DUCHESS
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| DUCHESS was born on December 2, 2007 and has been in our program since late puppyhood. She had been a backyard dog when we rescued her; no training or exposure to the world outside of her yard.
She was initially jumpy with unfamiliar sounds and had what we term "stranger danger". After being in foster care, she has became very confident, however, she has always shown some erratic defensive behavior (barking and lunging) with some folks unfamiliar to her. That said, if the same person she was cautious about pulled out a ball to play, her entire demeanor instantly changes and all is forgotten!
PUPPY DUCHESS--THE EARLY DAYS  
  Her foster Mom has no problems at all with her and finds her to be a highly active softie in, what has become, very familiar turf and routine. Unfortunately circumstances have not afforded us the opportunity to provide the extensive socialization she requires. Duchess must, literally, be saturated with exposure to the real world. She requires a confident and experienced handler upon whom she can rely for making decisions when she is uncertain. Duchess is out of primarily high drive Czech lines and is very ball driven...she can go all day long and is a very high energy lady. She knows her basic obedience commands and is very complaint. Due to her sometimes sporadic defensive behavior, she will not be placed with any children and is too high in prey for cats. She has played well with dogs once she knows them but has not been introduced nose-to-nose to strange dogs for quite a while. Currently she plays along the fence line with her canine friends. DUCHESS WITH OLD FRIENDS WHO HAVE COME & GONE      Duchess playing with her buddy Justy who has since been adopted Once bonded, Duchess will be very protective of her property and person and, as with all German Shepherds, calls for responsible ownership. SWGSR will pay for her attendance and completion of an approved group obedience class where she can hone her skills in a public setting. This is a very smart and pretty youngster for whom the right person has not yet come along..could you be that person? UPDATE 3/10: We paid our gal a visit yesterday and she seems to have mellowed somewhat. She was forthcoming, friendly and all about play; this lady can run like the wind. We made sure we were sitting first since we were right in her front yard...she was not protective and just happy to see an old friend. As with all GSDs, she has lightened up a bit with maturity both in coat and attitude...Duchess seems generally more relaxed. We're eager to get her into a group class soon and widen her horizons.
UPDATE 10/3: We finally found time to bring Duchess out to the park recently.....thank you Aunt Becki.... an environment she has not seen for a long time. What we observed was fear and uncertainty when pushed a little..we could see her going through a thought process; should I bite or run? The difference this time was an obvious decision on her part to trust and do neither...ah, progress! We've recruited one of volunteers and will be visiting Duchess on her property initially, then as soon as the next class starts, will be taking her for the entire session...THANK YOU DARLENE! We want her to be totally comfortable in a distracting situation around strangers and dogs unfamiliar to her. Please watch her progress here. Again, Duchess will require some GSD experience, no kids or cats. Duchess is spayed, vaccinated, chipped, crate, leash, house trained and trained in basic obedience. She is more than ready for "forever". UPDATE NOV 2010: We have been working with Duchess, on her property, for at least two hours every week. The hope is that we can eventually take her into a group class. The process has been very slow requiring great patience and consistency. And that's been her problem. As soon as she is pushed the slightest bit or if she is out of her comfort zone, it becomes 'flight or bite'. We know how to handle that; the challenge is finding an owner who can. As she has shown us many times in the past, Duchess is unpredictable. We can spend considerable time getting her to relax, trust and comply, then after a short respit, she will lunge and bark as though we had just arrived which has been her pattern all along.
This is a very bright, beautiful and athletic dog who learns quickly but must leave the decision making to her leader. Duchess wants to make the decisions which are not always sound, so a competent leader is imperative. Do whatever Duchess wants...playing ball, swimming, etc., and she's a doll. But that's not practical in the real world. We brought a dog with us this past week, took our time making introductions as Duchess' social skills need honing. The end result had the two of them running and playing ball together...until the male gave her a playful nip on the butt. It only took a minor intervention and did not escalate to a full blown fight; she had the right to object, however, it is our goal to increase her tolerance levels. We are hopeful that by next week we can start working Duchess away from what is so familiar to her. Regardless, we're not giving up... Adoption fee $350.00.
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