By: Sue Williams

Sue Williams — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 17:20:28 +0000

I have a two year old female long haired gs, Freya. I wasn’t looking for a gs, I just wanted to find an intelligent, healthy large dog that was suitable for our acreage after our old dog passed away. I’d have adopted a dog but it was during covid, and there were no suitable rescues available that would have been ok with our elderly spaniel and barn cats. I chose Freya because the breeder seemed to really know the personalities of the puppies in the litter, and she mentioned that Freya was the most polite puppy they’d ever had. You could see that she hung back for a couple of seconds to check out a situation before she joined in – when my son and I went to meet the puppies she wasn’t the first one to barrel over to us wanting attention, but when she did come over she was the one who stayed close to us, and she had a very sweet nature. She picked us.
A few short weeks after bringing her home, my sister was diagnosed with a devastating terminal cancer in another province. After spending a week with my sister I realised that I’d be spending most of the next few months travelling back and forth to help care for her, and mostly be away. I was tempted to find another home for my beloved pup, because I didn’t think it was fair to her to be away so much. Luckily, my son was home from college, and my neighbors also helped out, and Freya joined their pack of two herding dogs and two livestock guardians, who socialised her and taught her the ropes.
I lost my sister 5 months later, and my mom the following year, and I don’t know how I would have got through it without Freya. She is my defacto emotional support dog and best friend – she is a huge cuddler and knows just when I need a snuggle to comfort me. She was an incentive to get outdoors to play and walk. She is friendly with every dog she meets, probably because she was so well socialised when I had to be away, and although my sons and I are definitely her people, she is very friendly with every person she meets. I joke that Freya never read the GS manual about being aloof with strangers.
We had to catch up on obedience training – I didn’t get a good chance to do that when she was young, but she is an intelligent girl and learned quickly. A gs is a smart dog who can learn at any age. What you can’t replace is good early socialisation, and a dog that you can trust with any dog or person is truly a treasure. I have only seen her have a negative reaction to one person, and her instincts were dead on about this guy – but she didn’t show any aggression, rather, her response was to put her ears and tail down and walk away from him.
I know this is long but I just wanted to share how wonderful and supportive a companion a long haired shepherd can be, and also the importance of socialising them young. Freya is a treasure and my best friend.

Comments on: What Is A Long-Haired German Shepherd? (Breed Basics 101)

By: Sue Williams