Content Stats & Analytics for @ethnocynology

David Ian Howe
@ethnocynology

64,496 followers

Happy 8th birthday, Strider! Since everyone always asks, Strider is a Wyoming Mountain Dog. They are a mix of German Shepherd, Norwegian Elkhound, and Alaskan Malamute. Strider’s mom was 100% gsd, which gives him his handsome face, but the elkhound and malamute genes from his dad give him that amazing coat. Raising him was hell. I was in grad school for most of his early life, and he’s so fucking smart. So the summers when I was working he had to be boarded or watched by a sitter. This led to some behavioral problems. On one project, I wasn’t going to be home for more than 2 weeks at a time, so I decided to do board and train. This was the best decision I ever made. He came back a changed dog. Right around this time I moved states and ended up having a more steady home life. Now that I travel a lot, he’s been with my parents being spoiled for the summer. When he’s with me, he lays at my feet when I’m working. He lays outside the shower (and sometimes gets in). He lays on the ground next to me when I’m on the couch. He patrols and lays in the hallways at night to keep one eye on people’s rooms and the other down the hall. And when my alarm sounds, he paces and comes to lick my face if I’m not up after the second snooze. Once I feed him, I usually go back to bed 😅 He knows that when his muzzle is on that it’s time to behave, and he’s much less anxious in public for it. I also let him take all the time he wants to sniff because that’s what dogs need. I don’t stop that, and sometimes I smell it with him to see what’s up. I’d heard about the German shepherd bond, but always assumed it was just something people said. But it’s real. He wakes me up from nightmares when I have them. And whenever I get home, I lay down on the ground and let him smell and lick me. Even though the jackass BOLTED away to chase a herd of 20+ deer once, and ran as fast and far away from me as possible once when he heard an elk jump into a river at night…I know he’ll be right next to me for many years to come. Love you, monkey man. #germanshepherd#gsdsofinstagram#blackgsd #blackgermanshepherd#gsd#norwegianelkhound#alaskanmalamute