Hi Eitan, great dogs! With John there is a little bit of leash pulling, would be something to work on, IMO. I love how #2 was very confident and relaxed sitting on the bench with the handler, no leash pulling. You might want to check food drive in potential candidates, it might be easier for you to deliver food rewards than toy rewards.

Etian,

before declining the dogs that "seem" too energetic for you, is there any way that you could possibly view the dogs AFTER they have been tired out with exercise?

I find that ALOt of dogs are looked over due to the fact that they seem too hyper or energetic and are jumpy/mouthy etc etc...and in alot of cases the dogs are acting that way because they just are not exercised enough. Some people think a 20 minute leash walk is enough to tire a dog out and then wonder why their dogs are so antsy and just don't seem to want to settle down.

Could you maybe go with the trainer and between the both of you try to exercise the dog a bit and see what the demeanor is after some good old running around and playing fetch etc?

Tucker (my current rescued dog) was like a mexican jumping bean when i first met him....i swear he was jumpin 6 feet in the air behind the fence when i first walked up. When i asked what his exercise regiment was their answer was...oh, he's too excitable to take on walks!!! (nice foster family)

I took him despite the fact that he seemed way way hyper, because i knew that with some daily walking, runnin & training it would soon drain his energy. And im now the proud owner of not only the best lookin' dog on the block (I am biased but he is handsome...lol) but also a calm eager to please type of dog that everyone compliments me on and is a great companion.

i just don't want you to pass over what might be the right dog for you only because the current owner doesn't have the time or thought to properly exercise the dog.

just a thought.....

Wendy,
you raise some excellent points there. The white shepherd that I saw over the weekend was very playful and full of energy. The fact of the matter is that she gets little exercise. At least that's what I think. When I walked with her and the owner she would walk beautifully without pulling on a leash, but the moment that we stopped walking ... Then it was a totally different story. She was all over the place. It could be a factor that she is only one years old.

John, the dog in the video, is three years old and seems to have grown out of his puppy stage. I hope when I go tomorrow to see him he will meet my expectations and surpass them.

BTW is it weird for German shepherds not to have pointy ears? Does it have any medical implications?

And also, although I don't have the video, there is a dog that is two years old (also German Shepherd) that is up for adoption. He is completely housebroken and trained to a certain extent. The one flaw he has is that he has a slight limp due to an accident. I'm curious to hear what you guys have to say about adopting a dog like this. In my case it might even be a better choice because he might not try to pull as hard due to his physical impairment.(:-) like owner like dog :-))

Eitan Waks

Hey Eitan...
No, it's not weird for a GS to have floppy ears....it's not the usual look, but i know it does happen. And i personally don't know of any medical implications that would make the ears flop. someone else chime in if Im wrong. The only difference in the whole flop/pricked ear thing is that with the floppy ears, you have to be even more diligent about cleaning and taking care of the ears. They don't get as much air circulation as the pricked ears so are more prone in some yeast infections etc.

As for the dog with a limp, i wouldn't rule him out... but as someone else suggested definately take him to the vets first to have the leg x-rayed and checked out just to make sure it's nothing serious and he can move around pain free.

Hi everybody,
I just came back from the kennel. I saw the most amazing dog ever. She was just perfect for me! She is a German shepherd mix (very strong German Shepherd traits with something else of unknown origin). Her temperament was perfect, very calm. Even when other dogs and cats were raising hell around her she wouldn't even care. I put the leash on one of the handles on my wheelchair and started pushing myself around. She would follow without any resistance. Even if she tried to pull, the moment she encountered any resistance on the leash she would stop. Just plain wonderful!

She's apparently three years old. Completely healthy ... Except for one thing. And this is the reason I'm writing. It is clearly visible that she has some type of problems with her rear legs and hips. Her rear legs are like in an X all-time. Even when she walks. It is very pronounced. Now for me, that's not much of a deterrent because I can't run anyhow. However, what I would like to know is how this might affect her health in the long term?

If it weren't for this she would be by my side this very instant.

The kennel agreed to let me have her for 7 to 10 days to let me see how we get along and give her a proper check up with my veterinarian.

What do you guys think about this matter?

In addition, I just received a phone call from a friend of my veterinarian. This person raises German shepherds for the police and army. He said he has a dog that is two years old (male). He dropped out of the program because when he was only a puppy he broke his leg. He says that they treated him very well and he has no side effects. They wanted to keep them as their own pet however they have too many as it is. They usually sell these dogs are about $1700 but because of his past nobody was willing to purchase him. He's willing to let me have him for $750 which includes basic training with the dog. Here is a link to the dog:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ladog3#p/u/8/V-fIGpwqKX0

my concern is that the dog had been trained in protection as you can see from the clip. Does this mean that he will always have aggressive tendencies? I'm very fearful that if I walk the dog and one day he decides that something is similar to his past training he will decide to attack. Does this have any merit to it? Other than that, he is supposedly a very calm and docile dog.

Once again, thanks for all your help. I know I might be wearing some of you out but I would much rather take my time and wait to choose the perfect of me (even if it might take another month or more) than to choose something that is going to turn out not so good for either me or the dog.

Eitan Waks

Have your veterinarian diagnose the hind end problem. Some possibilities are severe hip dysplasia, the dog may have been hit by a car and been injured, or perhaps neurological. With a diagnosis you will be able to predict somewhat the dog's future. While this dog may not be "perfect", it could be the perfect one for you.

Eitan,

I agree with Betty...if you're that interested, have the female thoroughly checked out (heck, she just might be horribly cow-hocked ).

As far as the male, what a beautiful guy. Well trained, too! As far as protection sports go, the dogs are not trained to bite on their own impulse, but rather, to bite on command (well, it depends on the sport, but even in French Ring, where the dog is guarding a basket and can attack the helper when it goes for the basket, it's an exercise, and the dog knows the context). I'd sure discuss your concerns with the current owner/trainer, but the dog having had protection training does not translate into an aggressive dog. If anything, I'd expect this dog to be under much better control, given it's training.

Do your due diligence about the breeder...is he ethical, well-regarded? If yes, then I'd say you can trust what he says about this dog.

The female sounds awfully nice for you...hope her rear end isn't a mess.

leih

hi everybody,
first I want to say thank you very much for all your help! You have no idea how much it meant!

And now for the good news ...
I am the proud holder of my new baby, Dark! He is a wonderful two-year-old black German shepherd with an excellent temperament. He's very calm and always looking to please me. He doesn't jump, show aggression or anything else. He's just wonderful!

It took him to the veterinarian first thing after adopting him. Everything is fine. He broke his leg when he was just a puppy but there is no evidence of that now. He shows no discomfort, and walks and runs perfectly.

In other words, nothing could be better!

I hope to get some pictures of me and my new family member up tomorrow to share with all of you.

Once again, thanks for the help,
Eitan Waks

Congratulations, Eitan.

I hope you have a long and happy life together!!!

Congratulations, Eitan!