Davide

Davide (da'vid) came into our rescue from the Sacramento County shelter with a moderate case of demodectic mange. He came into the shelter as an unclaimed stray, so his exact background is unknown. What we DO know about Davide is that his temporary skin condition does not slow him down one single bit! He is a very alert and engaging eight month old male GSD with an intense stare, an extremely high play drive, and above average intelligence. Given the opportunity, Davide will play for hours on end with the other dogs in his foster home. He is social with all other dogs, but for a young guy is already showing some tendencies to want to be an Alpha dog. While this kind of bossy behavior sometimes stems from insecurity, in Davide's case it appears to come from a place of genuine confidence. Every indication is that Davide will grow up to be high drive, level III dog. His strong, tenacious personality will serve him well in learning a job or sport activity, but be aware that this type of dog is not for everyone.

For the most part, Davide appears to be housebroken, and has only had a few accidents so far. With a little more practice, and hourly visits outside he should be over this quickly. For a young guy, he walks extremely well on a leash both on his own, and with other pack members. He will happily sleep in a crate, but will also be comfortable crashing on the floor at your feet in the evening, and would likely adjust just fine sleeping on a dog bed. Davide likes to ride in the car, and will stick his head out and sniff the air until he gets tired, when he will lay down quietly in the back of the car.

Although Davide does not appears to have had any formal training, he is an extremely quick learner. He has already learned to sit, wait, and down, and is learning to hold longer wait and stays. He is learning more each day, and responding well to short training exercises every few hours. He is very praise motivated, but also responds well to training with tasty treats. While he shows signs of wanting to be the pack Alpha dog, he is also learning to follow the lead, and learn by modeling behavior of the older dogs around him.

Davide has a soft mouth, but like any young puppy, he is still teething, and likes to chew on just about everything in sight. His foster parents are training him to take harder chew toys such as Nylabones, as well as plush toys, and he seems to like having one in his crate at night. However, his favorite chew toy far and away is paper, so watch out to avoid having you napkin snatched if he's around your dinner table. This fixation runs just as strong to heavier paper items such as magazines and small books, which he loves to run around with in his mouth. While this can be somewhat annoying, it may indicate a tendency that could potentially be further developed if he was to be trained as an assistance dog.

So far, Davide has shown little or no interest in the two older resident indoor cats, and does not exhibit much prey drive. However, given his high level of awareness and desire to play, anyone considering adopting him will want to do a careful test and introduction if he is going to live in a home with a cat.

Because Davide has really shown a tendency to bond with others in a pack setting, he would do well in a home with at least one other Dog. However, he would likely do well as a single Dog if he is given enough exercise and mental stimulation, as well as regular socialization with other dogs. Just keep in mind that due to his high level of intelligence, drive, and strong personality, he is the kind of dog that would be best off with a job, or some similar type of challenge like agility, flyball, or obedience trials. Wherever he finds his forever home, this amazing little guy will certainly need to complete a full obedience training course, which will be a great way for his new owners to bond with him!

This is a Level 3 Dog. Please be sure you understand what a dog of this Level requires.

Added August 2014