Watkins
Doberman Pinscher Mix | male | 2 Years Old | 73 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs! ✔️ Crate trained! ✔️ Potty trained! ✔️ Good in car! ✔️ Good for beginner dog owner! ❌ Working on leash manners!
Watkins found his forever home on May 7, 2022!
Updates
Meet Watkins, a 2 year old Doberman who was found as an unclaimed stray in a Texas shelter. This gentle giant is a lapdog trapped in a 70-lb body who just wants aaalllll the pets and snuggles from his humans. He has excellent house manners - but will absolutely make sure your counters are kept clean if he gets the chance - hey, they're basically at mouth height for him! Outdoors, he prefers to spend his time wandering, sniffing, and marking all of the things -- but he knows to leave his marking behaviors outside. Indoors, once he's taken a lap around and checked everything out, he's ready to curl up for a nap.
He's waiting for his true forever people while hanging out in a multiple-dog foster home and has done wonderfully with every dog he's met -- even if they didn't like him, he remained very polite and went off to find a friend who did like him. He hasn't lived with cats in Wisconsin, but his Texas fosters reported he did well with their cats. He also hasn't lived with kids, but because he doesn't understand his size and has a tendency to be pretty clumsy, we don't recommend that he live with small kids as he may accidentally knock them down. Even though he lives with dogs currently, they are not essential to his success and he would be more than content receiving all of his new human's attention.
Watkins has a foster who works exclusively from home, but to set him up for success, he does spend part of his days kenneled in a separate room to get some practice in being alone. Right now, he gets 3-4 hours of daily activity with periods of napping mixed in: an hour in the morning, time around lunch, late afternoon, and then before bed. His current list of activities include roaming in the backyard, playtime with the dogs in his foster home, brushing up on his obedience training, and working on his leash manners.
Speaking of leashes... Well, Watkins can't be perfect in all areas! He's been introduced to a prong collar and we're working on teaching him how to walk politely on leash. A proper harness may be suitable for him, too, but we'll definitely teach you how to use a prong correctly if you decide this handsome guy's for you. He's just so excited about life and wants to take it in all at once while walking, and currently has no regard for the human at the end of his leash. Once his leash walking has been cleaned up, he has the potential for being a great running buddy -- as long as you can keep up with his long legs!
Watkins tested positive for Anaplasmosis antibodies at a recent vet visit. He has shown no clinical signs while in foster care, but it is Fetch's policy to treat with a round of antibiotics to ensure he remains symptom-free. He's a champ at taking his meds and eats them just like they're a piece of kibble when added to his food.
Oh, and don't be alarmed if Watkins bares his teeth and shows off his pearly whites for you; this is just his goofy way of greeting the people he likes. We promise it's harmless behavior, albeit a bit unsettling if it's not expected -- check out the photo collage above for a depiction!