“Hi Lizzy this is Anna I spoke to you yesterday about. Anna was born 31/12/21. She has ended up with us as she was being kept in a shed and was removed. She is a very sweet girl and has been fine with every one who has dealt with her . She is not used to other dogs but has the odd bark when going past something she hasn’t seen before then tends to ignore.she has formed a habit in the shed of holding her tail with her mouth, she does the same in the kennel, she has now made it sore so is on antibiotics & ant inflammatory for a week to see if that helps, if not she will need an X-ray to see if there is some kind of damage to her tail which has caused the habit. Amputation might be a possibility if there is a problem.”

Anna is a lovely girl with people and so far pretty much ignoring the other dogs around her but happily plays with male dogs. Still has issues with her tail as it is obviously a long term behaviour which needs to be unlearnt but is better when with people or with her ball and has got much less over time.

Anna is fully vaccinated and spayed and would be fine to live with older children. This lovely girl would benefit from a home where she has her people around most of the time so she doesn’t feel bored enough to chase her tail. It will take time and patience but this sweet girl needs to start living life after her horrible start.

Anna had a week in foster last year where she settled really well considering. Unfortunately she had to come back because the resident cat was too stressed having a dog in the house.

“We had the pleasure of fostering Anna, a beautiful 4 year old German Shepherd. She’s an incredibly sweet and affectionate girl who thrives on one-on-one attention and loves spending quality time with her humans. Whether it’s cuddling, playing with her toys, or enjoying her meals, Anna brings a gentle and loving energy to the home. She is very clean, housebroken, slept through the night along with being very respectful in our home.

Anna does exhibit a spinning behavior, however, with the correct guidance and support this may calm down over time. Despite this challenge, her affectionate nature shines through, and she’s eager to connect with people. People just need to see through this as she would make a lovely family dog.

On walks, Anna was great with people but will need slow, careful introductions to unfamiliar dogs. With patience and structure, she has the potential to build confidence in these situations.

Anna is a truly special dog who deserves a home where she can continue to grow and feel safe. She’ll make a wonderful companion for someone willing to support her with kindness and consistency.”

Anna then had a few months in foster with another couple who had adopted from us before:

“We Fostered Anna from the end of November last year, until mid-March this year. All we knew was she was almost 4, had been rescued from a shed by the Police, had been with GSRE in kennels for over a year and had been out to Foster once, but returned after a week because their cat didn’t like her!

We’ve had Shepherds since b4 we were married in 1483 and of them all, Anna is by far the most affectionate, kissy, loving and pretty cuddle monster we have EVER encountered. She readily jumps into and out of the car and travels well, settling down quite quickly – she had at least two, two hour journeys with us, without issue. She’s housetrained and can be left on her own (we left her for than 2 hours on one occasion and she simply settled down in our hallway – we have CCTV and checked). She LOVES toys and will systematically dissect anything less robust than a truck tyre or an original Kong within minutes! She is packed with fun, play and energy, LOVES water and will chase after a thrown ball (or anything else) and bring it back to be thrown again and again and again until YOU get tired! She really thrives on mental stimulation, but doesn’t chew the house to pieces and will settle down on her bed for a rest or to watch TV – I kid you not! That said, she also loves to snuggle up on her bed, or with her human or just take herself off to lay on our bed and have a snooze…….She snores!  

Anna settled, relaxed and grew in confidence over the weeks. Over this time, her tail chasing and biting behaviour slowly abated to almost nothing and her tail tip tail hair has grown back beautifully. However, occasional moments of anxiety did seem to trigger them still, or if she wanted attention but wasn’t getting it. Even then, a firm “NO” generally snapped her out of it.  

She was a nightmare on the lead to start with and any commands (sit, down, heel, etc) must always have been intended for someone other than Anna! However, with reward-based and CALMLY executed Training, she became good with the basic commands and vastly improved on a lead. She is not inherently treat orientated, so the training rewards do have to be high-value treats or toys – not her day-to-day food. She is HIGHLY intelligent and actually quite a sensitive girl – raised voices whilst training or when asked to sit/give/down/whatever, simply make her anxious/stressed and she will shut down mentally and do NOTHING on command! Calm is the key with her training. Get that bit right and she will do as asked over 90% of the time. Constant reinforcement with her training is required as she seems to have the memory of a goldfish and will easily slip back into her old ways. Anna was welcoming of and accepted visitors without issue, although she would still bark at the Postman or any dog walkers passing our house – only doing her job. All in all, Anna was the PERFECT house guest – An adorable, clumsy, sometimes scatty, nosey…..very nosey, batty bundle of energy who lives to play and cuddle.

Outside the home, on the lead, Anna would pull and lurch in every direction apart from the one we wanted! She was also very dog reactive from the get go and would bark at other dogs and their owners at first sight…..even at a distance. To correct this, we deliberately took her on walks with a friend and his dog from day one and did begin to see an improvement in Anna’s reactivity, with him at least. However, we were subsequently advised it would be better to let her bond with us first, before subjecting her to strangers and their dogs. Maybe we then overdid the initial bonding period bit? I don’t know. However, living in a little village at the seaside, we are inundated with every type of dog and every quality of owner all year round. When we recommenced the walks where other people and their dogs (some actually on a lead!), Anna redoubled her efforts and the dog reactivity was again very evident, almost to the point of fixation. She would whirl round and round on her lead, barking and lunging as the distance between her and the other dog decreased. Being on Foster with us and not being “our” dog, we always kept her muzzled and on-lead on walks to ensure there could be no “accidents” or escapes. We also employed services of a professional dog trainer, who also trained us……to be calm and relaxed in respect of Anna’s training – hence the massive improvement with the basic commands and lead work……until she saw another dog! It is still not known whether Anna was protecting US or HER own space/personal bubble). The trainer felt Anna could not be “cured” by reward-based training alone and would probably need more specialist training.

In our mid-sixties, we aren’t as strong (or as healthy) as we were even ten years ago. Having previously seen Anna at Linda’s and around other dogs there, we knew Anna was well settled and whilst not gushing with affection towards other dogs, she certainly wasn’t hell-bent on lunging at them, heckles-up. There HAS to be a reason. We’re pretty sure the reason became clear when it was time for Anna to return to Linda’s. Off-lead in the compound near the back door, with occupied kennel runs next to it, Anna barked initially and then ignored the other dogs and did her own thing with her toy Kong! Linda has since sent us a video clip of Anna actually playing with another shep, so maybe it was the lead all along? Maybe she had been tied up on a rope sometime in her past and she always felt “on duty” with a lead after that? We know Anna has so much love to give and fun to enjoy with anyone who takes her on. Her leadwork and obedience training does need reinforcing regularly because she is very crafty and will “forget” otherwise. From what we’ve seen since her return to Linda’s, there every hope that with a consistent approach, clear boundaries, patience, planned socialisation training with other dogs and their owners, Anna has the potential to be a well behaved great all-rounder, not just at home, but out on walks too. She will repay you in kisses and entertainment.”

Apply to adopt

Location:

Essex - IN FOSTER

Sex:

Female

Age:

DOB 31.12.21

Neutered:

Yes

Good with children:

Yes - Older Only

Good with other dogs:

Careful introduction

Good with cats:

Unknown