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German Shepherd Dog : : Male : : Young : : Large
Learn more about the German Shepherd Dog.
Cooper 1529, AKA Sheldon as foster Momma likes to call him, is a 6 month old purebred German Shepherd with registration paperwork. Cooper is a very sweet and loving boy. He likes to lay on the sofa next to you and prefers to be wherever you are. He is very much the definition of a velcro shepherd and does not let you leave his sight. He is incredibly smart and best of all, very handsome. He has a very protective nature and has the classic deep shepherd bark that he is still learning how to control. He knows sit, down, drop and kennel as well as go potty. He is housebroken and crate trained. He loves kids and other dogs, with proper introductions. He will knock small children over by accident but will lick them silly to make sure he didn’t hurt them. He does not think dogs should ever have to associate with kitties and will need a home without one. He was indifferent to horses and was overly interested in chickens. He is in need of major socialization and more environmental exposures. He startles very easily at new objects and sounds but with support from his person he quickly overcomes his fear. Cooper is very much a high drive German Shepherd and will need a family willing to give him life long training and stimulation. As far as a doggie companion for Cooper, he does well with some other dogs but is selective. Cooper has zero doggie skills so will need a patient fur sibling while he learns how to behave. Cooper is very much in other dogs faces and like to climb all over them and wrestle. He does not take cues well from other dogs. He likes smaller dogs better and seems to be scared of his dark coated foster fur sister.
Cooper is a very LOUD dog and will not make a great apartment/condo/townhouse pet unless your neighbors enjoy hearing him bark and carry on. This is why his bio says requires a yard.
Cooper would probably not make the best first time pet as he will require a lot of training and German shepherd knowledge but if you're committed to learning, so is Cooper.
Cooper is a classic velcro shepherd and likes to stay near you and he does well with recall in foster Moms yard. He quickly sails over the dog gates and back of the sofa so probably will be able to jump a lower fence.
Now for the other stuff....
Cooper was surrendered to SSR by his owner over concerns that he was blind. Due to his vision, his owners felt they didn’t have the ability to care for him and give him the life he deserved so Friends of Faye and SSR teamed up to help Cooper have the best life imaginable. His owners reported that a vet he saw for the first time recently said he was 95% blind. They reported he failed one visual reflex and felt he was blind due to that combined with the fact that he will charge toward you barking until he realized who you are. There is also some questions around a possible seizure or neurological episode when he was 12 weeks old.
Cooper arrived to his Virginia foster on 8/9 and has shown very few, if any, signs of visual impairment. He tracks you with his eyes and head as you walk. He looks for your face when looking up at you. He chases and retrieves the ball in the yard. He has not walked into anything and hasn't fallen into foster Mommas pool since he arrived. He barks at people outside in the yard and while at the vet he barked at everyone in the parking lot. He does not have any issues on the stairs or jumping up on furniture. He saw that foster Momma put his squeaky chicken on the kitchen table and proceeded to put his paws up on the table to look for his toy and retrieved it from amongst other items in the table. He does bark more at nighttime, even at objects he knows, than during the day so he may not see well at night.
Cooper was seen at the vet here in Virginia on 8/11 and they feel he is definitely not 95% blind. He passed all their tests, barked at every new person who walked up and once they were bringing him out to go home, he pulled straight to foster Momma. The reflex he failed at the previous vet he passed multiple times. They saw no cloudiness or signs of damage to his eyes. Due to the concerns with his night vision and his abnormal exam and findings in Texas, they did recommend he see a Veterinary Ophthalmologist for an extensive eye exam. As Cooper shows no signs of visual impairments, we have chosen to wait and watch and let him mature a little more before his appointment. He can be adopted before being seen.
Cooper also showed some signs of intermittent lameness in his rear legs but we think this is from him being a lanky puppy. There are many reasons for this we are checking into starting with xrays and all the tests have been normal. Coopers xrays have been reviewed but Virginia Tech Veterinary School and they also felt they are normal.
Cooper’s foster mom feels strongly that his issue is that he’s a six-month-old purebred high drive German Shepherd who has had little to no socialization and no dog skills. He does not know how to great humans appropriately and is working on that. He will bark and growl at you but thats just how he says hello please come pet me. He has a great foundation when it comes to basic obedience but will require training and regular stimulation or Cooper will become destructive. He needs an active family who will spoil him with attention but set boundaries for him.
Update 9/11/2020 Cooper has been in foster for about month now and his personality is really shinny through. He is very sweet and affectionate. He has has ZERO accidents in the house. He has not chewed anything other than dog toys. He is learning how to control his bark but needs more work. He is looking for a home who will provide professional training and continue to work with him on being the best dog he can be.
Cooper does not do well with alpha dogs. He still greets other dogs by barking in their face "aggressively". While Cooper is not being aggressive, it is perceived this way and other dogs may react to this which will start a dog fight.
More about Cooper 1529Good with Dogs, Not Good with Cats, Good with Kids, Good with Adults, Very vocal, Does Good in the Car, Requires a yard, Cratetrained, Plays fetch, Likes to play with toys, Likes to be in your lap, Protective, Needs special care, Obedient, Playful, Affectionate, Eager To Please, Intelligent If you are an approved adopter and are interested in this dog, please let your case worker know. If you are not yet an approved adopter but are interested, please complete an adoption application! Other Pictures of Cooper 1529 (click to see larger version):
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