Willa Husky & German Shepherd Dog Mix Carlin, NV

This beautiful girl is Willa! She is a 4 year old Husky/German Shepherd mix who loves to go on adventures! She is a bit of an escape artist so a secure yard with a tall fence is a must! Here are some notes on Willa from one of our volunteers whos spent a lot of time with her!

Toa degree, she knows sit, down, come, place, leave it and give - this varies wildly based on her mental state.
The way to "break the ice" with her if she seems aloof is to give the human version of a dog's play wiggle with her - it was one of the things that first struck me about her - doing that can be like flipping a light switch with her.
Her willingness to take treats (or lack thereof) is an indication of whether she is relaxed or not. She's food motivated, when she is relaxed. The one exception to this is if you have something that is higher value like a greenie/dental stick/or tube of Churu.
She might like water almost more than she likes food - some of the most affectionate behavior she has shown me is after giving her water.
She is very nose driven - and will dig to get to things - especially mice - that she finds interesting in the ground.
Months ago, when she was struggling with kennel stress, she did have some barrier reactivity - but it fell in the category of what I would consider reasonable for most dogs. e.g. She would react to a dog that was being aggressive towards her. Since then, I have not seen any aggressive reactivity to other dogs - including off leash dogs that have approached us. A playlist of videos highlighting her interactions is here
She loves hiking, but starts to get a bit tired around the 3-4 mile mark of a moderate hike - I've had her out 4 or 5 times. She does pull quite a bit on hikes, but has not been reactive with other dogs, hikers, etc beyond showing basic interest. The one caveat that I'd make is that where I've taken her, it is relatively easy to manage space - i.e. relatively easy to keep 10-15 feet of distance.
She just curls up and goes to sleep in the car - she will ride quietly for hours and hours; especially if the radio is off or on very low. She does seem to be a bit sensitive to noise. (think that's the shepherd in her coming out). Very easy to get in the car, I get the sense she went for a lot of rides with her previous owner.
"Hugs" are part of how she shows affection, but given her size - she's probably not great for a house with younger children.
Grooming is not her favorite thing (she had a lot of cat tails / cheat grass in her coat when she came to IHS), but she will tolerate it for a time with treats once she is relaxed. It is the one situation where I've seen her get remotely close to nipping, but even that is quite gentle and more of a nudge with her snout.

If interested in meeting Willa, please fill out an adoption application here: https://forms.gle/Q7FGX7wrf3FPe2S4A