XANDER is an affectionate 10-11 year old high Belgian Terv mix who needs a quiet home with an experienced trainer.

BACKGROUND: Dumped in a shelter by his family at 4 yrs old. They cited "behavior" issues but didn't say what those were. Owners appeared to have multiple dogs and needed to get rid of at least one. Owners had not socialized him outside the home at all.

TEMPERAMENT / BEHAVIOR: Needs and adores his daily walks - he's a scent dog and will stop at every scent if allowed. Overly excited in first part of his walk but calms down and largely stops pulling after that. Needs that daily outlet but walks needn't be long (around 20 minutes satisfies him tho he enjoys longer. Gets very excited when you come home, jumps and barks and has to be reminded every time sit and be quiet. Hates the crate and is usually in it only as a time-out while foster is home. Xander is a unique dog! He's got two distinct sides: a loving, goofy boy AND an aggressive reactor to strange people and dogs.
The Goofy side:

Crate trained
House trained
Dream house manners, calm and well behaved
Doesn't play with toys or other dogs
A foodie - always ready to eat and will steal food left out
Loves to lay in your lap if allowed
Moderate prey drive - responds well to "leave it" command on walks when seeing small critters, will chase in the yard but breaks off pretty easily
Loving to "his" person
Downright pushy about getting head rubs, tummy rubs, and just generally being close to and touched by you
Has "jack-in-the-box" energy - will go from sound sleep to jumping around in a split second.

The Reactive side:

On leash will react to strange people and dogs. Has gotten better about leaving people alone but
still very reactive to other dogs.
When off-leash will allow strangers to handle him but will go after other dogs
Stubborn

TRAINING: His training was progressing until the pandemic hit, and then it was severely affected. Because his training was all about exposing him to people and other dogs - walks, public places, etc. - all that simply stopped for 2-1/2 years. When things started to lift, he saw a neighbor he was once friendly with and was aggressive to her without warning. Although he was on walks every day during the pandemic, there were no other people or dogs out - and it became apparent when it was over that he had retreated into isolation. His foster home is a single-person, quiet home so even that activity was limited. His training has started to pick back up but the pandemic was a huge setback for him - he's more reactive now than he was before the pandemic. His new family MUST be extremely strong canine leaders, MUST continue well-controlled socialization and training, and MUST be in control at all times.
OTHER ANIMALS: Can be an only pet or live with another dog. Recommend females only, large breed, and non-dominant, respectful dog. Currently lives with a foster sibling, a 5 yr old female GSD. Has lived with several females at a time, all large dogs such as GSDs. Needs a proper introduction at first, and if the other dog is energetic they need to be separated until they get to know each other really well - he likes his space until he bonds with the other dog. He enjoys the presence and companionship of another dog, and will even curl up close to them once they're bonded and totally used to each other. Does NOT like a dog who constantly gets in his face or tries to force play on him. A 'live and let live' kind of guy.
SMALL ANIMALS: No cats or small dogs. May eventually be able to live with a smaller dog but not currently recommended unless adopter is extremely experienced with longer crate-and-rotate methods.
PEOPLE: Loves his people but is a challenge to introduce to strangers. CHILDREN: No kids.

MEDICAL: Up-to-date on all vaccines, has a current rabies tag, is spayed and has been microchipped. Has no known medical issues.

REQUIREMENTS: Will be adopted only to an extremely strong canine leader who is a highly experienced with difficult dogs and aggressive reactivity. A professional trainer is ideal and STRONGLY preferred. Secure 6-foot physical fence is mandatory.

XANDER'S ADOPTION FEE: $250 This fee covers only part of what we spend to vet, board and rehab the dogs we save. On average we spend over $450 on each dog. We made a decision to keep our adoption fee at the 2005 level even though vet prices have doubled and tripled since then. We are constantly fundraising to cover the deficit. At minimum, your adoption fee includes the dog's spay/neuter, heartworm test, heartworm treatment if needed, rabies shot, distemper/parvo shot, bordatella shot, deworming, monthly heartworm and flea preventives, and microchip. In many cases it also includes surgery and various types of vet treatment for standard issues such as hot spots, ear infections and so on.INTERESTED IN ADOPTING XANDER?Complete an Adoption Application Now!