Sage

About Sage

Meet Sage F0989 Sage is an 8-month-old female stag hound mix looking for her forever home! Sage has springs for legs and loves nothing more than frolicking after her humans. She's a lovely, affectionate girl who has a lot of learning to do, but she's already showing just how quickly she can pick things up when given a bit of guidance! Sage spent the first eight months of her life living in a backyard, so she's had very little experience with training or the structure of life as a pet dog. The good news is that she's incredibly adaptable and has taken most new experiences in her stride! She now walks beautifully on a leash, is sleeping happily in her crate overnight and settles as soon as she's put to bed. Sage has come a long way in foster care. She is now: • Toilet trained. • Sleeping happily in her crate overnight and will happily go settle in her crate when asked. • Walking well on a harness and lead. • Learning to sit, wait for her food and stay. • Learning to live with other dogs respectfully. • Comfortable with handling and new sensations like having her paws, mouth, and ears handled. • Muzzle trained. To make sure all of her lovely new behaviours stick in her new home, two training sessions with Hayley Vardon from Ears Up Dog Training will be covered as part of her adoption. Sage absolutely loves people! She's an enthusiastic, affectionate girl who enjoys being around her humans, and would love to be a lap dog regardless of her size. She also loves to jump, leap and spring around on those ridiculously long legs, but she's already learned not to jump up on people, including children! She's met children and has been perfectly comfortable around them, although, as with any dog, ongoing supervision is important. Sage would likely do best with older children who are comfortable around a large, bouncy young dog, or young children who are used to large dogs. Sage is much more interested in playing than going on long walks and does not want to be your running buddy. She currently enjoys a relaxed 30-minute walk each day, followed by the prospect of a good nap. She's also happy to hang out at a cafe while her humans get a coffee. She LOVES her toys, particularly her flirt pole, and is always happy to chase a ball or play tug. She'd suit a family who enjoys playing with their dog and can give her appropriate outlets for her energy and natural instincts. When she's not playing, Sage is very committed to doing absolutely nothing. Her foster carer has observed her napping in her crate, on her bed, on the grass, in the sun, and in the shade. She's not particularly fussy about where she sleeps, as long as she gets plenty of opportunities! Sage grew up outside and is still more comfortable spending time outdoors, so a home with a secure yard would be ideal. She is more than happy to be left home alone in the yard while her humans are out, so long as she has plenty to keep her occupied, like a long lasting chew. If she's left alone for long periods with enrichment, she will make her own fun like digging holes or chewing on trees. So to avoid unwanted landscaping, make sure she has some chew toys and a treat to keep her occupied! Given her breed, Sage has a strong prey drive, and drive to chase, which is something prospective adopters will need to consider carefully. She has shown some promising behaviour around cats, including being able to disengage from them independently and respond when called away. However, given her breed traits and chase drive, she should not be left unsupervised with cats at this stage. Sage can also show this same drive around small fluffy dogs, and although she can settle around them and does well with supervision, she should be muzzled when first meeting new small dogs! At this stage, it is recommended that Sage not live with pocket pets, unless her new family has ample experience managing the drives of sight hounds! Sage can get along very well with other large tolerant dogs once she's had time to settle in. She tends to skip the pleasantries when meeting new dogs and wants to jump straight into roughhousing, so a playful or patient dog would match her best! However, after a slow introduction and a chance to get that initial excitement out of her system, she can be beautifully respectful. She reads other dogs' body language well and can remain calm even in exciting, high-energy situations, such as chasing a ball together. She currently lives with a friendly blue heeler and enjoys his company. On walks, Sage can be reactive to other dogs and will often bark when she sees them. She's much more comfortable when given some distance, so her new family will need to continue working on her tolerance and helping her feel more comfortable around dogs out and about. Sage is desexed, microchipped, up to date on vaccinations and flea and worm prevention. She is currently located with her foster carer in Ottoway, her adoption fee is $500. Ready to welcome us into your life? To get a questionnaire and meet me apply below. A big thank you to SavourLife who are generously offering a FREE bag of SavourLife, all-natural, Australian-made dog food to anyone adopting. *All dogs start out on a 14-day trial period. Adoption fees are to be paid in full when dog is collected for their trial. If for any reason the trial doesn't work out, the dog can be returned and your adoption fee will be refunded less the administration fee (specified on adoption contract, varies per dog). Adoption fees are only returned via bank transfer. We will welcome any of our dogs back into our care at any stage of their life, however, adoption fees will only be returned during the trial period.* SA Breeder DACO110502