Size
(when grown) Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg)
Details
Not good with cats,
Spayed or Neutered,
Story
Hi! My name is Pudgy and I am from Arkansas!
From her foster: Pudgy would be a wonderful addition to your family if you are looking for a dog that is as smart as a young child, but who can be trusted alone in the house and will probably not order anything from Amazon while you're out. If absolutely necessary, she will tolerate a crate with minimal whining for the first couple minutes, although you need to bribe her to go in and she will judge you. She has a bladder of steel and, so far, has only gone potty twice a day at most (on walks) with no accidents. She does not chew on anything, dig in the garbage, eat socks, jump up, or bark excessively. She would appreciate it if you shared your food and let her sleep in your bed, but I don't do that and she has taken my nos with grace.
She is unflappable with random noises, bikes, joggers, loud motorcycles, balloons, or visitors (unless they are in the back yard unexpectedly-they will get a warning bark). I got a new furnace installed and she greeted the installer and then lounged around for the whole noisy process even though he went in and out repeatedly. She is a very fast learner, even with my limited training skills. She can sit, wait, come, and shake (if there are treats involved). She is friendly-but not exuberant-with everyone: children, adults, men, people in hats and greets them calmly in public if they approach her. She gets along with dogs of all sizes, but doesn't seem super interested in playing with them. She hasn't reacted to any dogs that bark at her when we go on walks. Her Achilles heel is that she is overly interested in bunnies, squirrels, and cats. She is capable of walking on a loose leash most of the time (I'm a slow walker so it's not totally her fault if she pulls), but will freeze in place or pull if she sees a small animal. The no-pull harness makes that pretty easy to tolerate and with more time to build a relationship and work on consistent expectations, I think she could improve on walks so she goes back to a loose leash after just a quick correction or "let's go.
She is still learning about toys and I think she would eventually love balls and dog parks. While she loves being outside, I live in a townhome without a yard or a tieout and she seems very content with the two 20-30 minute walks we do each day before breakfast and dinner. She will hang out on the enclosed deck and doesn't bark-just naps in the sun or searches for invading critters. I have tried taking her out additional times to potty, but she just sees those as smell breaks. If you do have a fenced in yard, you will need to make sure she can't escape as she is a very good problem solver. She would love to be a hiking partner or chill at a brewery. She does fine in the car, but I think that will keep improving the more times she goes for a ride and comes home to same house with the same people.
She works for all of her food either by doing behaviors, puzzles, snuffle mats, or kongs, which helps burn some extra mental energy. I work from home and after breakfast she just rotates sleeping positions for most of the morning, asks for food if I go to the kitchen, swings by for the occasional neck scratch, and doesn't get too excited until it's time to go for a walk after work. In the evening she monitors the yard from her chair to make sure it is squirrel free, hangs out on the couch, or may chew on a bone or a toy.
She really enjoyed hanging out with kids at her previous temp fosters (5 year old) and would probably enjoy being around them more-especially since they are softer touches with the extra food and letting her sleep in the bed. She is very tolerant and sweet natured even when she is surprised. We almost got hit by a wayward soccer ball on a walk and she wasn't fazed at all. The only reason she's not a foster fail is that she is my first foster and I intentionally picked one that was about 15-20 pounds larger, less fluffy than what I'd like to have, and one that wouldn't get along with a cat.
Please reach out if you'd like to meet her!
