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Ember is a black, active and
energetic 6-month-old female German Shepherd. She came into GSRNE
along with 6 other GSDs when their breeder decided to get out of the
breeding business. The puppies had not sold when they were small,
and he realized it was too much to train, socialize and care for
this many dogs. When he called GSRNE, we scrambled to get all 7 of
his dogs evaluated on the same day; and, when they all passed their
evaluations, we moved them into foster or temporary foster homes.
Over the past two months, we’ve
gotten to know Ember as an individual and have watched her learning
so many things. She’s been living with an adult male GSD, who had
been adopted from GSRNE a few years ago and has been a good role
model for her. He’s been patient with her puppy antics and her
teasing when trying to get him to play. When out for a walk, Ember
will bark aggressively when she sees another dog, but she’s learning
to transfer attention to her leader and keep walking. When she gets
close to another dog, she’s mostly just curious.
Ember is also living with cats in
her foster home, and it’s a constant management process to distract
her from trying to chase them. She does have a high prey drive and
will want to chase any new cats she meets, as well as squirrels,
chipmunks and anything that runs. As with any highly-intelligent
dog, Ember could take over a household if good training and
leadership is not given from the start and given consistently.
Training doesn’t have to be a “chore,” though, and should be
incorporated into daily activities and playtimes; she LOVES to play
and enjoys learning new things.
From the start, we’ve seen that
Ember can be independent and strong-willed about getting her way;
but, at the same time, she’s a very loving dog and looks for close
contact and a chance to share affection. She’s still growing and
learning, and her ideal home will be one with German Shepherd
experience, good leadership skills and a commitment to including
Ember in family activities. She will blossom as she continues to
get her daily exercise and mental stimulation, and she’s just
waiting for a chance to show what she can do in her forever home.
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