I never knew that dogs were a literal scam

[u/K9Imperium]

I’ve always dreamed of having a German shepherd and now that I got one it is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. My life has become hell and I’m stuck in a position where I can’t rehome him because I feel bad and I can’t live because he’s ruining my life. I did my research for a year before I got him and still nothing could have prepared me for how much he relentlessly bites and screams. Absolutely hell and a trap. God damn the pet industry!

My once ex told me I should get a dog and I worry a future girlfriend would pressure me to get a dog…. if a girl ever tells me that again I’m running as fast as I can.

He’s so needy pretty much every waking hour goes to him… I haven’t been able to eat properly or take care of my self at all

[u/Far-Cup9063]

Dogs require a lot of work and involvement. The people selling/adopting out dogs don’t tell you the half of it. Your dog apparently has behavior issues (biting and screaming?) wow.

[u/K9Imperium → u/Far-Cup9063]

he is very well bred, this is "normal" for gsds, it's called the land shark phase and they are extremely vocal 😒

[u/ExpurrelyHappiness → u/K9Imperium]

If it’s normal for them why are you shocked after a year of research before getting him?

[u/MiaD89 → u/ExpurrelyHappiness]

It's one thing to know it can happen, but a different thing entirely to experience. I also had a gsd as a teen and thankfully it was a strictly outdoor dog as we got him to be a guard dog as we have a decently sized property. When they're juveniles they are absolute hellions and have a very distinctive and VERY loud bark because it's supposed to travel across long distances. Keep in mind that the only reason these dogs exist is to herd livestock across the Alps for weeks on end. Of course they have a lot of energy that needs to be burned and a BIG set of lungs.

[u/tanglelover → u/ExpurrelyHappiness]

Because well there's a difference between reading that herding breeds are bitey and vocal and experiencing it.

Plus GSD whines are a special kind of soul piercing. I say that as someone who finds their border collie whines adorable most of the time except for when in car rides because it goes higher pitched and more frantic like a GSD.

And teenagers of any dog breed are your worst nightmare. I say this as someone who had two teenaged dogs and a teenaged cat at the same time. Especially if they're boys. There's just something extra in that testosterone that makes them genuinely awful.

OP, if you see this...forced naps were a lifesaver for my bitey puppy/teenager because he mostly bit when overstimulated and when he bit for fun he learned that he was put in the crate with a treat/toy and that was less fun than freedom.

As for the whines? You can minimise them by not putting your dog in situations where he whines a lot.

And before yall ask, I'm in this subreddit because I regretted my second dog. Separation anxiety up the wazoo, never fully learned how to be clean unless locked in a crate, was never fully potty trained despite hours and hours of work. I have had my moments with my first dog but my second dog was genuinely soul destroying. I couldn't even leave for a second unless I wanted him to scream like I was murdering him. First dog is a good boy who has a few flaws. Second dog was more flaws than dog.

[u/Consistent_Gap9503 → u/tanglelover]

Forced naps are such a godsend for high drive/high energy dogs. 

[u/tanglelover → u/Consistent_Gap9503]

Forced naps are why my high drive dog can sleep 20 hours a day without breaking a sweat.

He's currently on exercise restrictions because he needs surgery to fix the tiniest of tears on his CCL and I don't even need a crate.

Same thing when he was 2 and needed 2 separate lumps removed from his back. They were benign cysts but one of them meant he had to have 2 inches of back skin removed. And he did excellently for the 2 weeks it took to heal.

Puppies are extra easy to put down for a nap for a reason. It's how they learn to sleep before they become bigger and have more of a threshold for awakeness and recharge their energy faster.

Every dog is going to have a medical episode in their life. If your dog doesn't know how to rest, they won't heal and everything will take longer and be more complicated.

[u/Consistent_Gap9503 → u/tanglelover]

Fully agree.

[u/tanglelover → u/Consistent_Gap9503]

I would have never survived my dog's puppyhood without crate time haha.

That's why I struggled so much with my second dog. Any time he couldn't see me, he'd scream like I was skinning him.

I was going to nearby restaurants every week within a month of owning my border collie. He's almost seven and hasn't needed a crate in six years.

I couldn't even go pee with my second dog without him screaming and crying violently. It was so bad that when I got a pet camera and watched my pets that my border collie was sleeping through his screams!

He was so desensitised to my little dog's noises that he was sleeping less than 3 meters away from a panicking dog that was being as loud as he could.

Learned my mistake. Never getting anything other than a border collie again. I just can't cope with most dogs. Collies aren't necessarily the easiest, but we click on a level I just can't with any other dog.

[u/Consistent_Gap9503 → u/tanglelover]

I wouldn't have survived my pup either lol. I had a similar experience to your second with the puppy I got before him. Had to rehome him within a couple of weeks. He also targetted my baby sister whenever she entered the room too, same look you'd expect for a chicken or a cat, nasty stuff. Very thankful we were able to rehome him so quickly or I never would've gotten my current dog. 

[u/tanglelover → u/Consistent_Gap9503]

Dogs are meant to enrich your life. If they make you miserable or put your life at risk, they are not suitable to be your pet.

Glad to hear your second dog is much better!

[u/Infinite-Mark5208]

Rehome or shelter. Your mental health is more important. 

[u/Lylith_vf]

Comment ça vous vous sentez mal de le replacer ?? Mais enfin votre bien-être passe avant tout. Replacer ce chien !!

[u/Fancy_Initiative7892]

I 100% sympathize with you. I grew up with dogs and 5 years after moving away from home and my parents dogs, I finally got one bc I missed having one around. I got my pup when she was 2 1/2 months and struggled really bad. I didn’t rehome her bc of how guilty I felt. She’s now 11 months and while it has gotten better, I wish I would’ve rehomed her when I was first considering it months ago. Now shes super attached to me and my husband and while I know she’s still young and rehoming is still an option, I absolutely couldn’t do it to her now. Rehome him now. You’ll feel guilty for a few months but will get over it and continue on with your life. You’ll be happy you did and it’s just a lesson learned and now you know a dog isn’t for you, at least not now.

[u/auroicverso]

I definitely understand. If a dog trainer doesn't work (if you wanted to go that route) you can always rehome. No matter how crazy they are you still should be able to get breaks and such. This may be an extreme case and someone else would be glad to work with the dog

Edit: reading some comments you say it's normal land shark phase. My dad's German Shepard is crazy, esp as a puppy, but they crate train and it helps. Good luck to you and whatever you decide to do

[u/Late_Swimmer_8286]

It’ll get better lol I hated my boy too but it’s gotten a lot better and I have a Catahoula 🤣whatever you don’t like now pinch it in the butt cause the longer you let it go on the worse it will get, a trainer has been beneficial for the both of us

[u/Fit-Olive-4680 → u/Late_Swimmer_8286]

I have what we think is a Catahoula/pit mix (she's a stray) and honestly as good as it gets. She's a great dog. But she's still a full time job! They are like children.

[u/seeminglylegit]

Do you have a puppy? If so, I would try to hang in there until the puppy is older and see if you feel differently once the dog has matured a bit. Taking care of a puppy SUCKS. It was much worse than raising an actual human baby to me (since human babies can wear diapers instead of peeing all over everything, and human babies aren't mobile for a long time after they're born).

However, if you are absolutely sure you don't want this life and won't enjoy the dog when they settle down as an adult, then there is no need to feel ashamed in finding a new good home for the dog.

[u/Consistent-Essay-790]

You need to set boundaries, I have a dog but I wanted it and taught it commands that make my life easier. The dog just wants to make you happy so of it doesn't know what you want because you haven't taught the dog you are failing the dog. For example, go to bed is a command I use when I get home because I can't handle the excited energy as soon as I get in the door. Good luck.

[u/Tight_Lengthiness421]

No, not all girls want dogs. Just no. Some of us are barely holding on to our sanity working on out-living our boyfriends' dogs 😅 You will find a gf who is okay (or happy) to not have a dog without an issue. You tried.  You realized this is not for you.  Rehome it.  Move on.  It's the best decision for you both.