German Shepherd Dog puppies and dogs in Portola Valley, California

Stewie is a charming, devoted and affectionate two-year-old boy with folks he knows and trusts. He completed a month-long training through Canine Purpose's Board and Traning program in Loomis and currently attends group classes with his foster families. This handsome boy has the brains and a big heart to match. He can be handful with a cheeky side making significant progress in impulse control while his handlers have learned that he's a boy who needs structure and thrives when his people give him clear direction. Stewie has two foster homes, switching between the households regularly.  Stewie's affectionate nature once he establishes a relationship with you means that you'll always have a best friend nearby, preferably leaning into you or snuggling while you watch TV or read and if allowed in bed with you. In his foster home with doggie mates, he sleeps free starting the night snuggled right in bed next to his humans to move off to a dog bed later in the night. In his foster home where he's a solo dog, he sleeps in his crate easily; knowing each households rules and following them.  Stewie has been working hard in his training sessions, mastering meeting strangers with an easy hi, learning a solid place command, working with multiple handlers on the desired heel position, and maintaining his learned skills in increasingly distracting environments. At the same time, he loves his trainers with his vast capacity for joy and loves to please them. Stewie has a natural shepherd stranger danger focus around strangers requiring an experienced handler whom he trusts at which time he'll cede those decisions to his handler.  With his intelligence, eagerness to please those he loves, and love of treats, it's been lovely to watch Stewie heal from the repair of his fractured leg that required months of crate confinement, followed by rehab, and the vitality of a young shepherd who finally could run and play and join his multiple foster families (he had four during his crate confinement) in long walks, play with the resident shepherds and learn to swim with them, then evolve into a potential candidate for Dock Diving since he loves to leap into the water, dunk his head in completely to fetch his toys out of the water.  Suppose you love training your dog, have excellent handling skills to provide structure and experience with shepherds or similar breeds, and are looking for a shepherd to continue developing your dog's obedience skills. In that case, Stewie is ready to be the devoted companion you have been searching for. In return, he would love a steady supply of balls, toys, especially squeaky ones, and many swim opportunities. Stewie's entirely crate and potty trained, has earned the right to sleep free, and shows himself trustworthy while his people are away without being crated. As months have progressed, he's even settled in the car, snoozing on the way to destinations for hours long rides. He's generally a quiet boy in the house, leaving it to his mates to bark at preceived critter prowlers in the yard at night and loud noises in the street.  Stewie enjoys many fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, bananas, oranges, apples, nectarines, cucumbers, and carrots. Generally, he's game to try any food you offer, including fan favorites of pumpkin, cottage cheese, and yogurt, to name a few. He had many filled Kongs, Toppls, and other enrichments during his long crate confinement. A slim and trim boy, Stewie loves his kibble and eats his meals with the resident dogs, sitting for his meals before eating from his bowl. Before heading to Canine Purpose for training, Stewie generally could honor sit, down, stay, leave it, come, wait, in bed, hop in, no.  Those skills were further refined during his training.  Stewie also started the initial stages of NACSW nosework training for enrichment during his long healing process. He enjoyed finding treats and kibble in boxes and other containers and on natural lawn objects like rocks, tree limbs, and lawn furniture.  We are grateful to UCDVMTH's Fracture Program for Rescues for allowing us the opportunity to repair his leg and to the shelter vet who brought his case to the attention of this program to avoid amputating his leg. Despite the pain of his fractured tibia at the ER and in the shelter, he was such a good-natured boy.  Stewie's care meant coordination amongst an extensive team, beginning with the ER staff at the hospital that treated him immediately after being hit by a car, the shelter vet and staff when he was surrendered for lack of funds to repair his leg, UCDVMTH veterinarians, and staff, and our rescue volunteers managing many details regarding transportation, medications, surgery and follow up visits including rehab consult with Integrative Medicine to develop the plan to ease him into full use of his leg.  All accomplished, a success story for everyone involved, including his multiple primary and relief foster homes, who have loved and cared for him.  Stewie is an active, energetic, and, at times, handful shepherd, so he'll thrive in a home where he can enjoy regular exercise and play. He'll be a great companion for someone who enjoys outdoor activities like hiking. He's loved hiking in Tahoe and is happy to put in four-plus miles on trails. He lives with multiple resident shepherds, adores the foster puppies who come through his foster home including them in play with his balls and mouthy games that go on forever, and has a couple of BFFs at Canine Purpose who match his play style. Stewie can be pushy/rude  in play and if paired with another dog will need a neutral dog as a companion. His current mates are very dog savvy, he respects the older dogs and plays well with the younger ones. Stewie has been adopted twice by folks who found his looks captivating, fell in love with and yet returned him within weeks before he could settle. They admitted to overlooking his true shepherd personality and guidance from his foster families and trainers. If you're interested in Stewie, please note that his fosters will be very selective after Stewie's two adoption experiences and will want to meet multiple times including with his trainers before commiting to launch Stewie to a forever home. He is very loved and would remain with his foster families permanently except one frequently travels for work and the other is at the permanent dog limit set by their animal control jurisdiction.  Take advantage of this opportunity to see if you are a match for this beautiful shepherd. Please select the adopt button and fill out an application for us to connect about Stewie.  As a foster-based rescue, ShepHeroes is always in need of fosters. An overwhelming number of shepherds in our local shelters need our help for a fresh start. Would you be willing to share your home and part of your summer to help shepherds find new families? You provide the love, and we’ll provide everything else! Saying “yes” today truly saves a life. Complete this  https://www.shepheroes.org/foster-form, and we’ll be in touch ASAP! We appreciate your consideration. ##1641104##

Hey everyone, I'm Gwen. I came to the rescue from the shelter with my littermates Griffin and Woody in mid-June at two months. A week later, my two remaining littermates, Martyn and Kuma, joined us in rescue when more folks said they would foster.  Griffin and I shared foster homes until his adoption in mid-July. We're lucky to have shared two foster homes regularly, living with one family with two resident dogs and two kids Thursday through Monday and a second family with three resident dogs and two adult kids Monday-Thursday to accommodate in the office versus working from home schedules. We were too young to stay home all day when one of our foster families had office work days. We also spent a weekend with a relief foster when both of our regular foster homes had long-standing weekend plans. In our relief foster home, we hung out with two resident dogs and two cats, demonstrating our ability to be cat-workable. We already knew Martyn was cat-friendly as he lived with two cats before he was adopted, it was good to find out that we all are cat-friendly. We also learned about doggy doors over that weekend. Now that I'm the solo foster puppy, I play with and ask for more attention from the resident dogs and kids. I'm a super gentle puppy who loves to give kisses and snuggle my head on your shoulder, and a very well-behaved pup. I love my morning romps in the grass in the cool morning hours with a toy or stick I've found. Then breakfast, followed by a nap and more playtime. I sleep through the night, about 6 hours, before needing a quick potty break. And when I'm tired, you'll find me on a raised cot, snuggled in my foster parent's comfy bed or in my crate, as sometimes I crate myself. Snuggling on the couch with the kids is lovely if the kids are home.  I tagged along to Griffin's meeting with his adopters since it was happening at Paws n Play Community Center, which has many enrichment opportunities for puppies. I loved exploring their training room, running through the tunnel, and adoring the pit with the crunch cloth. Griffin and I showed off our sitting skills, listening ability, and treat motivation. I met the little kids Griffin would be living with, too, and I was very gentle with them.  Since leaving the shelter, I've more than doubled my weight, and my ears are on the cusp of turning into radars, although my ears have a mind of their own each day. In one of my foster homes, dogs are allowed on beds but not couches, and in the other, the opposite. I follow the rules of each household. I adored the vet and staff during my exam for booster vaccines. They had this fantastic, wonderful cheese stuff; I didn't even notice that they gave me a shot. And I got lots of snuggles since I love melting into arms.  I'm the only girl in our litter and cautious and observant. I liked hanging out under things at the shelter if I wasn't snuggling right into my littermates. Once we arrived at our foster homes, the boys immediately embarked on adventures, and I was busy telling them that it was dangerous to wander around and that we should stick together. But you know, boys. They were soon climbing on rocks, exploring the yard, and ready to meet the resident dogs. Once I saw they were fine, I joined in the exploration too. However, I made sure to bark first at new things, just in case. They just rushed headlong into the experiences. Now that we've settled into a routine, my foster families say I'm the smart one. I observe things and do them right the first time, like getting through the screen door and the kiddie pool to splash around. I'm still responsible, alert to things, and pretty mellow.  I ride very nicely in the car, and so do my littermates. The day I hung out with Martyn, it was only him and me. We were so excited to see each other; he's a bit like Griffin - all action.  I just spent a good chunk of a day hanging out with Miko, who's about a month older than me but a giant. He also arrived from the same shelter as my littermates; we hit it off. He fell in the swimming pool a few times while we were learning about pools. I certainly didn't because I watched and figured out I could easily get in on the first step to cool off with only my feet in the water without dunking my entire body. I am pen and crate trained, although we don't use the pen now that I'm older and have good household manners. Regarding potty training, I was initially more casual about it compared to my littermates; I liked to lounge outside, breathe fresh air, and then go potty. If not, given that gradual time, I would select to go inside when we returned.  Once my foster family understood my patterns, we got everything sorted out.  Pens were necessary to keep us safe from all the trouble we could get into when our fosters couldn't keep a close eye on us; I mean, I thought the sprinkler head was just perfect to chew on for my aching teeth the first week. I get lots of toys to play with, bully sticks, and lots of company to keep me from getting into trouble chewing the wrong things.  When we were tiny, we went out for stroller rides since we couldn't safely have paws on the ground everywhere until we were 16 weeks old, when we'd be considered fully vaccinated. The kids in our foster home adore us, and with summer break, they love having puppies to dote on. And we love being loved by everyone in our foster homes. Please visit our YouTube channel for additional videos.  Our folks say our forever families should have either shepherd or similar breed experience raising puppies since this is a lifetime commitment to get through the equivalent of the teenage years in our growth.  Consistency, training, and structure help raise neutral adult dogs. If that's you, click the adopt button so our people can contact you.  As a foster-based rescue, ShepHeroes is always in need of fosters. An overwhelming number of shepherds in our local shelters need our help for a fresh start. Would you be willing to share your home and part of your summer to help shepherds find new families? You provide the love, and we'll provide everything else! Saying "yes" today truly saves a life. Complete this  https://www.shepheroes.org/foster-form, and we'll be in touch ASAP! We appreciate your consideration. ##2081120##

Hi, my name is Kuma, and it means bear in Japanese. I'm a littermate to Gwen, who's also on the lookout for her forever family. Compared to Gwen, I'm a bit taller and chunkier. Growing into my limbs, body, and ears daily, I'm fun to watch as I navigate my growing body. Be sure to check out all my videos.  My foster families would love for you to know I'm very affectionate, kid-friendly, and might be cat-workable, as some of our other littermates have been fine with cats in their respective foster homes. I'm just adorable!  I was born in early April so that I will approach four months next week. Since summer is vacation time, I've been on many adventures. I'm currently residing in my second foster home, where I've mastered sit, down, and paw/shake and am working on mastering stay and recall. I picked up on clicker training very quickly.  Since summer vacation means travel time, I've also hung out at two relief foster homes. My lovely temperament and adaptability have won hearts in each foster home. I've lived with three kids, and all the resident dogs have welcomed me. My videos show how much I've grown at each of my foster homes in the last month.  I'm a mellow pup, although I have my burst of puppy energy. I adore food and will gobble up anything you give me, including all kinds of treats, bone broth, yogurt, and kibble.  I'm household trained with crate and potty training, with solid night-time sleep habits. I will wiggle my entire body and bark in invitation to play with my fellow dog mates. I know all about doggy doors, as one of my foster homes had a doggy door.  Growing into a confident puppy, I like everyone I meet and adore all my dogmates. Playing chase, snuggling, and discovering new toys are my favorite things after food.  My people say I fill each home with joy and warmth, proving to be an irresistible bundle of love. I also ride nicely in the car. ShepHeroes' YouTube channel has more videos if you'd like to see them.  Adopters with shepherds or similar breed experience are preferred to raise these lovely pups into well-adjusted adult dogs. Shepherd puppies require consistency, structure, environmental exposure, guidance, and training.  As a foster-based rescue, ShepHeroes is always in need of fosters. An overwhelming number of shepherds in our local shelters need our help for a fresh start. Would you be willing to share your home and part of your summer to help shepherds find new families? You provide the love, and we'll provide everything else! Saying "yes" today truly saves a life. Complete this  https://www.shepheroes.org/foster-form, and we'll be in touch ASAP! We appreciate your consideration. ##2086508##

Maverik's settled in, and we're delighted to be part of this gorgeous, sweet boy's path from the streets to a forever family. He's a calm, snuggly three-month-old pup living in a household with two resident dogs, an indoor cat, and an indoor/outdoor cat, both dog-savvy.  A gorgeous bi-color boy with a wee bit of something else sprinkled in based on those fuzzy ears, Maverik likes being next to his people in shepherd fashion. He is a collector of all toys and makes sure no toys are left outside. A laid-back boy with occasional puppy zoomies loves toys that squeak; you'll usually find him on a dog bed with a toy passing the time. Maverik has graduated from needing his crate next to his foster family's bed to the hallway and finally out to the living room where crates typically reside in their household. Finally, he views his crate as a positive space, as he observes how comfortable the resident dogs are with their crates, and he joins them by self-crating, too.  Although laid back, Maverik is an alert puppy tracking all the happenings outside the house. He has a high-pitched puppy bark when he needs to be alert.  Maverik is a playful pup who adores toys and is well-versed in the art of dog beds. He's a loyal companion, always by your side in true shepherd fashion. Daily vacuuming is typical in a household with multiple pets, and Maverik is comfortable around the vacuum cleaner. He's social, having met neighbors and their grandkids, and gets along well with everyone. Maverik has learned his name and responds when called, adding to playtime fun.  In the heatwave, he prefers shade to avoid direct sun on his black coat. He now has the potty outside concept and knows how to navigate the doggie door to do his business outside. This little guy has mastered sitting with a lovely sit before meals. He eats two meals with a snack mid-day and has grown by leaps and bounds. Maverick adores belly rubs and cuddles. His morning and evening meals have scrambled eggs and veggies added to his kibble to gloss his coat and give him a boost. He also enjoys carrots as snacks. He already has good leash manners and sticks to sun-exposed concrete surfaces in the cooler times of the day to develop those skills. Water isn't Maverick's thing now; he's happy to go into the kiddie pool to retrieve toys but not interested in splashing or lying in the water.  He's easy with the resident dogs, who like him, and the cats are trying to figure him out while he's learning to leave them alone. We adore his coloring and temperament. Maverik got a playdate with Gwen and Kuma at an impromptu gathering at Paws n Play Community Center in the River Park neighborhood of Sacramento. Watching the puppies play mouthy games, run, and tumble in a cool, air-conditioned space, an indoor Sniffspot, was lovely.  Maverik is a quick learner who is treat and food-motivated. His occasional snarkiness resolved as he learned that there is plenty of food to go around. He's a thriving boy at 32 plus lbs now.  Forever families interested in Maverik ought to have either shepherd or similar breed experience raising puppies since raising a well-balanced neutral shepherd is a lifetime commitment.   Consistency, training, and structure help raise neutral adult dogs. If that's you, please click the adopt button so we can connect.  As a foster-based rescue, ShepHeroes is always in need of fosters. An overwhelming number of shepherds in our local shelters need our help for a fresh start. Would you be willing to share your home and part of your summer to help shepherds find new families? You provide the love, and we'll provide everything else! Saying "yes" today truly saves a life. Complete this  https://www.shepheroes.org/foster-form, and we'll be in touch ASAP! We appreciate your consideration. ##2121744##

Molly is a resilient mama who at about 10 years of age had a litter of 3 puppies. This sweet and loving lady has had a lifetime of experiences that has luckily turned her into an incredible companion dog. She may be 10 but we’re unsure if ANYONE has ever told HER! For an older gal she has lots of energy and is quite youthful! This Golden girl is looking for a moderately active home to settle down in. Molly is dog social with like-minded, respectful, calm dogs. This precious dog is sure to bring you and your home lots of warmth and light.

Redding is a handsome boy who requires a home that can help establish boundaries for him. Redding is house-trained and enjoys car rides, playing fetch, and playing in the water. He is also a regular in the shelter playgroups and does well with other dogs. Redding is a working dog who will benefit greatly from training and a savvy adopter or foster. He is two years old and is likely a Shepherd/Husky mix. Please help us save Redding by sharing his story. Observation comments: It takes time to familiarize and gain trust, so a slow introduction is recommended. This animal requires an experienced handler. It does not do well with sudden human approaches from all directions during the first meet-and-greet. Summary: Due to its size and strength, kids need to be supervised around the dog. This animal requires some space for himself, so do not approach without permission from the animal. Attempting to socialize with this animal is safe at a short distance away without constant, straight eye contact. If this animal acknowledges you, he will approach you naturally and accept your invitation. Once that happens, you will be his best buddy for life! Redding has a hit-or-miss personality. His German Shepherd is a bit picky, but he plays well in the boarding facility playgroup and has been tested at our partnered local boarding club. His personality will change with a calm, quiet, loving home over time.