June 30, 2025 • 15 mins
Ever wondered what happens when you adopt a canine genius with unlimited energy? That's exactly what I discovered when I brought home Bolt, my German Shepherd from a shelter at the county dump in Florida.
Bolt isn't just a dog – he's a furry tornado with a PhD who can open doors, turn on faucets (though never off), and execute complex problem-solving that would put some college students to shame. After my beloved poodle Sparky passed away, I decided to "be about it" and go bigger. Little did I know how that decision would transform my life completely!
German Shepherds were bred for herding and protection, making them working dogs with intelligence and stamina that can feel almost supernatural. While my Golden Doodle Murphy embodies the calm, therapeutic temperament many dream of in a pet, Bolt approaches life with the enthusiasm of a caffeinated toddler discovering sugar for the first time. Through marathon walks where he pulls like he's towing a semi-truck to endless games of fetch (because "Ball is life"), Bolt has taught me patience, consistency, and joy in ways I never expected.
Living with a German Shepherd requires dedication – two-plus hours of daily exercise combining physical and mental stimulation, consistent training routines, durable toys that can withstand determined destruction, and understanding their territorial nature. But the rewards? Absolutely immeasurable. As Bolt approaches three years old, our bond has deepened into something profound – a loyalty and affection that makes every challenge worthwhile.
Whether you're considering adopting a German Shepherd or just curious about these remarkable animals, my journey with Bolt offers both caution and encouragement. These dogs will test your limits and transform your understanding of canine companionship. Ready for the adventure? Subscribe to the About It Podcast and join me as I navigate life with my brilliant, exhausting, and utterly lovable fur monster!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Get a German Shepherd .
They said It'll be fun.
They said, oh man, yeah, it'spretty great though.
Welcome to the show, Talk aboutit or be about it.
It's the About it Podcast.
Here we go.
(00:23):
I'm your host, bradley Marcello.
(01:14):
Hey, hey everyone, and welcometo About it.
Today's episode is going to beon dogs, and I have a
three-year-old German Shepherdwho, I believe, is harnessing
the inner child of a Tasmaniandevil.
Well, let's get to it All right, y'all.
So about a year or so ago, Igot a feeling the urge to
(01:42):
no-transcript.
I used to have a poodle calledSparky that was his name.
Um, really cool little doglived about 14 years until we
had to put them down.
A little sad.
But um, this time around I'mlike you know what I'm going to
be about it.
I'm going bigger, going home,and I did not go home without my
(02:10):
new German shepherd.
His name is Bolt and man, I gotto say it's been a challenge.
Now I knew pretty much rightaway that I didn't want to go
just buy a dog.
I'm more into the adoption typeof thing.
So, after what seemed like anexhaustive search, looking
around shelters online and allthat good stuff, I found my guys
sitting at a shelter that thesheriff's office ran in florida.
Um, now, this place, I gottatell you like, like, really, um,
(02:34):
so this, this shelter wasactually at the county dump.
Now, if you don't think that'sa strange place for a shelter, I
don't know what to tell you,but really, like this animal
shelter, it was on the sameproperty as the landfill and
when I walked in there and I sawBolt, now I did look at some of
(02:57):
the other dogs around there andGerman Shepherds and all that,
but they just weren't asfriendly and we didn't really
connect like I did with Bull.
So when I went to some of theother cages, for example in
kennels, the dogs would eitherbe aggressive, go to the back of
their cage and growl orsomething like that.
(03:18):
But Bull, when I got to his now,he came up to the front of the
cage, he laid down and when Ikneeled down in front of him he
actually just started licking myfingers through the cage.
He wasn't growling or anything,he just he just wanted a good
home to go to.
And when I saw that I I justcouldn't pass it up.
I knew he was mine right thenand there, and I think he did
(03:40):
too.
The reason I'm told that hisname is Bolt is because
apparently he had so much energyand was just about
uncontrollable and like a boltof lightning.
He actually got adopted beforeI found him and the owner
returned him to the shelterbecause I believe they were an
(04:02):
older person and just could nothandle him, and I can tell you
from experience that he has beena handful.
When I finally got him out ofthe cage there and took him to
the preview area that they hadset up for owners to test to see
if they were okay with eachother, this guy could not stop
moving around.
He was running to one side ofthe cage to the other, jumping
(04:25):
around.
Um could not control him, couldnot get his attention.
He just wanted to do anythingelse, but pay attention to the
fact that I was there good times, uh.
So anyway, yeah, I was likethis sounds like a good idea and
I took him home.
So a little info on GermanShepherds.
They were originally bred forherding and protection, so they
(04:49):
have very high levels ofintelligence and endless energy.
They're considered a workingclass dog, so they can go for
days and days and not get tired.
And these things are smart, Iswear.
I mean.
They have intelligence to thepoint where if I wanted to cheat
on a college test, I think Iwould bring Bolt along Like no
(05:09):
joke.
When I first brought this guyhome, I thought I'd put him in
the room or something when Ineeded to have company over, or
anything like that.
And next thing I know the guy'sgreeting me in the living room
with a smile.
He actually knows how to opendoors, as long as they have a
handle on them, that's not roundor something like that, and
(05:30):
they have a lever on them.
This guy has learned to opendoors.
He can open them and push themor pull them with his nose.
If he gets thirsty, then he hasactually learned to grab onto
the water faucet of the houseand turn it on himself.
Now, turning it back off,that's another story.
(05:52):
I've come home sometimes andwondering why there's a lake on
the garage floor.
Look at Bolt.
He's sitting over there in thecorner, grinning, of course, and
I'm like yep, yep, yep, Ialready know what you did.
I know what you did, buddy.
You did buddy.
Thanks a lot.
Now I got a whole uh lake tomop up.
Thank you, I just wanted a bestfriend, but I got a four-legged
(06:12):
uh fur monster with a phd thatcould go take out the
declaration of independence likeon national treasure, the
treasure of the movie, orsomething.
Now, murphy, on the other hand,uh, the golden doodle we also
have now, she, uh, she's asweetheart, she is also smart,
but she listens.
She will come and sit with youall, nice and calm, and and uh,
(06:35):
the groomers called her atherapy dog.
Um, just, very docile and andand you know, can't go.
Do no wrong with her.
I mean, she uses the bathroomoutside instead of peeing on the
fresh groceries you justbrought home, is hypoallergenic,
doesn't drop fur all over theplace.
Meanwhile, bolt over here, yougive him one hug and you come
out looking like a woollymammoth.
(06:56):
I mean, good Lord, afterwinter's over and then the
summer starts hitting, bolt,sheds enough fur to create,
create like five more dogs.
I swear you should see it fillup a trash bag when you go to
brush them.
And walks, oh yeah, let's talkabout walks.
Uh, there, aren't they the best?
Uh, hauling one of these uhtractors around.
So the other day I took amurphy and bolt on a walk to
(07:21):
town and back.
I think it was about a I don'tknow four mile round trip.
Um, murphy loves to walk on theleash.
She's all nice and calm and anddoesn't yank your arm out.
Meanwhile, bold, over here, uh,I think he's trying to pull, uh
, at least he thinks.
Um, he's trying to pull asemi-truck full of uh, bricks or
(07:41):
something that broke down.
I mean, good Lord, you can'tstop them.
So we get through this walk,halfway through this walk and
you know Murphy's tiring out,but Bolt like we get all the way
to the end of the walk and thisguy is still pulling my arm out
of the socket.
Now let's talk about Ball.
Ball is life, even at the endof this walk.
We just did.
(08:02):
Let's talk about ball Ball islife Even at the end of this
walk.
We just did.
Bull gets home and he's likeBall, ball, where's Ball?
Where's my Ball?
I want Ball, let's Ball.
And I'm like, okay, give me aminute.
So, literally miles after thegolden doodles worn out, at this
point Bull is chasing the Balldown and at this point I feel
(08:26):
like I should just quit the gym,because now I've gotten a
workout from walking miles withthis guy and now my arms have
gotten pulled out of theirsocket and I've been throwing
this ball around for about Idon't know 30 minutes, and he
still wants more.
I mean, this guy is amazing.
I love him, but after a whilein this case, a long while
(08:49):
eventually I got places to be,things to do.
Maybe I just want to sit downand rest.
So the ball life is going tohave to be put on hold for a
while.
What I have to end up doing ishiding the darn thing, and even
then it takes him a while to getit.
Uh, of, just uh.
He'll sit there and, and heknows where this thing's at,
like it, I've hidden the ball atthis point, but it's not like
(09:10):
it's disappeared.
He, he is smart enough to knowright where I've put it.
So he'll just sit there and andstare at it for a while until
he gets the message that hey,it's, it's, it's relaxation time
, it's time for us to take abreak, buddy, that's when I'll
sit there and chill for a whileand, uh, scroll on my phone, you
know, take a breath orsomething, and and I'll get to
(09:30):
thinking that you know what I?
I am an animal person, and Ithought I was a dog guy, right,
yeah, but this guy has taught methat I am no animal expert.
I am not a professional dogtrainer.
Thanks for taking me down anotch, bolt.
This is where I highly suggest,if you're not a professional
(09:50):
dog trainer, that you definitelylook up some good resources,
like I had to do.
I didn't exactly want to spendmoney on, or have the money to
spend on, a professional dogtrainer, so I looked up some
tips and resources online andthere is a lot of good stuff out
there and I highly suggest youdoing this early on as possible
with these guys.
(10:12):
Other dogs may be more, like Isaid, docile and take on
training better, um, but thesegerman shepherds you definitely
have to invest a lot of time andenergy into their well-being.
They highly benefit from asteady and consistent hand.
You know, just be willing todedicate a lot of time and
patience and effort into thesecreatures.
(10:33):
Honestly, they deserve it.
The biggest thing that helped,obviously, is that Bolt and I
connected right from the startand while I didn't know a lot
going into it, I have learned alot along the way.
So I have to say, if theconnection was essential, then
the willingness to do whateverit takes and believe me, it
takes a lot to raise these dogsthe willingness to do.
(10:53):
Whatever it takes is arequirement get a German
shepherd.
They said it'll be fun.
They said, oh yeah, it's prettygreat.
Though, if I have to say onething, getting bold has been one
of the most rewardingexperiences of my life.
It hasn't been easy along theway, but now, once you get into
the three years old mark andbeyond that, you're going to
(11:13):
have a companion that will neverleave your side, and you're
never going to have a friendmore loyal than a German
Shepherd.
I'm telling you, every bit oftime and energy and blood, sweat
and tears or whatever you wantto call it that you put into
these guys, they're going togive it back to you tenfold and
love you with everything theyhave for the rest of their life.
(11:34):
Just like Bolt loves Ball andBall is life, he also loves me
too, and he would do anythingfor me.
If you find yourself with aGerman Shepherd in the house,
you're going to find this outtoo.
I love this little adorablegoofball with ADHD more than
anything and would do anythingfor him as well.
Some tips I'd like to leave youwith is German Shepherds.
They, like you've heard,require a lot of exercise.
(11:56):
They honestly take about twohours plus daily.
To get their fill, I suggestmixing walks with runs.
Play fetch with them theydefinitely love that.
Play some mental games withthem, some puzzles, leave things
places where they haven't seenyou, put it there and then
(12:19):
release them and let them gofind it.
Get some snuffle mats, someplay hide and seek with some
kibble.
Let them sniff it out, you know.
Of course, get them some toys,and I highly suggest get them
some tough ones, like the KongExtreme, some Go Nuts, max Bark
Box, things that stand the testof time and definitely be ready
to replace some toys here andthere, because these guys can
(12:41):
create a little destruction oncein a while, especially if they
get bored.
So just try to do the best youcan and keep them busy to the
best of your ability.
Obviously, work life gets inthe way, but I know my guy
definitely does better the moreattention I can pay to him.
Some other advice is obviouslyabout training.
Now I did mention a little bitbefore, but once you look up
(13:05):
some good resources online tostart five to 10 minute little
training sessions, give sometreats, get a clicker, use some
loose leash techniques like stopand sit, turnaround methods,
avoid choking, prong collars thebest you can for house training
, do consistent potty breaks,definitely, reward them for
(13:29):
going outside and supervise themwhen they're out there, at
least to start.
Definitely.
Because I'll tell you one thingum, they definitely can be
territorial.
Now, my dog's not aggressive oranything really, but he will
definitely let me know everymailman, ups guy or fedex person
that shows up.
Oh my gosh, I'm sorry amazonperson that showed up the other
(13:51):
day.
I am so sorry for leaving thegarage door open.
Um, won't happen again nexttime.
Now to all my listeners,nothing happened actually, but
bolt definitely went up to theamazon person and and loudly
announced that that this was hishouse To close, through chewed
T-shirts and marathon walks,bolt has taught me patience,
(14:13):
consistency and that, well,life's more fun when you ball.
I'd like to thank all mylisteners for joining my show
today.
Please, please, if you enjoyedthe show, subscribe, download
this episode, follow, follow me,look me up on youtube at the
about it podcast, and I justwanted to thank you so, so much
(14:35):
for taking time out of your dayto join the about it podcast.
Remember, talk about it or beabout it.
Let's go, thank you.
Get a German Shepherd .
They said It'll be fun.
They said, oh man, yeah, it'spretty great though.
Welcome to the show, Talk aboutit or be about it.
It's the About it Podcast.
Here we go.
(00:23):
I'm your host, bradley Marcello.
(01:14):
Hey, hey everyone, and welcometo About it.
Today's episode is going to beon dogs, and I have a
three-year-old German Shepherdwho, I believe, is harnessing
the inner child of a Tasmaniandevil.
Well, let's get to it All right, y'all.
So about a year or so ago, Igot a feeling the urge to
(01:42):
no-transcript.
I used to have a poodle calledSparky that was his name.
Um, really cool little doglived about 14 years until we
had to put them down.
A little sad.
But um, this time around I'mlike you know what I'm going to
be about it.
I'm going bigger, going home,and I did not go home without my
(02:10):
new German shepherd.
His name is Bolt and man, I gotto say it's been a challenge.
Now I knew pretty much rightaway that I didn't want to go
just buy a dog.
I'm more into the adoption typeof thing.
So, after what seemed like anexhaustive search, looking
around shelters online and allthat good stuff, I found my guys
sitting at a shelter that thesheriff's office ran in florida.
Um, now, this place, I gottatell you like, like, really, um,
(02:34):
so this, this shelter wasactually at the county dump.
Now, if you don't think that'sa strange place for a shelter, I
don't know what to tell you,but really, like this animal
shelter, it was on the sameproperty as the landfill and
when I walked in there and I sawBolt, now I did look at some of
(02:57):
the other dogs around there andGerman Shepherds and all that,
but they just weren't asfriendly and we didn't really
connect like I did with Bull.
So when I went to some of theother cages, for example in
kennels, the dogs would eitherbe aggressive, go to the back of
their cage and growl orsomething like that.
(03:18):
But Bull, when I got to his now,he came up to the front of the
cage, he laid down and when Ikneeled down in front of him he
actually just started licking myfingers through the cage.
He wasn't growling or anything,he just he just wanted a good
home to go to.
And when I saw that I I justcouldn't pass it up.
I knew he was mine right thenand there, and I think he did
(03:40):
too.
The reason I'm told that hisname is Bolt is because
apparently he had so much energyand was just about
uncontrollable and like a boltof lightning.
He actually got adopted beforeI found him and the owner
returned him to the shelterbecause I believe they were an
(04:02):
older person and just could nothandle him, and I can tell you
from experience that he has beena handful.
When I finally got him out ofthe cage there and took him to
the preview area that they hadset up for owners to test to see
if they were okay with eachother, this guy could not stop
moving around.
He was running to one side ofthe cage to the other, jumping
(04:25):
around.
Um could not control him, couldnot get his attention.
He just wanted to do anythingelse, but pay attention to the
fact that I was there good times, uh.
So anyway, yeah, I was likethis sounds like a good idea and
I took him home.
So a little info on GermanShepherds.
They were originally bred forherding and protection, so they
(04:49):
have very high levels ofintelligence and endless energy.
They're considered a workingclass dog, so they can go for
days and days and not get tired.
And these things are smart, Iswear.
I mean.
They have intelligence to thepoint where if I wanted to cheat
on a college test, I think Iwould bring Bolt along Like no
(05:09):
joke.
When I first brought this guyhome, I thought I'd put him in
the room or something when Ineeded to have company over, or
anything like that.
And next thing I know the guy'sgreeting me in the living room
with a smile.
He actually knows how to opendoors, as long as they have a
handle on them, that's not roundor something like that, and
(05:30):
they have a lever on them.
This guy has learned to opendoors.
He can open them and push themor pull them with his nose.
If he gets thirsty, then he hasactually learned to grab onto
the water faucet of the houseand turn it on himself.
Now, turning it back off,that's another story.
(05:52):
I've come home sometimes andwondering why there's a lake on
the garage floor.
Look at Bolt.
He's sitting over there in thecorner, grinning, of course, and
I'm like yep, yep, yep, Ialready know what you did.
I know what you did, buddy.
You did buddy.
Thanks a lot.
Now I got a whole uh lake tomop up.
Thank you, I just wanted a bestfriend, but I got a four-legged
(06:12):
uh fur monster with a phd thatcould go take out the
declaration of independence likeon national treasure, the
treasure of the movie, orsomething.
Now, murphy, on the other hand,uh, the golden doodle we also
have now, she, uh, she's asweetheart, she is also smart,
but she listens.
She will come and sit with youall, nice and calm, and and uh,
(06:35):
the groomers called her atherapy dog.
Um, just, very docile and andand you know, can't go.
Do no wrong with her.
I mean, she uses the bathroomoutside instead of peeing on the
fresh groceries you justbrought home, is hypoallergenic,
doesn't drop fur all over theplace.
Meanwhile, bolt over here, yougive him one hug and you come
out looking like a woollymammoth.
(06:56):
I mean, good Lord, afterwinter's over and then the
summer starts hitting, bolt,sheds enough fur to create,
create like five more dogs.
I swear you should see it fillup a trash bag when you go to
brush them.
And walks, oh yeah, let's talkabout walks.
Uh, there, aren't they the best?
Uh, hauling one of these uhtractors around.
So the other day I took amurphy and bolt on a walk to
(07:21):
town and back.
I think it was about a I don'tknow four mile round trip.
Um, murphy loves to walk on theleash.
She's all nice and calm and anddoesn't yank your arm out.
Meanwhile, bold, over here, uh,I think he's trying to pull, uh
, at least he thinks.
Um, he's trying to pull asemi-truck full of uh, bricks or
(07:41):
something that broke down.
I mean, good Lord, you can'tstop them.
So we get through this walk,halfway through this walk and
you know Murphy's tiring out,but Bolt like we get all the way
to the end of the walk and thisguy is still pulling my arm out
of the socket.
Now let's talk about Ball.
Ball is life, even at the endof this walk.
We just did.
(08:02):
Let's talk about ball Ball islife Even at the end of this
walk.
We just did.
Bull gets home and he's likeBall, ball, where's Ball?
Where's my Ball?
I want Ball, let's Ball.
And I'm like, okay, give me aminute.
So, literally miles after thegolden doodles worn out, at this
point Bull is chasing the Balldown and at this point I feel
(08:26):
like I should just quit the gym,because now I've gotten a
workout from walking miles withthis guy and now my arms have
gotten pulled out of theirsocket and I've been throwing
this ball around for about Idon't know 30 minutes, and he
still wants more.
I mean, this guy is amazing.
I love him, but after a whilein this case, a long while
(08:49):
eventually I got places to be,things to do.
Maybe I just want to sit downand rest.
So the ball life is going tohave to be put on hold for a
while.
What I have to end up doing ishiding the darn thing, and even
then it takes him a while to getit.
Uh, of, just uh.
He'll sit there and, and heknows where this thing's at,
like it, I've hidden the ball atthis point, but it's not like
(09:10):
it's disappeared.
He, he is smart enough to knowright where I've put it.
So he'll just sit there and andstare at it for a while until
he gets the message that hey,it's, it's, it's relaxation time
, it's time for us to take abreak, buddy, that's when I'll
sit there and chill for a whileand, uh, scroll on my phone, you
know, take a breath orsomething, and and I'll get to
(09:30):
thinking that you know what I?
I am an animal person, and Ithought I was a dog guy, right,
yeah, but this guy has taught methat I am no animal expert.
I am not a professional dogtrainer.
Thanks for taking me down anotch, bolt.
This is where I highly suggest,if you're not a professional
(09:50):
dog trainer, that you definitelylook up some good resources,
like I had to do.
I didn't exactly want to spendmoney on, or have the money to
spend on, a professional dogtrainer, so I looked up some
tips and resources online andthere is a lot of good stuff out
there and I highly suggest youdoing this early on as possible
with these guys.
(10:12):
Other dogs may be more, like Isaid, docile and take on
training better, um, but thesegerman shepherds you definitely
have to invest a lot of time andenergy into their well-being.
They highly benefit from asteady and consistent hand.
You know, just be willing todedicate a lot of time and
patience and effort into thesecreatures.
(10:33):
Honestly, they deserve it.
The biggest thing that helped,obviously, is that Bolt and I
connected right from the startand while I didn't know a lot
going into it, I have learned alot along the way.
So I have to say, if theconnection was essential, then
the willingness to do whateverit takes and believe me, it
takes a lot to raise these dogsthe willingness to do.
(10:53):
Whatever it takes is arequirement get a German
shepherd.
They said it'll be fun.
They said, oh yeah, it's prettygreat.
Though, if I have to say onething, getting bold has been one
of the most rewardingexperiences of my life.
It hasn't been easy along theway, but now, once you get into
the three years old mark andbeyond that, you're going to
(11:13):
have a companion that will neverleave your side, and you're
never going to have a friendmore loyal than a German
Shepherd.
I'm telling you, every bit oftime and energy and blood, sweat
and tears or whatever you wantto call it that you put into
these guys, they're going togive it back to you tenfold and
love you with everything theyhave for the rest of their life.
(11:34):
Just like Bolt loves Ball andBall is life, he also loves me
too, and he would do anythingfor me.
If you find yourself with aGerman Shepherd in the house,
you're going to find this outtoo.
I love this little adorablegoofball with ADHD more than
anything and would do anythingfor him as well.
Some tips I'd like to leave youwith is German Shepherds.
They, like you've heard,require a lot of exercise.
(11:56):
They honestly take about twohours plus daily.
To get their fill, I suggestmixing walks with runs.
Play fetch with them theydefinitely love that.
Play some mental games withthem, some puzzles, leave things
places where they haven't seenyou, put it there and then
(12:19):
release them and let them gofind it.
Get some snuffle mats, someplay hide and seek with some
kibble.
Let them sniff it out, you know.
Of course, get them some toys,and I highly suggest get them
some tough ones, like the KongExtreme, some Go Nuts, max Bark
Box, things that stand the testof time and definitely be ready
to replace some toys here andthere, because these guys can
(12:41):
create a little destruction oncein a while, especially if they
get bored.
So just try to do the best youcan and keep them busy to the
best of your ability.
Obviously, work life gets inthe way, but I know my guy
definitely does better the moreattention I can pay to him.
Some other advice is obviouslyabout training.
Now I did mention a little bitbefore, but once you look up
(13:05):
some good resources online tostart five to 10 minute little
training sessions, give sometreats, get a clicker, use some
loose leash techniques like stopand sit, turnaround methods,
avoid choking, prong collars thebest you can for house training
, do consistent potty breaks,definitely, reward them for
(13:29):
going outside and supervise themwhen they're out there, at
least to start.
Definitely.
Because I'll tell you one thingum, they definitely can be
territorial.
Now, my dog's not aggressive oranything really, but he will
definitely let me know everymailman, ups guy or fedex person
that shows up.
Oh my gosh, I'm sorry amazonperson that showed up the other
(13:51):
day.
I am so sorry for leaving thegarage door open.
Um, won't happen again nexttime.
Now to all my listeners,nothing happened actually, but
bolt definitely went up to theamazon person and and loudly
announced that that this was hishouse To close, through chewed
T-shirts and marathon walks,bolt has taught me patience,
(14:13):
consistency and that, well,life's more fun when you ball.
I'd like to thank all mylisteners for joining my show
today.
Please, please, if you enjoyedthe show, subscribe, download
this episode, follow, follow me,look me up on youtube at the
about it podcast, and I justwanted to thank you so, so much
(14:35):
for taking time out of your dayto join the about it podcast.
Remember, talk about it or beabout it.
Let's go, thank you.
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