Nika is a lovely female German Shepherd on the smaller side. She is settling in to her foster home slowly but steadily. It is clear that she is still a little unsure of what has happened to her, but from her behavior, her foster family is certain Nika has been in a home situation before. Nika loves playing on the long line leash, which gives her lots of room to run and exercise. She is a very curious girl, wanting to sniff and check everything out, but is starting to return to her handler from the end of the leash when asked to come. She also knows sit, when she is reminded. Nika is working on not jumping up to greet people, by having them turn away and ignore her until she sits. Nika has been slow to start eating, but is finally getting on a normal schedule. When adopted, her new family will need to be patient when she first goes home with them; until she feels safer and more comfortable, she may not show much interest in food. She is very well-behaved in her crate, and although she doesn’t love going into it on her own, she will do so and lays down quietly until it is time to play again!  She has successfully met three different dogs here on the farm, two males and one female puppy. She was appropriately tentative about the introductions, but did not show any aggression or dominance which required intervention. After the first few moments, all was well. Her foster mom has not had the opportunity to observe her interactions with children of any age yet.

Nika does stairs easily and is learning more about walking properly on a leash, but will need to go to training to become a better canine citizen, as all dogs should. She learns quickly and loves to play with and chew on her ball. She is not particularly food-driven, and prefers to take any chew-treats she is given and hide them. Nika is going to be a wonderful dog for someone looking for a dog past the puppy years and habits, but with years of love to give. Having had numerous foster dogs, Nika easily joins the ranks of one of her foster family’s easiest fosters. In the right home situation, after time settling in and when she is feeling secure, Nika will make an outstanding addition to a lucky family.