gsdog2

No, not silly at all - when I took him to the local markets I heard a dad telling his son that I was walking a Malinois (so you're not the only one to see the likeness ) He was definately lean but as he was such a fit/active boy there was never a risk that he'd be carrying too much weight (even with the amount I was feeding him) when I returned him.

And one more - as you can see he's lean but definately not skinny (he was eating TWICE as much as my 3yr old girl)

His colouring is similar to a Malinois but I was told he's a German Shepherd and I have no doubt he's a pure Shepherd. I've seen their Mal's and there's no mistaking the difference. A lot of the shepherds I saw were really quite big (which surprised me) - I had thought if they like the speed and agility of the Mals they wouldn't want the BIG shepherds, but believe me some of the shepherds were large! Having said that, I must admit when walking around the kennels I found it a little difficult to tell the difference between the Mal's and some of the younger and therefore smaller shepherds as there colouring and size/build was almost the same.

That's right fh, showline shepherds need to be walked as well, but I've never walked such a young dog the distances I've walked my foster. Thank you so much minimiss - I hope I've inspired others to give fostering MWD puppies a go. Everything lined up for me and it was the right time to give MWD fostering a try ie. we live on over an acre of land, my youngest is now 20yrs and we have our own business so I can work around the pup. I lost my male shepherd earlier this year so having 3 dogs is nothing new and my other two dogs are reasonably easy-going so I was fairly sure there wouldn't be any issues there either. I should add I have a VERY understanding OH who has put fencing around the no-go area's AND left his car outside the garage to give more room for the pup and his bed ..................... and my OH loves his car!!!!!

I'm not really sure SK - I'm in two minds as to whether I would want to adopt him as I've not trained him in the same way I would if he was mine. If I did take him on there's a fair bit of work to be done and I have other breeds in mind if I were to get a working line ;)

Looks a lot like my foster - he was the 'U' litter

Wow, thank you so much . My ultimate wish is that he ends up with a great handler and that they make a great team - that's my wish anyway . He has done well at the monthly visits and everyone seemed happy with his progress so I'm taking that as a good sign and as Clyde said I'll just keep my fingers crossed that he graduates

There's one lady there with her 19th foster - that's dedication

What a great question - because it really came down to how I went with the goodbye as to whether I would do it again. So for the last week I have been preparing myself for yesterday as in reminding myself he's not (and never was) my dog, starting to distance myself from him (not too much time on our own), remembering why I volunteered for this (which selfishly included finding out what a working dog was like and how the pro's train them) and that the base is where his life started so it's not new to him. Also (hopefully) he's going to have a very exciting life and a great relationship with his handler. So, keeping all that in mind and promising myself if I could get through saying goodbye to him without ending up a blubbering mess, I would seriously consider doing it again. And guess what? I did get through without one tear - this was also for my foster as I'm sure dogs know when a person's upset and I didn't want to add to what was going to be a huge day for him anyway. So after the long answer to your question - yes, I think I'll do it again, maybe not tomorrow but possibly next year some time.

I'm not completely sure of the fail rate - so probably best that I don't guess Apparently he will be assessed over the next couple of months to see which he's most suited for:- Army, RAAF or Corrective Services

And that's my big fear and one of the reasons I never became a breeder (had the prefix but never used it), I worry about what type of home he will end up in. I'm not sure if the RAAF will be as picky as I would be with regard to the 'right' forever home for him. ETA and yes as soon as I find out how he's going I'll let you know ;)

No, not at all - the took me on as a carer They will check your house and yard first - and I don't think they take anyone with very young children.

Exactly!!! That's what I've always been told too. The difference is the breeding - he is a working breed (definitely built for strength). And you're right - the socialisation is VERY important too.

He went back yesterday, so now the 'hard' work begins although I'm sure as far as he's concerned this is when the fun starts I'm a little sad to see him go but I made a point of not bonding with him - almost treating the experience as voluntary work. I look at his stay with us as a very small part of his overall training and my job was to make sure he experienced as many different scenarios as possible in that time. He's a working dog so there hasn't been a lot of affection from him, although that was starting to change a little over the last couple of weeks (so it really was better that he returned now). I've loved having him and he did get on well with my other two dogs, so his stay has been a hugely positive experience for all of us My liaison officer has told me I'm welcome to ring him in a couple of months time and he'll let me know how my foster is progressing, which I will do. If he is successful and looks like he will graduate I think I will foster another MWD pup, but if he doesn't I'm not so sure I will. I've put in a lot of time with him and I really hope it hasn't all been for nothing - as in he'll just end up as someone's pet he graduates

The last few months with my lovely foster have passed so quickly and before I realised it, it was time for him to return to the base and start the hard work. This pic was taken of the two of us last week playing with his most favourite thing ......... THE BALL!!!

Awwwww . Are you going to take on another one? Perhaps a Maligator next time ;) . Thinking about it - might be a good way to try before I buy

Unfortunately even that doesn't work - my vet (who owns in partnership a business that has three different surgeries and employs a number of vets) can more than handle an emergency GDV, unfortunately the vet on call that night wasn't so capable (how was I to know ). My only other option was to drive an hour to the emergency a/hrs hospital in Brisbane,which under the circumstances was not an option. Sadly I knew the signs and I feel I got him there as soon as possible, in fact my husband thought I was crazy to be so stressed when to him our boy didn't look that bad ETA I'm sorry to be so negative, as you can probably tell I'm still struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss of my boy

Within an hour of eating he was showing the first symptoms - restlessness (pacing) Hindsight is a wonderful thing though - initially I thought he was just restless. I had no idea what was happening to him until he became more restless (unable to lay down) and gagging. The trigger for me was feeling his abdomen (it didn't look enlarged) and it was tight - that's when my world caved in and I knew he was in trouble Again im so sorry I am paranoid abt bloat, esp in summer when Troyboy is hot, i try to wait sometimes till 8 30-9pm for his dinner when i am sure he has cooled off enough to eat. Even then i keep checking on him for a few hrs just to check he doesnt seem distressed. He has a HUGE deep chest so i worry all the time. So the tummy feels tight and if you tap on it if feels hollow? Sorry to ask, its just the only things i know to look for are pacing, heavy panting and bloated out tummy When you feel the tightness in the abdomen you'll know it's time for the vet. It's something you need to be aware of with a deep-chested dog, but as I'm finding with my other two dogs I can't keep revisiting what happened and wonder what I could have done differently - it's only going to cause you a lot of stress.

Within an hour of eating he was showing the first symptoms - restlessness (pacing) Hindsight is a wonderful thing though - initially I thought he was just restless. I had no idea what was happening to him until he became more restless (unable to lay down) and gagging. The trigger for me was feeling his abdomen (it didn't look enlarged) and it was tight - that's when my world caved in and I knew he was in trouble

Within an hour of eating he was showing the first symptoms - restlessness (pacing)

Bigger, but still gorgeous .................. sadly I say goodbye to my foster on Thursday

When I realised what was happening to my boy I rang the vet and explained to her that he was a big, deep-chested, 9yr old male GSD, gave her his symptoms and the situation was urgent. It was a/hrs, so with OH driving (speeding ) we arrived at the surgery only to have to wait 'another' 20 minutes until the vet finally arrived. She was not convinced until AFTER she x-rayed him - she then needed assistance with the surgery so my regular vet was finally called. Even though he also did a bit of low-flying to get in asap it was all too late and the damage was already done After thinking about what happened that night I did go back to the vets and spoke to the practise manager regarding the young vet who attended my boy - not to complain, but to suggest that she does not have the experience or confidence to handle a/hr emergencies on her own without any supervision.

Youtube Having lost my shepherd to gdv earlier this year I can tell you the signs can be a lot more subtle than this video and you can still lose them. My dog seemed a little restless and had unproductive gagging and I had to feel his abdomen to realise it was bloated - it didn't actually look that bad. He was rushed to the vets, and it took a bit of work to convince the young inexperienced vet that he had bloat (which proved correct - she thought it was a tumour ). By the time he had surgery it was too late and he was eventually given his wings

This is so true! I'm about to give my foster MWD back and I KNOW he's got high drive, but I don't think I've seen even half of what he's capable of - because I don't have the knowledge. But, (hopefully ) when I see him again at around 2 years of age I'll see a well-trained high drive dog

Growing like a weed . She's constantly amazing me with her confidence and energy (oh the energy!!). We've started with some basic tracking and obedience work, all coming along slowly. ....and I have 'blender hands' big time I'm sure this was mentioned!!!