# 3 YO European GS for rehoming



## Lisette883 (Sep 14, 2014)

Addy is my heart. But I don't think I can keep her anymore. She's a 3 year old spayed AKC-registered GSD who is sensitive and a sweetheart. She comes from a very high drive line and has a moderate drive, with low confidence/some anxiety impulse control issues. 

She's very sharp, really wants to please. Knows a million and three commands. Everything from stick 'em up, speak, and "bang" to formal heeling and obedience commands. She also is crazy about scent work and her favorite game is to find a toy you've hidden. She'll search for ten minutes without getting bored! However, she is moderately leash reactive to other dogs (we've worked through most of this, but I expect with a new handler and a new situation, she might regress). She actually would be happiest with another dog/dogs in the home. But the introductions should be handled slowly (I've boarded several dogs and it's never taken over a week) as she is a little nervous and has issues with guarding balls/toys from other dogs. After she knows a dog though, she's a very savvy player and loves playing. Is gentle even with tiny dogs. She's also great with cats and people.

Except babies. I have a nine month old, and while she's generally very appropriate with him, resource guarding has crept back in in a big way. We've been doing lots of work with counterconditioning to prevent resource guarding issues with him since it was an issue when I first got her (now completely gone with me and other adults). For example, touching her toy while I hold him, then treating her. Then taking the toy, giving it back immediately plus treat, etc. Putting it in baby's lap, giving it back, treat, etc. And she's been comfortable throughout this process. 

But over the last two weeks, I've seen scary almost instantaneous instances of resource guarding from the baby. One, I was on the floor with him (new) giving him a taste of ice cream, and she walked by, took one look at me giving him ice cream, then he turned to crawl toward her at the wrong moment and she got triggered. She lunged for him and her teeth made contact, though skin was not broken. While it breaks my heart, resource guarding is not a management issue I can handle between dogs and a soon-to-be toddler. She'd have to be bomb proof.

So that's the deal. I adore her. She has a million amazing qualities, and I think a great trainer would have the makings of a heart dog (super intuitive when I'm sick or not feeling well, super snuggly. just adorable). She also hasn't crossed any hard to uncross lines. Before lunging towards the baby, she had no bite history with any person, and she's still never broken skin. She's very stable around most people. While she has gotten into scuffles with other dogs (fewer than five times) and needs management, she's never broken skin there either. She can learn anything you want to teach her. She's young. Gorgeous. Has great hips. No serious health issues (though some food allergies, she still eats non-prescription dog food and copes well on over-the-counter Benadryl)

She's for free to a good home on the condition that you let me Facebook stalk you and/or otherwise send me the occasional update, and promise that if you do decide to rehome her, you simply give her back to me, no questions asked. 

I never thought I'd be doing this. But I just don't think I could live with myself if something happened 



















These are recent pictures from the last couple weeks. She doesn't need a Gentle Leader unless she's going somewhere where there are likely to be unleashed dogs who come up and greet her. But note, she's perfectly comfortable with her lab friend I was walking for the week- she's great with other dogs if introductions are not rushed and done carefully.

In the tristate area. Transportation assistance is available.


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## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

She's beautiful! Tri state area...is that up near New York? Doesn't sound anywhere close to me unfortunately.


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## Lisette883 (Sep 14, 2014)

Yes. Near NY. 

I'm not in a super rush as I can keep them completely separate/use a muzzle until I find the right home. I will say that in my write-up I'm being very honest/pessimistic and not understating any problems. 

In sum, she came with a lot of issues, and of course still has the underlying propensity for them, which is why I want her to go to a home that knows what they're doing. But she's made some great progress. Her underlying issues are that she's anxious/prone to fear aggression with other dogs. Clicker and BAT work have largely worked through that. When I'm handling her she now only barks directly in front of our apartment building or if an unleashed dog runs up to her to say hello (despite my letting the owner know it's not a good idea). When she does bark, it's no longer the lost her head, can't be reached by food or voice kind of bark. It's a bark or two that is quickly stopped when I say her name or use gentle upwards leash pressure to get her to sit and look at me. And like I mentioned, the few times there has been a fight, never any skin broken, so she shows great bite inhibition.

I'm not 100% sure that her teeth touched the baby when she lunged at him. There were no marks/bruising. But she did go for the top of his head, and it's just not a risk I can take. 

So best home for her Addy in my opinion? Someone who's a savvy dog handler- all the better if you like to do things with your dog. Addy's game for anything. Fetch, the water, hiking, any sort of formal dog competitive work. That home can also have cats, dogs, and older children. But Addy should probably always be separated from toddlers/babies unless someone knows her well is right there and there are no resources that could trigger her. 

Agh. so heartbreaking  I'm totally okay with this being a trial placement. I want her to find a home that is a great fit.

Just an FYI: Her parents were police dogs/schutzhunds. I didn't know that when I got her from the rescue. And I'm not sure her temperament is suited for it, due to the lack of confidence. But she's a sharp, strong athlete. And as the physical and mental demands of training go, nothing's beyond her. She even recently learned how to pick up her toys and put them back in the laundry hamper.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

The rescue doesn't have a clause that you return her to them?


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## Lisette883 (Sep 14, 2014)

No. Nor have I looked into giving her back to her breeder at this point - both for reasons I'm happy to go into offline to anyone who's interested.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Have you tried contacting these people to see if there's anything they could help with? If you're in the tri-state area, they aren't too far.

Shepherds Hope Rescue


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## Lisette883 (Sep 14, 2014)

Hi Lucy- thanks for the suggestion. I'm definitely willing to consider working with a rescue. I know many of them do great work. But at this point, I think everyone's interests are better served by my attempting a private rehoming. 

I've worked closely with a lot of rescues, and while they offer an invaluable service, they're not perfect. A lot of times, information gets lost in the telephone game translation between the family giving up the dog, the rescue and the new family. I want to be sure a family knows exactly what they're getting with her. I also want to know about them. I know that shelters vet potential families, and the importance of it. I am well placed to do the same. 

I also want to make sure that if they decide to give her up, that she comes back to me instead of going through yet another translation process with even less complete info. It's great that shelters make a permanent commitment to dogs they take in, but as much as that's reasonably possible, I want to do that too and am better placed. And what if the shelter closes or loses paperwork? I've seen that happen (the rescue I got Addy from closed). 

Last, is shelters often have privacy arrangements whereby if you give up your dog to them you lose all rights and don't get to know what happens to her, where she goes, or even whether she's put down. And that I'm not ok with. 

All that sounds very anti-shelter. I'm not. I just think that in this case, if I can place her privately, everyone's better off.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

lissette, i have to ask, is the picture with the lab taken at either stokes forest or along th appalachian trail in jersey?


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## Lisette883 (Sep 14, 2014)

Hah. Central Park, if you'd believe it  

Though I see why you'd say the Appalachian Trail in Jersey. We've never been to Stokes.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

never would have guessed central park. stokes forest is in very north west nj. 10 minutes from milford pa.


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## Mamie (May 13, 2014)

Hi- This is Mamie in GA. I've just had to rehome my 14 mo. old neutered male with my trainer. I raised him from 7 weeks old. I read your story, as I was online seeking folks to reach out to who'd been through a heartbreaking decision such as mine. Have you gotten through it? I realize that your baby was the #1 reason for your decision, which is Completely Understood. I had no children at home, but my dog was so high drive that we couldn't walk him normally outside of our property even with an e-collar AND a prong collar and much muscle. My heart is so heavy. I fear all the evil in the world that could touch him without me there.


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