Oreo
Hound Mix | male | 4.5 months Old | 35 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs! ✔️ Crate trained! ✔️ Housebroken! ✔️ Good for beginner dog owner! ✔️ Good in the car! ❌ Working on leash manners!
Oreo found his forever home on March 31, 2022!
Updates
Oreo is a well-behaved puppy, with big paws and a big heart! Our typical schedule: Oreo sleeps all through the night with no issues in his crate and then wakes up around 7AM with some whining to tell you he’s ready to go out. We go for a short potty walk before breakfast and then he is quite content chewing on a toy or playing independently with a ball as long as I’m in the room. I work from home and keep him crated with a kong or treat throughout portions of the day, with potty breaks and short play sessions in between. He has minimal whining/crying when crated, usually only 5-10 minutes before he naps. He’s beginning to recognize the word “Crate” and sometimes runs in all on his own (knowing he’ll get a peanut butter Kong or treat as a reward!). Oreo only had a couple accidents in the house the first 24 hours after he arrived and was still getting used to the new environment, but since then, when kept on a regular feeding schedule and with frequent potty breaks outside, he has not had any accidents.
Oreo can be a shy guy at first but quickly warms up to people and loves getting pet and leaning against your leg. He’s been an absolute star in every environment around new people. He sat nicely outside on a patio chewing on a stick and loved receiving pets from people walking by. He did well in a noisy, crowded, indoor dog-friendly bar. On a sunny day at the park he sat and observed all the people and dogs around him and was content to play with his toys on the picnic blanket. He sometimes creeps his front paws up on your lap if he gets excited when being pet, but we’re working on “Off” and nudging him off. After an hour or two on a patio/picnic blanket Oreo can sometimes get antsy, pulling or biting on the leash, and you can tell he’s ready for a nap. Oreo has not had exposure to children. He sees children when we are out and about and seems curious to meet them, but has not had any direct contact.
Oreo is shy and submissive when first meeting new dogs, usually rolling over to show his belly or freezing to let them sniff him, but warms up quickly. Most of the time when approached up close by another on-leash dog, usually when the dog is bigger than him, he freezes and begins to pee, but after he gets all his pee out, his tail begins to wag and he starts wiggling around excited and sniffing to meet the other dog. I set up a play date with a friend’s dog and he was nervous and peed when first meeting the dog, but after just a few minutes, Oreo and the other dog were playing and rolling around in the grass together. With the submissive urination, (which is common in puppies and almost always grown out of as they age) I’d recommend Oreo meet all new dogs outside to avoid any accidents indoors. In just a few days though you can tell he is getting more confident and excited to meet dogs. The person watching him prior to his transport to Wisconsin said he enjoyed snuggling with their cat, but he has not had any exposure to cats with me.
Oreo is a medium energy dog, with typical bursts of puppy energy followed by crashes. As long as he gets a couple walks and play sessions in, he is good to go. The only time I’ve heard Oreo bark is when he is startled by a human or dog walking past when we’re sitting on the patio, or if he hears a weird noise float in through the window, but most of the time he just sits quietly and observes. He does pretty well on leash, with some zig zagging to sniff around and some pulling, which we’re working on by stopping every time he pulls and using treats as a reward whenever he makes eye contact with me. Leash pulling would be my biggest behavior issue to note for Oreo, as he will get bigger and stronger, so adopters should work on this with him.
Oreo is crated whenever I leave the house or I am unable to keep my full attention on him. He has not shown any signs of destructive behavior or chewed on non-toys when watched. He sometimes whines or cries when first placed in the crate, or after a couple hours when he wants you to know he’s ready to come out for a potty break.
Oreo does very well in the car. He can hop in and out of the backseat on his own, and is content quietly sitting and looking out the window or laying down.
If his big paws tell us anything, Oreo is going to grow into a BIG dog, so adopters should know they could be signing up for a dog that could potentially grow to be between 60-90 lbs. (Just a guess, but even just the one week I've had him he's looked bigger!) Putting in the work to ensure he is fully leash trained and teaching him to no longer pull on the leash now when he’s still a puppy will help prevent him from yanking you over when he’s a strong, full-grown dog. The same should be done with practicing to keep his paws down when greeting new people.
Other than some minor puppy manners, Oreo has been such an easy foster dog, and everyone who meets him falls in love.