Intoducing Phoenix

Overall, Phoenix's first day went well. He is VERY sweet. He loves to be pet and scratched behind the ears, and would prefer to sit next to you all day long and be loved. Right now, he is napping with his head on my lap. He doesn't have any issues with people coming into the house, as he had 2 visitors yesterday. He immediately introduces himself. He can be a bit shy, but lets everyone pet him and sometimes jumps up lightly, which I am trying to discourage. He definitely wants to trust people, but does not do so immediately.

He does like to put his paws up on things...the counter, the TV, the bookshelf, the door, people, etc. Again, I am discouraging this and he seems to be getting it. He doesn't startle at household noises (though I haven't tried the vacuum yet). He was very interested in the TV at first and now he just looks at it if he hears a barking dog on TV.

He is not food motivated whatsoever. For as skinny as he is, you'd think he'd be ravenous, but he is not. He did not want to take any treats yesterday or today, and picks at his food. As we all know, he definitely needs to put on some weight (I'm sure he's under 40lbs). I added a bit of canned food this morning, which he seemed to like a little better, but still did not eat it all. I am going to try to see if he'll like chicken for treats, so I can start teaching him some commands. But boy does he LOVE water. If it were up to him, he would drink and drink and drink.

We went on a long walk at the park near my house. He does surprisingly well on the leash. Does not pull much, and if he does, a quick tug on the leash sends him right back to your side. He does hesitate at things he's probably never seen before (weird bushes, mailbox, etc.), but a little tug and "come on" keep him going. But there were some times where he stopped dead in his tracks and layed down. We came across a little fluffy dog that was barking and lunging at Phoenix to play. At this point, he became scared and pull and bucked to get away.

He did manage to escape from his crate by pulling the front of the crate in. After switching to a better made crate, he's been fine. He enjoys his crate and will go there if he feels insecure. He slept the whole night through, with no peep and no accidents.

Overall, I think Phoenix is so sweet. He will need some time to come out of his shell and begin to fully trust people (and he will). He needs someone that will be gentle and kind to him, but also not baby him. As of right now, he's been sleeping a lot, but I think once he becomes more comfortable and in shape, he will be a typical high energy GSP, but not overly energetic. He will need to be crated and have a place of his own to go if he feels uncomfortable.



~Dana Shaute, Eastern GSP Rescue Volunteer