Southwest Florida German Shepherd Rescue Inc.

🐾Meet Diesel — A Gentle Giant Ready to Love Again 🐾

Some dogs just have a presence. Diesel is one of them. A dark sable two and a half year-old German Shepherd, built strong and confident, with a soft heart that shows the moment you meet him. Weighing in at over 115 pounds, he’s a powerhouse in size — but gentle in spirit. He is neutered, HW Neg, UTD on shots and obedient.

Diesel is exceptionally well-trained, healthy, and even-tempered. He listens, he focuses, and he carries himself with quiet confidence. He’s the kind of dog who makes you proud to walk beside him. He’s also Farley approved, which means he gets along beautifully with other dogs and knows how to read the room — playful when invited, calm when it’s time to settle.  He is dog social and has been in group classes with 8 other dogs and he is a perfect gentleman. He does have an exceptionally high prey drive and does need a strong handler to keep him in check if he sees a rabbit on a walk.

Diesel came from a loving home with two children. Through no fault of his own, his family faced unforeseen changes and had to make the heartbreaking decision to rehome him. It’s clear he’s been loved deeply — he looks to people with trust and affection, ready to bond again.

He’s looking now for a family who will cherish him for the devoted, loyal companion he is. Diesel would thrive with people who understand the heart of a Shepherd — intelligent, eager to please, and always watching out for his people.  He likes to work and even now has been waling 6+ miles daily.

If you’ve been waiting for a dog who brings both strength and sweetness in one magnificent package, Diesel is available immediately to the right family. He’s ready to start his next chapter — maybe it’s with you.

UPDATE AFTER MORE TRAINING WAS DONE:

When Diesel focuses on something in his environment (Prey, another
dog, sometimes people), at times he stops paying attention to his
owner and “zeros” in on what grabs his attention. He will not respond
to commands without strong correction, and when he gets really over
his threshold, he responds by barking/lunging (Reactivity). Diesel can
also be reactive in the car when someone parks or comes too close.
Met with Kevin Cafarelli (Everglades Canine Academy) 4/29/26
(239)946-4468
2640 32nd Avenue SE
Naples, FL 34117
Kevin suggested we implement a program to teach Diesel that we are
responsible/in charge of resources: Food, Water, Toys and Space inside
the home. Diesel needs to see us as in charge of these things, so
responding to his owner will be more valuable to him than responding to
his environment. He does not have access to resources whenever he
wants (leader of the pack), but only when we give them to him (we are the
leaders).
We started the program immediately, and are using the following
management steps:
Diesel is crate trained, so we put him in his crate
(Command, “Kennel”) at all times EXCEPT when he is being trained,
walked, or on a leash with his owner. (We bring Diesel out 5-6 times a day
to work with him, making sure his physical/mental needs are met). This is
management of indoor space.
Diesel is fed inside his crate, and hand fed. His
regular kibble is used during training sessions and during his walks as a
reward, when he responds correctly to a command. We give him ample
opportunities for water, making sure he drinks when he comes out of the
1
crate and before he goes back in (ask him, “want a drink?” and he will get
one).
A toy is brought out for a managed play session
inside the house, then put away when the session is finished. He does not
have access to a toy unless we give it to him or play with him. I also play a
seek/find game with him, where I tell him to “place” on his mat, hide high
value treats in rooms around the house, then tell him to “find it!” He has to
wait until I say “find it” before he leaves the mat. I “place” him again and
start over. We usually play for maximum of 10 minutes (Mental
Stimulation).
Diesel is walked 4-5 times a day, with a longer walk
early in the morning before it gets too hot. He totals around 6 miles daily,
as we do not have a fenced in yard, and walks are his principle means of
exercise. During his walks, he is brought into a “Heel” position, and
released from it (Command, “Free!”), giving full length of his leash but with
some slack so he is not pulling, multiple times during his walks. We are
random about this and do not heel/free him in the same areas. We make
sure to place him in “heel” whenever we need to have control of him (when
he starts to get excited about something in his environment, when we are
walking in a “high traffic” area).
Outside is where Diesel can become reactive. He
has excellent obedience training, but was not fully socialized, and is
particularly reactive to other dogs if they come close. To help him get used
to environments where there are people/dogs/cars/bikes, we walk him into
parks that allow dogs and past people (we create space so he will not go
over threshold) to desensitize him to seeing these things in his everyday
environment. When Diesel sees prey (rabbits, squirrels)/other dogs/
sometimes people, he tends to focus on them; if he begins to hyper focus
(stops panting, hard stare, stiff posture) we tell him to “Leave it!”, if he
does not respond to the command we give a pop on the leash so his collar
will tighten up and create pressure to get his attention. If he turns away
from the object of his attention we say “yes!” And give him a reward (treat).
If he does not, we will turn him away from whatever he is focused on,
command him again, and pop the leash again, if necessary. As soon as he
drops his intense focus, he is rewarded as described above. I have been
taking him to a park twice a day, and sitting with him in the “down”
position, to just watch people/dogs/prey, and not respond. There is a
bench that is a good distance from the trail where most people walk, and
2
he is remaining watchful but not responding when people/dogs/prey, go
by.
Diesel knows the following commands:
Sit
Down
Place
Quiet
Heel
Free
Look (I’ve been working on this command with him for a few weeks. We
started indoors; he has gotten better responding when outdoors. I say the
word “Look” and touch the area near my eye, so he knows he must make
eye contact with me, then he is rewarded.)
We have already seen improvement with Diesel since we’ve begun to
manage his resources. He is focusing more on us when outside. The goal
is to condition Diesel to pay attention to us wherever he is; he will become
neutral to whatever is in his environment.