If I were looking for another dog like Hank...

Skip for short version. (bolded at the bottom)

This dog is rapidly winning me over. He is so COOL and so different from my past dogs. He is very 'doggy' compared to them for lack of a better word. If there's mud, he's in it. If there's rough play, he's in the middle. If excitement is happening, Hank is probably starting it. I already know I want something similar when the time comes but not sure if I should be looking at the terrier side or the ACD side (or elsewhere). It is possible that I'll just end up finding another spotty athletic mix. I don't really know his breed for sure. But I like a lot about him.

What I like:

- learns like I previously wouldn't believe. Seriously from day 1 picked up shaping and training and picks up behaviors like crazy. He is very smart
- Very high energy. Does tire a bit after sprinting hard a long time but could really just go and go and go.
- Fast. Very athletic dog and fast moving.
- high drive.
- bitey. Bites when overstimulated. Yeah I probably shouldn't like that... lol
- physical. Rough and tumble
- tugs hard and plays hard
- good with other dogs so far. Better with large dogs than small
- mostly friendly with a good streak of suspicion. Unlike Mia though, he is not suspicious of everything but more suspicious of certain people in certain situations. He goes on insane high alert at night, which is odd. But basically: friendly but not over the top friendly (except with kids, he LOVES kids)
- Very good balance of serious and goofy. When playing and training, his tongue is often lolling out his mouth but 95% of the time when out and about he is very quiet, very keenly observant
- Doesn't bark that much. (When he does bark it is absolutely dreadful but most the time is quiet)
- climbs and jumps. Ends up on top of everything.
- likes water (wish he was a better swimmer)


Don't like so much:
- shedding
- destructive tendencies when bored
- wish he had longer legs and was about 10 lbs bigger. He's only 20 lbs and didn't grow like they told me he would.
- wish he was less prone to bolting off leash. He gets squirrel vision bad.

One of the surprising things to me is he's got the PERFECT energy level for me. He is always one of the most active and intense dogs wherever we go but at home, he is very good about turning it off. The first few weeks were hell but then once he got into routine and seemed to realize he would have exercise and work outlets regularly he has adapted into a very capable sleeper. He even puts himself to bed at about 10 pm every night.

He is actually kind of handler soft too when not in drive. When in drive he's a biting machine but around the house he's a sweet mushy dog. Very Velcro and wants to be in my lap a lot of the time. Very cuddly.

He's also the perfect drive level. Just great dog to work with and so keen about everything.

I probably just got lucky. It'll be interesting to see if he gets more dog selective as he matures. Right now he is fairly submissive towards other dogs unless he thinks they roughed him up too much in play.

TLDR;

- nuclear powered but a good sleeper too
- high drive and power when doing things with him
- high food and toy drive
- fast moving and athletic
- high endurance
- easy/stable confident temperament- not environmentally worried, good with people, good with dogs, not prone to OCD (though he is motion reactive and bitey but that is not hard to deal with comparatively)
- handler oriented
- high trainability and intelligence

Sounds a lot like Kat was Sounds like a bigger version. She was perfect.

The right JRT would fit that bill perfectly. So would a lot of JRT crosses (sport crosses)

JRT and borderjack are both on the list for sure. He is pretty reminiscent in many ways of my aunt's JRT that I've spent a lot of time with. Similar energy level and intensity when playing especially.

I wasn't sure if they were quite as handler oriented as he is. He's very Velcro. Follows me everywhere and acts like I've hung the moon and stars. He does have an independent and self entertaining streak but mostly wants to do things with me over anything else.

Dekka is the most velcro of all dogs. Handler focused to the extreme. She has been known to stare at me whilst I shower (all the time squinting in annoyance at the drops of water) just to make sure I don't do something without her. When we are out and about, like on a farm, she is my shadow. If I can't see her I panic (but often she is right behind me or something silly) Kat was velcro too. Schen is far less velcro than my JRTs have been. He loves people but I am not his everything he is happy with other people in the house.

He sounds a lot like Crossbone when he was here, right down to the 2 weeks of crazy dog before he settled in a bit. LOL

So I just need Ashley to give me her dog? :lol-sign:

I know you've spent a lot of time with ACDs and rescued spotty dogs in general. Is he similar to a lot of them or just Crossbone?

Dekka sounds great. I never thought I'd like terriers but I am liking them more and more lately. If I go full terrier it would definitely be either a JRT or SBT.

Very similar to the other ACDs I've worked with, but Crossbone was the one with the longest period to settle in and he seemed a bit more independent (would go off and explore MUCH more readily) than the suspected purebred ACDs I've fostered, which I kind of chalked up to the terrier side.

Snipe is similar as well and we suspect she is a cattle dog/feist cross. She is my most independent dog and the one most likely to say 'screw you' when she's busy with something else.

Rat terrier or Fiest!

I will write more later!

American hairless terrier too. That would take care of the shedding. They also come coated if you prefer fur.

Last night I wrote this whole long post about how perfectly you described Crossbone and how most of those things are also Rat Terrier qualities....but the computer ate it.

I've only been a RT owner for a week and a half...and he's only 9 weeks old BUT so far he's a miniature Crossbone. And I've been reading about and watching his relatives for a year and they're so very similar. And I'm hopeful that Pox will love water as much as Cbone--all of relstives do! So far, and it could be a puppy thing, but Pox has an amazing off switch. As soon as we're done playing/training/etc he wants to be cuddled or will find a soft place to sleep. As soon as something exciting starts happening he's READY to go. He will definitely rival Cbone's fastness. They're both very physical and have a serious goofy side. Everything is a toy--from coat hangers to trees to paper towel rolls to leaves. But can be super good, quiet, keenly observant out in public.

I'm excited to see how Pox grows up--but I think I found a lot of the qualities I adore in Crossbone in this guy. He'll be a great size too, IMO, --15-16" tall but RTs can vary from 10"-18" so there really is a size for everyone

On shedding: Crossbone sheds like its his JOB. He has very different coat from Pox though. I'm sure Pox's coat will change as he gets older but right now Crossbone can WALK PAST a black suit coat and cover it in white hair and I can snuggle Pox in my black suit coat and walk away with zero hairs.

Parson Russell Terrier.

If you get a broken coat and you take care of it, shedding is minimal. I swear Redford NEVER sheds. We run a grooming stone over him and strip him and he never sheds.

They are game for when you are game and when you are not, they will sleep away the day.

I live with 5 of them. We laugh often, and are not taking any medication for any craziness that they have caused to ourselves.