OVERVIEW
What he is
Akuma de las Flores, call name Kuma, is a gold brindle male known for his exceptional stability, extreme pack drive, and easy adaptability across work, travel, and daily life. He earned his IGP 2 and has also explored herding and barn hunt, reflecting the kind of all-around utility that makes a dog both enjoyable and useful over the long term.
Kuma is the kind of dog who fits naturally into an active life. He can work, travel, hike, settle in the house, and turn back on when asked. He is social, highly bonded, and steady in new environments, while still retaining the seriousness that makes good judgment worth respecting.
A chronic toenail injury caused by a home accident eventually led to toe amputation and early retirement from sport. Recovery has gone well, and he is gradually returning to more activity with no current issues.
WORKING TRAITS
- Training: IGP 2, started herding, dabbled in barn hunt
- Pack Drive: Extreme and highly team-oriented
- Prey / Hunt Drive: High
- Food Motivation: High
- Toy Motivation: High
- Defense Drive: Moderate
- Aggression Drive: Moderate
- Overall Balance: High
TEMPERAMENT
Kuma is overall very stable and extremely easy to live with in the right environment. He loves people, travels well, and carries the kind of confidence that allows him to settle cleanly into almost any setting. When he shows caution, it matters. He is generally social and approachable, but his owner pays attention when he gives a warning.
His strongest trait may be his pack drive. He is deeply bonded, wants to be involved, and thrives when included in what his people are doing.
ENVIRONMENT
Kuma is extremely environmentally stable. New places are never a problem. He has traveled widely throughout the Pacific Northwest and across the United States, adapting equally well to road trips, long hikes, backpacking, tents, hotels, RVs, and rooftop tents. He is simply happy to be part of the experience.
DAY TO DAY
Kuma excels at being an all-around companion. He is an outstanding hiking dog, a reliable travel dog, an easy house dog, and a willing training partner. He enjoys long adventures, long days of work, and mental engagement, but he can also settle in the house and relax with an antler after the day is done.
He is full of character, loved by people wherever he goes, and gets noticed both for his looks and for how well he carries himself.
WHY HE MATTERS
To his owner, Kuma is the best trail dog she has ever had and the kind of all-around Dutch Shepherd that is willing to try anything put in front of him. He is stable, trustworthy, serious when necessary, and able to shift between companionship and work without conflict.
Forced retirement came earlier than anyone wanted, but it did not diminish what he is. With recovery going well, the goal now is simple: get him back to tracking, back onto the trails, and into an active retirement he has earned.
PROGRAM NOTES
Akuma comes from the Eran × Nicole 2017 A-Litter, a repeat of the 2016 F-Litter breeding. He was later bred to Milou, producing the 2022 Z-Litter and extending this established working line forward.