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German Shepherd Dog (medium coat) : : Male : : Adult : : Large
Learn more about the German Shepherd Dog.
Bryce is a 3 to 5 year old (best guess) White German Shepherd Husky mix. When he came to us, he weighed 45lbs and was incredibly thin. He now weighs a healthy 67lbs. Bryce is neutered and is overall healthy. He is heartworm positive but has started treatment. We don’t know much about his life prior to being rescued by another rescue and then transferred to SSR. During his time in boarding down in Texas, before coming to Virginia, he was sweet and goofy with vet staff but did accidentally bite a staff member when trying to go after another dog. Below you will find updates from his time in foster care starting from most recent. You'll find he's come incredibly far in just a few time and has greatly improved with just time, patience and training. He'll make a wonderful best friend if you're willing to give him time! July 4th update: These periodic updates have gotten tough. Mostly because Bryce has come so far that he’s settled, calm and great with people (and has been for a few months) so updates are really no longer needed! He’s a hit at adoption events, he’s incredibly well behaved when guests are over at the house and has shown that sometimes you just need time to build trust. Recently we dog sat for another foster and Bryce loved having a 3rd dog to play with in the house. He recently got a new lamby toy and loves carrying it around with him. He even let new people play fetch with him and his toys! May 5: Bryce is doing amazingly well. His body language around his male foster is completely different than when he first got to his foster home. New videos of him playing and getting pets from his male foster are in the videos section. He’s passed dog tests with multiple dogs of different age, gender and size so he’s officially dog friendly. He continues to do well with the cat in the foster home although this cat is dog savvy and he may struggle with a scared/skittish cat. He has been to numerous adoption events and he continues to become more relaxed as he gets out of the house more often. Patience and socialization are the key to his success. He’s spent a few nights at another volunteer’s house and while the initial transition was a bit rough, he warmed up quickly and trusted them by the end of the week. He now knows the commands “sit” “down” and “break”. We’ll soon start working on “place” which will be a good tool to help him build confidence and manage his anxiety. March 6: Bryce has progressed substantially with his male foster. Bryce now allowing him to provide chin scratches and some pets while taking food and treats from him. Bryce will also relax and sleep in the same room as his male foster which is very vulnerable for him! They may not be best friends yet but I’m sure they’ll get there with time. He did really well at his first event and will continue to practice training in public settings. February 25 update: Since my last update Bryce has come a long way. He’s slowly getting better with his male foster.. Which is great! He still is pretty fearful with men and growls and barks whenever the make foster moves but Bryce is approaching him more and taking more treats from him. We did find out that his bite from Texas was actually him trying to go after another dog and a human was in the way. So that did give us some initial concerns regarding his incorporation to the rest of the pack but I believe this incident came out of his own fears and insecurities around other dogs and he has since integrated well with the resident dog. see video below. He’s also doing well with the cat, although he is mostly afraid of her so we’ll see as he gets more comfortable around her. Another female volunteer has been over to see him twice now, including today, and while he was fine with her the first time, she did comment on how much he’s come out of his shell. We still haven’t tested him on other men yet. I suspect it’s still male related. Overall, Bryce is a dog that lets fear and anxiety take over and chooses to use his bark and teeth to keep “scary” things away. Because of this and how jumpy he is, he will not go to a home with kids. He’ll be trying out his first adoption event this weekend so wish him luck! He’s come so far already. February 13th update: He arrived to his Virginia foster on January 28th. He’s really warmed up to the female foster but he’s struggling with adjusting to his male foster. Bryce is a fearful and anxious dog that uses his bark and mouth to keep “scary” things away from him such as men. Bryce has most likely never been trained or worked with so his fosters are working hard to help him learn how to control his fear, build his confidence and react appropriately. Space seems to be a major factor with Bryce as he behaves appropriately with men outside of the house but acts up more inside of the home. Bryce has had fairly positive interactions with the resident male dog in the household so we believe with time he could be trusted with other dogs but his foster needs more time to determine this. He did well with a cat in Texas and seems to be doing well with the resident cat in Virginia but again, will need more time to determine this.
Bryce needs an adopter (male or female, males just have to be patient) who doesn’t have kids, may have another dog or cat, and can be patient to earn Bryce’s trust. Due to Bryce’s history, he will not be adopted to a home with children. Bryce will require additional training thus an experienced owner with a plan to train is required. Once he trusts you, he’s incredibly sweet and loving. He walks incredibly well on a leash, his only downfall is he will sometimes hide behind you (again, he scares easily) and may knock your knees out from under you. He is crate trained and is quiet and well behaved when in the crate. Bryce is an amazing dog but very much a “work in progress”. Will you be his leader and he’ll bring him out of his shell??
Updates on his progress will be posted periodically. More about Bryce 2372Good with Dogs, Good with Cats, Is Not Good with Kids, Good with Adults, Somewhat vocal, Does Good in the Car, Does not require a yard, Leashtrained, Cratetrained, Likes to play with toys, Playful, Timid, Skittish, Affectionate, Intelligent, Goofy 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! Videos of Bryce 2372:
     Other Pictures of Bryce 2372 (click to see larger version):
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