Ettie – ADOPTED!

Most important things I need in a new family:
1) I need a family that will provide basic training such as sit, stay, come
2) I need a family that has another dog for me to play with and keep me company.
3) I need a family that will provide me with the opportunity to run and play
everyday.
4) I need a family that has a containment system that will keep me home (I jump
so a normal 6 foot fence may not be enough). I am currently being trained on
an invisible fence.
5) I need a family who will cuddle and play with me.
I’m Ettie (aka “Eddie”). My owner surrendered me because he didn’t have enough time to train me and I
was becoming a problem because I was escaping from the back yard, the dog park and any other chance
I got. I can jump quite high, clearing a six-foot fence with ease. I guess that can be a common GSP
problem!
I am a 13-month old small female GSP, probably weighing about 45 to 50 pounds. My new foster family
has four GSP rescues (3 males, 1 female, ages 5 – 13, 50 to 90 lbs). Their female GSP and I look a lot
alike, even though she is 10 years old. I get along great with all of them even though I’ve only known
them for a few days.
Right now, due to my “escaping” history, I am being walked on their 5 acres with a “GoodBoy Dog Head
Halter” (stops heavy pulling on leash) and either a 6-foot leash or a retractable leash. I have accepted
the head halter with very few issues. When on the six-foot leash, I heel very nicely. When on the
retractable leash (to explore), I do not pull or run. My foster parents walk me a lot on the 5 acres, and I
really enjoy the smells of all the wildlife.
My foster parents think I have the potential to be a good bird dog. When I am walking and if I hear or see
a bird, my attention is quickly focused on the bird. My prior owner had a bird dog trainer working with me
at a Colorado sporting club. There is a video of me holding my point on a bird for some time while I was
being trained… which seems to impress my foster parents! (They have one exceptional GSP hunter out
of the six they have rescued; the rest were/are just family pets.)
I am supposed to be potty trained but have had a few accidents at my foster parents’ house. So, they are
approaching my potty training as if I am not potty trained and starting over with crate training. I have
responded well to this training. When my foster mom takes me out to the specific potty spot, I seem to
potty immediately, almost on command.
When I am in the foster parents’ house, I stay in two large crates located in the living room (hooked
together by the crate doors). These crates are in front on a large window where I can watch the birds
come and go. My other 4 GSP friends are all in the cushy beds, surrounding me in the living room… so I
don’t feel alone. This weekend, my foster parents are watching two other dogs for their daughter, and I
really am having fun playing with one of them, a 9-month-old black lab/pit bull rescue. We are keeping
each other company in the double crate with no issues.​
I am learning to get in my crate upon command and will progress to where the crate door is left open, and
I will be expected to stay in the crate. After I master this, I will graduate to my own cushy bed in the living
room.
At night I sleep in my own crate in a large laundry room with three other GSPs who each have their own
crate also. So far, I whine for a couple of minutes and then go to sleep and am good all night (no potty
accidents nor crying/barking/whining).
I am sometimes reluctant to sit, but we are working on that. I can sit quickly if I get rewarded for it (i.e.
treat, collar on to go for a walk). I sometimes come when called… but am bonding with my foster parents
and hope to get better at that too!
My foster parents are going to start training me on their invisible dog fence on their 5 acres. They expect
it will take 5 to 10 days to train me sufficiently not to break through the fence (based on their experience
with their other six rescues). They expect once I get to run freely (and safely contained) on the five acres,
a lot of my behavioral problems will decrease or be eliminated… just because I will be getting the amount
of exercise a young GSP like me needs.
My foster parents are hoping I can go to a new permanent home where the family will love me and spend
a lot of time playing and cuddling with me as well as continuing my training (as I am young and have a lot
to learn!). They are also hopeful that my new owners might be bird hunters… as bird hunting would be a
good job for me!