Size
(when grown) Large 61-100 lbs (28-45 kg)
Details
Good with dogs,
House-trained,
Story
Fostered near Wonder Lake, IL
Fenced yard optional
https://www.collierescue.org/dogs/4
Sasha is a wonderful 7.5 year old Sable and White Collie.
When Sasha came to CRGI she was very afraid of life. What we learned about her is although change, new people and experiences are scary for her, once she adjusts, she is a total Velcro dog, super smart, obedient and very loving. I am her foster mom, and I will tell you straight up, she will take time to adjust to a new home. Once she does, Sasha will show you just how amazing, loving and devoted a dog she is.
For Sasha, slow and steady introductions to people and other dogs work best. She not only has bonded with me, her foster mom, but many of the neighbors she encounters through her frequent walks throughout the neighborhood and the people she has encountered in Petsmart and Home Depo.
Sasha knows, crate, place, sit, watch, touch, down, wait, stay and paw. It is adorable when Sasha is asked to go to her place, sit, wait and watch for her food. She is like a little solder at attention until she is released.
Sasha is nervous with anything new, places and certain people. When she meets dogs walking or in training, we do brief introductions and she does great. In the home Sasha prefers to be the one and only dog as she is not big on sharing toys, bones, or attention. Cats are unknown.
Sasha has the energy of a 7.5 year old dog, calm and affectionate at home. Walks 2-3 times x a day, usually about 1-2 miles each, which she enjoys. Not a big toy girl but sure loves her bones! Sasha loves positive training with treats as it grows her confidence and focus on her owner.
Sasha would do best in a home without children as their energy is scary for her. Older, calm children would be ok. Although she will do fine in a fenced in yard, her foster home has found that frequent walks have been an amazing aid in growing her confidence. Sasha will be totally devoted to her forever home. It is just her nature.
When she first got to her foster home, she needed a couple of weeks to adjust and get comfortable. We gave her that. She has her crate which she relied on heavily to feel safe in the beginning. (Her crate will go with her to her forever home) After a few weeks we moved the crate upstairs and what is awesome is she made the choice to hang out downstairs with her foster mom and foster sister. The funny thing is her foster mom asks her to go in it now when she leaves the house, and Sasha has decided she doesn’t want to! (She is however enticed with a stuffed frozen Kong!) Not that she needs it when left in the house, well except for her paper fetish, so toilet paper or easy access paper beware!
She was fully trained when she came to us. We decided to take her to a beginners’ training course to help her build confidence and get to know her better.
Step one was getting in and out of the car. With the help of her foster sister and treats, she jumps in and out like a champ now. Although there are times when a new experience will cause her a bit of stress and she will decide to hang out in the car for a while after we get home! That is ok. It is her time to decompress. We are good with that because she trusts her foster mom to get her in the car and take her to new places and meet new people.
Class was a bit scary the first time around, but by session three she would whine in excitement when we pulled in! We had an incredible trainer at Petsmart in McHenry named Morgan. Before class all I had to say was we are going to see Morgan, and she would get all waggy tail and excited to go. She did need a few moments to decompress in the car when we got home. Just the fact that she did so amazing at class, entitled her to a few moments to settle down.
What is super interesting about this girl is that although new situations and people can be stressful for her, she still wants to experience them. For example, we walk all the time on both sidewalks and forest preserves. In the beginning, both stressed her out. Now she would be extremely upset if her foster mom left her home.
Sasha needs a forever, devoted owner or family that appreciates with every effort to help her get comfortable, she will give her family unlimited love. She will show you at every turn how devoted and trusting she is.
