Georgia German Shepherds Update on Zeus and Billy
The dogs are doing very well. Billy is totally potty trained, Zeus is about 90% there (he gets over-stimulated outside and sometimes is too distracted to pee and then he has accidents when I bring him back in). But if they go outside; they are good for 8-9 hours inside with no accidents! I’m very happy with their progress and having them potty trained will be good when they get to their forever homes. I took them to the park the other day, during the day so there weren’t as many people, they did okay with the car and were good at the park. Still very scared of strangers but making progress.
They have both adjusted very well. Zeus comes over to me all the time for pets and love. He is getting to be wonderful on a leash. I’ve taught him “come” and “sit” and he is a very quick learner. We are working on leave it now. Billy is a little slower being comfortable but he is excited to see me in the morning and wants pets and love, he’s just still shy. He is amazing outside though – he’s not scared of everything like Zeus and he really loves to walk. He is very strong and pulls, so I have been using a gentle leader to walk him to correct the behavior behavior – he gets it but still pulls; we are working on it. I’ve been talking to a friend of a friend who has a dog training business here in Annapolis and is very popular/successful. She’s been a wealth of information and I’m going to have her come meet them in the coming weeks to see what she thinks will be best to help them on their journey to recovery.
Zeus rarely snaps at Billy anymore and I am quick to correct the behavior if it happens. Zeus is still the dominant personality (when inside) and I think it’s curtailing Billy’s process a little bit. I definitely think it’d be beneficial to separate them when they are ready to be adopted (or before). Zeus will be adoptable sooner I think, if the person knows how to handle a dog with anxiety (and either has a well-adjusted dog for Zeus to have as an example or doesn’t have another dog). I think he would do better in a more rural area since the sounds of the city are overwhelming for him. He also needs a bigger house to roam and sniff (and preferably a yard).
…They’re so good with me but struggling with new people. I’ve been bringing friends (dog people) over to meet them constantly so they see other people are good too. Usually by the end of the visit they’ll take hotdogs from the friends but they don’t come out of their room (pen). It’s a work in progress. I’m bringing them home for a family event in two weeks. They’ll see my dad again and meet my mom and brothers. Everyone in my family are dog people, so it’ll be good. I will also see how they interact with another dog. There won’t be other dogs staying with them at my dad’s but I have a friend with a big fenced yard and a submissive dog that will be a good rest-run. It’ll give me a chance to see how they do in a yard too. My friend has a ton of property and there’s about an acre of fenced area (5’ fence they can’t escape) for them to run and see how they do. She also has two children (my godsons), an infant and a 7y.o. It’ll be the pups first time with younger kids and I think it’s important to see how they do. It’ll help me figure out the appropriate type of home for them (I think teens or older will probably be best, but we will see how they do with my godson). We are also going to get a full bath while there because it’s warm and I’ll have a place they can relax outside to dry. They have been getting foam baths and I’ve got spray for them so they smell better and their coats are getting better, but they need full baths. They’ve both got a lot of scabbing coming off of them, probably from previous injuries. I’m also brushing them daily with an underbrush coat because their fur is so matted underneath it’s not shedding and they need help getting rid of the yucky hair. They like being brushed and the foam baths, so that’s good.
…Foster Mom
House hunting.
Would you live in a Colonial house with the tall columns, that was built 1843? That makes as 2019 a really old, 176 years old. Some of our kids do not like it because it is “Haunted”. Granted there is a lot of history in the old home, but would you live there?
Just down the road is another house it is listed as a “Farmhouse/National Folk” style. It is also a very old home, it is 239 years old. Now we did not look at this home but I image the kids would say it is “Haunted”.
Do you think these homes are haunted? Would you live in an very old home? Do you have a rescue story? Please share in the comments below!
Mark