Abbi
shepherd Mix | Female | 6 months Old | 40 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs! ✔️ Crate trained! ✔️ Housebroken! ✔️ Good in car! ✔️ Good running buddy!
❌ Slow intros to new humans! ❌ Separation anxiety!
Updates
Adopted on April 17th!
PUPDATE 2
Abbi has been very busy over the last week! She has become quite the adventurer and traveler. Abbi frequents hiking trails, ice cream shops, and breweries and loves to spend time outside in the nice weather. Her greetings and human interactions are getting much better and she doesn't even seem to notice the waiters bringing food and drinks to our tables. She does very well on leash walking past people especially when they ignore her. Abbi has gotten to meet many new people since living with us and warms up to everyone ranging from 1 min - 10 min time frames. She loves pets and snuggles and is quickly learning that those come from humans. She still loves dogs and plays very well with them. Abbi has also enjoyed and mastered ringing the bells when she needs to go out, and has not had any accidents for days. Abbi no longer whines in her crate at bedtime or when we leave for work. In fact, she loves to go into her crate at those times because she knows she gets treats. She does still have some separation anxiety during non routine departures, but finds comfort in having our resident dog nearby. She would do very well in a home with another dog to learn from and play with, but also not necessary as she certainly would not mind the extra attention and love.
PUPDATE 1
Abbi will wake up around 6, or 6:30 if she was tired out the day before. She will whine in her crate when she needs to go outside to go potty, and then she’ll come back inside to play with her toys independently and is able to roam free in part of the house before her human’s want to get up. She will then eat breakfast and will need to go outside for another potty and quick 5 min walk/jog down the street. She loves to follow us around while we get ready or play with her toys, before returning to her crate when we leave for work. She loves to eat frozen peanut butter from her Kong treat toy when we leave to make separation a little easier.
When we return, she is so excited to see us and give us kisses. We then go outside for a potty and to play in the yard with our resident dog. They play very well together both inside and outside. Abbi eats her dinner while on a longer 20 minute walk to work on leash skills which she is very good at even with distractions! She does get fearful when new people approach her and is actively learning ways to do better at this. She pays close attention to you and she is very food motivated. She has never chewed non toys or furniture, nor gotten into things she shouldn't except for fun sticks in the yard. She much prefers to play with her toys over anything else and does not mind sharing them. She is on a potty schedule and will ring bells, whine, or stand around the door to tell us if she needs to go out, but does occasionally have small accidents inside when distracted from all the playing she does with our resident dog.
Her evenings are spent with more playing independently with toys, training, and snuggles. Abbi is very affectionate and loves to share her love with you. After one final potty, she goes into her crate for the night around 10pm and settles into her crate after about 5 min of whining. She sleeps through the whole night and does not chew on blankets in her crate.
Abbi loves people, but she is fearful and reactive when meeting them. Abbi will bark or huff at the person approaching but will warm up after a slow and treat filled introduction. We are working on this every day on walks by walking by people without reacting, and by having her meet new people and giving them education on how to approach beforehand. This will require further training and her forever home needs to be committed to work on this. She may do better in a quieter neighborhood, in order, to be able to train under her threshold level. Abbi is a smart dog and good learner and will do well with the right kind of training. Abbi was previously surrendered as her previous home was not able to meet the needs Abbi required in this area.
She is awake most of the day when we are home. Abbi does very well playing by herself and does not need to be entertained most of the time. She has medium-high energy, but playing for 20-30 minutes with another dog can tire her out for a few hours. She goes on at least one longer 20-30 minute walk per day and a few short mini walks. Abbi loves to be outside to play fetch when given the chance and would definitely enjoy a yard she could run around in, but for now she is content spending time outside on a leash. She loves going for walks and does pretty well on a leash.
Abbi gets along very well with other dogs. She shares her toys and treats without any complaints. One of her favorite things to do is play with our resident dog who is twice the size of her. When on walks and other dogs are barking, she will sometimes bark back, but can be easily redirected with cues and treats. She did not seem to mind when a dog approached her off leash when she was on a walk. After introductions, Abbi loves to play chase, tug, and wrestle with other dogs, no matter the size. She does not have any cats in her foster home.
She has shown some separation anxiety. She doesn't like to be left alone and wants to be with her people and dog sister all the time. She does spend 8-9 hours in her crate while her humans work outside the home, and we make sure she is left with treats to distract her when we leave in the morning. Abbi will whine in her crate for a few minutes before settling down and does better when her crate is next to our resident dog’s crate. She is not destructive in her crate but will need someone to continue practicing this with her and help her understand that it's okay to be alone and her people will always come back.
Abbi is such a sweet and affectionate pup, who is looking for her forever family to love and love her back! She loves climbing into your lap to cuddle and she also learns new commands quickly. Abbi would do best in a home who is committed to her and training with her whether you have experience or not. She is ready to find a forever home that will help her learn to harness her puppy energy and concur her fears, could that home be you?