Posted 1 month ago
Meet Oden! This not quite 2 year old GSD/Malinois cross has been with his foster 2 months now after being owner surrendered to a shelter in early 2024.
Pros:
- Gorgeous. Will make people ooh and ahh everywhere he goes.
- Affectionate. Loves to put his head in your lap and get all the pets while gazing into your soul.
- Loyal. Will keep an eye on and stay with his person.
- Bright. Easy to train and is both food and toy motivated.
- Non-reactive. He's been friendly and polite when meeting dogs, cats, horses, and people.
- Low prey drive. Has made no attempts to murder little furry friends.
- Trained. Does not have accidents in the house, crate trained, knows basic obedience, walks well on leash and listens well off leash.
- Playful. Will play play play all day long with his person, other dogs, or even by himself with a fun toy.
- Settles. Has a good off switch and will chill quietly in the house.
- Minimally embarrassing. Can go public places without losing his mind and acting a complete fool.
- Farm-proofed. Has been with 4 wheelers, tractors, trail ridden with horses, been exposed to livestock, etc.
Things to Consider:
- Higher energy and higher drive than your average dog. Please do research into his breed mix first and make sure this is what you're looking for in a canine companion.
- Oden came with zero training, so everything he has learned is recent and could backslide if training and good handling practices are not continued.
- Food intensity. Required a slow feeder and lots of practice at waiting, as well how to take treats without severing fingers, when he first came. He's much better now but this is something to keep in mind with children or other pets in the house.
- Enjoys rough high energy play with other dogs. Can be overwhelming for gentle natured or more low key dog friends.
- Kennel stress. Oden did not do well in the shelter environment and arrived to his foster in poor physical condition, including being significantly underweight with multiple self inflicted wounds. He likes his crate now and goes in voluntarily for naps, but long periods in lock up (such as dog boarding, etc) may result in problems again.
- Mystery tremors. Oden has intermittent leg tremors, primarily affecting his back legs and usually after exercise. A vet workup has been unable to determine the cause, and it may simply be due to him continuing to get in shape after arriving in such poor condition, but at this point we cannot say for certain and want any potential adopters to be aware of the issue.
Approved adopters who think Oden may be the right match for them are welcome to email his foster at tgillisp1@gmail.com with questions or to set up a meet-n-greet.