Zeus is available for adoption through GSRE – this is what his current owners say about him.

Zeus is a 1-year-old, male, short haired, black and tan German Shepherd. He is not currently neutered but is vaccinated, wormed, flea treated and microchipped. He has no known food allergies and no disclosed medical issues. He is fine during vet visits and is described as being excited to see new people.

Zeus is being rehomed through GSRE as his owners have work commitments away from home and due to general health reasons, they cannot walk him.

Zeus is described as being good with other dogs but it is unknown whether he is good with cats or livestock. Zeus was rehomed with a friend, by his current owner, but he nipped the child (more details below) so Zeus was returned to them. Whilst there, Zeus lived with another dog, an older GSD female, without any issues.

Zeus gets excited by people visiting the house and can jump up, bark and mouth. He is generally left in a crate when the owner is out and also sleeps in a crate overnight. Zeus lives indoors and is house trained. He can sometimes be sick in the car if he has just eaten.

Zeus is described as being strong on the lead but well behaved. His owners have not tested his recall off-lead but it is deemed to be fairly reliable. He knows COME, SIT, WAIT, FETCH, FIND and PAW. He has growled on a couple of occasions over toys or if he has stolen something but no issues with food guarding.

During the time the GSRE assessor spent with Zeus, this is what they said about him.
What a beautiful dog with massive potential!

Zeus is a high energy dog, not helped by his age and excitability but most predominantly his lack of focused exercise and consistent training. Due to work commitments and general poor health, his current owners are not able to walk him or provide adequate exercise for Zeus.

After an initial alert bark, Zeus welcomed the assessor into the home, he was very bouncy with lots of jumping, excited barking and some mouthing. No wariness or fear aggression at a new person being in the home.

Zeus will wait on command before eating his food or taking a treat. The assessor was able to go through commands with Zeus and even take the treat back from him with no signs of food aggression. His owners have said that on a couple of occasions, Zeus has become protective over a toy or item he has “stolen” and growled when they have tried to take it off him. Despite the assessor testing this, there was no evidence of resource guarding during the visit. Zeus sleeps in his crate overnight and will often take himself there during the day to rest. He is very bright and ball orientated which will help with training.

Zeus’ owners said they rehomed him with a family friend who already had a GSD (f) and were experienced with the breed. They said he is very strong on the lead and a combination of a Figure 8 lead and harness with a second lead attached was used. Zeus was well behaved on walks but has no lead manners and the general lack of exercise has made him difficult to control when out. This is not down to bad behaviour but a lot of pent-up energy and lack of training.

At the temporary home there has been at least one incident where the family claim Zeus had nipped, once breaking the skin which resulted in the child needing to be seen by a medical professional. The account of what happened isn’t very clear as the temporary home can’t explain the circumstances around the incident.No proof of this was seen.
During the visit, the assessor didn’t observe any aggression from Zeus so wondered if he nipped in play/excitement which has been perceived as a bite or if he felt threatened and frightened during a stressful time and has reacted in this unfortunate way.
Zeus does like to play fight with other dogs and people but has not been taught the appropriate boundaries for this behaviour. Other dogs have told him off when he has over-stepped the mark to which Zeus has listened and responded well to.  

Due to the nipping incident, Zeus was returned to his original owners, who were devastated and shocked. They have done their best since but know, sadly, that they are not the right home for him. They accept that the lack of exercise and focused attention is contributing to how Zeus presents.

The assessor wouldn’t recommend Zeus is homed with children as his energy and tendency to jump-up could result in a child being accidentally hurt. He needs owners with energy levels to match both physically and mentally and are able to invest the time and patience needed for Zeus. 

Zeus hasn’t been around cats or livestock. He was ok living with an older, steady GSD bitch but would benefit from a lot of individual attention.

Location:

Swansea

Sex:

Male

Age:

12 month

Neutered:

No

Good with children:

Yes - Older Only

Good with other dogs:

Careful introduction

Good with cats:

No