Name: Blue
Age: Approximate DOB 12/1/14
Gender: Male
Breed: Boxer
Weight: 35 pounds
Dog friendly: Would prefer to be the only dog in the home!
Cat friendly: Unknown
Kid friendly: Yes
House trained: Puppy!
Crate trained: Puppy!
Energy level: High
History: Rescue transfer in KY 
Adoption Fee: $300

From the Foster:

A bit about Blue:

Blue is a deaf, sassy, rambunctious, adolescent Boxer. He loves to play and adores attention from his humans. He came to us with no training whatsoever, but he is making HUGE strides and he is easily the smartest dog I have ever had. Command training for Blue is a breeze. When it comes to behavior modification, buckle up because it is a lot more work. He is very independent and he likes to be dominant and in control. Do not be discouraged by this. With consistency, limits and adequate exercise, Blue will flourish. He LOVES to snuggle and can be a total sweetheart. 

Right now, Blue is on Prozac and Trazadone due to his anxiety. It is calming him down and allowing him to focus more on his training, without being overwhelmed by fear. Here are some specifics:

Leash - Blue has been reactive to dogs on his leash, but mainly he is just extremely excited. He does not greet other dogs with manners and it has triggered aggression in them. Because of this, Blue does not meet other dogs on his leash EVER. We have met with a trainer and have tricks for walking Blue and he has made a ton of progress.

Crate - I am happy to report that Blue is almost completely crate trained! It has been a long haul because Blue has separation anxiety. He gets a Trazadone before he goes into his kennel, but I am confident that there will be a day when this is no longer necessary. He eats all of his meals in there and has taken naps on his own with the door open. He even knows a sign for, “crate” and will go right in. We are just starting to leave him in there for longer periods of time and he has gone 6 hours just fine. 

Potty - Blue has come a long way with his potty training and is almost there. He will sit by the door to go out or will pace. If you are not paying attention, he might have an accident in the house. He never goes potty in his kennel though. He knows how to ask and that going potty in there house is naughty, but he is not quite grasping the notion of, “holding it.” He’ll get there in no time. 

Dogs/Cats/Critters - Because of Blue’s dominance issues, it has been recommended that he be an only dog. He currently lives with my Bulldog, Walter who is extremely submissive. It took 2 months, but Walter has finally started to react to Blue with aggression. It is not a good situation for either of them. We are redirecting Blue and rewarding him for having positive interactions with Walter. He has made some improvement, but they need to be supervised at all times and separated when necessary. Blue has a very high prey drive so it is not recommended that he live with cats or critters. He does not greet cats well and obsesses over them. 

Kids - We have not seen Blue around kids, but because of his tendency to jump and play rough, I would recommend older kids only. 

Deafness - Because he is deaf, Blue can get over stimulated visually. When he is on his leash, he darts around, trying to see everything. He is fearful of things you would not expect. As time goes on, he is getting better because he is being desensitized to his environment and beginning to trust us. He has his quirks, but mainly we forget he is even deaf. He LOVES watching me sign. I talk to him and sing him songs in ASL and he loves it. You do not need to know ASL for Blue, just putting on a show for him will warm his little heart. He loves to be the center of attention. 

An important thing to note is that Blue can jump fences so he CANNOT EVER be off leash, not even in a yard or dog park. His deafness just heightens the danger for him. An 8 foot privacy fence should be fine, but anything else he can jump. It’s crazy. 

Full disclosure, Blue is a lot of work right now. What makes me optimistic is how smart and trainable he is. Whoever adopts Blue needs to be consistent, set limits and not force him into situations where he will fail. If you have the patience, knowledge (or will attain it) and follow through to work with Blue, you will have an awesome companion. Someone in his past has failed him and he deserves a chance to learn how to be a good dog and be part of a family. I know in my heart that his perfect owner is out there. Is it you?

All dogs are in individual foster homes throughout the Twin Cities.

I f you would like to meet/adopt this animal or anyone else, then please fill out an adoption application at http://secondhandhounds.org/adoption-information/ and the foster(s) will be in touch!  Keep in mind that there may be multiple applicants applying for the same animal(s).  You only need to complete 1 application for multiple animals that you're interested in.
 

Note  - We change an animal's listing to say "PENDING ADOPTION" when they already had a meet and greet with a family who plans to adopt that animal.  We put "NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS" on a listing when an animal has multiple applications in and the foster has asked to stop accepting any more while they review the applications they've already received.

If you would like to be a foster for Secondhand Hounds, then please fill out a foster application,  http://secondhandhounds.org/fostervolunteer-information/fostering-101/  You can choose the type of animal you'd like to foster and we will supply everything you need (food, collar, bowls, crate, etc.) while the animal is in your care.

Thanks for your interest in Secondhand Hounds!