Duncan: May 2007

How is Duncan with other dogs?
He has gotten along fine with the dogs I have introduced him to thus far and does well with my dog.

How is Duncan with Kids?
I have only had Duncan around children that we have passed on walks, I don't have any kids of my own, but he seemed fine with the children on his walks. He is not jumpy or hyper so he would not knock over little kids, and he has no qualms with me manipulating his body, I can pull his hair and tail, push him, poke at his face and he just wags his tail. :) So even though I have no direct experience with him living with kids I think he would do fine.

How is Duncan with cats?
I don't have any cats but Duncan has been in my downstairs neighbor's house with their cat, and he just ignored it and cuddled on the couch with people instead. I am not sure how he would react to a cat that liked to initiate contact. Given his happy-go-lucky attitude I would assume he would not be mean but I don't know that he would want to play, he would probably just walk away.

Does Duncan like to go on Furniture?
Duncan could learn to accept not going on furniture, but he lives for being as close to people as possible and if you are on the furniture he loves to come squish up next to you, or rather, on you, so maybe you could make an exception for him????

How is Duncan with fences?
When Duncan first arrived at my house he tried to jump, climb, and dig under the fence. I only corrected him verbally a few times and after the first couple days he has never tried again, but I still do not leave him in the yard unattended. I think a 5ft fence would be a minimum for him and he would have to be supervised in the yard for sometime before he could be deemed safe to be left in the yard alone for any period of time.

How does Duncan do on leash?
For the time being he walks like an angel on leash but we'll see if he maintains that once he is feeling better, so an easy walk harness or a gentle leader may come in handy later on.

Is Duncan crate trained?
Currently Duncan will go in to his crate willingly to sleep at night, but we don't lock him in, he is ok being locked in if he can still see you, but will bark and cry for hours if left crated alone while you are away. That being said, Duncan does fine with free roam of the house, no crate needed. He had free roam for the weeks leading up to his HW treatment and never disturbed a thing, since his HW treatment he is on bed rest, litterally, I leave him locked in my bedroom on my bed, and he has never made a fuss about staying shut in their all day and never disturbed anything in there either.

How Does Duncan respond to correction?
Duncan needs a soft-handed trainer. On the few occasions I have had to correct him, a simple "Duncan, Ah-Ah," is enough to send him cowering to the ground. So a light verbal correction is all this boy needs to mind his manners.

How Trainable is Duncan?
To be honest I haven't spent any time formally training him because he really doesn't need it. He walks nice, doesn't get in the way at home, doesn't get in to anything, doesn't bark, doesn't really do any undesirable things so I just let him be. If you are looking for a dog that will learn shake, roll over, and sit-pretty this probably isn't the guy for you, but he will be well behaved regardless. The only thing he needs to work on is not barging out of doors in front of people....and we are making progress on this with a "wait" (at the door) command.

How old is Duncan?
Because he was a stray his age is a mystery. He acts like a fairly young dog but his teeth say otherwise. His teeth are very worn and discolored. I am guessing that his former life was harder on his teeth than normal, and his teeth are worn beyond their years. My guess at his age is 4-7 years old, but it truly is a guess.

"Why me? I don't like being wet."

Duncan made it through his neuter and Heartworm treatment. Now with just a little more R&R and some more weight gain he should be feeling as good as new. To help him to that end he got to have a bath last night. He did not enjoy this one bit but he did not put up a fight, he just stood still in the tub and looked up at me with those big puppy dog eyes as if to say..."why are you doing this to me." Kya, his foster-sister was watching from near the toilet laughing....little did she know she was next in line for the tub!! Here are some photos of Duncan recovering from his bath.