Hans Australian Cattle Dog / Blue Heeler Newton, NJ

TO CONTACT THE FOSTER HOME, email DianeOrenchuk@gmail.com. DO NOT use the Petfinder form. Inquiries don't reach us.

Hans is a 4 yr old ACD mix, about 35-40 lbs. Hans will require a home without children or frequent visits with children. His ideal adopter would be experienced in positive reinforcement training to continue what he has learned in foster especially relating to meeting new people. He seems to really like other friendly dogs, but would not be a dog-park-dog. He would love a home where he can go on adventures to natural settings and other fun doggie outings like boating and kayaking, but he would prefer not to partake in activities around crowds of strangers. His home should be in a less busy area such as a rural or moderate suburb; a city environment would be stressful for him.
Hans is likely moderate energy. He’s been undergoing heartworm treatment and must remain calm which is not difficult for him, but his energy may increase once he can be very active again. Before treatment began, he was allowed to be in daily playgroup in foster and made so many dog friends! He seems to really like other friendly dogs so another dog in the home is a big plus! (He has a best friend in foster who is also looking for her forever home, a German Shepherd mix named Z. *wink wink!*) Once activity restriction can end, we will reintroduce him to other dogs to double check that he still likes other dogs and observe his current play style, but we doubt his dog friendliness has changed and we are pretty sure he can’t wait to play with his friend Z again!
When he was allowed to be active, he would run and play with other dogs very nicely. He did not seem to have any issues around resources like water or toys, but all dogs in foster are fed separately for safety. He may have had some muscle deterioration issues in his thighs from being a stray so he’s not as fast as the other dogs, but that could improve when he can exercise again. No physical impairment is suspected at this time. He seemed to like toys before activity restriction and probably really does like to play with toys with his people, but for now his life is kept very low-key (will recheck his toy interest once treatment ends).

Although Hans is quite confident, new people can make him nervous. He’s gone through a lot of training to make good associations with new people and has met about a dozen nicely while in foster. His foster has developed a successful system for him to meet new people which his adopter should continue. Once Hans trusts a new person, he is very sweet and friendly. No resource guarding of toys/food/resting places towards people has been observed. He knows his name (“Honz” or “Honzie”) and is very responsive to it.
Hans does not chew or steal human items and seems housebroken although he doesn’t tell his human when he needs to go. He is crate trained, but may not need to use one. He is ok in a four foot fenced in yard. He shouldn’t be off leash due to his concern about new people, but is good on a long line for extra freedom on nature walks. He will also chase big loud trucks and tractor trailers; sticking to nature walks and hikes away from roads would be ideal. While we don’t think Hans is dangerous towards children, children are unpredictable and would likely stress him too much. He is ok in the car, but since going in the car has resulted in going to the vet several times, he will whine. That should reduce when car rides in the future lead to fun things more often as opposed to the vet. Despite his stranger concerns, the system his foster developed for meeting new people also works at the vet office and he has been very good at the vet as long as the training system is utilized. He has been very brave at his vet visits. We do not know about cats, but can evaluate him with cats.

Overall, Hans is a fabulous, sweet guy that would make a great companion to most adult homes with positive-reinforcement experience.

For questions, please contact DianeOrenchuk@gmail.com.

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