Hi!
My name is Emily and I was told about this forum by our wonderful teacher at PetSmart.
My husband and I adopted our first dog in 2011, a 9-week old puppy we named Wrigley. He was suspected to be a labradoodle with possibly some German Shepherd. The older he got, the less he looked like a labradoodle! We DNA tested him and learned he is 1/2 Chessie, 1/4 GS, and 1/4 Australian Kelpie. Here he is now at 2 years old:
He has some challenges. He displays guarding behavior, especially related to food or novel objects, so we have been working on that with a trainer. He also recently was diagnosed with arthritis in both of his front legs, at only 2 years old! His legs are very long, and he most likely grew too fast. This has certainly affected his behavior, but with treatment, he is almost back to his old self. He is a big sweetheart and loves people! He has the wavy Chessie fur on his back and absolutely loves water.
We adopted Luna in May of last year, and she was estimated to be a year old. She was a stray and is extremely timid. At home, she bounces off the walls, but in public or around new people, she is terrified. We have been working with her and have seen some progress.
I would love opinions on what breeds Luna might have mixed with GS. I am planning to get a DNA test for her soon as well. We found it really helpful with Wrigley, not only to know who he is, but to help with some of his behavioral issues. I absolutely do not care what breeds they are, but I would still love to know. I have been told that Luna looks to be part husky. She is fairly small for a GS at 60 pounds. Her tail is very fluffy and looks a lot like a husky's when she has it up, which is hard to capture in a photo! She has beautiful markings, which makes it even harder for strangers not to intimidate her, since they all want a closer look!
Here she is when we first adopted her, before we brushed her!
and here is an idea of her tail, although it's usually up higher and curved more than this:
Sorry if that was too much info for one post! We're expecting our first human children (twins!!) so I might not get a lot of time to participate, but I am very interested in learning some new things! My husband and I are now completely in love with German Shepherds and will always look for a GS (or a mix of course) when we're ready for our future dogs. We are also committed to remembering that these pups are our first babies, and they are just as much a part of our family as our human babies. We know we will have some extra challenges with Wrigley's guarding, and I pray that we are able to keep everyone in the family safe.
My name is Emily and I was told about this forum by our wonderful teacher at PetSmart.
My husband and I adopted our first dog in 2011, a 9-week old puppy we named Wrigley. He was suspected to be a labradoodle with possibly some German Shepherd. The older he got, the less he looked like a labradoodle! We DNA tested him and learned he is 1/2 Chessie, 1/4 GS, and 1/4 Australian Kelpie. Here he is now at 2 years old:
He has some challenges. He displays guarding behavior, especially related to food or novel objects, so we have been working on that with a trainer. He also recently was diagnosed with arthritis in both of his front legs, at only 2 years old! His legs are very long, and he most likely grew too fast. This has certainly affected his behavior, but with treatment, he is almost back to his old self. He is a big sweetheart and loves people! He has the wavy Chessie fur on his back and absolutely loves water.
We adopted Luna in May of last year, and she was estimated to be a year old. She was a stray and is extremely timid. At home, she bounces off the walls, but in public or around new people, she is terrified. We have been working with her and have seen some progress.
I would love opinions on what breeds Luna might have mixed with GS. I am planning to get a DNA test for her soon as well. We found it really helpful with Wrigley, not only to know who he is, but to help with some of his behavioral issues. I absolutely do not care what breeds they are, but I would still love to know. I have been told that Luna looks to be part husky. She is fairly small for a GS at 60 pounds. Her tail is very fluffy and looks a lot like a husky's when she has it up, which is hard to capture in a photo! She has beautiful markings, which makes it even harder for strangers not to intimidate her, since they all want a closer look!
Here she is when we first adopted her, before we brushed her!
and here is an idea of her tail, although it's usually up higher and curved more than this:
Sorry if that was too much info for one post! We're expecting our first human children (twins!!) so I might not get a lot of time to participate, but I am very interested in learning some new things! My husband and I are now completely in love with German Shepherds and will always look for a GS (or a mix of course) when we're ready for our future dogs. We are also committed to remembering that these pups are our first babies, and they are just as much a part of our family as our human babies. We know we will have some extra challenges with Wrigley's guarding, and I pray that we are able to keep everyone in the family safe.