Tracker

Tracker was originally adopted from the rescue when he was approx. 1 1/2 years old. He has AKC paperwork, is current on his vaccinations, and has been microchipped. When the rescue first received him it was obvious he had not lived by anyone’s rules, he didn’t know what dog toys were or how to play with them, and he had received absolutely no training.

Now, Tracker comes back to us with an impressive repertoire of over 60 commands and responds to basic commands in English, German, and hand signals. Trick commands and more complex commands are in English. He received first place in his obedience class and excelled in his agility class, also bringing in first place.

Tracker is strong-willed and requires an experienced shepherd owner. He is extremely intelligent and will choose to listen (or not listen!) to a command based on the confidence of the person giving it, and upon finding a new home it is essential that the new owners follow through with the commands they give to earn his respect.

He is very high-energy and might be a bit much for children under 7 years of age as he has not lived with children for the past three years. He has behaved perfectly with children and toddlers of all ages who have come over to the house, but he might inadvertently knock over a child if chasing a toy thrown indoors. He is gentle in nature but extremely focused. He will listen to commands given by a child.

In the home, Tracker is very playful and loves playing retrieving games. He has been taught to respect parrots and we expect that if he is introduced correctly, he would do fine with cats if the owners teach him what is appropriate behavior and what isn’t. He needs to be in a home that has a female or a non-dominant male canine companion as he does not do well as a single dog.

Tracker is crate trained, housebroken, and had no destructive habits if his stress levels are kept under control. He does not take to change very well, and we expect that there will be an adjustment period that will occur with his new family. If his new family is around most of the day, it will go much smoother. If he is left alone for long periods of time without any companionship, there will be problems. Once he is settled in, he is not an excessive barker and will bark only if someone comes closer to the house than they normally would. His only history of digging has been in places where rodents hide, or if he is given a treat that he considers less-than-savory. He has been trained to use pea gravel and a road cone for his potty area and can easily relearn to use the same materials at a new home if the new owners would like to keep their lawn clean and clear of dead spots. He lives for his toys and will chase a tennis ball until he drops, loves squeaky toys, and goes crazy for his 10″ indestructible ball…of which he has destroyed two in the past two years. He is demanding of your attention and requires a significant amount of exercise. He is not comfortable in public situations and will whine excessively from the stress. When he’s on leash he will react defensively when he sees other dogs or is startled. Even if he acts defensively to another dog on leash, he will be perfect with the dog if it doesn’t act defensively and allows Tracker to approach. Once Tracker is close up and allowed to “meet” it, he is a perfect gentleman. Contrary to how he acts towards other dogs when he’s on leash, he loves the dog park and plays well with the other dogs, large or small. He must be watched closely or he will run his pads raw in a dog park.

Tracker enjoys swimming and will cool off in a kiddie pool after a hard run. He would make an excellent jogging or running partner, but walking tends to give him too much to think about and he can be unruly at a walk. When he’s jogging or running he’s too tired to notice much of his surroundings, and doesn’t have time to react to it. Tracker deserves a home that will meet his needs for companionship and an owner that