KC Registered GSD Pup looking for 5* home

This little lady has been with us for 9 weeks now and finds herself in this situation due to poor management during her 1st fear period. This has grown and been exacerbated by her determination and willfulness. Although she was shown nothing but love, her owners didn't know how to put boundaries in place and stop her from pushing them.



As a typical GSD puppy, she started to become a little anxious during that critical 1st socialisation period and although the owners did follow advice and take her to puppy classes, there was a serious lack of direction and she soon started to become reactive to strangers. She quickly learned that once backing away wasn't enough, barking was effective. When that stopped working, she started lunging and when that became ineffective, she started trying to grab with her mouth.



She was demanding lots of exercise and being over stimulated. This resulted in her becoming highly strung, reactive to people coming to the house and fearful of some folks she knew. The last straw was when a 'puppy walker' advised them that she was untrainable, obviously had neurological issues and should be PTS. She has been with us ever since.



They cited the following further issues:

*She never sits still in the house

*She patrols the boundaries/runs laps

*She barks at nothing

*She is afraid to get in the car

*She resource guards the car once in it



To begin with, we dropped her outside walks to ZERO. For the first 3 weeks, she was allowed to simply decompress and learn to settle. She was given no opportunity to ramp up her desire for stimulation.

*If she went outside and barked or patrolled, she came straight back in.

*She has to sit, wait, make eye contact and give paw before EVERY meal and wait her turn.

*She is learning to walk nicely on a halti.

*She now sits at the curb before crossing.



What we are working on -

*She is worried by the hoover. So it is switched on while she eats.

*She is muzzled when meeting anyone new. This is for the well being of all involved. Once she makes friends and trusts someone after a couple of meetings, she is fine. That being said, she ignores people and dogs when out on walks as long as they ignore her. We just walk past and do not allow her time to stress over things. She has started to relax in new company.

*We are working to build her confidence outside and helping her navigate the big wide world.

*She does not and has never shown guarding behaviour of the car and will happily get in.



We are utilising the services of a behaviourist/trainer, who is bringing her on in leaps and bounds. He is appalled that anyone would suggest that her problems were neurological and not anxiety based. He believes that with dedicated ongoing training and patience, she could blossom in to a wonderful companion and could even thrive if put to some kind of 'work'. She has the "all clear" from the vet.



Plus points -

*She is fully house trained/clean at night and will tell you if she needs to go outside.

*She sleeps in a crate and will sleep in it from 11pm to 8am without issue.

*She will go in her crate if no one is home.

*She understands a wide range of commands for her age (sit, down, wait, watch, paw, no, leave it, here and off).

*She is muzzle trained.

*She is eager to please.

*She is currently fed raw but will most likely eat whatever is offered.

*She does not seem to be reactive or anxious of other dogs.



What we are hoping for in her new home -



Ideally, we would like any potential rehoming to happen after at least one (preferably two) meetings in our home. We feel that anyone seriously considering rehoming her should see for themselves whether they feel they can work with her and if they can take her on with her anxiety.



The second meeting would be a trust building exercise and help her bond with a new owner. She is becoming wonderfully attached to her trainer and this occurred fairly quickly after their initial meeting. Once the trust is there, she will bond without exception. Our trainer is happy to mediate and/or give an honest opinion about her potential. If she stays local, he will happily continue to work with her and you.



She would thrive in a home with no children, somewhere quiet, with dedicated training, possibly - although not necessary - another dog to show her the way and someone happy to keep her mind stimulated.



We do not want her being passed from pillar to post so will not rehome her on a whim. To this end, she is not free but we are willing to negotiate somewhat with anyone seriously wanting her. She will come with an extensive puppy pack, all paperwork, contract, and life time support. All fees paid for her will be refunded to the previous owner. We will not be keeping a penny.



I apologise for the length of this ad but we won't sugar coat what we are working with here as we owe her the very best in life, having been failed already. We'd like to find the perfect home for her where she can finally be happy.



Thank you