OLIVER
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| This handsome sable was three years old on April 13th. He came from a local breeder of working lines who used very poor judgment or outright indifference
having sold him to family for whom Oliver was not well suited AND, at the age of only six weeks to boot!
He is fairly high drive with no place to put those drives; insufficient activity, never socialized, and lives outside but sleeps in an air cooled garage with only an occasional visit indoors.
Oliver's current family has another, dominant male GSD, two toddlers and Dad travels a lot for business. They recently sent him off to be trained but did not work with him or train themselves. According to the trainer, Oliver did well with other dogs including a smaller terriers. He is also said to be friendly to strangers and ignores a cat. Then again, he has not had the opportunity to share his space as an indoor member of his family. The trainer also recommended using drugs to control his stored energy which we have requested be withdrawn in favor of more walks and playtime. As is frequently the case, when Oliver returned from training, the other male would not accept him so they must now be separated at all times. He is too active and excited around the kids (just licks them repeatedly) who are afraid of him. He's kept separated from them as well. Poor Oliver..it's obvious he just needs exercise, attention and direction and he's been waiting a long time for all of it. In essence, Oliver needs a qualified foster home ASAP. He is scheduled to be evaluated the weekend of August 29th...please check back. If you are interested in fostering Oliver, please read about OUR FOSTER PROGRAM and submit a Foster Application (found on the Foster Program page). Oliver is neutered, chipped and current with shots, housebroken and crate trained.
All that said, Ollie now has a solid obedience foundation and is well started for continuing education. He was responsive and compliant with our evaluator yet needs to settle a bit before heeling...he's simply so very excited to be with his person or to be going anywhere! Once again, Oliver desperately needs to get out of the heat and isolation in order to begin his role as an indoor member of someone's family. As soon as the temperatures drop we will be exposing him to a group of strange dogs to see how he does. For now, a foster home is job one. This is a very nice young boy more than ready for a 2nd shot.
UPDATE 10/10: Ollie spent some time with us in close proximity to an advanced obedience class in progress. We walked him around the other dogs and asked that he hold his 'sits' and 'downs' close to the other dogs. At the conclusion of the class he had an up close and personal meeting with a small but dominant female. Aside from being very excited with all of the stimulation, and given his prior lack of exposure to such a distracting environment, Ollie did really well. His previous training was, for the most part, not in evidence, but once he realized who the leader was, he did his very best to comply. It seems what he wanted most is to rip loose, run and play some ball, interact with people and well, who can blame him? There was not an ounce of aggression and no real resistance to strong corrections. His social skills need some polish..he comes on a bit strong..yet once settled he was totally appropriate and patient with his introduction to the unfamiliar female. Oliver is a muscular 96 pounds and very strong. He's a very balanced and loving guy often very puppy like. He has higher than average drives. He will do best with someone physically strong and experienced. After some group obedience sessions and in the right hands he should be ready for his Canine Good Citizen certificate. This is a very sound, affectionate boy begging for attention and activity..no couch potatoes please. UPDATE 11/28: Ollie's Dad is leaving soon for a lengthy out-of-state work project and Mom wants Oliver gone before Dad leaves; it's too difficult keeping the two male dogs separated, dealing with young children, etc. We really don't want to have to put Ollie in indefinite boarding; our Christmas wish for him is a qualified temporary indoor home until placed...can you help? ....German Shepherd experience required please UPDATE 12/26: It was moving day for Ollie...out of the yard and into a home. But first things first; he has to get warm n fuzzy with another, large male. Many thanks to Darlene & Monty for stepping up to the challenge....their house will be a busy, GSD-filled sanctuary for a while and Oliver will be discovering a whole new world filled with people, other dogs and attention...HAPPY NEW YEAR, BUDDY.
We will be spending some time "living" with Ollie before he's ready to move on.
UPDATE 1/18: Ollie's fosters had to tend to their daughter's wedding this past weekend. The festivities included lots of visiting friends and relatives, some of whom spent a weekend at Darlene & Keith's cabin up North. Oliver also started his obedience class last weekend, missed this past one due to the wedding and trip and will resume class this coming weekend. By the time he's finished with 'school' he'll be ready for his forever home. Here's foster Mom's wedding weekend report: Hey Steff, Oliver has had a very busy and eventful past week. He started classes, had many new people come and go from his foster home and took a trip without his canine companions to the cabin. Here are just a few pictures of his time up north. I took just Oliver with me because we had 11 humans occupying the cabin. I think the time with him, by himself, and a house full of strangers in a new environment was a good experience for him. It was a stressful time, but he handled the situation with only minor nervousness. He did have to make sure I was close at hand at all times but did make acquaintances with most of the people there. There was more shyness with the men than with the women. He is doing well. Right now he and I are both pooped puppies after all the activities this weekend.
Oliver will not be placed with children under 16 year of age, no small dogs and only with someone with handler/GSD EXPERIENCE.
UPDATE 2/20: We have tried to expose Ollie to most of the things from which he was previously isolated; he has traveled, met dogs of all sizes and breeds including puppies. He is soon to graduate from group obedience class and his socialization sessions on Monday and Wednesday nights continues. He has seen a real family Christmas, indoors, and sampled the woods and snow. He has been introduced to people of all types and ages. Now it's time for Oliver to have his very own, forever family. He's still a lot of dog and will do great in the right hands. He's a very special boy ready to meet his special someone....
UPDATE 6/12: Ollie has progressed through and beyond intermediate obedience, has been to several events where he was exposed to the general public along with general chaos. Oliver has been great accompanying his foster Mom to cafes and coffee shops. This week he's learning to swim which will be great for his slightly dysplastic hip. He's a little sensitive to folks messing with his hindquarters so no kids for Ollie..older teenagers are fine, handling experience required. Ollie turned four years old in April 2010. JUNE: We very much wanted Ollie to swim this summer as it's great low impact exercise for him. Thanks to Darlene's patience and experience, she started out very slowly just getting his feet wet, moved up to in the water with a vest and ultimately progressed to swimming free. After week of confidence building. Ollie now races to the pool and is the first one in!
UPDATE 8/24: Turns out Ollie's rear end sensitivity was actually coming from the Perianal Fistulas he was developing, which form from the inside out. He's been examined, cultured and treated aggressively. His food has been changed as well. He's making progress but we're not there yet. We have identified the offending bacteria which is being "assaulted" accordingly. Perianal Fistulas are common in German Shepherds and considered to be a chronic condition. After successful treatment the dog can remain in remission indefinitely or it can reoccur. We, along with his foster Mom, have devoted a great deal of resources, time, training and TLC to getting Ollie prepared for the real world..all necessary after his first three years of isolation..so this little set back is very disheartening. Let's all send good vibes to this very special boy. Oliver will not be placed until we know what direction this is taking. Adoption fee $395.00.
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EVALUATION 8/30:
Oliver is a gorgeous, substantial black sable with a blocky, masculine head and nice European conformation. He is friendly, outgoing and craves human attention. While out of higher drive working lines, we don't feel that Oliver is "over the top" or that he must have a steady job, rather, he's just a high energy guy much in need of activity, regular exercise and a purpose in life.
He has been fully obedience trained, although none of it has been reinforced at home. The training company that worked with him did so with a remote (electronic) collar and they were also responsible for suggesting that this well balanced fellow be given sedating drugs to control his natural proclivities and need for action. They also did not follow up, as contracted, with the owners'
training/handling nor did they provide ample instruction on the use of the electronic collar they sold. In essence, this is a group about which we've had considerable negative feedback but that charges a fortune.....cost is not an indicator of quality or expertise when it comes to training.
Ollie's Dad, at our suggestion, has withdrawn the medication and does not use the collar. He is trying to walk him more often and get in some playtime. He will be traveling again soon, however, so time is of the essence.
