Bo is our newest family member coming to us from a local breeder who decided to get out of the business. All she told me was, ‘He is a love but I am glad you have training experience!”
He is 2.5 years old and a real piece of work! He came to us in May of 2018 completely untrained. He was a stud living on a 5 AC farm and had complete control of every decision he made which makes for a very naughty GSD. He was bred to have a strong prey drive and we discovered this prey drive when he would chase our poor little bunny rescue we had been raising since it was a baby.
So off to the trainer he went! Yes, I have training experience …….. at the intermediate level. This dog was taking a little while to turn around and I needed some serious help!
Post-training Update!
When Bo returned from the trainer he would politely sneak into the office on occasion to visit with the bunny but the improvement was remarkable. No longer did I have to wrangle him to the ground to keep him from barking and running around the bunnies cage.
I will never completely trust Bo around small, prey type animals but he is as polite and well mannered as any German Shepherd will be and I believe he will continue to improve with time and consistent leadership from his pack (us). We continue to work on his training daily to make sure he stays this way.
I have quickly realized what a talented and athletic boy we have brought into the family. He has lightning fast reflexes when he is not being lazy on the couch! His favorite things to do? Play catch with the tennis ball, then throw it back to you and then Tracking. He loves to hunt for Kibble or his toys that somehow magically end up under the sofa. He will find it!
So far we have taken Bo to Tennessee and Georgia. We were able to find a couple of restaurants in Georgia that were pet-friendly. Basically what you will look for is outdoor seating. Most places will offer a dog bowl for water and a shady spot with an umbrella. We also stayed at Sunburst Stables because they are pet-friendly. As a landlord, I know this gives you an edge over your competitors and can command a higher rent because of pet-friendly accommodations. The trade-off in the vacation rental space is that you are not having to pay for boarding or a pet sitter to come to your home.
Here are some photos of the places we were able to bring Bo for our summer trips!
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