Kai has been living with 4 other dogs and done wonderfully. He seamlessly figured out how to “dog” when he met our two shepherds – a female and male.

His initial reaction to our Italian Greyhound and Corgi were to chase but they quickly corrected his actions and he’s since learned that small dogs are friends too, just in a mini size !

He is on a current schedule with the rest of our dogs where he wakes up around 6:45 and will tell you it’s time to let him out for potty.

We’ve regularly taken him on adventures whether that be to pick up take out, Lowes, and more. He’s excellent in the car and does not move around – though it is advised he be buckled in for dog safety. In public, he is eager to puppy dog eye strangers into petting him. We’ve worked on heel and he’s doing very well. He’s food motivated which makes training easy. As we work on his manners, he’s figured out that to get to other rooms and leave the house, he has to sit before exiting. He sits before his food and will stay – with reminders until released “Okay!”.

When he comes in from the backyard, we have him sit to have his paws wiped – he still doesn’t love this but he’s learning as the other dogs do this. I recommend putting a mat he can call his at the backdoor as he uses it as a placemat for telling us he needs to use the bathroom. He has only had a single accident on his first day and none since. He is fully housebroken. He’s learning “quiet” and it’s beginning to sink in but he needs a strong guide. His walking is improving as he’s been switched to a martingale collar. He has only jumped up onto someone’s knees one time which has since then been corrected but as he’s a puppy all of his training will need to be practiced daily to ensure it sticks. He’s adventured to the office with me which he loved. He slept as I worked and was excited to meet people on his breaks. Crate training has gone wonderfully. On the first night he was a little whiney – so we stayed downstairs with him on the first and second night. It has now been 4 nights of him on his own and he’s been a dream at night – you won’t hear a peep. During the day we physically exhaust him with walks and a little mental exhaustion from training but as the night comes in, we exhaust him with mental stimulation and have him do dog puzzles so he’s not full of adrenaline and enticed to run around. He generally gets put to bed around 9:30-10PM.

He has no food or toy aggression with people or other dogs. Training will need to continue to ensure he remains sound into adulthood. Our training method is a mix of real life scenario/encounters and obedience to ensure that he’s sound.

Kai would most comfortably fit in a home that has time for him and is invested into obedience training. He needs a firm owner that understands how to correct unwanted behaviors and is comfortable providing non-stop training as he ages. He loves to be chased and learns well from social cues so another large breed dog is ideal.

While we’d love to keep Kai ourselves, we’ve committed to an older dog that needs our help. Kai is just waiting for his furever home and that could be you. We’ve had plenty of wonderful applications but no one has been the perfect fit. To make it easy, the list of ideals and must haves are below.

Must:

• Fully fenced backyard

• Will maintain a strict diet (meaning no table scraps, low calorie treats) to ensure he does not become overweight as it is detrimental to their joints.

Ideal – Candidates with these requests will be considered first.

• Large breed experience and a confident large breed dog in home (prefer GSD)

• Has had prior obedience training with another dog and will show proof of registration from obedience class/training for him. As he is only 4 1/2 months, continued obedience is key.

• Will truly be a companion and not leave him home but rather take him on adventures with you

Schedule – Bathroom breaks are every couple of hours or when he signals.

• 6:45 wake up

• 7:15 breakfast

• 1800 dinner

• 2130 bedtime

We hope his future home will love him as much as we do – he deserves his own family and we’re both excited and sad to see him go to that family when the time comes.

Feel free to message us here or send us an email

washingtonshepherds@yahoo.com

Or you may submit an adoption application: https://washingtongsd.org/adopt

Please note that we require a secure fenced yard.

IF WE FIND YOU TO BE A GOOD MATCH YOU WILL BE CONTACTED typically within 72 hours. YOU WILL HEAR FROM US ONLY IF WE FIND YOU TO BE A GOOD MATCH FOR ONE OF OUR RESCUE ANIMALS AND OUR ADOPTION GUIDELINES/PROGRAM. WE MUST REVIEW A COMPLETED APPLICATION BEFORE A POSSIBLE APPOINTMENT IS ARRANGED. NO EXCEPTIONS.

All visits with the puppies/dogs are by approved applications and appointments only. *We reserve the right to refuse any adoption without justification and not all applications or inquiries may receive a response.*

Thank you for your interest in our rescue dogs