Freddie's shelter photo : he looks like a Bouv puppy to me, but he is really a terrier.

Freddie's curriculum vitae

(but see revised resume at end of this page)

Freddie is a Terrier-mix of unknown ingredients, probably including Giant Schnauzer or Standard Schnauzer and possibly including Border Terrier or perhaps Scotty or Cairn ???? He was surrendered to a kill shelter after his owner's death. He is about one year old, neutered male, up to date on vaccinations and heartworm prevention. He is about 20" high at top of shoulder, about 45 to 50 lbs, with a short wiry black coat, natural ears and tail. He is tremendously cute and tremendously friendly and affectionate with people.

• Freddie's desirable features include :

 

• He is very people-sweet , very affectionate and submissive. He loves to cuddle and loves to be stroked , and he will soak up affection calmly. He would make a great Therapy Dog for visits to nursing homes !
• He is very responsive to training and has learned some basics : walks on a loose leash, sits, downs, short stays , recalls. His on leash obedience is good enough that he could pass a Canine Good Citizen test with little added effort.
• He is very agile and bold, but also very responsive to cues from a handler. He would make a great Agility Dog !
• He is young and healthy, with a long life ahead of him. He is up to date on vaccinations and is current on heartworm prevention.
• His short harsh wirey coat is very easy to care for and does not tend to grab burrs and foxtails.
• He is calm much of the time and settles down indoors easily. He is of course energetic and playful , especially outdoors. He's much more laid-back than most terriers.
• He is not inclined to dig (unusual for a terrier).
• He is not inclined to bark (unusual for a terrier).
 

• Freddie's not so wonderful features include :

 

• He can climb fences, needs a 6 foot fence, possibly with hot-wire. (Update : he ceased climbing out of my yard once I raised one corner to nearly 6 feet ; the rest of the fence remains at about 5 feet.)
• He can reach tables, counter-tops, kitchen shelves to get stuff down to eat or tear up. (Update : I moved the more tempting items up one shelf and covered the open front of the shelves he seemed most attracted to with a stretch gate. This stopped the raiding.)
• He can be same-sex dog aggressive, ie male-dog aggressive. He has started fights with two of my much larger males. He seems to be OK with 95% of the dogs at the dog park and he is OK with bitches in my home and with a male his own size who is very low keyed. None of his fights have caused injuries beyond skin bruising, but this is not something most people want to deal with. He's probably not any worse than most terriers and not nearly as bad as some I've heard of. I'd like him in a home where any other dogs are female and larger than he is.

Freddie's history

Freddie was brought to my attention by a net friend who scans the shelter photos looking for Bouviers. Freddie was at the Santa Cruz SPCA, a very small no kill shelter that had rescued him from a kill shelter (animal control) where he was about to be killed. He had arrived in that shelter after his owner died and owner's son did not want him ("too much dog for me") and discarded him without caring whether he lived or died.

I phoned the shelter for more information. Very good people there. They thought Freddie was adorable and very sweet, but he was a larger dog than they were used to , the small dogs were afraid of him and some were aggressive to him (which he endured with great forbearance), he was dying to play but had no one to play with, and he was way too smart to stay out of trouble roaming the office. Only 11 months old, and so quite playful and active. They really hoped I could get him out of there sooner rather than later, as so far no one had shown any interest in adopting him. I spent the next few days publicizing Freddie to my list of waiting adopters and those who had already adopted from me or the BCNC and who might want another dog. A few were interested but not able to get to the shelter in short time frame. A few other people did come to the shelter but did not adopt him. One of my super repeat adopters and long time Bouvier lover, Joyce, who is currently not in position to adopt another dog volunteered to go to the shelter, pick him up, and transport him to my home. A long drive for her, but she intended to enjoy it and to enjoy visiting me again.

So in due course, Freddie arrived here. In person he looks less shaggy and less like a Bouvier. I really cannot tell you for sure WHAT he is, except that he is some kind of terrier mix. His head looks like a Border Terrier, but he is way way too large to be one; could be one of the ingredients ? He is the right size to be a Standard Schnauzer, and that or Giant Schnauzer could be one of the ingrediants.

 
 

He is adorably irresistibly CUTE, but he is almost certainly not really a Bouvier. He is very wire coated (which means easy to keep groomed), about 50 lbs and about 20 or 21" high, which IS within the known size range for genuine Bouv : several breeders have told me that they have produced Bouvs that size or a bit smaller out of normal sized parents, and I have rescued three others that size but ones with more fluffy coats so they were more obviously genuine Bouvs. He's bit longer backed than considered ideal for Bouv , but he is a very athletic dog. He could be the harsher-coated version of Giant Schnauzer or G.S. cross or a harsh-coated Standard Schnuazer or cross. Possibly crossed with Border Terrier, which might supply the harsh coat and the somewhat snub-nosed head proportions (skull longer than snout; skull fairly broad)

He is both smart and determined. I had to throw him off my bed innumerable times that first evening and frequently on other evenings. However he is crate trained and though he doesn't much want to go into the crate, once you put him in he settles down and is just fine overnight, with only occasional protests. He has not fussed about being gated out of my office room while I work on the computer. He learned to use the dog door easily and seems to be reliably housebroken.

The shelter people had told me that Freddie loves to pick up anything he can get his mouth on and likes to carry things and deposit them in the toy box. They said that he is very smart and can open cabinet doors and baby gates. At the shelter he opened a cabinet and removed and carried a bottle of bleach. Just think what if it had been a plastic container of Draino : dog could be dead !! So anyone who adopts him will need to think of doing an ultra level of puppy-proofing, as this guy can get into areas another dog probably wouldn't. Just think of a very inquisitive 2 or 3 year old child and you probably would not be far wrong, allowing for greater strength of dog's paws and jaws. His adopter may need to put child proof latches on cabinets and maybe child-proof door handle covers on door knobs. This is a smart dog, and his adopter will have to stay ahead of him mentally.

He has not been getting into as many things here as he had at the shelter , but that is partly because I have been using stretch gates to limit his access to trouble and have crated him at night the first few nights and crated him when I leave home during the first few days. I've got plenty of legitimate toys, so when he starts to put his mouth on something I don't want him to , I interrupt him and re-direct him to a legitimate toy. I just got a bin for toys yesterday, and so far he is not carrying anything back to re-deposit it into the box. So if you were hoping for a dog who would go around picking up mislaid socks and underwear and bringing them to the laundry hamper, I would not count on it. He does like to pull towels off the towel rack or coats off the coat tree ; I'm not sure what to do to discourage that. I've mostly minimized oppertunities for him to do this by keeping stuff out of reach.

He has been playing chase games with my other foster dog Max, who is about twice his height. He loves chase and grab games with any dog who will play with him.. He is getting along with all the dogs here. The first afternoon , he was initially a bit intimidated by all those big dogs and responded with very passive submissive posture, ie tail completely tucked down and head and neck likewise tucked down. But within a day he seems very comfortable with all of them. That first day he had to put up with being humped (a normal male status assertion behavior) by Max and by Shady, but that was just off and on during the first few hours. He does have a healthy respect for boss bitch Pixel when she gives him a dirty look and lip twitch to tell him he is not welcome up on the bed. (He's also very responsive to my warning him off by lifting a small magazine (Readers Digest or old TV Guide size) as if I were thinking of giving him a light tap on top of his head.)

 
 

He's had all his vaccinations (Rabies, Bortatella, DHLP) and he was heartworm tested negative at the shelter and I started him on prevention. He's is neutered, though we are not sure when. (I found 2 neuter stitches still in the usual area for a neuter incision, though there was no remaining sign of the incision. I have removed the stitches.)

Freddie is very sweet and affectionate. He loves to be petted, and would climb into your lap if allowed to do so. He's had no training and not much manners. He hops up on furniture like he'd been born there : probably feels more secure when he has a bit of height relative to all the big dogs. He is not much inclined to jump up on people however (though a bit of mis-training by an adopter could change that all too easily ; when I see a dog thinking of jumping up, I tell and hand-signal him to Sit instead). He learns quickly. In just two days I have him responding to Sit hand signals and voice fairly well and have begun teaching him to Down. After two walks he is walking fairly well on loose leash with a Gentle Leader or Halti. We have had one trip to the dog park, where he was in heaven, running and wrestling with the other dogs. He got petted by a few people, but was mostly too busy playing with dogs to focus on getting petted. I've had one visitor (Max's adopter) with whom he was very affectionate and charming. I do want to get him out in public several times to check out his reactions to all kinds of people , including men and children.

Freddie could be a dog trainer's dream, especially if you dream of Agility. He has natural aptitude for Agility, as he climbs and has no fear of being up on a railing (my porch railing) and he is an ideal size for the sport. He would also be a jogger or hiker's dream dog, but he would not do well in a lifestyle of idleness and he could become a couch potato's nightmare. He certainly needs to have his mind and body well exercised, because if he is left in idleness and boredom, he will not be slow to invent his own games and amusements.

He would also be a great Therapy Dog, as he loves to be petted and gazes into the petting person's eyes adorably. He will slither up into any receptive lap quite gently and rest his head against the person. When he is petted, his eyes get blissful.

 

I'm writing this on March 3rd, 2007. I'd like to have a few weeks to get some civilization into Freddie before he goes to a new home. Several people are very interested in meeting him however. Because there is a lot of doubt as to whether he is a tiny Bouvier (a "nano-bouv") or some kind of Bouv cross (Bouv x Border Terrier ??) or Schnauzer cross or just an awfully cute dog with whiskers, he is my private project rather than a BCNC project. That means his adoption fee will be my usual $350 (see below at end of this page : I have revised this to $250) rather than the BCNC's $500. Since the shelter's fee was a fair bit less than that and since he is already neutered and vaccinated, I can afford to offer some kind of partial rebate if the adopter earns a CGC or an Agility title or Therapy credentials on him within a certain time frame. I'd be willing to give $50 rebate for a CGC within 6 months and a further $ 100 rebate for an Agility title or Therapy Dog certification and first half dozen Therapy vistis within the first year. That type of rebate is intended to encourage an adopter to train on a regular and serious basis. This is NOT a dog whom you can leave untrained, as his lively little mind will go on learning whether or not you direct what he learns. (That is really true of all dogs to a greater or lesser degree ; in Freddie's case it is a greater degree.)

 

UPDATE 3/13/07 : the good news is that Freddie is getting much more civilized ; the bad news is that he has shown himself to be an escape artist, who can climb a 5 foot high woven/welded wire fence. So I am hoping for either a home with ultra-secure 6 foot fence fencing, preferably with either "hot wire" or "invisible fence" inside the 6 foot fence, or else a home where he is only let into the yard under human supervision and where a supervised mid-day potty break will be provided. He does need a home with an active lifestyle and/or a second dog who will play chase and wrestle games with him to use up some of his energy. I should add that when he climbs out of my yard, he doesn't actually go anywhere, and sometimes he soon climbs back in. I have tightened up my hot wire so that I have eliminated (I hope !) every oppertunity for him to duck under the lowest strand and climb up my outer fencing. He does respect getting zinged by the hot wire.

In every other regard, he is a delightful dog. He is affectionate, but has been learning that "off" means to remove the front of his body off of mine or off the bed, etc ; ie learning that he is not allowed to climb into my lap or onto my bed without an express invitation from me. He does sometimes sneak up on the bed when I am not there. I hope he will get a home where he would be welcome in bed as he is such a good cuddle dog.

We have been to the dog park and to the Farmers' Market, both places that are part of my public and social behavior evaluation system. He plays very well with other dogs, especially those who like chase games or wrestling and "bite-fencing" games. He is fine with most strangers petting him. He has reacted with barking to some men who bend over him or reach suddenly towards his head, and possibly strong eye contact is part of this trigger. The barking sounds a bit fearful to me. But he is fine with the majority of men. I want to get him out more and get a lot of men to pet him and give him treats. Freddie is basically a very self-confident dog and basically submissive and trusting to people, so I think it is just a matter of needing more social exposure to a range of men and range of male posture and behavior.

 

UPDATE 4/10/07 : oh my Dawg, it's as bad as living with a cat ! Almost as bad as living with a Basenji !

I have solved the problem of keeping Freddie from climbing out of my fence, solved by adding more hot wire in some spots (escpecially a lower strand so he cannot scootch under and then climb between the hot wire and the fence) and bringing the hot wire closer to the fence, and by raising the height of selected portions of the fence (ie the areas he especially like to climb over)to 6 feet. But I am still conducting a battle of wits with him about climbing in the kitchen so as to reach items on shelves and bring such items to the floor for demolition and consumption by himself and my other dogs. This dog can reach shelves I can barely reach without a step-stool. I have been sucessful in keeping him off shelves on one side of the kitchen by removing a sitting area (bench seat). And I have put the pet medications as safely out of reach as I can and he has not found a way to get around this. But on the other side of the kitchen, he hops up on the sideboards to reach the sink and the shelves above the sideboard. He can even get to a shelf that I do have to use a step-stool to reach. It's really unfortunate that all my shelves are open-fronted, ie no cabinet doors. Right now I've put a stretch gate over the most targeted area. But I am also determined to crate him if I am going to be out of the house a few hours or to put him in my outdoor (very safe and very shaded and comfortable) kennel run if I am going to be away for more than a few hours. I always feel a bit guilty when I have to exile a dog to the kennel run, but in this case I really don't have a choice if I want to keep him safe and my other dogs safe. Of course I'd like to make some cabinet doors to enclose my shelves.

I am definitely going to have to do a careful pre-adoption home visit to any adopter who thinks they want to take on this adorable but aggravating little Houdini dog. I am going to have to carefully inspect and advise on how to limit his oppertunities for getting himself into trouble by escaping the yard or by grabbing stuff that could hurt him.

In spite of all his mischief, Freddie is still a very adorable dog and he makes himself irresistably cute and affectionate. He is such a good cuddler and he is so willing to please. I am hoping very much for a home where the adopters want to do Agility, as that would give him an outlet for his talents and I think he could be an extremely successful competitor. But you might need to hot wire your fences and put child proof latches on your kitchen cabinets.

 

UPDATE 5/21/07 : more good news, bad news :

The good news is that Freddie has gotten a lot more civilized. He has long since ceased trying to climb out of my fence since I raised the sections of his favorite route to 6 feet, and I no longer need to keep the hot wire charger plugged in. He has not raided anything from the kitchen shelves since I put the more tempting items up one shelf higher and barricaded one set of shelves with stretch gate. He accepts being out in the kennel run while I am gone. He understands that he has to Sit to get me to do things he wants, such as touching the kennel run gate, opening the gate, etc. Still a bit squirmy about sitting to have his halter and leash put on. He is very good on walks with very loose leash. If he takes slack out of the leash, I turn towards him and tell him to "back" meaning back up several steps. By now he will back if I slightly increase leash pressure and tell him "back" or just give the leash signal or the verbal cue. My goal is that the moment he feels the absence of slack in the leash , he will self-adjust to loosen it. At this point he is almost as responsive as a fair dressage horse. If someone wanted to work with him for Canine Freestyle, also called Dancing with Dogs, he might be a really good dancing partner.

The bad news is that he has proven male dog aggressive with two of my boys, though he never got into trouble with the third male nor either of the bitches. He had a couple of fights with foster dog Grover, who came as an intact adult and is a very confident and dominent type of dog. They got along OK most of the time, but there were several incidents in which Freddie grabbed and shook Grover's neck, head, and ears. To be sure, Grover was as much in the fight as Freddie was. So I started having them take turns being house-dog versus in the kennel run, ie I was "playing musical dogs" by rotating them in and out of the house. Then one day, in a bit of excitement as I was carrying my breakfast out to the porch, Freddie assaulted Shady, my Bouv x Golden neutered male. Freddie continued the fight for some time after Shady was on his back and yelping. So this is the terrier type of same-sex aggression, however none of these fights produced any substantial injuries, which is often untrue of real terrier battles. The damages have been limited to skin bruising and scraping. Nothing that needed a vet's attention. He has not had any incidents with Chris, who is about his own size and is very socially skilled at peace-keeping. He has not had any problems with either of my bitches. He still seems OK at the dog park, though I have no doubt that if another dog were to actually start a fight with him, he would fight back and give the other dog a bad time of it. I want to make more dog park visits to further evaluate him in regards to playing with strange dogs.

 

So at this point, I would not want to put him in a home with another male dog, neutered or not, though I think he would be fine in a home with a bitch in residence. I will also need to be assured of the adequacy of the fencing.

 

Freddie is still a wonderful dog. He is still very loving but he is not demanding about it . He is a "love sponge" but not an obnoxious pest demanding attention when people are otherwise occupied. He would make a great Therapy Dog and a great Agility Dog and might do well in Canine Freestyle. He does need an owner who is smarter than he is and who will be calm and consistent with him about what the rules are and especially about having to sit before he gets anything he wants.

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