About Oakley

** If you have other pets, plan to get other pets, or have young children (under 8)- we do not think that this will be a good match ** Oakley is a very sweet boy who loves to give all the kisses. He is playful in short bursts, but mostly just likes to cuddle up next to you and get all the scritchies. He is a giant soft floofball which is perfect for snuggles. He was adopted as a puppy from an Australian Shepherd breeder in New Mexico and he is AKC registered. He's very good at communicating his needs and will stand by the door or huff if he needs to go potty outside. Whether you've been gone hours or minutes, he will greet you with booty shakes and kisses as if the world starts and ends with you. The love he shows is unparalleled. He is our 'first born' and we are truly struggling to consider a new home for him. He is a part of our family and we love him dearly, but we think he might thrive better in a different environment. He struggles with jealousy and mostly plays well with our other dog and toddler, but does occasionally growl or nip at them. He will thrive best in a home with no other pets or young children. With that said, like any animal, he has a few quirks that we want to be fully transparent about. For one, he is an Australian Shepherd (or Aussie). This means he has lots of energy and is way too smart for his own good. He knows around 10+ cues, but he can be stubborn. He does like to counter surf so just don't leave those treats (or your dinner) unattended or they will be gone in the blink of an eye Haha! Aussies are herding dogs and love to be outdoors. He loves a good walk/hike but generally lives a pretty sedentary life right now due to our schedules and seems content with it. He is leash trained, though he will pull if you don't tell him who's boss. He went through puppy training at 6 months and then an intensive puppy boot camp at 1 year. This training used a vibration collar which he was really good with up until we got his brother. When he was two, we got a second dog to give him someone to play with. He started to regress in his training at this point and we stopped using the training collar as he was starting to show signs of anxiety with it's use. The dogs get along 98% of the time, but when treats or toys are involved, Oakley has a tendency to resource guard. Sometimes this is a simple growl to tell our other dog the item is his, and other times they would get in a fight. We have removed all treats and toys from our home to eliminate this issue. He still loves to play with our other dog and gets his daily zoomies in the backyard. With that said, we do have to be very careful with our gate and front door. This boy is an explorer and once he gets out, there is very little that will recall him. When our son came into the picture, this added an extra stressor for him in our home. Oakley either hides for hours or does a lot of attention seeking behaviors like jumping on us, compulsively licking, or sneaking away to chew on baby toys. When our toddler gets too close to him, he tends to give a low growl or run and hide. After some anxious vet and grooming visits, we eventually took him to a behavior specialist at UC Davis Veterinary School and he was diagnosed with generalized anxiety. The veterinary behaviorist gave us several exercises to work on with him to help in those situations and put him on anxiety medications. We believe that in a new home without other pets or kids, he will not need these. This theory has been supported by pet sitters when we have been away. We try to give him lots of snuggles and play time, but it's just not enough for him. He gets very jealous when we give our son attention and we are now pregnant with a second child. We are hoping to find a home where he can be an only pup again and get the attention that he craves. If you have other pets, plan to get other pets, or have young children (under 8)- we do not think that it will be a good match. We do not want to re-home him to a situation that is similar to the one he is currently in. This re-homing is solely to find a home life that will better suit his needs so that he can have a better quality of life and so he can share his love with someone who needs it.

Contact

Sacramento County
Citrus Heights, California

Contact Person:

Gwen Hall

Email