Lahara is an 8 year old female German Shepherd Cross. She is fostered in Norwich Norfolk. Lahara came into our care a few weeks ago from a private shelter in Romania.
Lahara is a quiet and shy girl who enjoys being around her humans but will be hand shy with new people initially due to traumas of her past. Once she knows you she enjoys a fuss and loves to be groomed.
Lahara can live with or without other dogs, she is very submissive and easily bullied so a larger pack is not best suited to her.
Lahara could live with dog-savvy children aged ten plus as long as they understand she will back away from them initially and may take a little time to trust.
When you adopt a Safe Rescue dog, you MUST use a slip lead. This will keep your dog safe: your new dog will be nervous and will not trust you, and you will not know which situations might upset your dog.
If your dog panics, then a slip lead is the only way to prevent your dog from escaping (many dogs can escape from a collar and/or harness).
It will take AT LEAST 3-6 months for your dog to settle in and for you to know your dog fully (longer for nervous dogs). The slip lead must ALWAYS be used during this settling-in period.
Even after your dog is settled, it is safest to use the slip lead in situations where your dog may become scared (e.g. visiting new places, around unfamiliar people, at the vet), and in situations where unexpected triggers might happen (e.g. around bonfire night).
Nervous dogs may always need to wear a slip-lead as a backup safety measure. The slip lead is a safety device and must NEVER be used as a training tool. Using the lead to apply pressure to the dog’s neck is damaging.
If your dog pulls on the lead, then we can advise you on training methods that avoid harm. Once your dog is settled, you may want to consider using a harness (together with the slip lead) if your dog is comfortable with being handled when it is fitted.
Most harnesses are not escape-proof, but harnesses with a strap behind the ribcage (e.g. Ruffwear Webmaster or Perfect Fit Harnesses) are safer. Retractable/extendable leads must never be used on our dogs. The Adopted dogs must be collected from the rescue and transported straight home in a crate.
