He came to one of my jobs wih me and had a great time meeting all the dogs (he met about 8 new dogs that day!) and hanging out with me :) (a bully stick didn't hurt either, hehe!).
He has great dog skills and is very calm and polite with dogs. Even my own dog Rikki (who needs slower introductions with most dogs as strange energetic dogs make her nervous) loved him! They go on walks together and hang in the yard together! But even though he listens well to the other dogs and is very polite, Archie will stand up for himself- which is great! A dog tried to mount him a few times and Archie ignored him, until the dog tried one too many times and Archie turned around and said "Bark!" (The equivalent to a human "Stop!") and because Archie was absolutely polite about it and just saying that he did not like that, the other dog stopped and they continued on hanging out :) so it's great that he is not just a "rollover and take it" type of dog. He is very calm and balanced around other dogs, and will speak up if he feels there is need. He was respectful of Rikki's initial nervousness, which is what helped Rikki see that he wasn't going to jump on her or come after her, so she actually invited Archie to play! (Which she only reserves for her favorite dogs!) which brings me to my last point with Archie and dogs - Archie enjoys the company of other dogs, but he does not like roughhousing. When dogs bounce around or run a little he seems happy to join in, but when they try to paw at him to come play etc he walks away and if they continue he gives them a polite "No thank you". The ladies at the daycare call him the dignified gentleman, haha :) cause he sniffs every one and says "good day!" To ally he dogs and enjoys their company and a romp around, but is too dignified to want to rough house ;P
So on that note, while he'd definitely enjoy a doggie friend in his forever home, he would prefer that it is a dog that would be respectful of his dislike for roughhousing.
He's been loving his walks and outings, but has decided he loves snuggling even more ;)
I don't let my fosters onto the furniture for the first couple days just so they can get used to everything and learn the basic house rules (before I break some, hehe!). Then once they've understood the basic rules, I show them that they can be broken, but only if asked. So he was very good about not getting onto the bed or couch, and instead slept next me. So quickly he was invited up, and now all he wants to do is cuddle haha! He's a very cuddly boy and he is just super sweet :)
He has shown a bit of separation anxiety vocally. He's non destructive but will whine at the door if you suddenly leave. He quiets fairly quickly though and is not very loud, and is getting better every day. But he. At not be suited for someone with super strict policies in their building or very thin walls. (Though my dad has the room next to me and said he never even heard him. But it is something to be aware of. I'm sure he's been a lot of places over his years, so I'm sure it will just take a bit of convincing that I haven't left him forever and he'll get quieter :) otherwise he is a very quiet dog, doesn't bark at the door, dogs, cats, strangers etc - he's just friendly!
**Edit: May 25th - his seperation anxiety has gone away and while he's not totally impressed to be left alone the most I get now is one small sign/whine and then he sleeps on the couch or bed waiting for me to come back (sometimes if he knows I'm leaving he puts himself to a nap before I'm even out the door haha!) So looks like he just needed a schedule and knowing I'll be coming back and his anxiety has gone away! :) And when I come back there's no barking of whining, just a wagging tail! And when the door is knocked he will give one single alert bark, but only when the door is fully knocked - not just from noises outside or anything. So he'd probably do fine in a building.**
His leash skills are very good and he walks well on a easy walker (front latched harness) but is alright on a collar too. He occasionally pulls a bit when he's finding a place to relieve himself or he is really interested in something, but not much and is pretty easy to get back on track.
He is still learning commands - we are working on waiting for food. He understands "out" and is getting better at sit and off. He doesn't seem to have had much obedience training, but he is not a huge misbehaver so perhaps there didn't seem to be much need in teaching those things - not sure. All I know is that we are working on training, and his future parents and Archie would both absolutely benefit from taking him to obedience classes :) he used to run for his food dish but is learning to wait until I've placed it, then once he looks at me and I say okay and he can go get it. (On another good note he hasn't shown resource guarding with either people or animals)
Speaking of other animals: My cat and Archie have a very weird relationship haha! Archie will be chasing her one minute and then laying down just a foot away the next! And it's not like Archie chases her all the time, if she's just walking around, sometimes he ignores her and walks past, other times he sniffs her, and sometimes she decides to run - and when she does he trots after her. But then when I call him away, she runs back to him! Haha! I think she's a bit of a glutton for punishment, or more likely she's just enjoying the back and forth. She knows he's harmless, or she wouldn't lie down on the floor next to him. They are just hilarious together ;P he'd do best with a cat that would tell him off though (mine doesn't haha).
On a random note I keep accidentally calling him...Austin no idea why... I didn't even realize I was doing it until Adam pointed it out to me! So maybe that's a sign that he should have a name change? Not sure. But when I looked back over my previous blog post I saw I wrote Austin in there too! Well time will tell if his name changes or not.
And I have some interesting news! We took him to the vet to get his kennel cough vaccine to go to daycare, and when we were there the vet checked him and asked how old he was. When I said 5, he looked confused, and checked a couple things again and then said he was actually closer to 8! So somewhere between 5 and 8 is Archie's true age and only he knows it! (And he's not telling ;P)
My guess for his breed is Cocker Spaniel and Springer Spaniel.
My clues are this:
He's too leggy to be pure cocker
His tail is docked which means someone had him as a puppy and docked it (why would they do that unless he was all spaniel?)
His size - he's 25lbs and taller than a cocker but not too large
Now I could totally be wrong - but that's my guess, what are your guesses on his breed make up?
Now for some pics! :)
Trails with Rikki!
Snuggle time!
Pekoe and Archie napping
Treat time!
This the best photo I have of how he sleeps lying down haha! He sleeps spread-eagled ;P This was right after a good trail walk and he was pooped haha ;P
To be continued... :)
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