Niko

Profile

I’d like to introduce you to the most handsome boy—Niko! He is a lean, not at all mean, ball-retrieving machine. He is a darker red color and honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Golden Retriever who is more athletic and agile. He is a beauty to watch in motion.  He had his wellness check today and he is a strapping 53 pounds. The vet was so impressed with this gentle sweet boy.  Everything is perfect as far as his physical health, and he is UTD on his vaccinations and preventatives, and his fecal was negative (always a yay!!). He does have an early very mild conjunctivitis, so she gave us antibiotic for his eyes so it doesn’t develop into pink eye.  She’d like to see him between 55 and 60 pounds, so we’ll be helping him put on some weight!

Niko came to RAGOM from a family who loved him very much. When he was 4 years old two important things happened in his life: He had a seizure, and the couple started having children. Niko has had a couple of seizures every year since then, but he isn’t on any regular medication because they are episodic. His surrendering family felt he just hadn’t been comfortable around the little kids—he got very anxious. They made the heart-wrenching decision to let us find a new home for him. They did a beautiful job with him—he has a really solid foundation and is so affectionate. He is a perfect gentleman—an excellent listener and all about pleasing. He has the basic commands down, and he absolutely loves it when we do any kind of training, especially when there are beef sticks involved.

Taking a break from playing ball

My foster mom thinks my side profile makes me look dignified

Niko is settling into our routine and we are still getting to know him. He slept in his crate the first couple of nights, and the third night I left the crate door open. He preferred to sleep on a rug beside the bed. He doesn’t make a peep all night. There haven’t been any potty accidents or marking at all. He has a great appetite and he LOVES (loves) exercise of any type. We go for a couple of walks a day and he walks well with just a flat collar. I’ll be getting him an Easy Walk harness—I suspect he’ll love that. We play ball a number of times throughout the day and he lives for that. And his newest fun thing to do is go to the lake. He LOVES the water and will retrieve a ball, and he’s just getting the hang of bringing a stick back. He is also getting familiar with swimming (he had never been to a lake before), so I just throw it out enough so he has to do a paddle or two to get to it, otherwise he hesitates to get it. We’ve been to a couple of different lakes and he really enjoys these outings! One day there were two families just coming to the landing with their boats, and they had kids I’d say roughly 7-10 years old. The kids were all excited to see the dogs. He did just great with them and stood patiently while they petted him.

I love swimming at the lake

My goofy lip when I am really concentrating (and you have the ball)

Niko’s main challenge is he doesn’t have a lot of self- confidence. He isn’t fear-based, but he really does need to get his confidence built up. I’ve been working the “Nothing in Life is Free” program and he has been like a sponge responding to my direction. He is so open to any kind of work—it is a thrill to work with him and watch him come out of his shell.

A good match for Niko will be a family who:

•          Likes working with their dog (commands, classes, training, dock jumping?)
•          Likes a buddy to take along so he can see lots of interesting stuff and places (mental stimulation)
•          Is active and likes to do lots of physical activities

This will help him be the best dog that he can be!

I’ll update more as I get to know this beautiful boy. He is a keeper, for sure!

I’ll update more as I get to know this beautiful boy. He is a keeper, for sure!