Darby
Australian Cattle Dog Mix | Female | 4 months Old | 26 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with dogs after slow intros! ✔️ Housebroken! ✔️ Enjoys doggy daycare!
❌ Working on leash manners! ❌ Needs slow intros to new people!
Updates
Officially adopted on March 1, 2021!
PUPDATE 3
Darby is seriously so sweet and cute! Doggy daycare has helped a lot. She's still timid around other folks, but I think that's because she's claimed me and is a super loyal creature. Once she's in a new setting without me around (but with plenty of treats), I'm sure she'll open up and be as loving and cuddly with her new family as she was with the Dog Dog Daycare staff this week, and is with me.
PUPDATE 2
Darby has been working on boosting her confidence with lots of slow introductions and doggy daycare this past week and has made great progress! She enjoys running around with all of her puppy friends at daycare and they are helping her learn how to be more outgoing. When she first meets strangers she is eager and curious but would prefer to move at her own pace. Sudden movements from strangers make her retreat to a safe place but she's willing to come right back out with an exciting treat. She becomes a little love bug once you’ve gained her trust. Her perfect family would be one who understands her shyness and willing to continue working on her confidence. She is incredibly treat motivated and would love to go through training classes.
PUPDATE 1
Darby is taken from her crate immediately outside between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. Then it’s time for a half cup of puppy food for breakfast by 7-7:30 a.m. and another potty break outside around 8 am. During the day, Darby is intermittently playful and needs attention as she is perched on the couch in the window watching her favorite TV show ("Outside") or napping sweetly. Dinner is around 5:30 or 6 pm with more potty breaks during the day. Darby is taken outside within 30 minutes of eating meals. She will sit patiently by her dish for one treat after coming in from outside.
When Darby arrived on transport, she was immediately wagging her tail and being sweet. Later she made herself at home on my lap without invitation. Yet, when meeting new people indoors or out, masked or not, she is very timid. She tends to run away and her hackles go up. This is a clear sign that sweet Darby needs slow intros to new people. I think she will be very loyal with her forever family with appropriate time to adjust. Darby has not met children in her foster home.
On a leash, Darby bounces around from side to side. If I start to jog, she happily runs alongside or ahead of me on her leash. She adopters will need to help train her to walk on a leash. In the yard, she likes to be chased and then will get lazy or hide for a while under a chair or under tree branches before another spurt of energy. Darby doesn't get the wild zoomies like some dogs, though she will take a lap or two around a tree if in a playful mood. It's been cold lately and I didn't have a coat for her at first, so I did a lot of running up and down the stairs in my house to get her to chase me and tire her out a bit. Honestly, she really wants to play but does not quite know how yet. Darby is not into fetch or tug of war, but she does like being playfully chased around the house or in a fenced in yard. If she is left unattended for the better part of the day, she can be destructive out of boredom and a desire for attention.
She's only had her Bordetella vaccine for a week, so socializing her with other dogs is still new. Darby is timid at first, but wags her tail from a safe distance (like the other side of the fence or across the street). When an older dog ignored her, she did her own thing in the yard and only tried to play a little. Bigger dogs may be intimidating for her or perhaps she is a rough player - some dogs do get their hackles up but are also tail wagging. I think she would warm up to another dog, especially a much older, relaxed dog. In general, she is better with each exposure to new dogs but still gets scared and will jump at another dog rather than wait for them to jump or play at her. Darby does not have exposure to cats here but lived with them in her southern foster’s home.
I have rarely left her alone, and she has always been crated when I did leave. When I returned, she always has a wagging, happy tail and she jumps up for pets and affection!
The vet noted two retained deciduous teeth. If after two months, these deciduous teeth have not fallen out, then surgical extraction might be necessary.
In summary: Darby is a cute, smart, sweet, and quite possibly house trained without having to actually, formally house train her. She's teething and wiggly, so she definitely needs more training, constant supervision and a medium level of exercise and attention. She is very food motivated, which helps greatly with her training. She has the potential to be afraid of people so she’ll need a patient family to warm up. Once she comes out of her shell, Darby is so loyal and loving. She is a good little dog - a stinker but loving. If you get to adopt her, count yourself lucky!