Wow! Buddy's video on YouTube has over 1,300 views! Thank you everyone for sharing and spreading the word about this awesome guy. I know Buddy is close to finding his forever home. (yay!)
Buddy has been with us now for about three weeks and I wanted to update everyone how he is progressing in these areas*:
Personality: Buddy's personality is sweet, playful and loyal. He always wants to be near people or other dogs. He takes treats nicely and comes when called. He wants to please you! He LOVES his tummy rubbed!
Energy: Upon meeting Buddy, he will most likely appear hyper- it's because he's excited to see you! This guy calms down quick. His first day with us he was very high energy, smelling the yard, investigating the toy bin, staring out the front window observing his new surroundings- he was on alert most of the day. By day two, I could already see that he had calmed down considerably. He really enjoys his naps. Now that he is in a routine, he has calmed down a lot. As I write this, his is laying on his back, feet up in the air, napping. :)
Eating: Buddy is a grazer. He will eat until he is full and then stop, revisiting his food later when he is hungry again. Within the first week of having Buddy, we noticed he wasn't eating much so we tried giving him another brand of dog food and he started eating more. For an extra treat, we have found that he LOVES Beneful wet food (I buy them on sale in the little plastic tupperware containers). On occasion, I'll put a little spoonful mixed in with his food and he devours it!
We have not been feeding Buddy people food.
Walking: Buddy still pulls a bit when he walks, but I hope with consistent walks, he will get better. I have to remind myself, he spent the first part of his life, during crucial developmental time, confined to a house/ cage. I doubt he got regular exercise or walks which I think accounts for some of the pulling. He is just so excited to go for walks. He looks all around, just soaking in the experience.
We have found he does better with a shorter lead. When we have tried to walk him on a longer leash, he will zig zag and pull more trying to sniff everything. Also, I would suggest using a collar instead of a harness. The harnesses we tried didn't get Buddy's attention when we gave a short tug on the leash.
House broken: The first day Buddy did have an accident in the house (peed on a corner), but luckily I was watching him and caught him in the act. With a firm "no", I took him by the collar and redirected him outside and it has been smooth sailing ever since. ZERO accidents since that first day. :)
I do notice when placed in a new environment (other yard, store, house) he sniffs a lot and you can tell he is tempted to "mark". I would encourage his future owner to really watch him in new environments. If it looks like he is sniffing intently and turning his body to lift his leg, distract/ correct him immediately. He is a quick learner in this area and it has not been an issue while Buddy has been with us.
Crate Training: The first four nights or so, Buddy whined a little bit when put in his crate at night. Now, not a peep. We can just say, "Buddy, go in your cage", and he walks in on his own. It's like magic! We never use the crate for punishment, only for bed time and when we have to leave during the day. When in his crate, we usually throw in a few pieces of kibble and a hard bone to gnaw to teach him that his crate is a happy place.
Toys: Buddy loves tug ropes and tennis balls. We also have a hard bone he likes to gnaw on and some large stuffed animals. Some stuffed animals are now deaf after Buddy chewed off their ears :)
I do not know if Buddy likes squeaky toys since our boxer destroys any toy that makes noise. :( Buddy's favorite toy is the Jolly Ball romp and roll. It is a big ball with a rope going through it. When Buddy plays with it, he whips it side to side hitting himself and he makes his best grizzly bear sound. :) It is super silly to watch.
Other dogs: Buddy has been living with our two and half year old, high energy boxer boy. They get along very well! At first, our dog wanted to initiate play, sometimes rougher play, and Buddy would tolerate it but didn't necessarily want to join in. Now, Buddy has been initiating more play, especially tug of war. In addition to our dog, Buddy has also played with a 7 year old female beagle, a 7 month old female boxer, a 3 year old male jack russel/ beagle mix, and an 8 month old male boston terrier. No issues that we have observed.
Sometimes he may bark at a dog in the distance. I think it's his way of saying, hey, I want to meet you!"
Cats: We do not own cats and have not observed Buddy with cats.
Kids: Buddy is super sweet with kids. I think he gets that they are little and more delicate and you can see when kids approach him how his body language changes. (I wish he would teach my dog this!) We do not have children, but we have made sure he has had exposure to a lot of kids and he does great.
Meeting people: Of course he is excited when meeting new people, but compared to our boxer, his jumping is at a minimum. Overall, he is very excited to see new people- not timid at all. You'll see lots of tail wagging, and occasional jump, which he will quickly correct with your direction.
A new trait we have noticed Buddy do is when my husband comes home for work or if we have a visitor, Buddy, in his excited state, will run to the nearest toy he can find and bring it to them. He won't give up the toy, but it reminds me of small child during show and tell...so proud of their possession. :)
Commands: We've been working a lot on "sit" (especially during our walks). Buddy also knows "lay down" and "shake". We've also been working on "stay" and "leave it". With most of these commands, I have also been working on eye contact. For instance, I'll have Buddy lay down and put a treat a few inches away from him. I'll say "leave it". I'll watch Buddy and the instant he makes eye contact with me, I let him have the treat. Buddy also comes when called.
Grooming: Buddy will need daily brushing to keep shedding at a minimum. Buddy will sit nicely to be brushed. Buddy will tolerate a bath, but like most dogs, he won't look thrilled. Buddy does not like having his nails trimmed (then again, what dog does?)
Manners: Buddy takes treats very gentle. When you are giving another dog or human affection, expect Buddy to wedge his cute little face between you two to get in on some of the loving.
Buddy will let out some noise or a quick bark or two to let you know if someone is passing by/ approaching the house.
We have not been allowing Buddy on any furniture or on our bed at night with us to sleep.
*If you are interested in learning more about Buddy or eventually you are the lucky family that gets to adopt Buddy, please contact us with any questions you have. We have added a "contact" page (look on the upper right side of this webpage).
Buddy has been with us now for about three weeks and I wanted to update everyone how he is progressing in these areas*:
Personality: Buddy's personality is sweet, playful and loyal. He always wants to be near people or other dogs. He takes treats nicely and comes when called. He wants to please you! He LOVES his tummy rubbed!
Energy: Upon meeting Buddy, he will most likely appear hyper- it's because he's excited to see you! This guy calms down quick. His first day with us he was very high energy, smelling the yard, investigating the toy bin, staring out the front window observing his new surroundings- he was on alert most of the day. By day two, I could already see that he had calmed down considerably. He really enjoys his naps. Now that he is in a routine, he has calmed down a lot. As I write this, his is laying on his back, feet up in the air, napping. :)
Eating: Buddy is a grazer. He will eat until he is full and then stop, revisiting his food later when he is hungry again. Within the first week of having Buddy, we noticed he wasn't eating much so we tried giving him another brand of dog food and he started eating more. For an extra treat, we have found that he LOVES Beneful wet food (I buy them on sale in the little plastic tupperware containers). On occasion, I'll put a little spoonful mixed in with his food and he devours it!
We have not been feeding Buddy people food.
Walking: Buddy still pulls a bit when he walks, but I hope with consistent walks, he will get better. I have to remind myself, he spent the first part of his life, during crucial developmental time, confined to a house/ cage. I doubt he got regular exercise or walks which I think accounts for some of the pulling. He is just so excited to go for walks. He looks all around, just soaking in the experience.
We have found he does better with a shorter lead. When we have tried to walk him on a longer leash, he will zig zag and pull more trying to sniff everything. Also, I would suggest using a collar instead of a harness. The harnesses we tried didn't get Buddy's attention when we gave a short tug on the leash.
House broken: The first day Buddy did have an accident in the house (peed on a corner), but luckily I was watching him and caught him in the act. With a firm "no", I took him by the collar and redirected him outside and it has been smooth sailing ever since. ZERO accidents since that first day. :)
I do notice when placed in a new environment (other yard, store, house) he sniffs a lot and you can tell he is tempted to "mark". I would encourage his future owner to really watch him in new environments. If it looks like he is sniffing intently and turning his body to lift his leg, distract/ correct him immediately. He is a quick learner in this area and it has not been an issue while Buddy has been with us.
Crate Training: The first four nights or so, Buddy whined a little bit when put in his crate at night. Now, not a peep. We can just say, "Buddy, go in your cage", and he walks in on his own. It's like magic! We never use the crate for punishment, only for bed time and when we have to leave during the day. When in his crate, we usually throw in a few pieces of kibble and a hard bone to gnaw to teach him that his crate is a happy place.
Toys: Buddy loves tug ropes and tennis balls. We also have a hard bone he likes to gnaw on and some large stuffed animals. Some stuffed animals are now deaf after Buddy chewed off their ears :)
I do not know if Buddy likes squeaky toys since our boxer destroys any toy that makes noise. :( Buddy's favorite toy is the Jolly Ball romp and roll. It is a big ball with a rope going through it. When Buddy plays with it, he whips it side to side hitting himself and he makes his best grizzly bear sound. :) It is super silly to watch.
Other dogs: Buddy has been living with our two and half year old, high energy boxer boy. They get along very well! At first, our dog wanted to initiate play, sometimes rougher play, and Buddy would tolerate it but didn't necessarily want to join in. Now, Buddy has been initiating more play, especially tug of war. In addition to our dog, Buddy has also played with a 7 year old female beagle, a 7 month old female boxer, a 3 year old male jack russel/ beagle mix, and an 8 month old male boston terrier. No issues that we have observed.
Sometimes he may bark at a dog in the distance. I think it's his way of saying, hey, I want to meet you!"
Cats: We do not own cats and have not observed Buddy with cats.
Kids: Buddy is super sweet with kids. I think he gets that they are little and more delicate and you can see when kids approach him how his body language changes. (I wish he would teach my dog this!) We do not have children, but we have made sure he has had exposure to a lot of kids and he does great.
Meeting people: Of course he is excited when meeting new people, but compared to our boxer, his jumping is at a minimum. Overall, he is very excited to see new people- not timid at all. You'll see lots of tail wagging, and occasional jump, which he will quickly correct with your direction.
A new trait we have noticed Buddy do is when my husband comes home for work or if we have a visitor, Buddy, in his excited state, will run to the nearest toy he can find and bring it to them. He won't give up the toy, but it reminds me of small child during show and tell...so proud of their possession. :)
Commands: We've been working a lot on "sit" (especially during our walks). Buddy also knows "lay down" and "shake". We've also been working on "stay" and "leave it". With most of these commands, I have also been working on eye contact. For instance, I'll have Buddy lay down and put a treat a few inches away from him. I'll say "leave it". I'll watch Buddy and the instant he makes eye contact with me, I let him have the treat. Buddy also comes when called.
Grooming: Buddy will need daily brushing to keep shedding at a minimum. Buddy will sit nicely to be brushed. Buddy will tolerate a bath, but like most dogs, he won't look thrilled. Buddy does not like having his nails trimmed (then again, what dog does?)
Manners: Buddy takes treats very gentle. When you are giving another dog or human affection, expect Buddy to wedge his cute little face between you two to get in on some of the loving.
Buddy will let out some noise or a quick bark or two to let you know if someone is passing by/ approaching the house.
We have not been allowing Buddy on any furniture or on our bed at night with us to sleep.
*If you are interested in learning more about Buddy or eventually you are the lucky family that gets to adopt Buddy, please contact us with any questions you have. We have added a "contact" page (look on the upper right side of this webpage).