Size
(when grown) Large 61-100 lbs (28-45 kg)
Details
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Story
Hi I'm Vista, I am from Minnesota!
From the foster: Vista - the Adventure Dog!
Play hard, cuddle hard is Vista's mantra. If you are looking for a best friend to be active with and to go on adventures with, she is your gal. Vista is quite a busy girl, has a ton of energy, and loves to be by your side. She is our shadow following us throughout the house and is very smart, learning commands and rules of the house very quickly. She has good indoor manners - has NOT had any potty accidents, chewed on anything inappropriate, or tried to get into the trash. We've seen her very occasionally peruse a counter but she hasn't stolen any counter treasures in the few weeks at our house. She does enjoy looking out the windows to see what's happening outside but hasn't been very reactive when doing so. She seems to have really good day-to-day manners.
Vista will relax in her crate if you need to leave home for a while (after taking about 15 minutes to settle down) although she would prefer to spend as much time as she can right by your side. She loves being outside and will entertain herself in a fenced-in yard as she watches the world go by. Vista is a fairly quiet dog and doesn't bark very often even though the squirrels in the yard torment her by running up the tree.
If Vista wants something or hasn't been taken for her nightly walk yet, she has no problem letting you know about it by whining and showing you what she wants (grabbing her leash). She's a busy girl and there is a lot of world to explore and sniff out! She also loves riding in cars and sniffing out windows watching the world go by at a pace faster than she can run. She has nice car manners while riding in the back seat and behaves nicely if you need to leave her in the car for a brief time.
With proper exercise and stimulation during the day, she'll settle right down and she loves to relax next to you on the couch. We've found that a minimum of an hour of active exercise a day is what she requires (walks, ball throwing, running, etc). This activity can be broken up into shorter intervals and if you have another dog, they could help to burn some of that energy off with active games of chase. She's good at communicating what she wants/needs. She loves belly rubs so she will climb up and lay next to you showing her belly. When she's had enough she will hop to another location (our loveseat) and take a nap or sleep through the night. If she hasn't gotten adequate exercise, she'll let you know that too.
Vista is such a loving dog who has a kind and sensitive soul. She has the best "puppy dog eyes. She loves being integrated into the heart of a home. She's smart as can be and takes to training very well - using body language and/or treats. She is very food motivated and I keep some kibble in my pocket at all times to reinforce her good behavior when she follows my lead. I could see her enjoying agility classes, hiking, and road trips with her forever family.
Cats:
She shows interest in cats but she and my outgoing (dog-loving) cat coexist just fine. Vista responds to boundaries and commands such as leave it and is easily redirected from the cat if she gets a little too overzealous about her new friend. She doesn't stalk the cats but shows interest that she wants to be their friend. She will occasionally follow my cat but typically responds well to corrections if she is getting over-excited by the cat. They have friendly interactions but we also monitor those interactions to make sure that no one is getting overstimulated or excited so we can establish healthy boundaries for both animals. They will regularly be on the same couch relaxing without any issue but we try to be aware of any signals they are giving off since they haven't known each other that long. My other cat (who is skittish in general and slow to warm up to all people and animals) has come to realize that Vista isn't a threat, although she still slinks through the house purposefully monitoring her surroundings. Vista recognizes her reluctance to buddy up and tends to honor those wishes. Vista whines a bit at the gate because she genuinely wants to meet her but is also easily redirected (and not obsessed). She just wishes the cat would give her a chance to make a new friend.
Dogs:
Her previous foster had two dogs and they seemed to get along just fine. We had a play date with another foster dog and they had a blast tearing through the yard. Vista displayed submissive behaviors to the male dog during play.
We need to further introduce her to more dogs but it seems that she would enjoy having animal friends and would enjoy living in a multi-pet household. She is definitely a social dog.
Kids:
The jury is still out. Although she hasn't specifically been around kids, based on her behavior I believe she could do ok around older dog-savvy teens who are respectful of her boundaries and can read signs of overstimulation and dog body language. Any play should be supervised and done with balls and not with hands. Once she settles in, she is fine with being touched and petted. However when she gets over excited she reverts to occasional puppy mouthiness, even though she is an 80lb dog. We tell her no, stop play/ignore her, and she calms down quickly. She also sometimes jumps when excited and we are working on that as well.
We find it's best to work with Vista using calm confidence. She responds great to treats and body language. We haven't noticed any resource guarding (food/toys) but are still being cautious since our cat lacks personal boundaries (like being interested in eating the dog's food).
Sensitivities/Fears
Vista does have some things she is afraid of that she will need to be desensitized to and we are working on that in her foster home. For one, she believes that the ceiling fan is the most evil thing on planet Earth. She doesn't bark or lash out but trembles in fear and tries to hide. We've kept it off until she becomes more comfortable in the home. We've been working on desensitizing, but we do find her shooting an occasional stare at the fan making sure the blades aren't moving and that it isn't going to get her.
She generally trusts women quicker than men but once she develops trust, she absolutely adores men and women (my husband is her favorite human). She gets scared of new people entering the home. We are working on having people come into the house while she is behind a gate and having them shower her with treats. She warms up fairly quickly but can remain a bit skittish so slow/controlled introductions (behind a gate and on a leash) to newcomers in the home are best. She's learning that strangers in the house don't have to be scary. We've found out that she does not do well meeting strangers in a kennel where she feels trapped. She will need some time to become comfortable with people who regularly come and go in your household (controlled entry). Since she is food motivated, having a new person throw her treats, letting her come to them, and being calm around her seems to have worked well in the past. We were introduced to Vista in a neutral location and that would likely be the best method for meeting potential adopters.
Vista doesn't seem to have a problem walking near strangers in public, although we haven't actually interacted with many of those people as we are working on having her focus on us during walks. She is also not reactive to strangers walking by her when she is in a car. She can get a bit excited when seeing another dog in public. It seems like she wants to play. She is quite strong so having a handler who is equally strong on the leash end will be important. She will does show interest in squirrels and rabbits on walks and will sometimes suddenly jump towards them. We've been using two leashes (one on a collar and one on a harness) and it has worked well but we are larger/stronger people. She typically redirects quickly but the initial launch can take you by surprise.
In the yard:
She loves to run and play in the yard and hasn't had any potty accidents in the house. She likes playing with balls and my husband recently introduced her to playing Frisbee (Kong Frisbee) and she is getting pretty good at it. She will drop and leave the Frisbee, although sometimes she turns ball throwing into a game of keepaway. Using two balls can be helpful. When she gets super wound up (zoomies) she'll sometimes jump but if you put your knee up she'll stop. We've found that if she gets a little overstimulated she can get mouthy with her play. Ignoring her and stopping play for a short period will reset her to a better place of play (and take her out of her puppy play mindset).
Our neighbor is a male and upon first meeting ran to the far side of the yard and barked. My husband kept talking to the neighbor over the fence and she started to warm up, came over timidly to sniff his shoe, and started to realize he wasn't a threat as he stood there calmly. We are eventually going to have him throw her treats as part of the training process and I'm fairly confident they will be buddies sooner than later.
It seems like she does take some time to warm up to people but once she gains trust she's an all-in kind of girl. She hasn't done much barking at random noises and movements so she is definitely NOT the town crier.
Overall Vista is a very loving, fun, silly, and sensitive dog who would make her forever family so happy. She has stolen our hearts. She would love to have a family of her own to play with, follow around, lay next to, and share her love. Could you be the person Vista is looking for to help her overcome her fears and embark on a lifelong adventure with her new best friend?