Red Stick German Shepherd Rescue
Luka is a beautiful adolescent female German Shepherd Dog. She was born 12/1/17. She's a nice, compact size and shouldn't weigh more than 65 pounds at a healthy weight. Her personality is pure puppy -- exuberant, excited, and energetic.
People who don't know this breed always say they want a puppy until they live with a German Shepherd puppy....and unfortunately, many good dogs lose homes due to people not appreciating how challenging, time-consuming, and overwhelming this breed can be until they reach adulthood (around 3 years old). That's Luka's story too. She's a wonderful specimen of the breed -- but she asks a lot of her person.
She would be a great dog for someone with breed experience. She learns quickly and appreciates calm, clear leadership. She represents many of the best traits of the breed....but she's likely to be "too much dog" for someone new to the breed.
Like most young German Shepherds, Luka's a high-energy firecracker: she's ready to go, go, go. She runs 2-3 miles a day, comes home and plays hard, and then wonders what comes next. She's learning to chill out after she gets her exercise, but she's not a mellow dog by nature. She needs a job, and for GSDs, obedience is job one. She would be an excellent candidate for nosework, rally, or other classes to keep her smart mind engaged.
She needs an adopter who's got the energy to keep up with her. If you get up to go for a pre-dawn run, she's ready to be your running buddy. And she'll be ready for a long walk in the evening after you come home from work! She's would be a fabulous companion for a fitness enthusiast. If you like to sleep in, forget about it: she likes to start her day early!
Luka's already house-trained, crate-trained, and learning basic obedience and house manners. She rides well in a car too. She's inquisitive and will get into things in the house (and investigate counter tops), but she's easily diverted to her toys and appreciates knowing how to do the right thing. She loves to play and toys -- tug and chase with other dogs are favorites.
She's already got great leash manners, and she's currently enrolled in obedience classes with Fleur de Lead to polish up her obedience skills. She's smart, food-motivated and LOVES to be praised. She's made incredible progress in a short time.
Luka has a very good nose, and will find interesting things you didn't know you had. Outside, she will dig to follow smells in the soil if left unattended for even a few minutes. She doesn't want to be left unattended though -- she wants to be wherever you are! She enjoys dog beds and is happy to nap right next to you.
She's good with other dogs (and an approved "play care" guest at Highland Road Animal Hospital). She can play rough (though she's learning to take it down a notch). She can be a little bossy with toys too. We recommend dogs her size that don't mind high-energy play (small dogs might be easily bowled over by an enthusiastic race after a toy).
She's reported to be good with kids. There are no kids in the foster home, so we cannot verify this. We would not want to place her with small kids who would be overwhelmed by excited play, but older, active kids could be a good fit.
We don't know how she is with cats -- our best guess is that she would chase them.
Our rescue is selective about the homes we choose for young dogs. Young GSDs are a major time commitment! She's always had the best of care -- just not the training, structure and leadership all German Shepherd Dogs need. We want to help her find a home that will guide her to reach her full potential.
Luka's tested negative for heartworms and always been kept on prevention.