Tanner

Meet Tanner a 3 year old Shorkie (yorkie/shih tzu mix). Tanner is a lovely black and tan little guy with fur more like the silky hair of a Yorkie. This makes him a very low shedding breed.  He weighs about 11lbs.  Tanner has a big personality that endears him to all he meets. He has a compact sturdy little body with beautiful brown eyes and a happy smile. Tanner is a shorter nosed breed and therefore is a bit more susceptible to the heat. 

Tanner came to us from a Quebec shelter where he was an unclaimed stray.  The minute Tanner arrived at our place he made himself right at home and showed little distress from his time in a shelter.  His behaviour is that of a typical young adult with energy to spare. Normal household sounds do not faze him at all.  He is also very comfortable walking around the neighbourhood on his daily walks. He loves all people he meets and is dog friendly if a little vocal with them.  Tanner will just need a family ready to continue his journey to becoming the best dog he can be.

Tanner does like to express his opinion and can be quite vocal so he would not be suitable for an apartment or home with a shared wall. His ideal home would be one with a secure yard. It doesn’t need to be a large yard, just somewhere to explore and play.  He is not a barker for no reason but will vocalize when he hears a noise outside or gets excited about something.  He will quiet down fairly quickly when the distraction has passed or the excitement has been calmed.  Out in the yard he will bark at the neighbours dog if she barks at him but again he can be distracted away from the fence and will go on about his business. Tanner is a happy-go-lucky little guy who enjoys his daily walk with his foster siblings. He gets a 30 minute walk or so on a daily basis along with some outdoor play time in the yard. His leash skills will need some work as he is a bit of a puller.  He likes to lead the charge and we have been working on getting him to walk without pulling.  This is still a work in progress and is something his forever family will need to continue working on. For a small dog Tanner can jump quite high and has jumped over a baby gate in the house as well as an x-pen of about 2.5 feet.  For this reason it is very important to make sure he is in a securely fenced yard to prevent escape.  When out and about it is important to have him securely leashed for his safety.

Tanner is an affectionate dog without being clingy.  He will jump on your lap for a snuggle but within a few minutes he will jump down to go exploring around the house or find his favourite place to have a snooze.  Tanner is also an expert climber.  He will jump up on the back of the couch or even a table if you don’t stop him.  He is fearless this way. Due to his love of jumping and climbing Tanner would be an ideal candidate to try agility with.  It would be great for him to have a family that is committed to advanced training and agility as this will do so well for him.  He is a small dog, but he is a highly motivated dog for training and for activity.  He may not be the fastest guy on the block but he will love the jumping and climbing. Tanner enjoys his chew bone and will occasionally pick up a stuffed toy but does not spend a lot of time playing with it. He will play tug of war with one of his foster siblings on occasion.

Tanner is house trained. He signals by running towards the door but does not bark or give other cues. So it is important for the family to keep their eye on him to prevent accidents.  Tanner has had a bath and grooming session since coming to our house and has handled both with little fuss but he does fidget.  Due to the type of fur (hair) he has he needs to be brushed daily to avoid knots in his hair. Alternately he can be groomed with a short hair cut every 4 – 6 weeks to avoid matted hair.  Tanner has been crate trained.  Occasionally it will take him a minute to settle in but once he does that he will sleep quietly through the night. He also spends time in his crate during the day if we are out or unable to supervise him.  He will usually vocalize for a couple minutes but then settle down and go to sleep.  He regularly will go take a nap in his crate with the door open. Currently Tanner eats his meals in his crate and he generally finishes all his food. Tanner also rides in his crate in the vehicle and is quiet with no indication of car sickness.

Currently Tanner lives with several other dogs of similar size, a couple cats and a couple parrots.  He shows absolutely no interest in the birds.  Likewise he has little interest in the cats and leaves them alone.  He does play with one of the dogs closest to his age and likes to wrestle and play tug of war with him.  Tanner is just as happy amusing himself with a chew toy on his own.  Tanner would do fine with a doggy companion of similar size and temperament.  However a doggy companion is not necessary in his forever home. On walks Tanner will generally walk past other dogs without comment but if they bark at him he will bark back.  A quick correction with the leash will get him moving again.

Tanner has not had much exposure to children in his foster home but he does enjoy the company of people so children over 8 should not be a problem as long as they respect his boundaries.  Younger children could be knocked over by Tanner’s exuberance.  Tanner also feeds off the energy of people around him so if the children are playing wildly he will join in with enthusiasm.

Tanner has mastered the sit command and he also likes to sit pretty for a treat.  He is a smart dog and a quick learner.  He will greatly benefit from obedience training and should be a quick study.  Obedience training is a requirement from PDR and it will greatly help to form a bound between Tanner and his forever family.

Tanner has had all his required vaccines and been tested for parasites and heart-worm. He has been neutered and micro-chipped as well.  When he was in for his neuter it was discovered that he had crystals in his urine and he was put on a special diet plus antibiotics. This typically happens if a dog is fed low quality foods, which is why we only feed top quality food to the dogs in out care.   He did not have bladder stones. Tanner has had a follow up urine test and it came back clear.  So he most likely had a UTI.  In order to prevent future occurrences of crystals in the urine it is important to keep Tanner on a high quality diet. Otherwise, Tanner is in good health as would be expected from a dog of his age.

Tanner is a fun loving, energetic and happy-go-lucky little fellow.  He loves meeting people and is a joy to be around.  He has the right mix of energy and chill.  Tanner is up for a nice walk of 30 minutes or so but is equally as happy to lie near you while you watch TV or are outside working in the garden. Tanner is ready to find his perfect home, could that be yours?