About Ziggy

Ziggy is a young, fluffy 15 pound poodle mix who had a tough start in life. He's adorable, house trained, generally calm and quiet, will sit and lift his paw on command, and take a treat gently from your hand. He has a lot of the qualities that make a great pet. However, Ziggy still needs a lot of work to become a good citizen, and he is not for a timid or inexperienced dog owner. Ziggy's wild side is just below his cute and curly surface. He was found as a stray, although he likely had an owner at some point. He bounced from several shelters and foster homes, and has spent the last two months with a foster on Martha's Vineyard. In that time he has made some positive progress. Ziggy is very reactive and trainable. Still, he can be unpredictable, and has a ways to go learning bite inhibition. He needs a firm, patient owner very knowledgeable about dog behavior. While Ziggy he will generally stick around with his 'pack' off leash, he has a strong prey drive and can't always resist chasing wildlife. He gets along fine with calm and friendly dogs, but can quickly go into fight mode around high energy or dominant dogs. He benefits from a lot of exercise daily to help dissipate his pent up energy that often expresses itself in unhealthy ways (biting, humping). If Z is surprised (grabbed from behind or foot stepped on), agitated (another dog nearby he doesn't like, if he's being asked to stay away from something he wants), or guarding something special (cheese that spilled on the floor, etc), Z can revert to his 'street tough' days where he had to fight for what he needed and wanted. He needs a strong leader he can trust and completely respect, or he will use his teeth to make his points. Z has been living in his foster home with another (very calm and easygoing) dog and has shown zero aggression towards that dog, but he has exhibited some dominant behavior.

Dukes County
Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts