Denzil - German Shepherd, Dog (1 Year)

So, after a shaky start with our toy poodle (inherited, grumpy, snarly, with an extreme case of small dog complex!) - Denzil has now settled in beautifully. He gets on famously with our 16 and a half year old Shepherd/Lab cross, she just tells him off with a dirty look and occasionally a bark when he gets too boisterous for her. As for the poodle, well, they're, errrm, learning to get along!! They go for walks together and we get lots of 'Ooh, Little and Large' type comments!

Denzil is gradually becoming more and more confident and is starting to realise that he doesn't need to be frightened of all strangers. He still is a little unpredictable in his reactions to new people - sometimes he will happily let them stroke his head and other times - like this morning in the woods! - he will bark for no apparent reason. His tail is normally wagging when he does this, but he's got this fabulous, big, booming German Shepherd bark which doesn't really help his case!!

I find it hard to believe this big, soppy, softy was ever muzzled in the house - he's so gentle, you can take chews or a toy from his mouth with no reaction at all and he likes nothing better than a cuddle followed by a lovely sloppy kiss. He absolutely loves to play - his favourite toy is a very noisy squeaky tennis ball bone thing, which sounds like a donkey braying when he really gets going on it! Marvellous! He is also obsessed with sticks, the bigger and spriggier the better!!!

Every day, in every way, he just gets better and better and is SO handsome





An action shot with his new 'mate'!!

Thanks to all at FDR for letting Denzil come to his forever home with us. His training is going really well - he can now do sit, stay, leave it (useful when becoming over excited with the poodle!), he's sort of getting drop it!, lie down, take it, seek it and his recall is getting really good, although he does turn a deaf ear when he's on a squirrel trail! I'll add more news and photos as time goes by.

Lovely pictures Sandy & great to hear that handsome Denzil is enjoying life with your family...Jess is also ruled by two terrorists..took time for her to realise that they are the bosses, but now she loves them & they all curl up together...hope we all meet in the forest again & congratulations on turning the handsome Denzil into such a lovely boy

Denzil's a very handsome dog! Glad to hear he's settling in so well. Nico also hasn't yet learnt that barking isn't the right way to get people to stroke him, even if he does wag his tail!! x

Gorgeous pictures! Well done to all the family for giving this gorgeous boy a second chance and for not being put off by the stories of his past.

He looks like one lucky, happy boy!

Hi there

Just thought I'd post a few more photos of Denzil - if I can remember how! - just to show anyone interested how he's filled out and what a happy doggy he's becoming! Just this week I've had a "Wow! Isn't he magnificent!" and a "Look at that beautiful German Shepherd!" Mind you, both of those comments were made by people who hadn't witnessed his impressive bark!!!



Look how he's filling out!



Happy playing in the heather on this morning's walk - beautiful day!



My beautiful boy!

I should apologise to Kim at FDR, whenI told her that I wasn't so sure he was good with other dogs and she had assured me he was! The fact is, he's brilliant with other dogs when he's off the lead - if they're grouchy with him he just looks at them as if to say 'what's your problem?', turns his back and runs off - it's when he's ON the lead that it's more tricky! I'm sure he just wants to say hello and check them out, he's just a little . . . erm . . . overenthusiastic!!! With patience, understanding and lots of love he's getting there though:D

Well you get a WOW from me as well, he looks magnifico!!! lovely pictures in the sunshine...my little Jess is just the same fantastic off lead just a little shall we say vocal on lead till introduced must be a shepherd thing!!! Hope we might meet up in the forest again soon

Thanks for that, 'Jesse's mum'!

Hopefully we will bump into each other again soon at the forest and you can see for yourself how he's come on - we're so proud of him

Hi there forum folk

Thought it was time for an update on Denzil (formerly Marcus/Diesel), our beautiful German Shepherd Sorry I've not been posting for a while, but we lost our lovely 16-year-old, German Shepherd/Lab cross, Kim, about a month after Denzil arrived and it really threw me for a while. I just felt so very sad and so did Denzil - just as the two of them had begun to be the very best of friends, Kim started failing rapidly and eventually her back legs just gave up and we had to make some very tough decisions It definitely helped having Denzil around to keep me on the straight and narrow - he had to still be walked every day and still came nuzzling for fuss and a cuddle, so it kind of forces you to get on with life, but it certainly took me quite some time to get over the loss.

Well, Denzil has now been part of our household for about 4 months and is totally and utterly one of the family. He was very unsure at first with my eldest stepson, Sam, and would bark, bark, lunge, bark and bark some more every time he came within 50 yards of the house! Whether it was his black leather jacket, the tone of his voice or what, we weren't really sure, but glad to report that they are now best buddies. At last! Denzil is totally at ease with our family and a few, select very close friends, but I have to say we are still struggling with getting him to accept friends (or indeed strangers) calling unexpectedly at the door.

Obviously we have friends who drop in occasionally, but they may not be doing so much longer! I have done all the normal things with close friends - meeting them outside the house and going for long walks in the woods, playing toys and carrying favourite treats, etc and this works really well - until we come inside the house and they try to sit down and relax on the sofa for a chat and a coffee. Eeeek! It's OK for the first minute or so, then Denzil decides that, no, actually, he's not quite sure after all and has a good old bark. Or three. Or four. Etc, etc, .... Any ideas, anybody? Or is it just a case of sticking to the boundaries and rules and having infinite patience?!!!

He's also not keen on children, in that he really doesn't trust them and doesn't know what to make of them but great inroads were made with this recently when a good friend and her 10-year-old - desperate to have a doggy pal to play with - came to stay. Not great at first, as they arrived from Cornwall in the dark and anyone who just turns up . . . However, by the end of the 2 days' stay, this was the result . . .

Christmas with the family was a delight - apart from one slight blot to Denzil's copybook, when he found himself unexpectedly left alone with the pressies under the Christmas tree and chose one of my stepdaughter Hannah's to open early for her - so helpful! - a cute, knitted animal hat which had (that's 'had') an oh-so-chewable nose, which, of course, Denzil couldn't resist chewing off!!! He had to pay a penance though . . .

So, all in all, happy family; contented, full-of-fun, loyal, happy and devoted dog. Winner all round. But, if anyone has any suggestions on how to best deal with visitors to the home, I would be very grateful to hear your suggestions.

Meanwhile, a very happy new year to dogs, staff and volunteers at FDR and also to my fellow 'adopters'. Cheers and good health and happiness to one and all

I've had a good think about this & wonder if it is terretorial or insecurity?...Jess still takes the odd dislike to someone out walking, no rhyme or reason & will bark & as you say it does sound really fierce....At home when we first had her if she did it with family & friends coming inside we just said nothing a popped her into another room & usually being excluded from all the goings on seem to win over being a knob, so we did no look no touch ( Cesar Milan ) & carried on as normal & she is fine now ... one friend she was really silly about still comes lol but just turned her back on her every time she barked or went forward & Jess seemed to think if she could'nt see the face its ok & went to her bed.

Also I have had Jess for 15 months now & I would say that it took a good 12 months before she was really settled & felt completely happy around most people I did apologise to the back pack man we met the other day lol.....So it sounds to me as if you are doing everything right & getting great results but it might take a little more time before Denzil is as confident as you would like.

So sorry to hear about your grand old girl Kim it is just the most awful time, my Martha was about 13/14 when the time came..horrid.. but it sounds as if the handsome boy was a great help....we look out for you in the woods each time we walk ...hope to meet up soon

Hi, really sorry to hear about your loss, it takes a long time to come to terms with it as they are part of your family I totally agree with you and jessies mum on the aproach to denzils behavior! i have been in the a visitors position where i have had a german sheperd growling and barking at me..and it wasn't as though the dog didn't know me , this didnt stop me feeling nervous so i think the dog picked up on it and did it more..i tried not to show fear but as i hadn't done any harm to the pooch in anyway i couldn't understand why he would bark at me so that made me slightly fearful- so i wonder if your friends feel slightly uncomfortable around him and Denzil picks up on it more..i believe you are doing all the right things and that the no talk no touch and no eye contact would defin be worth a go..I do have to thank denzil for helping me get over the fear of german shepards as i've had a few run ins with the breed in the past, Denzil has filled me with lots of confidence with them. I was also lucky enough to have him as a running partner at the fdr for a short time he's a lovely boy! good luck you can do it you've already come a long way with this boy!

Thank you so much Jesses mum and Elka for your helpful comments, encouragement and advice

I am sure Elka that you are right that our visitors give out "EEK!" fear signals that Denzil picks up on, but I must say I can't blame them. The couple of friends who are genuinely fearless around him - one who has 2 German Shepherds in the family and another who has had one himself in the past - Denzil is absolutely fine with, just accepts them after an initial bark and that's it. It is the friends who try their very best not to be intimidated/scared by saying "Yeah, yeah, very scary" etc but who are actually giving out fear signals that even I can feel, let alone the dog, who seem to drive him to a bit of a frenzy!! The thing is, once he gets to know people and accepts them, he is just the biggest softie there is! But trying to convince the frightened friends of this is quite another matter!!

I know it's early days still, I guess it's just that I want everyone to see Denzil for the delightful dog that he is, and that he's just being a big scaredypants and barking as loudly as he can, you know, just in case! I will, of course, persevere and will keep you posted of our progress

Oh noooooooooooooooo! I've just posted a massive ramble about Denzil's progress - took me ages! - and just as I was going to add some photos, I must have pressed something and it's all disappeared

Grrrrr! Unfortunately I haven't got time to do the whole thing again, so I'll have to a shortened version. Basically I was just singing Denzil's praises and mainly to say how, after reading Jesse's Mum's and Elka's advice, I did some further research on t'internet and came up with some re-runs of Victoria Stilwell's programme It's Me or the Dog. Fab!! So much so actually, that I went straight onto Amazon and bought the book which accompanied the series. Straightforward, common-sense advice, which - like most dog behaviourists I guess - focuses on reinforcing good behaviour and, whenever possible, ignoring the not-so-good.

Denzil's main, erm issues, centred around visitors to the house. Well, I am pleased to report that progress has been made We recently, with the help of a very calm Pete the Plasterer and lots of Denzil's favourite Tesco's denta rasks treats cut up into bit-size portions, we successfully had a visitor come into the house, do a job and leave, with not even a single bark or lunge! Yeay!! Result!!!

Apart from that, he is turning out to be an absolute joy to have around (Denzil, that is, not Pete!). He has so many lovely qualities that it makes it a pleasure and very rewarding of course, when you make a breakthrough, to help him deal with the things that unnerve him. He is such a sweetie - one of the things that we love most about him is his perseverance. Every morning without fail he greets our ancient, crotchety toy poodle with a waggy tail and a 'great day for a walk' face and every morning, without fail, he gets the same response - yap, yap, yap, snarl!! Still, no matter, he just tries again the next day . . . and the next . . . and the next . . .and so on! Bless! Right, I'll attach some photos of him enjoying our walks in the snow . . .

I'm so pleased for you & Denzil I don't know if it's just a shepherd thing but Jess is always so relieved if she can overcome an issue, it just makes you realise how we need to be pack leader & take that responsibility from them, I'm sure with time any other issues Denzil has will become a thing of the past....One thing I do know is that the greeting grumpy relatives MUST be a shepherd thing cos Jess has two unattractive snarly faces if she oversteps the mark in a morning but always wags & says "come on guys let's get out there" & shares her walks with enthusiasm..lovely pictures, your boy is looking more & more handsome as he becomes part of your family , I bet he enjoyed the snow

Aww thanks, Jesse's mum, you're always very supportive Have you noticed - in photos (the Forest Dog Rescue Facebook ones) it seems to show up more - how similarly marked Jess and Denzil are? Both totally beautiful of course! Yes, he's doing fabulously well, although the visitors to the house thing is still very much a work in progress - but, as you've said before, these things take time, patience and perseverance.

We joke about Denzil definitely being a gemini - as are both my husband and one of my stepsons! They all three have the same birthday now! Denzil is so very calm most of the time - his version of getting excited before a walk is to rush and get his favourite squeaky toy in his mouth and maybe, if he's really lost the plot, to pad up and down the stairs with his tail gently wagging!!! Then, when the doorbell goes, he goes into German Shepherd protective mode, all barky and rushing about! But we're getting there - much better if we're prepared for the visitor coming of course, it's the surprise ones who take him unawares and send him into a bit of a frenzy. Hey-ho! As I say, a work in progress!

Sandy, I didn't know that you had a German Sheperd!
The first dog I owned was a German Sheperd, called Sheba - they are wonderful aren't they? I would have had another but the girls wanted something a little smaller that they could handle confidently on their own.
Some lovely photos of Denzil, (love the one with the hat!!) he is a gorgeous boy!! It's easy to see how you fell in love with him.
From reading your posts it would appear that you've had your work cut out for you - but boy he is worth it!
It's sooo rewarding to see the progress he's made too, isn't it?
Will check in again to see how you're both doing x

Hi there

Just getting ready to take Denzil for a walk with one of his favourite pals and I thought I'd just post a quick update first and some photos of him with one of his favourite girlfriends, a rather beautiful Weimaraner belonging to my stepson.

In some ways it's hard to believe we've now had Denzil for 7 months, but of course in other ways it seems like he's been around for ages - certainly can't imagine life without his happy smiley face appearing round the bedroom door every morning!

Denzil really is one happy, chilled-out dude 95% of the time. He's great off the lead, with excellent recall and is brilliant at walking 'close' if someone is approaching I think he may be, shall we say, a little wary of, until the 'danger' is past! He just glues himself to my leg until I give him his release command. My husband was amazed when he came out with us the other day, as he hadn't been out for a while. "Oooh, he's really good at that isn't he?" I of course took the opportunity to point out that these things don't just happen by magic and that we'd worked on it for AGES! Mind you, I have to say he's not so great at it if there's a dog involved - he just wants to go and say hello to every dog, whether they're snarling at him, totally disinterested or just looking the other way! Muppet! We're working on it!

We're also still working on the strangers coming to the door thing - he's definitely getting there but still has major relapses! We have a big test coming up in April as we have my cousin Gus coming to stay for a few days and my hubby's best pal is coming to visit from New Zealand. Woo-hoo! Just the type of big,burly guys Denzil loves (not!!) - I can't wait actually as they're both totally fearless around dogs so will be totally unfazed by Denzil's barking. Hopefully their visits will go a long way towards allaying his man fears - bless!

I've just had a squeaky Zebraduck (don't ask!) dropped at my feet by a certain dog wanting a walk, so guess I'd better get a move on. Here's the photos (hopefully!) . . .



Come and get it then, if you think you're tough enough!



Sometimes, girl, you're a real pain in the neck!



OK, enough of the funny walks now!

I'll come on and do another update after we've had our visits and let you know how Denzil got on!

Well, my cousin Gus is here and although we have had several relapses, I can hardly wait to post these photos of Denzil and his NBF, Gus! My son jokes about Denzil being bi-polar and my husband says he is suffering from early-onset memory loss! For goodness' sake!! I know exactly what they both mean as to the untrained ear and eye, he appears to have terrible memory losses and seems to forget that a few hours previously, someone who he's now barking at was his new best pal:roll:

However, Denzil's rather-slow-on-the-uptake owners (us!) have realised tonight that we are only just learning to speak Denzilese properly. What he actually wanted this evening, for instance, when he suddenly started barking - to all intents and purposes directly at my cousin - was to get to him for some fuss, which he couldn't do as the coffee table was blocking his way. He wasn't staring at him with any kind of malice, it was luuurrrve!! As soon as we moved the table and let him through, he was all waggy tails and gooey ears as he had achieved what he wanted - close proximity to his NBF!!!!!



Now that's trust for you!



Crashed out after a long walk in the woods!

Can't tell you how pleased we all are - mostly due to the patient, gentle giant that is my cousin, Gus, we have yet another breakthrough with our delightful 'bi-polar' dog, Denzil! Just love the big lummox!

Just love the photos, as always, Sandy. The breakthroughs seem to come thick and fast with Denzil - it might not seem like that to you, but the beauty of this forum is seeing how he has progressed in what is really a relatively short time. It helps so much, not just to the owner but to prospective adopters, to see the progress of these rescue dogs when peoploe like you are patient and caring and give the dog a chance, and more importantly, take the time to write up your experiences. Thank you so much for your contributions to the forum.

It's wonderful to see the photos too, but I have to ask, where is Denzil's neck pillow? .

That IS Denzil's neck pillow - he just wanted his NBF to have it!

Hi there

Just wondering if anyone knows of a good training class in the Bewdley area or thereabouts? (Not sure if this is the right place to post this?). I would really like to take Denzil to classes, to, amongst other things, work on his recall when there are 'distractions'. Don't get me wrong, he is fabulously well behaved most of the time and his recall, especially to the whistle is very impressive, but when he gets the scent of a deer, he just goes deaf. I know he's a dog, with natural doggy instincts, but still . . . . he does come back, you understand, but it's more when HE wants to! There is also the issue of his behaviour on the lead when he wants to say hello to another dog. (Denzil wants to say hello to EVERY dog, friendly or not!!!) I am sure training cvasses would help with these things - and give him a chance to shine! - but I would really like to go to one on personal recommendation if possible.

Thanks in anticipation :-)

Bliss Gate are excellent. They have classes at Wilden Village Hall and Far Forest Village Hall. They also do walks in the Wyre Forest to help socialise the dogs.They have a website with phone numbers. Enjoy !

Yes, AnnieP is right. Bliss Gate is a really good place. I have just come back from a class with my dog and he really enjoyed it. Great socialisation. This is their webpage: http://www.blissgatedogtraining.co.uk. I would definitely recommend.

Thanks very much, folks, I will check out Bliss Gate