Bijou

When this dog came along, we knew he was a diamond in the rough – a dog that really needed a home and real chance at life, so we named him Bijou (jewel) and got started with helping him to become his best self. Bijou is a Bichon Frise/Maltese cross and is a lovely white fluff ball!  He’s about 14 pounds, is two years old and is in excellent health.

Bijou was surrendered to a pound in Quebec and his time was limited.  He had a very long car ride to our rescue and was fantastic in the cars all the way. Bijou was surrendered because he barked too much, but he didn’t have any training or boundaries to help him to know how to behave.  He was left alone all day, rarely was taken outside and had very little exercise,  and without any kind of stimulation, a young pup is likely to get into trouble and be frustrated!

Bijou is a real character!  He loves to play and will play with toys on his own to amuse himself for long lengths of time.  He also really wants to play with his people.  We are always getting a little nose bop against our legs and we look down and there’s Bijou with a toy he wants us to play with.  At first, Bijou would dive for the toy as our hands reached for it, but we have worked hard with him to understand how to let us pick up the toy without getting a little playful nip.  Bijou will play fetch and never want to stop inside the house!  He also loves to play tug and he always wants to win!  If a treat is stuffed in a snuffle mat, or hidden in a puzzle, this would be a great activity for Bijou because he absolutely loves the challenge of getting treats out of his kong.  He is so smart too, all we will have to say is “Where’s your toy?” or “Where’s your Kong” and he knows exactly where he left it and brings it to you immediately.  If Bijou loses his toy under a piece of furniture, he will let you know!  He remembers where he left things, and if the treat comes out of the kong and goes under the furniture, he will not stop letting us know there’s something he wants. It will be important for Bijou to have a home with people who want to play with him!

Bijou has a beautiful soft white coat that he allows us to brush on a regular basis.  His hair will get matted if you don’t brush him often so it is important to maintain this activity.  He will need to be groomed on a regular basis.  In the winter, he did have sensitive paws if we encountered ice salt, but he was not ready to try booties and that may be something to attempt next winter when he feels settled in his permanent home.  He has had several baths with us in the laundry tub and each time, it has gotten easier.  This is a sign that he has started to settle in and feels secure with us and knows what will happen so he feels less anxious about it.  It is hard to keep a white dog clean in the rainy spring!

In our house, Bijou has really settled in.  He knows to go to the back door to go out, he loves looking out the window, he is welcome on the furniture but usually stays off of it until evening for cuddle time with his humans.  He loves to rest in his little round dog bed or just drops to the floor anywhere he can keep an eye on his humans.  Bijou is crate trained and eats his meals in the crate as well.  He always gets his kong in his crate and when he sees it offered and we say, “treat for bed,” he walks right in the crate and settles in.  We never hear a peep from him through the night.  During the day, he will begin to bark the moment he hears us return, but has learned that the door doesn’t open until he has settled, which now only takes a few moments when he realizes his people are home. When we can’t have eyes on Bijou, he will also get some crate time even when we are home. In our home, Bijou has not attempted to chew anything inappropriately or climb on furniture or destroy anything at all. I’m sure once he is settled into his forever home it won’t be long before he could be trusted to spend time out of his crate for short periods in the house.  

Bijou was surrendered because he barked a lot.  He is an alert barker.  He will bark when he hears anything outside or an unexpected sound inside the home.  It will be important to note that Bijou would not do well in an apartment, condo or townhouse complex.  We have worked on the barking and we are able to distract him and get him to stop a lot sooner than when he first arrived.  This should continue to improve as he matures and it is something his new people will need to continue to monitor and work with him on.

Outside, Bijou enjoys going for walks and will walk forever with you provided we don’t see any other animals!  He would like to chase squirrels, rabbits and birds though so a good grip is needed if he sees one.  We are training him to not chase squirrels on leash walks, but we think any that venture into his yard had better run fast! We walk him on a short leash and he is learning to walk on loose lead right by our side. He loves all the sniffs associated with a walk and really enjoys looking at everything around him.  We don’t believe that Bijou got to go on too many walks in his previous home as everything you would normally associate with a regular walk about town is new to him and he was overstimulated and reacted with over stimulation.  Once we realized this, we shortened his walks for a time to get him used to being outside. Over the last few weeks we have begun to venture further and further from home and he is doing very well.  He is adjusting to all the newness fairly quickly and he certainly is happy to get out and go.  Bijou doesn’t care what the weather is, he is happy to be outside in snow or rain and his curiosity when we have been gardening this spring leads him to sniff around in the dirt and that leads to lots of baths!

Bijou is reactive when he sees other dogs.  He barks, pulls and then gets frustrated with his lead.  He also would redirect out of frustration.  Through a trainers guidance we have learned to understand that Bijou is not a dog that won’t obey us, rather, Bijou is not able to cope with the situation.  He is reacting because he is nervous or scared, needs space and doesn’t know what else to do. After the first few initial walks, we took note of what triggers his reactivity and have worked on creating distance and helping him to respond in a different way. We have been intensely working on Bijou’s reactiveness and it has already improved so much since we began fostering him two months ago.  He still barks, but it is manageable, he settles back down more quickly and he is no longer redirecting in frustration ever. He gets lots of praise for walking along nicely and gets his favourite treats to distract him from a dog that may be walking on the other side of the street.  We still cross the street or turn in another direction but with constant training on walks we hope to teach him how to greet another dog soon. He is very smart and looks for the treats before reacting to a dog now, so he knows that if he is quiet and focused on us that he will be rewarded.  While in our care, Bijou has not had direct contact with other dogs. Whatever the reason for the reactivity is, it’s not something Bijou can overcome on his own and his new people will need to take steps to help him cope.

We have also been teaching Bijou proper manners when meeting new people and he has learned this very quickly.  He came to us out of control and jumping up on everyone he met. Now, he greets people without any issues. We have pretty much erased this behaviour and now he has learned to sit at your feet upon greeting. He is very intelligent and easy to train.  He really wants to please his fosters.  Again, Bijou is only two and is like a puppy who is learning appropriate behaviours.  He is getting a solid base here in his foster home but his new family needs to take over where we leave off to help him into adulthood as a well trained boy. Bijou was never trained or socialized at all for his first 2 years so we are playing catch up now.  He will not be suitable for a 1st time dog owner.  He needs his people to be very confident handlers who can walk him and take charge and offer him the leadership he needs to feel secure. 

Bijou has met a few children older than seven and we monitored him closely.  Keep in mind that he is a young dog who needs training to properly play with kids and he needs time spent with him so he will not be the best dog for a family young children.  Bijou should be the baby of the house and get a lot of focus in training and socializing him to turn him into a wonderful dog.  An adult only home or one with older teens will be suitable for him. 

As we have stated, Bijou is very smart and likes to be busy.  He responds well to training and is treat motivated.  We have discovered some great “smelly” treats that Bijou loves and will do anything for!  He has learned so much with us already: “sit”, “down”, “off”, “sit pretty”, “come”, and we’re working on “give a paw”, and “heel”. Bijou is a VERY smart dog and smart dogs can get into mischief if they are poorly trained or under stimulated.  So much of what Bijou will become is based on the training and socialization he receives now while still young.  In his foster home now, he is being taught leash manners, house training, basic obedience, and that nipping hurts and is not allowed.  He acts like a typical puppy and his prospective owners need to be aware that he is a work in progress.  He is not going to be perfect but he is well on his way. He will definitely benefit from obedience school and his new owners should be willing to take him to class, not only for the training, but for the socialization as well. His owners will need to have the patience and time to raise him and train him properly.  Because he is so smart and he loves to learn we are looking for a family for him who are experienced with obedience work and will commit to taking him to advanced classes and potentially dog sports.  The more you can work Bijou the happier he is.  He is a sport dog in a tiny package!!

Bijou initially didn’t want to eat the dog food that we offered him.  We think this may be because he had been fed human food.  He came around quickly and adding some canned food and broth to his kibble made it more appetizing.  He now eats straight kibble twice a day and prefers to eat it in his crate since that is his quiet place. Sometimes he doesn’t eat until night time when he can enjoy it without interruption. Bijou doesn’t beg at the table when we eat meals.  He does enjoy his dog treats (the smellier the better), and also appreciates lettuce and cucumber too!

What Bijou mostly needs is someone to love him as he has a lot of love to give back.  He needs to never be abandoned again and his next home must be the one he will spend the rest of his life in.  Bijou will make you laugh daily, he is comical! He will become your constant shadow, following you without fail.  He will make you proud when he learns new things and will make you cry when you think back to how close he came to not being anymore. When you know Bijou, you will understand what we mean, he has so many endearing qualities! He just needs someone to help him learn to become the best dog because he is so worth it!  If you are an active person or family who are experienced dog handlers, have a solid obedience training background and are looking for a small dog that can keep up with fast paced, long walks and hikes, this is your dog!  Please tell us about your experience with training dogs in your application and lets see if this is a great fit.