Alpha - North East

Meet Alpha, a 3-year-old who's looking for a new home through no fault of his own. Our volunteer who assessed him thought he was gorgeous, and if she didn’t already have two GSDs, she would have snapped him up.  This is what our volunteer said about him. Upon arrival at the property, I was greeted by Alpha, a typical young male German Shepherd who was highly excitable and enthusiastic. On entering the home, Alpha barked, jumped up, and displayed some mild signs of anxiety. He struggled to settle without constant interaction and attention and persistently attempted to mount me when I was seated or standing.

Alpha is an extremely intelligent dog and responded excellently to a wide range of verbal commands throughout the assessment. He clearly has a strong training foundation and is keen to engage with his handler.  During the walk, Alpha was a pleasure to handle. Although he became very excited at the sight of the lead, he responded appropriately when asked to sit before setting off. Once walking, he displayed excellent lead manners and maintained a loose lead throughout. He regularly sought guidance and permission from his handler, including before stopping to sniff and explore his environment. When encountering other dogs, Alpha showed interest and initially barked in response to their barking.

However, he responded immediately to the “leave” cue and redirected his attention appropriately. He appeared confident and unaffected by a variety of environmental stimuli, including cars, lorries, bin wagons, wheelie bins, pedestrians, and birds. Alpha is a wonderful dog who is both highly intelligent and eager to please. He would benefit from continued consistency in reinforcing and embedding the training already in place, along with ongoing opportunities to meet his physical, mental, and emotional needs. With continued guidance and structure, Alpha can develop into an exceptionally well-rounded companion.