Darby

Darby is a striking young pup with a lot to offer. You will first get sucked in by his handsome good looks and then, after spending some time with him, you will get totally sucked in with his personality. He is a charmer who loves to get some pats and cuddles from his many admirers – he has even been known to sneak in a few cheeky puppy kisses too when you least expect it. Darby is showing us that he is a very intelligent boy who watches and learns about everything going on around him. He often will touch things with his paws as he explores. Darby is fun to play with and enjoys interacting with you or playing tug of war with his siblings. He is bound to bring a whole lot of love and fun to his new family.

The parents of this litter are apparently a cattle dog mixed breed on one side and a small mixed breed on the other. So new owners will need to be prepared for them to be larger small to medium sized dogs. Darby has longer legs and should end up more on the medium size; however, they are mixed breed pups after all so we can’t guarantee that. In terms of energy levels, Darby is currently showing to be more on the active side and is expected to require significant daily exercise and mental stimulation throughout his life. Like any working breed mix puppy, he will need ongoing training to ensure that he learns good doggie manners, and this will also meet some of his mental stimulation needs. Darby would be ideal to crate train and has already started - he actually demonstrates very good impulse control for his age.

While in foster care, Darby has been living with his siblings and a number of adult dogs who have provided a great start to his socialisation. The foster carer has also been ensuring that the puppies are being exposed to a range of things such as hoses, vacuum cleaners, different noises and textures, etc. in a positive way. They have even been to Bunnings and watched traffic going past on the road from the safety of their crate. This positive socialisation and exposure training will need to be continued by Darby’s new family who will need to consider how they can provide these experiences in a controlled manner. Socialisation with other dogs should be started with known friendly dogs in controlled environments rather than dog parks, particularly while the puppies build their confidence in the world.

We are looking for a committed and dog experienced home for Darby who will include him as part of the family and enjoy lots of activities with him. He will need a home with another friendly adult dog who has already been trained up and able to tolerate typical puppy behaviours. Alternatively, he will be able to live as an only dog if his owners are able to provide the appropriate transition, and the required level of mental and physical stimulation on a daily basis by being home more often than not. Darby must be allowed to be inside with the family and will need a warm comfy bed inside to sleep on at night. He is young enough to be integrated with other types of pets with the appropriate training and introductions. Darby is a more switched-on personality so is probably better suited to older more dog savvy children who can partake in his training.

If you are interested in adopting this beautiful boy, then please complete a Dog Adoption Enquiry form on the Fetching Dogs website as the first step. You will need to add plenty of details to your application about your current family members and pets as well as your prior dog experience and the lifestyle you can offer Darby. Only applicants that sound suitable on paper will be put through to the next stage for consideration.