Additional information

• Is your pet comfortable around other dogs?
• No
• Is your pet comfortable around other cats?
• Unsure
• She has lived with a cat but that was 3 years ago
• Is your pet comfortable around children?
• Comfortable only with children aged 12+
• Why are you looking to rehome this pet?
• This is a cry for any help to find a new home for my beloved black GSD, Alpha. I’ve been to the two official GSD charities that operate in the south and also a few generic ones with near zero response. Reaching out all over Facebook really was my last resort but here I am… Bottom Line Up Front: EXTREMLY sadly but due to a change in personal circumstances I won’t be able to give alpha the quality of care she deserves. We have done so much work with her (see detail below) but won’t be able to carry it on as required. History: I purchased Alpha from a KC registered breeder in 2021 at ~10 weeks old. She bonded with me very quickly and was incredibly easy and fast to train. She fitted in well with my older Siberian Husky and children and had great recall and a large lexicon of command words based on markers. She was spayed at the first opportunity as deemed fit by the veterinarian. Following this her training fell off and her responsiveness also as she began to show signs of anxiety. She then started to develop reactivity to other dogs. Also around this time due to personal circumstances, we stopped having guests in the house and Alpha became highly reactive to guests and doorbell/knocking, this then became a vicious cycle. Alpha started to show signs of resource guarding and her behaviour on leash began to deteriorate further. I employed a trainer at this point who, to my great regret in hindsight, used negative reinforcement methodology. This did improve her on leash behaviour but nothing else. Over the next 3 years her training capacity did return as did her command lexicon but the reactivity and anxiety around other dogs on walks approaching her or guests in the house did not and in some regards worsened. Over the last 1 year myself and my fiancée have worked very hard to try and explore other ways to improve alphas quality of life: We have tried a double course of Gallastop to ensure that the symptoms observed were not Phantom Pregnancy related; there was no noticeable change in her behaviours. I have retained a Animal Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and we have enacted her plan; we have seen some significant gains as a result and the full report will be passed on along with her med docs but sadly, we do not have the resources of time or capacity to continue this anymore. She has now been on a course of Fluoxetine – Reconcil (Prozac) for the last 4 months on recommendation of both our Vet and CB Therapist; this has been the most significant improvement with virtually no separation anxiety shown now and we have had guests be able to come round but with multiple mitigations such as being on lead held by the guest, a long walk with the guest prior to entry to the home, and consistent supervision and training indoors.
• Ideal home
• Experienced pet owner
• Does your pet require a secure outdoor space?
• No

Description

Anyone able to help will need to be: - willing to work with alpha AND have the knowledge to continue her training and socialising - hanover will be subject to agreeing to a standard rehoming contract that includes stuff like not rehoming her or profiting from her without my consent (this is to prevent malicious individuals actions) Headlines: - 6yo spayed female black GSD - based Wiltshire - can be left home alone never destroyed anything and doesn’t mess, up to 6 hours fine, 8 at a push has been done recently - has lived with another dog and a cat but not for a year + now - lives with children all her life - good recall and large number of commands - can be reactive to other dogs out on walks if not introduced or if charged - is reactive to doorbell/knocks - takes time to settle when guests enter and can aggressively bark but has never mouthed or bitten (this is the real crux of her issues and I have spent a lot of time and money on training and will hand over the full training plan with her) - is on reconcil 30mg for past 4 months to support her ongoing training - she needs a family or owner who has the time and awareness to continue her training OR who are happy living isolated from other people