Size
(when grown) Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg)
Details
Good with kids,
House-trained,
Spayed or Neutered,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
Nick is a 4yr old male Australian Shepherd weighing 50lbs, he is neutered and up to date on vaccinations and heartworm and flea/tick medication. Crate trained and potty trained.
Nick is a sweet velcro dog when you're up and doing stuff, but independent when you're not. He absolutely loves people & loves pets, can't get enough love, and will ask for more pets with his paw if you stop. He's great about chewing his chew toys. And if he picks up things he's not allowed to chew one voice correction and he leaves it alone for good.
He is great in the car for both short and long rides. He doesn't need to be tethered, and is not a fan of harnesses that go over the head anyway. Collars are fine, harnesses need some work if you prefer using harnesses. He is a very, very low maintenance aussie loves whatever attention and walks he gets, does not require a lot of exercise.
He is a 4yr old puppy that just needs someone to put some training into him. He has gotta overstimulated in the yard from passing dogs, but some minor work on making the yard a place to play & poop only, instead of a place to guard, will be required for his new home, especially if he is living with other doggies. And he's already getting better each day.
Previously we thought Nick would be best in an only dog home, due to his protection of the yard, that made him turn on his female foster dog siblings, however, after talking with a trainer who said it was a normal reaction, and spending a good month working with him he is doing really well. And just came back from a camping trip with his 2 foster dog siblings, and did extremely well both living & walking in a brand new place with them. Any homes with new dogs will require very slow introductions for him, and his foster will be glad to walk his new family through the process that they used. He'll take some work, but it's more than worth it for this sweet boy.
He can be with cats but should still be watched and not left alone, he does well just gets excited and up their butts when they interact with him. He has 6 foster cats that currently live in the house with him and does just fine, but is still learning, doesn't chase them, just very, very nosey.
He has no interest in birds, he lives around peacocks and has walked on long leash near them with no interest. He's shy around the horses, but walks passed them with no issues.
He can be a bit nippy if you step over him, and gets nippy when giving treats, so older kids between 13yrs to 15yrs of age are preferred if he lives with them, or any visit the home. He is fed separately from his foster siblings because he is a gobbler and tends to be self conscious when other dogs are too close when he eats. He hasn't resource guarded anything from anyone yet, but he stays in his cage for feedings and eats out of a slow feeder so he doesn't throw it up and doesn't feel like he has to rush or protect it from anyone. He is also a little sensitive in the back end, we don't believe it's pain, at least not according to the vet. But he's just sensitive about his back end and is slowly coming around and not being as flinch or offended when being touched back there. His foster is giving him some joint supplement anyways to help prevent joint issues in the future.
He is great walker, does need more experience walking on a leash, as it appears he hasn't had a lot of experience on leash. Walks great alone or with his siblings, he's still learning to "let's go and leave it" when other dogs are near by or pass by but is doing extremely well, no aggression towards them just gets excited which can lead to confusion.
He knows sit, stay, leave it, up (to get in cars or the camper), paw, and is just now learning a recall, and working on down. He is working on getting into some herding classes soon, so he can learn to do a new job, and to see if its something he likes.
Requirements:
- Aussie knowledgeable home as he has some aussie quirks
- More training
- Fenced yarn until he solidifies a recall
- If in a home with or visited by children 13yrs to 15yrs old preferred smaller kids would not be well suited for him
- Friendly non-dominate female dog(s)
- Cats okay but should be watched and worked with for a while.
- Meet and greet
Located in New Port Richey, FL
If Nick sounds perfect for you, please fill out our application: https://www.australianshepherdsfurever.org/adoption-application There is an additional $20 microchip fee which includes registration and transfer to his new furever family. All adoption fees are used for future rescue efforts.
