Our first German Shepherd Dog, Max came into our lives as a puppy almost 20 years ago. Technically, he was our second German Shepherd Dog. He came at five months old and had some "training on him", part of the puppy package from the breeder/trainers at Assertive K-9 Training. He could do a fabulous long down. (30 minutes - which was easy, because, he'd fall asleep 10 minutes into the down and he'd stay.) "Who's a good boy?"
Max. Max was a good boy. The long story is that we'd had a stray Shep, Ruby for about a week. A friend of a friend has purchased her from a homeless man who had her out all night in the cold with him and this friend of a friend was focused on a better life for doggies. (My kinda gal.) She took Ruby home to live with her and her kiddos. Ruby slept on her daughter's bed. So, when she came to us, she was accustomed to people being like dogs, bad choice. She was on the bed and nipped my daughter in puppy play, but Sarah is a human and at the time, she was a tender and loud human child who was scared to pieces by a big old German Shepherd snout biting her. But she also already LOVED Ruby (the child is part dog). Then, the nip happened a second time in the car, after which a friend of ours, said something like, "My best friend's mom is a German Shepherd trainer and breeder and she says a Shepherd NEVER belongs on the bed as a puppy because they assume it gives them status as a human." We were intrigued by the psychology and drove the miles out to the German Shepherd training grounds and met with Diana Foster - a highly regarded trainer/breeder. We shared our story and she talked about the Shepherd's intelligence and willingness to challenge for position. We learned about the fabulous long-down where you put the dog on a down-stay and keep them there by returning them to set position every time they get up until you release them. She talked about her approach and the dogs she had available at that time. We were in love quickly with the idea of a well-trained German Shepherd Dog. Her litters sold out quickly and about a year after our initial meeting with her, she called to say she had a few pups available, two of whom were German imports from a Schutzenhund line. Trained to do what Shutzenhunds do -- Shutzen training. The significance is that dogs with this temperment are bright and quite maleable. So a big dog, scary looking to some people, when well-trained, will do what you ask of them. We were excited and hopped in the car to go meet these doggies. We were introduced to a pack of furballs (from an unavailable litter) and Max and Carla, a brother and sister from Germany - Schutznehund types. I fell in love with short haired Carla and everyone else loved long-haired Max. He sensed my internal struggle and immediately wrapped himself around my feet and stared at me promising undying affection and fun. I was sunk. Both kids, my husband and this adorable pup were on the side I needed to move to. And I did, quickly.
After a couple of weeks of extended training, we brought Max home and he was exactly what we dreamed of, a gorgeous caramel Shepherd with a deep black saddle.
His "coated" status made him very pretty and many people wanted to tell us he wasn't a GSD, but some other breed because of the coat. We laughed to ourselves because, we held the paper on the guy. And those German's don't mess around when it comes to Bloodlines and their Hunds.
Max was a perfect dog. He practiced his downs, loved to go for walks and healed like it was proof of his excellent breeding. He acted as if staying at my left knee were a badge of honor. It made walks and socializing a treat. He was into it. Max belonged to everyone in the house. It was clear I was his mama, but he was pretty equal in sharing his love. Both kiddos knew the ropes of walks and downs and he gave them his full attention. He also loved going to their school to be "shown off" on sharing days. We never gave a second thought to him being with other kids. He was trained. He was easy.
Max made sure he always knew where everyone was. If I went to the neighbors he watched me leave and then waited by the window for my return. He often slept with me on the bed for a nap or when I went to bed earlier than everyone else - keeping me company as I fell asleep. He was a great pal. As he aged he became more protective of the house and let the mail people know we didn't need whatever they were offering. My husband loves to tell the story of the Fed Ex guy who jumped several feet backward OFF the porch when he answered the door with Max at his side. He was a protector for sure.
Max started slowing down at about about 10 and at that point our youngest had seen a litter of darling terrier mix puppies and fell in love. She talked up the fact that her pal Seth's dogs had three puppies and were looking for good homes for them. I let her know we'd could go look but we weren't getting a puppy. (Who did I think I was convincing?) We went to her friend Seth's house and met Jack and Jessie and their three puppies, two black pups with white markings and Lucy a white pup full of sweetness and a lot of sass. We fell completely in love. Lucy was the girl for us. After convincing my husband that his little girl could handle care for a puppy, we brought Lucy home. In a box. We let Maxy open the box in the backyard and from the first minute he became the mentor she needed. He loved her, and she him. She slept her first night tucked into the circle of his belly. I don't think either of them move that night. She was so happy to have her new family - and a grandpa dog to boot! She started the next day teasing him and playing puppy games with him. - and he rose to the occasion. In the yard, she'd walk up hehind him and grab his plume of a tail, pull and run. He'd "fake" chase her and toss a bark in her direction. They snarled and played and nipped and rolled. They were a perfect pair. She got a playmate and he got a very happy year of play and mentorship. One day, Lucy decided to go after the mailman, at the front window the same way Max did. He wasn't allowing this in her and stepped on her head to let her know she had to stop. She stopped. His whole life with us, he had his crate which went from a safe place for us to place him when we had to go out, to becoming his safe place. He retired to the crate when the house was too congested or noisy and he wanted some quiet space. On occasion, Lucy would join him. And, he welcomed her.
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