Meet Rocky, Director of Play

Rocky came into my life October 28, 2022, when I visited Timber Ridge Shepherds to see the facility and meet the owner / breeder. A sprawling 250 acre farm in Saco, Maine, Timber Ridge boasts kennels, a training facility, and barns for horses.

The owner took me to one of the puppy kennels and after talking to me for a few minutes, left me alone with the pups. I promptly sat down on the ground and a few of them came up to me. Talk about cute! I knew right then I would be taking one home.

I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but decided I would stay quiet and let the dog choose me. The one with the brown collar nibbled on my shoes and crawled into my lap. His brother with the green collar did, too.

The breeder came back — had I made a choice? Going on intuition, I said, “The one with the brown collar.”

“Are you sure you want a male?” she asked. “They’re much harder to raise and he’s going to be a big boy.” “Oh yes!” I said. “I had two male Shelties; I’m fine with male dogs.” I think I missed her eye roll.

I brought Rocky home four days later — and my life hasn’t been the same since.

German Shepherd working line versus show dog

I had no clue when I got Rocky that I was getting a working line dog. Working line means the breed of dog has been bred to work — e.g.: herding, bomb sniffing, K9 law enforcement, or military working dog — versus bred to show.

Rocky also comes from two European working lines, Czech and German — which means lots of energy and drive! I was told later that he’s a “medium drive” dog and was socialized by the breeder to be a family dog.

Whether high drive or medium drive, the result was the same: constant energy and pure exhaustion. The first 20 months were brutal.

When I saw this meme, I laughed. Yep, it pretty much sums it up.

My entire schedule, calm life, and clean house went out the window. I quickly scrambled to work in potty training and regular training, lots of sweeping / vacuuming of dirt and dog hair, and dealing with the over-turned water bowl (at least once a day). Not to mention the toilet paper all over the house and the chewed stuff. (We don’t talk about my 1960 vintage Danish bookcase.)

As he grew, I incorporated longer walks — and play. Lots and lots of play.

The days were so full and so busy, I’d crash into bed at 8:00 PM — with Rocky still wanting to play. “Dude!” I’d say, “Play time all done. It’s quiet time now.” And I’d fall instantly asleep.

I will admit, I had moments where I’d panic, “OMG. What was I thinking?!” I wondered if I were too old for such an active dog, and if should I surrender him to the breeder. But we made it through.

As for being “too old,” I feel more fit and active than I did 10 years ago. I also lost 15 pounds.

Thankfully, the trainer I found helped me with several practical suggestions, such as putting him in the crate during calls. We also started obedience classes, which helped quite a bit. Slowly, things became easier as we got into a routine.

At about 16 months, I told the trainer that I had spent a great deal of time simply getting to know Rocky.

“What have you learned?” she asked. “That he has the best sense of humor, and he loves to play,” I replied.

“Let’s play!”

My day begins the minute Rocky jumps on the bed when the alarm goes off. Once I get out of bed, he twirls and jumps: “Yay! It’s a new day! It’s so nice to see you! Yay!”

I respond back, “It’s so nice to see you, too! Good morning, good morning!” More twirls and jumps. Yay!

Everyone loves Rocky and comments on how happy and friendly he is. Even the vet said, “This dog is so well-adjusted. He’s perfect. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.”

The reason I made him Director of Play is because every two hours, he pokes his head in the office. “Break time! Time to play! Get off the computer!” he says. Hence, my day now includes regular breaks — and after 15 minutes of outdoor Rocky time, I feel so much better.

Whether I’m throwing sticks, sliding around in the snow, or hosing him down on a summer afternoon, I find myself laughing. My heart is open, carefree, and full of joy. I can’t imagine my life without him.

August 2025

Rocky is now three years old and has become a delightful well-mannered companion dog, which was my goal.

He’s calmed down considerably, plus he’s now all trained up. When we go for walks, he’s right by my side. He no longer reacts to other dogs. Everyone in the neighborhood knows him and loves greeting him.

I also feel a real sense of pride and accomplishment: I successfully trained a working line GSD. He brought stuff out of me I didn’t even know was in there. When I said that to my trainer, he said, “The tough ones do that to you.”

Even during the moments when I wondered if I were going to make it, I didn’t give up — on him or me. He’s an amazing dog and has been well worth the time and energy.

Rocky updates

I was posting his updates to LinkedIn, but now you can find them on the “Our Work” section of this website. The posts with Rocky news will have a “jump button” which will let you bypass the post and get straight to it. 😀

I hope you enjoy them. Thank you for reading his story.

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