It looks like I am the first to respond, and I don't have much advice. Possibly it would be helpful to know the breeds and sizes of the dogs. Also if you always take them to Obedience Class, you might ask an instructor who knows you.

It is very exciting to get a new dog, and especially a rescue dog. I am very happy for you, but am like you - I don't know what you would look for.

By the way none of my dogs want their head petted. We always go to under the chin and to the stomach. In our dog training school we are taught to approach dogs by allowing the to sniff the back of our hand, then touching them, but not especially the top of the head.

Sammy

"So, my question is this -- Would I have a reasonable expectation to be able to resolve the pup's issues, perhaps with a private trainer at my side? (I always take my dogs to obedience classes, and have done well with that.)"

Yes with hard work and persistence.

"Or am I so excited by the thought of having another pup, and a rather good-looking one at that, that I'm overlooking something? "

You may be overlooking that once the honeymoon period is over, new behaviors could rise to the surface.

You have to ask yourself if you are in it for the long haul and all the extra work it is going to take to work with these dogs and their issues. Maybe you're up to the challenge but most would be looking for a dog with relatively little baggage.

Sammy,

You wrote: "none of my dogs want their head petted."

Yes, I know that's a common reaction and is precisely why I did it. I wanted to know if he was hand-shy. He's not.

Sorry I didn't add the breed info --- the pup is a German Shepard, 5 months old.

And I do have a trainer I've previously worked with. I've e-mailed to ask her opinions.
- - -

quirky,

I do expect that hard work and persistence will be required to work with the pup. (I'll only adopt one, not both.) I'm retired and have plenty of time to do just that.

Jean~
I think you can work wonders with a 5 month old if you put the effort into it. We have a 5 year old German Shepherd who, as a puppy, was afraid of loud noises (cars, lawn mower, vacuum, etc.). She now loves to go for rides in the car. She tries to play with the vacuum. She's still apprehensive of things like the mower, but she just keeps her distance from it (which is just as well by me!).

As for going outside...I can see why they'd be scared of it. They were just stuffed in a kennel outside and left alone. You stated that the pup "enjoyed the romp around my backyard" which is outside. If you're not keeping him outside in a kennel where he'll be left alone, in time with walks and romps, he'll learn that going outside is fun.

I can only hope that someone else who is loving and willing comes along to take the other pup. Good luck.
~Michelle

I adopted a shepherd-mix last spring and he too had noise issues, in fact I got some great advice from this forum on how to deal with it. It is still a work in progress, but totally worth it. We have limitless fun in areas where there is not a lot of noise( Beaches, woods) but he still gets spooked by motorcyles, loud trucks and the other street noises. As I said, we are still working through those issues. I try to focus most of our play time in the quiet areas, although I worry that I am just enabling his behavior...

As most other shelter dogs do, he hated cars, and got very anxious and sick even on short rides. It took many weeks, even months of taking him on very short rides to extremely fun places before he learned to associate being in a vehicle as a positive experience. Now he even tolerates being in a car for several hours at a clip for long distance travel with me, and is totally fine.

He also hated having his head touched, he would flinch and growl if you came near it. Now I can hold his head in my hands and smother it with kisses and he doesn't mind one bit. He has transformed from a shy, nervous dog to a lovable little mush who loves to cuddle up on the futon with me as I type to all you nice folks on my laptop! There is no limit to how much you can accomplish with lots of patience. If your gut tells you that this is a good match, you can make it work. Good luck.

Thanks to you all for the encouragement.

I have contacted my vet and trainer for advice and suggestions, and have sent the Rescue questions about the specifics of the pups' fears and their reactions. My next step awaits those replies because they will determine whether or not the outcome is likely to be successful.

Overall, I am encouraged by the pup's actions while at my place.

That said, I welcome additional input, especially from several experienced and knowledgeable regulars who haven't yet submitted their 2 cents.

Jean,

Working with a trainer is excellent advice. My dog, Sawyer, now 2yrs old, is a doberman-coonhound mix. He is easily spooked by noises (not necessarily loud ones) and also by things that are unfamiliar to him. For example, this morning as we went for our walk, there was a hanging basket that had blown from someone's yard into the alley. From his reaction, you would have thought there was a demon hiding inside the basket. Took me nearly five minutes to get him to pass by it in a relaxed state, but we did it!

This is just the way some dogs are. As others have said, it will be a constant work in progress. Working with a dog behaviorist when my dog was a puppy has helped me tremendously. A trainer will give you tips on what your dog needs from you to help deal with the spookiness. A trainer will also be able to hone in on your specific dog's needs.

Reading and watching Dog Whisperer has also helped me. I like trying to emulate Cesar's calm, pack leader mentality.

One of the theories my trainer told me is that spooky dogs are that way because they were taken away from their mothers too young. My dog was found wandering in the rural part of a nearby county, he was only 3 months old when he was found. So, this is likely true in Sawyer's case.

But it really doesn't matter why. What matters is how you deal with it. Shepherds are very clever dogs, very fast learners, so I have no doubt you can work with this dog.

I work every week on Sawyer's issues. My goal has been to introduce him to one new experience every week and get him to be "okay" with it. This week was the scary hanging basket. Next week, who knows?

Work with a trainer. If you don't have access to a good trainer, ask the folks at the rescue. They almost always know someone who can help.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Congrats on the potential new boy :)

Training may be able to work miracles here. The fact that he's not hand-shy is very important. I also think that the obedience classes are your best bet. I adopted a 3 yr old who was not hand-shy, but didn't like loud noises.

One of the best things about obedience classes with others is teaching a dog to focus on you even with distractions -- other people, other dogs. In addition, if you choose to pursue a CGC, then one of the primary lessons will be focus with loud noises and distractions. My 3 yr old Rusty had just such a problem. He adored other people and children, and did great on all his lessons. We had to work harder during the loud-noise portion though. The instructor would drop a chair or make some other loud sound (turn over a shopping cart, etc) and the goal was to make sure that Rusty focused on ME during those times, not the noise. This was 3 yr old dog turned into the shelter for "eating chickens" and "breaking his chain and getting out of his pen" (uggghhhh). He was a bag of bones.

He now easily visits the nursing home, and has no problem whatsoever with wheelchairs and loud noises that can sometimes be found in an alzheimers ward. The lack of handshyness was one major clue to his potential, along with overall temperament.

He does get nervous during thunderstorms and 4th of July. No doubt about it -- a 100 lb dog can be a lapful. That's when I've found "rescue remedy" to be a blessing. It really does work for him.

Since you have a good feeling about the pups and are willing to put them into training classes, I think you wll have a better time of it. Being careful with dogs who react strongly to oud noises and are "not wired quite right" is a test of patience and a journey into creative training. When my pup was younger he hated to be around alot of other dogs at once, needless to say training class was fun (not) so I picked out a dog he liked and we went out for play time just before class, and frequently during classes and again after class as a reward and as a way to keep my pup from overthinking things and thereby refusing to do what was asked. He spent alot of time hiding under a nearby chair during class, but when it came to be his time for reating - he was fine. He did everything asked of him, it just took a bit of coaxing to get him out from under the chair - to this day the vets office has to remove any chairs from the exam room or we never get him out. It is amazzing how a huge dog can wedge himself into a little ball and fit under a chair in the first place.
I recommend leash walking your new charge before bringin him home, watch for his reation to things. Be certain not to comfort him or acknowledge him if he does balk at noises or you will be inadvertently reinforcing his behavior. Trying to get their brains to snap out of a fear mode and into an okay mode can be a trial. Be patient and make certain your trainer is a positive reinforcement trainer, and ask if the trainer has any experience with dogs who are skiddish. Good luck with your choice and please post again so we can learn about what your choose.

Well, because the rescue group didn't respond to my questions, I continued using petfinder-dot-com to search for an adoptable German Shepherd that would be reasonably nearby.

I located one early Friday afternoon, and rushed to Animal Control to see him and arrange a pet meet. But because I was 4th in line for an adoption interview, there wasn't sufficient time to complete the process. I returned as soon as they opened Saturday.

The bottom line: I now have a beautiful 3 y.o. neutered male who is thought to be a purebred German Shepherd.

He's a gentle boy who willingly complies to a few commands (sit; come; shake). For some reason, he doesn't yet know down. (I figure that will soon come, in part because he loves the kibble rewards!)

The 2 dogs are getting along fine even though they are taking their time getting to know each other. No food guarding or other jealousy apparent.

Overall, I think he's an excellent match for our family!

Conratulations on your new boy. Post a pic of him when you can. It won't take him long to learn down (and any other command you want to teach him)....GSDs are so smart and eager to please. :-)

Aww I am sooooo happy for you. There are sooo many people afraid to adopt an adult dog. I've done it a few times and it has been utterly rewarding for me. I think people mostly fear the old wives tale of "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". Know what? YES you can. In fact, they thrive on it.

I can't wait to see pics! you made my day! :)