Kahuna (ADOPTED!) is a gorgeous 45 lb., 2 year old, hunk, with a sweet, mellow, and compliant personality. He is now the new brother of HITTGV's funniest little guy, Sarge! They both live and play on 11 acres, where they help their mom with the horses.
He is a very happy, moderate energy boy, who loves all people and is excellent with young and old alike. Kahuna loves balls and to play fetch. He also adores squeaky toys, and will entertain himself by tossing and catching them. For a young cattle dog he is not overly energetic, but he will need a home that can give him the exercise, attention, continued training and mental stimuation that a young, playful, herding breed needs.
Kahuna is good with cats and loves children of all ages. However, because he jumps up on people to let you know he wants to play and sometimes when greeting, we recommend that he only be with children old enough to withstand his jumping. At his original home, he enjoyed playing with two other dogs in the family. At the two shelters he has been in, he has politely met several dogs his size and larger, both male and female. And, he is fitting in well with his fosters' own three dogs and cat.
On leash, he walks nicely, often looking up at you to check in, and does NOT pull. Kahuna likes to sniff and explore when on walks, but will follow your lead. Although he is also very interested in fast moving objects, if you gently tell him to walk on, he will easily do so. Our boy is completely house trained and very good in a crate. In a car, he rides quietly in a crate, but if allowed to ride in a seat, he needs to be restrained, or he will be a busy boy -- putting his head out the window, being a backseat driver (placing his head on your shoulder or head!), or trying to join you in the front seatHe does NOT guard his food, toys, or chewies.
Kahuna is extremely observant, very smart, and a quick learner. Kahuna wants to please and will mind what people tell him, if he understands. He is also big on treats, and will automatically sit for them. He is a bit overly eager to grab a treat, and needs to learn to be gentler about it. Kahuna responds very nicely when corrected. Kahuna needs to learn better manners, both with people and other dogs. He will playfully jump on people, poke or paw at you, and sometimes mouth at your hand for attention. Shelter staff stated that they taught him to shake and lay down in a very short time.
Although we have not seen any sign of this, the shelter stated that the people who adopted and returned Kahuna after 3-days, said he showed some territorial and bossy behavior with small dogs. His original owners surrendered him to the shelter because Kahuna was a bit too excited and rough when herding their goat(s). Currently, Kahuna is in a foster home with three other herding breed dogs, a cat, some resident pigs, sheep, and chickens. His fosters are very experienced with cattle dogs and other herding breeds, and said he has joined their household with very little effort. He is respectful of the dominant dog and the cat, and plays well with the two kelpies. He was originally afraid of the pigs and sheep and wanted to chase the chickens. He is now fine with the pigs and ignores the sheep. When going for the chickens, one well timed correction by his foster mom, and he left the chickens alone. His foster will continue working with him until he learns not to chase the chickens. They believe he would fit easily into a cattle dog savvy home with other pets. Kahuna would also make an excellent agility and/or noseworks dog.
This is a truly wonderful dog, who just needs to find people who understand his breed and know how to work with and teach him appropriate behavior.