Size
(when grown) Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg)
Details
Good with kids,
Good with dogs,
Spayed or Neutered,
Story
This perfect gem, no pun intended, is Diamond. She is currently living in a foster home as the shelter environment was very stressful to her, but boy, oh boy, is she thriving and doing absolutely amazing now! Here's a note from her foster mom:
"Diamond is a very well-behaved pup! She LOVES to snuggle and wants to be right by her person at all times if she can. She lives to please and nothing makes her happier than affection and praise from her person. She is food-motivated but doesn't go nuts for it. However, she will willingly train for just her kibble!
She goes into her crate easily when asked and sleeps calmly and quietly through the night without any complaints. Although, I'm sure she would be a great cuddlebug in your bed if you want that. No house-training accidents inside so far, even for pretty long stretches. She likes to tear apart her toys, but has not been destructive with anything that isn't explicitly hers. She adores her Kong and puzzle feeders; she's super smart and loves a good challenge. She does like to sit and watch while you eat, but she is very respectful and doesn't beg excessively.
Diamond is an energetic girl and exercise and mental stimulation. She really likes the long slow walks where she can sniff to her heart's content, but will also stay with you and be your running buddy if you want to up the pace! She loves to play fetch. She also went on a 4-day backpacking trip with me and did amazingly well; carried her own pack, cuddled up in the tent at night, and kept me and my best friend feeling safe the whole time.
She does have some reactivity to strangers if she is in a small enclosed space (her crate, the car, etc.), but we are working on it and she's improving every day. She will also bark at people who pull into the driveway or come up to the door, but I personally feel safer with a dog that does that!
She is a little wary of strangers coming into her home at first and takes a bit to warm up to someone new, but if you just ignore her and give her space she settles with no issue. She seems to slightly prefer women over men. She pulls a little on the leash but is very quickly learning to keep a loose leash, and she does wonderfully on a no-pull harness. She does like to get into the trash so you'll need a trash can with a lid or to move the trash into a different room which is no big deal! She should probably go to a cat-free household due to her prey drive, but I do have a cat and with consistent careful training she has made amazing progress in that regard as well! No fear of thunderstorms, fireworks, etc.
She knows to sit, lay down, stay, crate, leave it, "off" (get down from the couch, bed, etc.), "hey" (give eye contact) and "come here" (recall). Her recall isn't perfect but is also greatly improving. She is a Velcro dog and always wants to be with you, so she's got a natural tendency to not want to stray far. She is also currently learning to wait at the open door until given a release word of "okay".
As a single woman, she makes me feel very safe! She protects the house, always keeps an eye on me. She's very tuned into her handler."
Diamond ignores dogs beautifully when out and about. She redirects simply just to please. She also has done well with some playful, non-reactive & friendly male pups. We think she'd be happiest having all of someone's attention to herself, but if your resident dog is a good boy and is easy-going with other dogs, he may be a great furbrother to Diamond. We would suggest older children, probably about 12ish and up.
If you want one of the world's most loyal dogs to be your literal adventure and hiking buddy, Diamond is waiting for you. She is about four years old, weighs about 50ish pounds, and is spayed. If you are wanting to adopt her, please call us at 219-872-4499.
