Ollie is back with us

[chako]

Ollie is a dog we saved from being euthanized at the city shelter. Here is his video:


He is an awesome dog, but he's a LOT of dog, which makes him a hard to place dog. So, I'm networking him, and we will do an out of state adoption if we can arrange a home check, etc. So please network him (and if you might be interested in him, let us know).



I'll tell you his good and bad points right now --

good: He's confident, loves people, and so far is good with other dogs (but he is high energy and plays hard with other dogs -- he's all play, but some dogs might object to him sommersaulting on their heads). He's even good with cats, but of course being a high energy pup (about 11 months old now), he can be a bit much for cats, though he lived with a cat.

He's super smart and very treat motivated. He already knows sit, down, come, stay (though the home he was in might not have kept up on his stay, etc.)
Here's a little FB video (public) that shows some of the early obedience work
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php ... 2649935527

He could make an awesome obedience dog in the ring, or an agility dog, or who knows what else. He needs an active home. Get him out and exercised and he's a great dog.

Oh, and he's also a looker. A seriously handsome dog, and fairly well put together structurally, from what I can tell (granted, haven't done hip x rays on him or anything like that...)

He's a nice, medium sized, energetic Pit Bull who loves treats and learns FAST. He will work and work for food. He's less motivated by toys than he is for treats but he is crazy about the flirtpole.

You can take anything from him and manhandle him. He's totally happy go lucky, but he can be a bit of a mouthy puppy (still).

The BAD:
He whines in his crate (I had broken him of it mostly, but the home he was in didn't want to stick it out now that he was in a new environment and trying his whiny thing all over again, so they didn't crate him).

He still has a habit of jumping up and nipping/biting people as he gets excited. It's all play, and again I had broken him of it with me, but now that we have him back from the home he was in, the temporary foster tells me he's still doing it.

He will jump a fence if he can. I don't know that he can scale a six foot fence, but he did get out of the home he was in, which is why we have him back. They apparently pushed a BBQ up close to the fence, and he hopped up on the BBQ and then over the fence (didn't do anything, but he ended up in the SPCA, we got a call and arranged him to get out of the SPCA, and removed him from the home after talking with the family).

He will chew and generally get into anything and everything if left to his own devices. He's much better after he's been exercised and kept active, but if he gets bored, he's a typical Pit Bull puppy. When I fostered him, I made the mistake of setting a grocery bag on the floor for "a second" turned my back, and he waltzed over, reached his head in, grabbed an entire thing of English Muffins, and then proceeding to run from me around and around (dam these open floor plans!). Normally I don't play chase, but these WERE the only package of English Muffins I'd bought and I wanted to save them.

I did manage to save the muffins.

Oh and he chewed through the former home's Internet cable.

He is not a dog for a couch potato. He is a dog for someone that wants a goofy, happy, energetic GORGEOUS Pit Bull and who wants to train him and doesn't mind a bit of a challenge. (He's actually super easy to train in terms of sit, come, down, etc. -- it's the other stuff that will prove challenging - the whining, chewing, jumping on people) - but nothing a reasonably skilled dog person can't manage.

It's a shame his home did not work out. We had had two different meetings with them prior to the adoption and did a follow up two weeks after the adoption and were actually about to schedule another follow up. Apparently, all was well until the dad's schedule got changed, and then they had "less time for him" and that's when he started getting into things, etc. I wish they had contacted us as soon as they'd started having issues, but they didn't *sigh* At least he is back with us now.

So this is Ollie. Interested in adopting him, let me know. Know someone, spread the word? Have a FB account, post him! He needs to find the right home. In the right home, he'll be an AWESOME dog. In the wrong home, he'll put the Marley in Marley and Me to shame

[mypuppyJack]

I remember his video- I laughed so hard- especially when he was "swearing" to get out of his crate- I'm on the east coast but everyone I showed that video to fell in love with him! Good luck finding his forever home. He reminds me so much of Jack when he was young.

[chako]

We will do an out of state adoption for the RIGHT Home, if we can arrage home checks, etc. and if there are no other dogs in the home. (Just in case the resident animal doesn't take to him or he becomes less dog friendly as he matures).

[mypuppyJack]

Ok ill forward - do you think he's too much dog for first time owners?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[chako]

Ollie has been adopted -- again! *fingers crossed* Had very in depth conversations with them about his pros/cons and he's on his two week trial. So far, they report he's doing well and have entertained us with his postings on Facebook, so I'm optimistic he's found his forever home!

[leila.quinn.82]

First of all, good for him and I hope this home works out! Second of all, i have never watched a video that more closely resembled my pup's behavior, or read a description of a dog that sounded more like it was writen about Luigi. i have always said i feel that his problem is that he wants to play with everyone the way very rough and tumble dogs play with eachother, and people get bruised and intimidated as a result. he is almost 15 months, however, and still behaving this way whenever he is not being asked to do something very specific. He also learns commands like a champ and is super happy and friendly, but the moment a training session is over and i turn away he jumps up, nips my butt cheek and then sprints off around the house barking like a maniac with a huge grin. he humps people when he meets them and mouths hands and arms when excited. i have even had that english muffin experience but with vegetarian chicken nuggets, and i didn't get them back in time.

the assertion that this type of dog would do best in an active or even spot oriented home is very true, and unfortunately we figured this out to late. the little lump of pudding we adopted is now 80 lbs of tasmanian devil, and I tore 2 ligaments in my ankle shortly after adopting him. My husband is doing his best to pick up the slack with exercise, but living in the city with no yard means he is never as tired as he should be. If I am 100% honest with my self, i now see I really wanted a dog to cuddle with on the couch and take lazy strolls around the farmer's market with... instead I have a large teenaged dog who's most evident qualities are his drive and tireless desire to go go go, play play play.

We are doing our best with the mismatch, and all trying to meet in the middle, loving him desperately helps. i'm not sure the point of this post other that i felt like maybe someone would have ideas about strategies to deal with the pushy, rude aspect of Ollie's behavior, as i am a little overwhelmed. I think luigi is a little worse, truthfully, and I do often say that Marley and Me reads like a relaxing experience to me compared to day to day in my once peacefull house. I know there are some great behaviorists and trainers on this forum, and any advise would be apreciated, but mostly i just needed to vent

[mypuppyJack]

Yay!!! Fingers crossed for Ollie- he deserves a great home, he's such a character.

Hugs Leila- if it's any consolation Jack calmed down at about age 6. He is still up for anything(just learned a new trick), but can chill out and relax.

[chako]

Leila, I sympathize. When I got my old gal, I was looking for a middle of the road dog in terms of drive. What I got was a tasmanian devil on speed. To this day, I swear she fixed the temperament test results just so I would pick her (and then showed her true colors once I got her back home when she started whirling around the room, tearing the bed spread off the couch, and bouncing off counters).

That was 10.5 years ago

Your dog is still an adolescent, and if you are consistent in your training (and he gets plenty of exercise), as he matures he should become much easier to live with, though he will almost certainly always be an active, energetic dog.

That means the rules should always be the rules, every day, every minute of every day. Even if it seems like it's all in vain. Keep enforcing them, reward the positive behavior, and do not put him in situations where he can get into trouble (i.e., chew things unsupervised, etc.) for the first 3 years of a his life, at a minimum Constant supervision, training, and exercise. It's hard work, but you're halfway there.

Of course, that's not to say the minute he turns 3 he'll be a different dog. But day by day, as he matures, and if you've been consistent and managed him diligently, you should start to see him challenging you less and less and being a bit easier to handle.

But just a little bit An active, energetic dog will pretty much always be that way.

[leila.quinn.82]

Thank you so much for your responce (Chaco and Jack) The exercise part is a challenge with my ankle, but it motivates me to do my physical therepy every day so i can get past the 20 minute walk mark. My drinking, smoking husband now JOGS with him inthe evening when the weather is decent, and I'm so jealous that he just got back in his old 32 waist pants. i do hope he mellows at some age, as he is just too exuberant to be around small kids safely (though he loves them suppervised and on leash with a prong collar) he made a 5 year old cry the other day by LICKING her so intensely that she said she "couldn't breathe!'' We want kids sooner than later, and i wake up every day with that in mind for his training. The funny thing is, i "want" an easy going dog, but I am always drawn to dogs that make me work, and fight my laziness. thanks again for the support!