Indy - Courtesy Listing Black Labrador Retriever Mix Carlsbad Springs, ON

Indy is a 2 year old male black lab mix (1/4 german shepherd). He is healthy and up to date on all vaccinations and checkups.

He is a loyal dog and always looking out for his people. He is loving and excited with lots of energy but does get nervous around new humans and can get suspicious of certain dogs.

Indy is anxious and can become reactive, but does not have a bite history. He is unsure with strangers in his space and has an intimidating bark and lunge. With patience and treats he can usually become comfortable with new people and is extremely loving of his family and friends. He struggles with a small number of individuals who trigger him for reasons unknown to us. He requires a dog savvy home and would succeed with proper and consistent training. He is smart and learns well. He has some formal training but our busy lifestyle does not give him the consistency he needs.

He has mixed reactions to new dogs. He is eager to play with his friends but will sometimes bark at strange new dogs. He will be reactive towards some specific dogs and that requires a firm grip and quick removal from the situation. For that reason, he is muzzle trained and does not visit the smaller fenced-in dog parks. He has had success at the larger off-leash parks where he explores alongside his owners.

While he has lived in a house with 2 kids (9 & 11 year old boy and girl) and is excellent with them and their closest friends, he can struggle with new friends going in and out of the house and that is one of the big reasons he is looking for a new home. Houses with lots of traffic may not be a great fit.

He is muzzle trained and is strong. With us, he wears a prong collar to walk in case we meet a dog he does not like. Otherwise, he walks quite well. He has had success with a harness as well but will pull on a flat collar. He really loves to run. He can go for runs with his humans of up to about 5km.

Indy loves the snow and playing in it. He also loves to retrieve a ball and can’t wait to get up to a full sprint. His recall skills are pretty good but usually has his lead still attached even when roaming free to make him easy to grab. He can get distracted by other dogs, squirrels or humans.

Indy sleeps in a large crate every night on the main floor. He’s sometimes unsure of more than a few stairs, so we have trained him to stay there. The main floor is his zone. He is also comfortable being sectioned off in the kitchen with his doggie bed when his humans are out for a few hours. He is fine with being left alone for 5+ hours. He will not try to push down a gate or barrier to leave his sectioned off area. He lazes around for much of the day when we do work from home.

His favourite evening after dinner thing is a Kong with frozen wet food in it. It is calming and can take over an hour to enjoy. Indy knows to go onto his bed before he gets rewarded with his Kong. He is food motivated, loves various kinds of treats and will work for it!

He is likely best in a single-dog home with dog savvy owners. He has little experience with cats or other small animals in the home. He is currently on medication to help with the anxiety (about $20-$25 per month from a regular pharmacy).

This is a courtesy listing.
Please call or text 613-406-5222 to discuss Indy.