Phoebe, my Belgian Shepherd Malinois

by Lilian
(Cape Town, SA)

My dog is a mix between a German Shepherd and a Belgian Shepherd.

I'm not sure, but looking at her, I think more Belgian than German.

She came here at 4 months old and I couldn't get a leash on her, she went completely crazy when I tried to get near her head. The breeder told my niece (who bought her for me) that the dog was already sold when she contacted him, but 2 weeks later, the dog was back online. We figured after watching how destructive she is, they must have done something to curb that and when it didn't work sent her back to the breeder.

She single handedly destroyed our backyard. Every morning, I am greeted with these very deep holes she dug during the night. It looks like a fortress next to our fence for all the things I had to pack there. Unfortunately I can't do that on the driveway in front of garage at the back, so I'm still getting my nasty surprise holes there. Any advise?

Slowly but surely, I got her to allow me to gently rub her head, now she's seeking it from any family member. She has unlimited energy, relishes cold weather, loves the rain and water, droops totally in warm weather. She does that "circling thing" around me and my sister. We didn't know what that's about, but after reading the Rocky article, I know a little more.

She's one year old now, but there's no sign of the German Shepherd watchdog mentality. She wags her tail at everyone and barks only at other dogs passing our house. Is this normal for this breed?

We had a German Shepherd before her. What a dog! The best. The whole neighbourhood still misses him, he kept the thieves at bay. The vet had to put him under because he was going blind and it made him totally aggressive, and he only responded to our voices.