Smokey is a 2.5 year old German Shepherd male--still an adolescent. He's around 75 pounds, though he's working on slimming down a bit. He ought to be 65-70 pounds.
Smokey is a talkative dog. If you repeat the sounds he makes to back to him, he'll have a whole conversation with you. This is a vocal breed, and he's exceptionally talkative, even for a German Shepherd.
Smokey loves to play with other big, rambunctious dogs. He makes a lot of noise (typical of Shepherd play) and rough-houses. We think his play style would be too much for small dogs, though. We don't know how he would be around cats, but we think he'd probably chase a cat if it ran from him.
He's very affectionate with his people and likes to snuggle (especially if "snuggle" means massaging his head and neck). He can be protective and is cautious around strangers until he's properly introduced. We think he would prefer to go to a quiet home where there are not a lot of unfamiliar people coming and going.
He appreciates calm, confident energy from his person. He's not an appropriate "first dog" for someone new to handling working breeds, as he looks to his person's leadership and experience to guide him in new situations. He needs a good leader to continue socializing him and working on his confidence in new situations. Solid obedience training is likely to be very helpful to boosting his self-confidence. Experience with the breed would be very beneficial.
He's already house-trained and living in his foster home without any house accidents. He's also already crate trained. He's great on a leash. He loves going for walks and naturally matches his pace to his person. He's a very smart dog who loves to learn new things.
Unfortunately, his hip conformation is not ideal and may bother him as he gets old. For now, he's active and loves to run and play, but he doesn't jump. Keeping him active is the best thing for his long-term health.
A completed adoption application, with vet and personal references, and a home check are required to apply to adopt. If you are interested in adopting, please fill out an adoption application: http://www.RedStickGermanShepherds.org. Applications are approved solely in the discretion of the RSGSR board of directors.
April 12, 2024, 10:31 am
