Benny

Benny has really come out of his shell since he first came to my home. He absolutely loves both of my dogs and constantly wants to play with them. He’d be great with a doggy sibling if that is in either adopter’s future. He’s pretty active, my dogs and I tend to go on long 4-6 mile walks in the metroparks on my days off, and he keeps right up with us with no issues. (Not since his neuter, but honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he still could. He doesn’t seem too affected by it). He’s great on a leash– he really doesn’t pull.  He’s getting much better about going in his crate. He definitely realizes that’s where he gets breakfast and dinner, and doesn’t mind going in. He does not like to be left in the crate. My hunch on this is that he really likes to be apart of the group. If I leave him inside while I let the other two out, he barks inside wanting to come out. Unfortunately, he has a tendency to get into things, so I think until he grows up a little, he will have to continue to be crated. He’s very sweet, he loves everyone he’s met. When he’s worn out, he likes to curl up next to me and cuddle a little bit. He’s great in a car, his only issue in the car is that he does try to climb up and say hi, which can be a little distracting! He isn’t the biggest fan of being picked up until he trusts somebody. When I first had him, he got tangled up in all the leashes on a walk, and I had to lift his hind legs, and he bit at me. Not in a mean way, always just placement bites, but he clearly wasn’t a fan. Now that he knows me a little better, he doesn’t mind if I touch his legs, paws, or any other sensitive areas. I’d be a little cautious of anyone with really young kids with him for that reason. 

In my home, he’s been allowed pretty much everywhere, and on furniture. If somebody doesn’t want him on furniture, they’ll have to train him not to. He will jump a baby gate if he’s determined enough to get somewhere. I tend to keep my dogs downstairs unless I’m upstairs for an extended period of time, and he’s jumped the gate upstairs when I’ve gone to the bathroom or something. However, he really wants to stay by me, so he does not do that if I’m in the room. He can self direct some play, but really prefers to have me or the dogs involved in his play.

The biggest things I think I’d stress to anyone interested in him is that he absolutely needs some training in regards to manners. He will get right in somebody’s face, will jump up, will steal food out of your hand, and has even put his front paws on my counter trying to see what is up there. He listens when I tell him to stop, but that’ll be an ongoing process. He does listen well and you can tell he’s willing to learn, but he hasn’t been redirected much in his life. I also would not trust him off leash in an un-fenced area at all. While he will mostly come when he’s called, he certainly has some prey drive, and if he saw a squirrel or chipmunk, he would be gone. He had some bathroom issues the first couple days he was here. I’d take him outside, he wouldn’t go, and he’d come back in and go in the house within a few minutes. We’ve resolved that, but I would not be surprised if that happens again when he transitions to a new home (this is normal for dogs transition from home to home). Aside from that, I really think an adopter is just going to have to manage his energy, and teach him some basic obedience. He doesn’t have any resource guarding in regards to food or toys, and has a really sweet disposition.  He’s a good boy, and will make a good pet for most homes.