all her time hiding in our (enclosed and safe) bathroom downstairs. She had a crate in the room but never touched it…”
Adopters of rescued German Shepherd puppies report persistent fear and hiding behavior even after two weeks. They struggle to build trust despite using treats, toys, and space. Puppy socialization remains a challenge.
SOURCES (10)
“Hi everyone, I just brought home a 4 months old puppy. I'm not going to lie, he looks terrified, not moving from his spot at all, I tried to talk him outside to potty and he's not moving from the door at all. He's also…”
“hi all, my pup is 3 months old and doing well in most areas. however, he’s really scared of strangers, and today i had a new dryer installed by two big delivery guys, and he was absolutely terrified. now they are gone but he is traumatized. what can i do to help him?? thanks! submitted by /u/Helpful-Ad-6408 [link] [comments]”
“Recently I received as a gift 2 German Shepherds, both male, and according to the person who gave them to me, they are both 4 months old. When they arrived, they would only stay close to each other, side by side. This afternoon I tried to put on a leash to bring them closer to the house, since our property is huge. One of them agreed to go and became attached to my mother, but his brother, the one with the red leash, does not want to go anywhere and seems very fearful. He won't follow at all”
“We have had our first foster pup for a bit over two weeks. She’s guessed to be ~1.5yo and was found as a stray. The first week she was terrified of us and spent all her time hiding in our (enclosed and safe) bathroom downstairs. She had a crate in the room but never touched it. After a bit over a week she finally got brave enough to venture out of the bathroom, and two nights later decided to sleep with us and our other dog in our bed upstairs. The first night was great, but the second night she”
“So she has been here almost 2 weeks now. At first i put her in a cage so my other dogs can get to know her. Then after a week other dogs got to know her I let her out of the cage, but ever since then she has been hiding behind the sofa and has not come out. Food and water are being consumed just doesn't come out when someone sees her. Any tips? Or will she eventually just not be scared. Edit to add: she's a mix breed Belgian malinois and husky mix mostly BM. submitted by /u/b”
“Hi! This little boy here is Ace. He is a GSD/Staffy mix. We adopted Ace when he was 10 weeks old (he was born in the shelter), and immediately started socializing him. He has always taken time to warm up to dogs. We did a 6 week puppy class and private sessions, and he would growl and back away from the dogs for the first couple of visits. He has always loved all people, however. Recently, as in the past two days, he has also started growling and backing away from kids aged 5-10. Some of which h”
“Morning guys, So I have a GSD/lab mix (6 mo old, had for 4 mo, since 2 mo, have technically helped take care of her since birth). Two nights ago, I took her out in the middle of the night and there was...something?? (Possibly a deer, possibly a coyote) In our yard, and it fled as soon as we were outside. I've never seen her bark and try to go after something like this before. Ever since, its like she's scared to go in our yard? Like she'll go regularly anywhere else, but if she has t”
“I have a 2 year old german shepherd who is terrified of the vet, he won’t go anywhere near the building he’ll lay on the ground and won’t move if i try to walk him inside and if i try to pull him in he’ll slip out of his collar. I give him trazodone and gabapentin beforehand but even that doesn’t seem to help, i’ve tried toys, high value treats, i don’t know what else to do. i don’t know how to make him go inside. anyone have any advice? submitted by /u/Away_Yogurt_6321 [link]”
“We rescued a stray German Shepherd puppy about 2 weeks ago (around 3–4 months old), and she’s still extremely fearful. She spends most of the day hiding under our kitchen table, runs away when anyone gets close, and only comes out to eat, drink, use her puppy pad, or explore a little at night. She’s not aggressive at all—just scared. We’ve been giving her space, using treats, toys, sitting near her without forcing interaction, and trying to let her come to us, but she still hasn’t really opened”
“We rescued a stray German Shepherd puppy about 2 weeks ago (around 3–4 months old), and she’s still extremely fearful. She spends most of the day hiding under our kitchen table, runs away when anyone gets close, and only comes out to eat, drink, use her puppy pad, or explore a little at night. She’s not aggressive at all—just scared. We’ve been giving her space, using treats, toys, sitting near her without forcing interaction, and trying to let her come to us, but she still hasn’t really opened”