Fred
labrador retriever/hound Mix | male | 5 months Old | 27 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs and kids! ✔️ Good in car! ✔️ Good running buddy! ✔️ Good on leash!
✔️ Good for beginner dog owner! ❌ No cats
Updates
Mr. Fred found his furever family on September 7, 2020!
Sweet, super star snuggler, Fred is ready to find his forever people. Fred is a little bit of a shy guy but when he opens up he is all in with his people. His favorite place to be is either snuggled up next to the humans on the couch or getting belly rubs from his people while he lays in the sun.
For being a shyer guy, Fred has been interested in all the people he has met and typically will approach for attention. He has met three kids (ranging in age from 2-7) and done great. Fred does get excited when he gets comfortable and may jump up/mouth a bit, so I would suggest close monitoring with younger kiddos. He was a little unsure when the kids were running around the yard but he just sat back to take it all in.
He has done well with the other dogs in his foster home. He is great at reading other dogs cues if they are less excited about interacting with him. He has shown just a couple instances of food/toy guarding (maybe one or two situations of each) but only with the younger, smaller foster pup in the home and never with the older more established pups. In general, he is fairly submissive/timid with the other dogs until he warms up. I would say he may be just a tad under-socialized so continued interactions with other dogs would be great for Fred.
Additionally, Fred seems to gain a lot of confidence from the other dogs being around so he would be a great second dog for a family. He could be fine being an only dog but may need more time to settle in and gain some confidence.
He does have a kitty in his foster home that he is pretty unsure of. He growls or barks when he sees the cat. I think mostly he is just unsure about the cat as he may have had limited interactions with cats prior to coming here but his edginess about the cat makes me think he would do better in a feline free home.
Overall I would say that Fred is a medium energy puppy. He does get spurts of energy but he also really likes to lay in the sun in the yard. He gets most of his energy out right now by playing with other pups and running in the yard but he does pretty well on leash. He does zig zag a bit while walking but stays in forward motion for the most part, especially if walking with other dogs. He did great on a recent pack walk with other dogs and really enjoyed his time on the trail (about 1.5 miles) but crashed pretty hard for the rest of the day.
Fred has been doing great with potty training as long as he is let out on a schedule but we are still working on crate training. During the day (while I work) he is crated in the same room with me. We do give several breaks a day to potty and stretch. Initially, he was digging in the crate which was really distracting but since moving his crate a little closer to me, he has been doing great. Right now he is getting a potty break every 2-3 hours but he has been crated for up to four hours before and done fine. After work, he gets lots of play time outside to decompress from the day, dinner and then snuggles before bed. He is crated at bedtime and settles fairly quickly. He is quiet through the night and rarely needs a potty break.
Fred is still a puppy so he needs to be crated when we leave or when he is unattended, otherwise he will find things to chew on. He loves the corner of the rug and the trim on the couch so you will definitely need to keep an eye on him. He does redirect pretty easily to puppy appropriate chew toys.
Fred is also a little bit timid and still learning how to be an inside dog. Doorways/thresholds are a bit tough for him still so he will need a patient family that continues to help him navigate "scary" things (quick movements, doorways, wet grass… etc). He is such a sweet pup though and after a few days to settle in he will be snuggling as close to you as possible and loving all of the attention you give him.