Decey: Happy hound hoping for a home

Decey is a young hound mix who has been hanging out in foster care for several months now. We have had the opportunity to learn quite a bit about this fine boy during his stay in Pet Haven care. His current foster took him through Obedience 1 at The Canine Coach and Decey "graduated" last week. He did great and picks up commands very quickly. He now has a firm grasp on "Watch me" and "leave it" and the basic sit and stay. He really impressed his foster mom. "Come" was a different story as he has to sniff everything zig-zagging from point A to point B. He is SMART!

Decey has been tested with free roam a few times when his foster mom has left the house . She makes her own dog food and Decey took the opportunity to feast. He opened the mini fridge, which does not have any handle on it and scarfed down all the meat in there. He can pull the door from the kitchen to the basement open by putting his paw through the cat door and pulling towards him. Told you he was SMART! Decey is kenneled when foster mom is gone now. When she first got him, he hated the kennel but she worked on making it a happy place for him and he is better now. He can certainly differenciate when you are home and he is free from when you are not home and he is free. He never gets in trouble when you are around, even in the next room. He rarely barks unless he feels like joining on with resident fur brother, Zorro, when someone is walking a dog by.

He was really bothersome to the cats at first, but "leave it" has worked and he ignores them. He is a frumpy moving dog, no abrupt motions, he just kinda slinks around. He gets right up into the dog van without wanting to take off in the neighborhood and does well riding in the car. The dog park, on the other hand, has not gone well, he takes off and no command or treat can get him back. He likes to chase small to medium sized dogs that are fetching and chases and picks fights with them. He's not interested enough in playing his own game of fetch or frisbee to distract him from the other dogs. He is good with his canine foster brother, he did well in boarding with other dogs and does well with the other dogs at our adoption events. Odds are the dog park is just too stimulating for him. Decey has jumped the 4' fence at his foster home a few times, but the novelty seems to have worn off. He is a hound, though, and his forever family will need to have a secure fence and monitor him or use a tie out. Decey and his nose cannot be trusted in an unfenced yard. He walks well with Gentle Leader but pulls like a sled dog on regular collar.

He is submissive (OK, not at the dog park). When a dog puts him in his place at first he would pee, but he wouldn't take off, he still would want to be around. Somehow submissive and fearless at the same time. He is funny, if you tell him to do something and he really doesn't want to he blinks really hard or yawns. He may have learned this from his foster brother who pulls the same move, Zorro isn't confessing to any coaching. He is a dream with clipping nails and brushing, foster mom wishes he could coach his foster brother on that one! At night he sleeps on the bed with the rest of his foster family. He is not a cuddly dog, but if you pick him up and set him in your lap, he will fall asleep while you pet him. He's a growing puppy who doesn't know his own size and foster mom has caught him attemping to curl up in the cats' bed (good luck with that, Decey!).

If Decey sounds like the boy for you, please email pethavendogs@yahoo.com to learn more about him.