3 words: HAPPY; ENERGETIC; LOVING.

“Simon” is all that and much more. He is a gorgeous, tan-and-black, adolescent (est. <2 years), smart, inquisitive, male GSD of ~70#. He appears to have had few life experiences, so every experience seems to be a first. He came into BAGSR as a “blank slate” and was quickly house trained, learned to walk on a loose leash, and mastered basic obedience. He loves to play, both chasing his older foster sister around the hillside and wrestling with her on the floor while she recharges for more play. His play can be a bit on the rough side, and he can be a bit pushy or dominant with timid dogs, but accepts single verbal command to scale it back. We think he’d love to have a home with confident adult female dog.

 

“Simon” really likes a lot of activity going on around him. He’s good with all people he’s met, including young children who are comfortable around large dogs. He likes to be petted and cuddled, and will settle at your feet at night while the day winds down. “Simon” has a very active mind. The adage “a good dog is a tired dog” could have been custom written for him.  To be the best possible dog, he needs exercise to start every day, both physical and mental. This has made training easy. He is also very food motivated, with a gentle mouth for treats,  and loves to learn.  That said, he can resource guard food, so he should be fed across the room from another dog.

 

“Simon” is a very happy dog, and he loves being outside with a dog buddy or his person. He also LOVES water. We suspect he’d love a home where he can go swimming, although even a wading pool would delight him. He is a sloppy water drinker, sometimes putting a paw in the bowl.

Initially crate trained, he now sleeps free on a dog bed (or sometimes the couch).  He likes the presence of a person and another dog. He will bark when left alone but stops after a minute or two of objecting. He rides well in the car with another dog, but can get anxious in a car alone.

 

“Simon” is a very smart GSD. He needs consistent leadership or he will try to set his rules to fill that void. The rules must be consistent or he will challenge to see if today the rule is different. It wouldn’t surprise me if he liked conformation and agility training and competition. He loves to run and jump, although he has never tried to jump the modest height fences of the yard. He clearly wants to be with his pack. He’s mastered most of the basic obedience commands, and has a fairly reliable “come” even from a distraction such as squirrels in the yard or workmen in the adjacent yard. He can be bark-y but we’re working  on the off switch to alarm barking using a squirt bottle which he now just needs to see.

 

His ideal world would have activity and lots of stimulation, another dog, and his person or family around more than not. I think he’d love going to formal obedience classes.

One important thing to know about “Simon” is that he’s been diagnosed with Hemophilia type A (genetic; in ~10% of normal range). He can lead a normal life but is at serious risk without immediate medical care if he’s involved in a trauma. Then blood transfusion and a period of crate rest may be needed. So a career as an action movie stunt double or a wilderness SAR dog is inappropriate. The vet tells us he should have a normal lifespan if he keeps away from risky behavior. In foster he’s encountered some surface scrapes and small cuts in his mouth which weren’t much of a problem; though clotting took a bit longer, they didn’t require a vet visit.