When Kodiak came to his foster home he was very overweight at 105lbs - much more than his frame could comfortably support. He hated walking and foster mom had to bribe him back home with treats after he was too tired from 10 minutes of trying. Fast forward to today, he is about 20 lbs lighter and loves to run and play with foster puppies and other dogs in the yard. He loves to go for walks and easily and regularly can walk for an hour.
Kodiak came to his foster home used to using his size and growls to get his way. He has worked SO HARD and learned SO MUCH in his foster home including: humans are in charge and he doesn't need to be the leader, sit and wait to be released for meals, how to relax and stay in place, that furniture is invitation only, completely re-crate trained to learn crate is a safe space not punishment, and that he can share his toys with humans and he will get them back!
All of this progress took lots of time and patience with foster mom to build trust. Kodiak has a breed expected stubborn streak and is incredibly smart. His new adopter will need to be patient and earn his trust and set the tone with boundaries and respect.
As part of his wellness transformation, Kodiak was started on an antidepressant (Fluoxetine) and is an incredibly happier dog on them, and we encourage that his adopter keeps him on this medication. Kodiak also has an allergy, unknown if it is food or environmental. Kodiak is currently well managed with a single protein dog food and an allergy medication (Apoquel). His adopters may consider allergy testing to more specifically identify the allergen.
Kodiak loves people and doesn't know a human stranger. Kodiak is GREAT with other dogs. His foster mom calls him the foster dog ambassador. He is good with big, small, young, and old dogs. He reads body language very well and matches his play style to the other dog and is very patient with rude and rough play from other dogs. Kodiak does resource guard his toys, bones, and food to other dogs. Kodiak would likely do ok living with another dog who is submissive and not very interested in toys (with supervision!) or with an owner experienced with resource guarding behaviors. He would be ideal for someone who only wants one dog in the home and wants a dog who can go for walks in public places with other dogs around or have toy free playdates with other dogs. He loves to go for walks at Smale park and hang out with foster mom at breweries!
Kodiak has made incredible strides in his foster home and is looking for his best fit family who will continue to support his progress. He has had a few meet and greets but is waiting for his perfect forever family to find him!
