About German Shepherd

Nico is a very sweet boy who had a rough start to life. We took him in as a foster three years ago after he was found feral out in a snowy field in Auburn. His issue is that he is susceptible to anxiety/fear with new things. He needs a calm and confident handler so that he feels like 'mom and dad aren't worried about this new person/thing so I guess I don't have to worry about it either'. We have developed his confidence a lot but he is never going to be an easy low maintenance dog. He will require lots of love, affirmation and patience to really shine. Currently he lives in a house with three other large high maintenance dogs in a rural setting. He loves his two sister but has decided that he wants to challenge our older male GSD for the top dog position. This has created a lot of stress and anxiety in the household, especially with all of the time in lockdown this past year. Really, what he needs is a house where is the only male dog. He has never been around cats but I would be very wary of that as he has a decently high prey drive on him. That's good in a sense as it does make him very motivated to be trained but you do have to be careful. I take him into work with me five days a week to walk him around town to try and keep him exposed to new things. He's very curious but still struggles with fear/anxiety. He is never going to be a dog who random people can just walk up to and pet though; that is just not who he is. With that said, he is a cuddle monster at home and is very affectionate.

Snohomish County
Arlington, Washington