Age: 2-3 years old

Weight: 24 pounds

Dog friendly: Yes

Cat friendly: Unknown

Kid friendly: Unknown, but likely yes

Potty trained: Yes, but might mark at first

Crate trained: Doing pretty good but  it's not his favorite thing

 

What is great about Bates? 

This dude is easy going, gentle, and gives the best dog hugs. He’s so easy to have in the house his foster home says they almost forget he is there. He aims to please. Give him a little walk in the AM and he’s fine to sleep in the sun most of the day while you work.  He’s playful with his younger foster dog sibling and is respectful of the older, arthritic dogs in the house. Like all dogs about his age,  two 30-minute walks a day is a good target to keep him stimulated and his mental and physical health tiptop, but he is pretty low-key in the house. 

 

He would much prefer to sleep with the humans or with the other dogs, but since he is new in his foster home, he is crated at night. He grumbles a bit about these unfair accommodations, but he is getting over this injustice.

 

He seems potty trained. He marked in the house the first 2-3 days, but he was freshly neutered. He hasn’t tried marking after this initial house introduction. For all other potty business, he seems to go to the door when he needs to go.

 

After a walk or when he is really giddy, Bates can be ridiculous and silly, his happiness is infectious (see video). He thinks he is a lapdog even though he might be a smidge too big for that. 

 

 

What does Bates need to work on?

 

He would benefit from basic skills training: sit, down, stay and eye contact on walks. His foster home is working on those basic skills and he is an eager learner, but he’s still new to rescue.

 

Additional crate training would be good for him, he’s happy to sleep in the crate during the day with the door open, but he could use a bit more work on making it his go-to safe place.

 

With how fresh he is to the new surroundings, he is still vigilant on walks. He expresses this as barking at other dogs on a leash, and given how loud his hound bark is, this can cause a scene. There are easy to implement techniques that can help him move past this, and he is learning quickly. Given what an amazing dog he is in all other aspects, this is a pretty minor issue and can likely be fixed with some training. He is pretty much perfect in every other way.

 

What might be ideal for Bates in his forever home?

 

A fence, even an invisible one and a doggie friend. Neither of these are essential, if the right family comes along. He is not a barker, but when he does use his voice, it carries. So, shared walls are probably not the best idea for him.