Oliver

About Oliver

Oliver is a sweet, smart, friendly, confident, easy-going puppy (9 months old).
He is too rambunctious for my elderly, arthritic Aussie (12 years old), and this is the only reason I am re-homing him. He would love a young(er), rough-and-tumble dog playmate! He would do well as an only dog, too, if his humans were around most of the day. He would NOT do well in any environment where he has limited access to exercise or where he is crated for most of the day.
He prefers a playpen over a crate since it gives him more room to move around. He has not yet been allowed all-day unsupervised run of the house; he’s just not old enough. He has not been allowed on the furniture (but he would be all for that if his new home would allow it!); he has not been fed people food. He does not jump on humans, and he is an appropriate but not incessant barker. He sleeps through the night without the need to go outside, and he is great daytime napper.
When he plays with other dogs, he growls/vocalizes, mouths, and may jump. He’s loud and “all boy” when he plays with other dogs. He is gentle when playing with the adults he has been around. He has not been around children or cats.
He is still a puppy and occasionally goes through stages when he de-stuffs his toys (translation: kills them). I wouldn’t buy anything really expensive until he outgrows this! He loves, loves, loves rawhide donuts and peanut butter training treats; original, unsweetened Cheerios (or the generic equivalent) are just fine, too.
We are half-way through an 8-week training session (which is already paid for) at Field of Dreams in Vinton, so it’s possible that the rest of his sessions could be taken over by his new family. (It’s the 9 am BA class on Saturdays.) He’s doing really well on focusing, general impulse control (having to wait before he can eat, for example), appropriate behavior for meeting and greeting new people (sitting calmly), and on respecting boundaries (having to sit before he comes inside or goes outside, for example).
We live in a rural area, so he has not been exposed to the same things here that he would if he lived in a more urban area/ housing development/ apartment complex (things like bikes, cars, etc.). He’s okay on a leash (though he’s not going to win any awards for this just yet); we have not done a lot of formal leash work, and he isn’t regularly walked on a leash since he has access to a large fenced yard to run and play in.
He has been part of a quiet household with a predictable routine, but I believe he would be just fine in a household with more action! I have not seen any evidence of separation anxiety.
A home with a fenced yard where he could run, run, run; have a younger, rough-and-tumble dog buddy to play with, and have humans that were not gone all day long would be ideal!

Animal Type: Dog