This little boy is very very smart and lovable! He loves figuring out food puzzles and to be busy solving problems or working on training challenges. He is easily motivated by food, affection and some toys and is learning to play a very reliable game of fetch with balls, sticks and toys.  He enjoys the challenge of learning new things and is easily lured into new and fun positions when in a comfortable environment. ( Army crawling, weaving through legs, jumping over obstacles and rolling over are all going to be natural games for this guy.) He will likely be a great partner for someone who wants to try some agility or work towards their Canine Good Citizen Certification.

 When outside on walks, Natsu usually likes to sit and evaluate situations, people and new dogs before approaching them. He does great so far at checking in with us when prompted to and coming when called on a 6 foot leash (with food reinforcement). He does not like having a leash attached to his collar, so we use a harness instead. This makes it a lot easier and less stressful for him to be comfortable walking in unfamiliar places. His natural response to something he’s not sure of is to stop and sit. (He may bark, but this does not seem to be his first response. )

He likes romping around familiar environments but will likely need some encouragement to explore new ones. Time and patience combined with high value food reinforcements (like chicken) helps curb his shyer nature and makes new experiences more fun for him. 

 This little guy seems to really enjoy playing and wrestling with his littermates and may prefer a home with another young dog that he can do zoomies and hang out with. His preferred play style seems to be a combination of chase and wrestling.  So far, he has been very curious about the chickens and ferrets he has met. He will occasionally bark at the kitties in his foster home so a very slow introduction to any cats (or possible prey-type animals) would definitely be recommended.

 Natsu loves to love his people but he can be easily startled or frightened at times. He will require a family with understanding adults or that has older, gentle, kids who will  be patient and kind  with him.   

This little boy will do best in a home that is excited about using positive reinforcement and redirection to help him learn his manners and become a confident, outgoing boy.  He already sits nicely when waiting for his meals, attention and at the door to come back inside after a walk. He is super food motivated and a delight to work and cuddle with. He is currently learning to be gentle with his teeth and to settle and wait his turn along with walking nicely on a loose leash. 

All of our foster puppies are consistently worked with from day one using hand feeding techniques, treat balls with their kibble inside and toys that are designed to encourage them to use their minds smelling and problem solving skills. They love to figure out puzzles and always enjoy relaxing in their cozy crate beds or in their puppy pens with a good stuffed kong or a frozen licky mat after a  long walk or romp outside.

We work very hard to encourage positive socialization and friendly adaptive skills in our foster pups. To the extent they are comfortable and able to handle it, we carefully expose them to the sights/sounds of a busy family household in a more urban environment. (This includes kids and people of all types, cats, small animals and backyard chickens. As appropriate, we also introduce them to friendly neighborhood dogs and people, car rides, different textures and surfaces and other busy environmental stimuli.)