Introducing Ava

Satellite · Post by **Satellite** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 9:35 am

Absolutely gorgeous. How lucky you found each other.

Colleen Kinzie · Post by **Colleen Kinzie** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 10:56 am

Is she really still a puppy !??? Lol
She is beautiful and so big already
Lacy still looks like a pup and acts like one
We are having so much fun with her
She is getting a bit of big dog guidance from BVF
Dog "Holly". And her granddog
They are so patient with her.
She's only been there a few times but LOVES the granddog (sorry can't remember her name)
Other than that she goes to puppy socialization on Monday nights and wears herself right out
Wish it was every night. Lol
Hope Ava knows how lucky she is to have an everyday play mate!

Flat Rock Farm · Post by **Flat Rock Farm** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 12:24 pm

OMG she is such a beautiful dog

Bet it's hard to get mad at her when you look at that face. Poor Drake, bratty little sister just sitting on him, LOL

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 5:30 pm

I just love her so much. Some days when she runs me ragged I just look into those eyes and we have a hug. Sort of. Unless she is exhausted beyond exhausted, hugs mean lick moms face till it's dripping and bounce up and down because maybe we will play some more. She's a lunatic, but I love my lunatic to the moon and back!

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 7:41 am

Ava. What can I say other than She's my beautiful disaster!! She's a high energy girl but so eager to please, smart as a whip and very true to her breed standards. Her ball drive makes me bonkers, but then it's also a great way to drain that energy, so it's good and bad.

Her last vet check up she was 56lbs at 5 months old and has the vet said, poster pup for health, social and temperament for a German Shepherd. She's on schedule to be a 70ish pound girl. But you never know. Vet told me Cinder was on schedule to be a 80lbs girl and she was 115lbs and massive. Ava doesn't quite have the bone size cinder did so I'm not expecting her to exceed 80lbs.

Right now she loves everyone and anyone. Even the big burly water guys that deliver water. I spooked her with the atv on the weekend (started it right beside when she was deep in thought with a marrow bone) and she took off like a bat out of hell and it took me 15 mins to get her back. So now we are working on the atv and its noises again.

Back to ground zero. She's had some odd issues I've worked her through, like a log in the house for the wood stove. She barked and barked and was beside herself it was in the house. I will not have a narotic dog, so we fixed that crap immediately.

She does not like things out of place and notices immediately. I cleaned behind her crate in the basement, which meant moving it to get all the fur removed etc., and she paces and paces. Put it back in its place and she lays in it and will sleep like she's in a coma. So I purposely put chairs or even a piece of paper in the middle of a room to throw her off. When she settles and relaxes I return it to its home. She's getting better and learning quickly to sit and lay at the item and not pant or be stressed. But holy Toledo, some days I'm like Ava, I don't have time for your neurotic

, build a bridge and get over it girl.

Anyways, she's probably one of the smartest Germans I've ever had. Soooo quick to learn. Incredibly bonded to me. Lou and Josh said that when I am not home, she sits at the door staring for hours until I return. When I get home it's the biggest celebration as if I've been gone for 2 years. And it can be as simple as being gone 20 minutes haha!!

Anyways, here's an updated picture.
Out for a walk on the property and getting used to the ATV again. Ahhh the joys of motherhood.

P.S. When she is a bit older, I'm considering joining a Schutzhund Club. I think she'd be perfect for this.

Post by **Killerbunny** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 7:53 am

She's such a lovely girl, you're very lucky to have her.

baronrenfrew · Post by **baronrenfrew** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 8:28 am

So...you don't have time for chickens ...but got a puppy? A sucker for those eyes eh?

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 8:46 am

What a beautiful girl. She looks so wise in that last pic. I admit I've been a little scared of German Shepherd dogs - grandfather had one guarding his racing pigeon coop that was just nasty. Of course she was trained to be that way. Some bad experiences stay with you for life lol.

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 8:50 am

baronrenfrew wrote:QR_BBPOST So...you don't have time for chickens ...but got a puppy? A sucker for those eyes eh?

Baron, I had the pup before I rehomed the flock. Admittedly Ava did break the time bank, but there are a lot of other factors that came into play as well.

Ducks are in the future, not sure about chickens, but definitely Quackers.

Killerbunny wrote:QR_BBPOST She's such a lovely girl, you're very lucky to have her.

Thanks KB! She's my gal!

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 9:10 am

Happy wrote:QR_BBPOST What a beautiful girl. She looks so wise in that last pic. I admit I've been a little scared of German Shepherd dogs - grandfather had one guarding his racing pigeon coop that was just nasty. Of course she was trained to be that way. Some bad experiences stay with you for life lol.

I absolutely respect that. One bad experience gets embedded and it takes a lot to change that. But I'd love to have the opportunity to change your experience.

With Cinder, there is a camp ground/mobile home site close by and they banned German Shepherds, Pitbulls, Rottis and Dobs. For no other reason than assumed fear. So Cinder and I challenged their WRONG perception of German Shepherds. Cinder won. They changed their policy to be breed non-specific, but instead each dog would be assessed individually upon request to bring into park.

I know plenty of people with little dogs that are as*holes but are given a free ticket because they are little. I had my left thumb and hand sewn up, permanent nerve damage and it had to be followed by physio from a little

zu that latched on in a public park (I was with my daughter at the park). The thing was vicious. Third attack on file so he got euthanized but that didn't help me at the time. And why is this dog at a park with kids off leash!! I'm glad it was me that was attacked and not my daughter. Would of been a very different situation if my daughter was victim to this dog. To this day I over compensate my dominant energy sent I'm sending when small dogs are around.

Any dog, any breed, always has the potential to bite. Every dog. It's the human handlers responsibility to have their dog(s) under control and be able to predict by body language their dogs next move.

If you're ever down this way, I'd love to give you a new experience to add to the memory bank.

Cheers!!!