My name is Harley!

Harley is an intelligent, friendly, and overall awesome pup.  He loves everyone and is full of fun.  All he needs is a family to help him continue gaining skills and who will love him and find outlets for his puppy energy.  He is smart, learns quickly, and loves the challenge of learning new things, making him an excellent candidate for obedience classes.  Harley is approximately 9 months old and currently weighs 48 lbs.

Here is what Harley's foster family had to say about him:

This pup will melt your heart with his adorable face and puppy attitude! Harley loves to play, tug-a-war is his favourite, and can't get enough cuddles. He has been an energetic pup and very curious, nose always to the ground smelling on walks.  Harley is in great health. No concerns to note.  Harley's energy level is high. He has lots of puppy energy! He needs a couple of good walks every day and a training session to try and tucker him out. (We have found working on learning commands such as sit and down which require him to use his brain will wear him out as much as a good walk).  Harley seems just like a 9 month old.  Harley is moderate shedding. We haven't found that he has shed a lot with us. 

Harley has met both adults and very young children (ages 1 and 3) and greeted them with love and affection! He doesn't shy away from meeting someone new. He can be on the rambunctious side when he gets excited, but would be a good fit for a younger/active couple or family.  There isn't a shy bone in this pup's body towards people. Floors however are a different story. Harley did not like our hardwood floors when he first came into our house. With a couple of strategic carpets, it made a big difference. After a few days, Harley is walking on almost all of the hardwood floors now. 

Harley hasn't shown any aggression while playing or towards people. He has a low grumble when playing but it's just excitement from all the fun he is having!  Harley has met two other dogs so far. A 8 year old female and one year old female. He just wanted to play the whole time they were together! He is still learning manners but playing with another dog was a great way to burn off some of his energy. He will bark at other dogs passing by while out walking on leash and will pull in their direction.  We don't have any access to cats so we have no idea how he would be with them but probably would just want to play so would need to be a dog savvy cat.  

As previously mentioned, Harley is not the biggest fan of slippery floors such as hardwood, but is very quickly working on this fear. His excitable puppy attitude causes him to slip and slide on these surfaces which he doesn't like so he is working on being calmer while on these floors.  Being a puppy, Harley loves everything! Playing tug of war is his game of choice, but also enjoys long walks on trails followed by a game of fetch and then some good cuddles before bed.  He has typical puppy energy currently, so he can get excitable. When he is not napping he is roaming around sniffing and just doing what puppies do.  For the most part Harley has been quiet in the home, but when he really wants attention he will bark at you until you comply. When someone is at the door he will alert you to their presence with just a few barks like a great little guard dog.  

Harley is working on his house manners, such as not to put his paws up on the counters in hopes of finding something delicious to snack on. However he will help you clean up the house if you leave any socks on the floor or mittens. He will gladly pick them up for you and relocate them, or he will make any dropped food disappear in the blink of an eye.  One of Harley's best features is how smart he is. He knows the basics pretty well such as sit, lie down, go to bed, and we are working on drop it and shake a paw. Before we go outside he will sit until told to go out and won't eat his dinner until being told as well.  I would say Harley is mostly house trained, however he has not figured out how to signal us or we have not figured out his cue to go outside and he has had a few accidents, mostly while excited about meeting someone new. We are able to leave him in his crate over night or while at work with no accidents.  

Harley is fairly well crate trained and has no issue settling into his crate when we ask and say "go to bed".  He is in the crate while we are at work for roughly 8 hours with no incident or barking. When Harley first came to our house, he went right into his crate once we had it set up, so he usually goes in and out of it while we are home.  Walking well on a leash is a work in progress. Harley does like to pull and sniff everything while outside and will try and lead you in a different direction than you may have originally planned. We think with consistent training he would be a great walking or running partner.  We don't have a fenced yard so we cannot say what Harley might do if left unattended in a backyard. I would assume if left too long on his own he would find ways to entertain himself that may not be as entertaining to the owner of the backyard. We were able to take him to meet a new dog friend in a fenced yard and he absolutely loved the freedom to run at top speed. He loves to run and we believe he would thrive with a fenced in yard. Harley does sit before we open the door to go outside but would most likely bolt if not on a leash or have a fenced in yard available.  Harley is still figuring out car rides. He hops in and out of the car easily but doesn't tend to settle for some time. Have a few treats or toys ready and he settles quicker. 

Overall, Harley has been an awesome house guest! His affectionate, happy attitude will make him an awesome addition to a family!  We think Harley would thrive in an active family where there are lots of activities and people to play with! He is a busy guy when he isn't challenged and potential adoptive parents need to stay calm as being a puppy of nine months will test your patience!  Having previous dog experience or willing to take Harley to obedience classes is a must to help him master his skills as a capable and confident family member.

If you think Harley would be a good fit for your family, please visit our main website at http://www.uglymuttsdogrescue.com and submit an adoption application.