DUCHESS
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| Duchess was born on April 4, 2003 and has been with her current owners her entire life. They are very caring and loving seniors and spared no expense when it came to their little girl. Unfortunately, they didn't know about the importance of socializing their German Shepherd puppy. They did do a few gatherings provided by Duchess' local breeder and even had someone come to their home for training help, however, that did not provide a puppy lacking confidence with the exposure needed nor did it give them the leadership skills this dog desperately needed.
They want to keep Duchess but will be downsizing and moving in with relatives; family with small grand kids, so Duchess must have a new home. For starters, Duchess has a recorded bite. She was out walking with Dad when they spotted a couple of nearby Bobcats at which point Duchess switched gears into defense drive and while overwhelmed with fear, a neighbor approached...Duchess broke loose and nipped the neighbor. No medical attention necessary and no complaint filed but her owners reported it. Duchess can only be described as fearful; wary of strangers and defensive with animals unfamiliar to her. She is an absolute sweetheart when in her comfort zone. When her folks came to us some time ago and after speaking with them at length, it was apparent that we would not even be able to show Duchess without some work. They heeded our advice and hooked up with the recommended trainer. Starting with a beginner class where Duchess spent the first several sessions trembling from head to toe, and where Dad learned very quickly about all of the mistakes previously made. They have since progressed through intermediate classes and are currently in advanced obedience. We visited class today and there is no doubt that Duchess (and her folks) have made tremendous strides. She works well alongside lots of strange dogs, focuses on her handler, and now knows her obedience well. In the past, as a stranger to her, our evaluator could barely get close. Today we petted her, took her leash and she obeyed all commands....all a big leap for this pretty coated (LONG HAIR) GSD. Regardless, it was clear that all she really wanted was to get back and close to Daddy. We have requested that while in class, people other than her owner start handling her. Duchess needs a very special owner who will continue to work toward building her confidence and relying on her handler's cues as opposed to lashing out when afraid...she had already demonstrated she can do it in the right hands. It does not negate the reality, however, that Duchess will always be a fearful gal; in addition to lack of socialization, it is also genetic. Absolutely no kids, cats are fine, possibly another dog with the right temperament, and an experienced handler who knows how to respond to inappropriate behavior, is what her future requires. Duchess is housetrained, not destructive when left alone, spayed, current with shots, crate trained, obedience trained, micro chipped and is a very loving, submissive little girl. Adoption fee $175.00.
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