About Xander

Reaching out to all dog friendly friends and family - help needed for our foster, Xander. He truly needs a forever home very soon. For the sake of my own pack, I'm reaching out and asking each of you to help as you may. We recently agreed to foster a 2-year old Lab mix whose owners no longer wanted him. (Anyone seriously interested in meeting Xander is certainly welcome to deeper detail in this regard.) Their reasons stemmed generally from dislike of/frustration with Xander's behavior in the last 18 months.That said what follows is what we have learned about Xander and his needs in a very short span of time. High Level Summary: Xander needs a home with: - a dominant owner...passive won't cut it here ;) - either no other dogs OR a dog his size, age range, and activity level - an experienced dog lover or lovers (he will require patience and reassurance) - inside privileges are strongly encouraged - he is not a 'yard' dog. He is an amazing guard dog and WILL bark. - non-smokers. We have no idea why; but, he's afraid of smoke and becomes agitated and withdrawn. Stats: - Gender: male - Age: 2 years - Color: black - Weight: 90 lbs - UTD on all vaccs, flea treatment, and heart worm and has historical and consistent records through a local Collin County vet Energy level: - He's 2 and part Lab - he loves to run and play. So far, we have been walking him twice a day, .5 miles each trip; and, he loves it. No doubt he could walk much further and shows great interest in trail running. High points - Xander is: - seriously and adorably affectionate - this guy LOVES laps and cuddling. A lot. - highly intelligent (learns VERY quickly) - perfectly house trained and has zero interest in marking - highly receptive to following & modeling the behavioral example/s of a 'Peer Dog' (in this case, our older Lab). Challenges - Xander has not: - been properly socialized. As such, he has not learned to how to 'meet' or even pass unknown dogs on the street or trail. - learned pack order - adjusted to alone time and can be destructive - definitely stressed when his people leave. - been taught basic commands in the past 2 years. o he knows Sit and Go Outside. o we're working on 'Off' as he jumps when excited; 'Wait' at doors; and 'Halt and Cross' when crossing streets (he pretty much has these!). o he has no grasp of: Stay, Down, Out, Come, Walk, etc. Compatibility: - small children: no - cats: yes - small dogs: no - medium dogs: no o He's very aggressive with small and medium size dogs - nipping has on several occasions escalated. He's very driven to dominate medium size dogs and is clearly dangerous to very small dogs due to his size and desire to dominate. I am open to Rescue environments and private individuals. We know the magic will happen... Thank you in advance - we really believe Xander has a perfect fit out there! He's a true love who needs a devoted person to teach and reassure him how great his life can be.

Collin County
Plano, Texas 75093