DUCHESS II
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| NEEDS IMMEDIATE FOSTER CARE!
THIS BEAUTIFUL PUREBRED PUPPY BORN 12-02-07 IS JUST TURNING ONLY SIX MONTHS OLD. DAD SAYS SHE'S GOT TO GO NOW!
Duchess has been an outdoor gal and has been doing all of the things an active bored and lonley puppy does; digging, chewing , jumping up for attention and trying to find ways to amuse herself and expend her pent up energy.
She is said to be housebroken and crate trained and good with dogs and kids.
She has not been walked or socialized and will require a foster home with plenty of time for her. GSD puppy raising experience preferred.
We will help with training and acclimating her to indoor living. She's on the submissive side and will be evaluated, hopefully by the week of May 26th.
| Please help us help her
Duchess will be going into temporary foster care with a staff member to start
developing her social skills. She will join us at the park and learn to be comfortable in her own skin in a stimulating environment.
She currently lives with, plays with and loves her Labrador friend but we think
she would progress faster flying solo for a while. Teenagers OK..no toddlers or young children. Duchess has not had any exposure to cats.
This is a busy puppy with a whole new set of secondary teeth, and one that has not had much leadership so her foster parent will need to have ample time to spend with her. She's a good girl and well worth it.
If you are interested in fostering
Duchess II, please read about OUR FOSTER PROGRAM and submit a Foster Application (found on the Foster Program page).
One thing we know for sure; Duchess relies heavily on the cues of her leader; a relaxed and competent handler will play a big role in bolstering her confidence.
She is a happy, playful puppy who needed more exercise and stuff to keep her very smart brain busy. She's getting just that.
Dear Steff: I am doing well at Foster Camp. I have learned to wait patiently for my turn to go outside, and crate up immediately when I'm brought back in. I've been trying to catch the cat since I met her on the day I arrived, but she's just not cooperating...maybe this is not the wisest thing for me to do. We'll see.
Today I learned a new game -- "Chase Huey around the Yard." I'm not sure what the purpose of the game is, but it was sure great fun. Shadia keeps us all in line. If she thinks we're getting too rough, she steals the toy and keeps it until we quiet down and play nicely with each other. Shadia is the boss around here, so I make sure I'm very nice to her. I'm worn out, but wanted to send this off to you before I took my nap.
Oh, I forgot...I heard I'm going to Boot Camp tomorrow...I'm a little nervous about that...I have a feeling it won't be as much fun as summer camp.
Love, Duchess
DUCHESS AT BOOT CAMP 6/1:
Our feisty pup is learning how to properly meet new canines and accept the approach of unfamiliar humans. Here she meets Emma, Shiloh and Missy who are teaching her what a "buzz off kid" signal looks like.
Surrounded by fur kids she had never seen before, she gradually relaxed and accepted them closing in on her.
She settled down very quickly with the dogs and just wanted to play with everyone. Strange humans coming straight at her still evoke a very defensive
reaction. She will be visiting Petsmart and other locations where strangers abound.
She's a bold gal learning the social skills she was never taught. Duchess is a very quick study and is making rapid progress.
UPDATE 6/10:
Duchess joined the Boot Camp crowd again this past Sunday and this time no barking, no lunging and lots of awe with all things new...like an entire baseball team walking off the field toward her and another taking their place...don't think she's ever seen that many humans in one place at one time. She sat politely and watched in amazement...good girl!
She was friendly and outgoing with all species and obviously enjoyed herself. Sure beats being afraid!
UPDATE 6/16:
Our gal was moved to her new foster home this past Saturday. She is holding her own well with, what to an underexposed GSD, amounts to a "strange" group of new friends; a wire coated Ibizan Hound, a Greyhound and an Irish Wolfhound so she's definitely the shrimp in the group!
On the street, she's still reactive to people she doesn't know, however, she is in very capable and experienced hands with a retired K9 and SAR officer, foster Mom Alice.
Duchess will no longer be able to attend Boot Camp as she's too far away but Alice will be taking her all over and exposing her to lots of strangers.
Here's her day #2 foster report:
D is really wonderful in that she wants to be with her people every where
they go, yet she is not clingy or needy. As I move about the house in my
daily chores she is always nearby, but not under foot. If I sit down to do
the computer or watch TV she finds a place to lay down in the vicinity, and
stays there until I start moving again.
She is not afraid of the vacuum cleaner, which is a blessing considering
she is of that breed best known as German Shedders.
She woke up at 2:30 am last night and gave a sharp yip and was sitting up in
a squat in her crate so I opened the crate door and she flew across the
room and out the dog door and went potty outside.
No stranger contacts today, nobody is out due to heat and don't expect
there to be much change till the end of the week.
Alice
Our pretty puppy is growing quite a bit although it's hard to tell when she's near Quinn!
She's learning obedience very quickly yet still barks defensively at even people she knows after they've been out of sight for a little while. She settles quickly if ignored or spoken to gently. Duchess is an interesting dichotomy of confidence in some areas and lack of same in others. This is likely due to both genetics as well as possibly being dealt with too harshly. Lack of exposure sure didn't help. Obviously very big dogs don't seem to intimidate her!
She will be saturated with strangers right after she recovers from her spay surgery which is scheduled for July 11th.
UPDATE JULY 26TH:
Duchess was spayed as scheduled and her sutures removed this past week. She has been moved back to the Phoenix area so that we can start showing her.
The weather is not real conducive to lots of socialization, however, her foster Mom reports that's she been only a little tentative at first but fine with strangers.
Duchess is ready for a patient and committed home with the time needed to raise a youngster. She is a beautiful, papered gal out of American lines and eager to worm her way into your heart.
UPDATE 9/8:
This gal, on intake, appeared to be a typical AKC American bred puppy. Her drive levels, however, recently prompted us to take a closer look at her papers;
Her sire is Czech out of all Czech Border Patrol/working lines!
Duchess can go, go, go and keep on going. This also helps explain her initial 'stranger danger.' She is also very athletic and will be a beautiful adult.
Someone with GSD/training experience and time would best be able to bring out her full potential. We're betting that once bonded she will be protective of her person and property.
We're hoping for a break in the weather so that we may, once again, get her out into the real world and saturate her with socialization and walks on the street.
She is now fine with other dogs and ready for exposure to more stimulating environments. This puppy is at a prime age for some real training...anyone, anyone?
UPDATE 10/8:
Duchess' foster Mom is starting up classes on her property on Sunday the 19th
so Duchess will finally have the opportunity to be exposed to lots of new people, dogs and activity. Meanwhile we will try to get her out to the park before then.
Duchess....are you ready?
UPDATE 10/19:
Unfortunately the heat kept all of those expected "strangers" at bay today so we will try again next weekend. We did get to see Duchess manifest her protective instincts with a degree of unpredictability.
She took a while to warm up and approach; we spent 45 minutes playing, all sweetness and light then, having to pass through he front yard and door to leave,
she did her "stranger stay back" routine. Hard to comprehend after spending the previous hour interacting together.
As for other dogs, aside from coming on a bit enthusiastically, all she wants to do is play. Duchess still needs work, requires GSD experience and will be placed in an adult only home. She will definitley be protective of her pack and property.
AGAIN, Duchess cannot be placed in a home with any children including those who just visit periodically. She requires a qualified handler to deal with her sporadic defensive behavior.
This is a very smart and very active gal who will do very well with consistent training and appropriate corrections when over reacting to some strangers.
We took another trainer to visit and evaluate her behavior and Duchess was tentative at first then all about "let's play." We'll be going back again to see if she "remembers" the trainer. Her response is fear based and can be overcome with extensive socialization. Unfortunately we are working with so many dogs previously neglected by their former owners in that area that it is difficult to find the time Duchess needs. She is however so worth the effort.
Adoption fee $325.00.
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UPDATE 5/25:
Duchess' evaluation presented the results of no real exposure to the outside world, that is, outside of her own property and all things familiar. She has "stranger danger"...a fear of people unknown to her, and is a bit jumpy with strange sounds or objects. She recovers quickly once she realizes there is no threat, then explores and sniffs willingly. Her response to dogs she does not know is defensive...she puts up a strong front but would retreat if able. With time and extensive socialization, we expect her to make great strides.
As with most such youngsters, if approached patiently and appropriately, she's just a warm n fuzzy, lovable little girl full of affection.
She is a very appealing young lady with a beautiful headpiece. We expect her journey towards more confidence to be relatively short as she is young, curious and receptive.
Her temporary foster will be heading out of town in June, so Duchess will need
a more long term foster home while we spay and prepare her for adoption.
UPDATE 5/29:
Duchess is doing beautifully in her foster home. She's friendly and outgoing with all 2 and 4 legged residents and amusingly curious about Bean, the dog tester kitty. Our challenge will come in getting her comfortable and confident in public places and with approaching strangers and strange dogs.
