My name is Wookie!

Wookie is such a little sweetheart. He is always so excited to see you, but understands the concept of personal space and is rarely underfoot. He loves belly rubs and cuddles and being held, but he's also got a little bit of an independent side. He definitely thinks he is top dog. If you are a Star Wars fan, he definitely looks like a miniature Wookie when he's on his back and his hair is shooting out all over the place! Wookie is a young dog approximately a year old and currently weighs 13 lbs.

Wookie seems to be perfectly healthy. He does have dry skin making him fairly itchy, but I think a bath and some TLC has helped it a lot already in the week he's been in foster care. Wookie acts like a 1 year old. His teeth appear to be new and healthy, so I imagine his adult teeth have come in within the last 4-6 months. Wookie is a low energy dog. He does like to play a bit, but doesn't go out of his way to initiate play usually. In the backyard he will run around but usually wants to come back inside after a few minutes (though it is fairly cold out, so I usually want to head back in too). A couple of walks or backyard play a day should be adequate exercise for him. He should also have some chew toys in the house so that he has something to chew on if he starts to feel restless.

Wookie does not shed, and if he does, it is very little or in the spring only. After brushing, I noticed no hair in the brush. However, if you are looking for a no-shed dog due to allergies, Wookie does bother my allergies a little bit. I have fairly bad allergies though (poodles and wheatens still bother me a lot) and I believe my allergies to Wookie are related to his dry skin which seems to be clearing up. If you have milder allergies or no carpets in the house then I think Wookie would be fine.

Wookie has shown no aggression to anyone. He does bark when strangers enter the house, but as soon as they get within sniffing distance he is wagging his tail and jumping up to say hello. He has never been introduced to children but he pays them no special attention when walking by them on the sidewalk. I can't imagine he would have a problem with them in the house. He will play growl at me in the yard which might be confused for aggression, but it is definitely a play growl. He has not shown shyness towards anyone. He is very friendly and loves new people. My dog is not pushy with his play, and I think this has helped Wookie a lot with settling in and becoming comfortable. If one of them tries to play and the other rejects it, that is the end of it - the other dog does not keep pushing and that has been good for Wookie. I also think a bigger dog would be better as a companion rather than a smaller dog. He has never been around any cats, but I think he would be okay with them. If he wasn't, he is small enough that he would quickly learn to be! Wookie has some crate anxiety, and as I always leave him in his crate when he is home alone he always starts barking and whining when I am leaving. I think he would be okay if he was left loose, as I leave home before my partner is out of bed and leave him loose those mornings. Wookie doesn't know my partner is home and in these situations he is well behaved. Wookie has not shown fear towards anything. We live on a very busy main road, and trucks and cars have not affected him. He doesn't like baths, but he isn't particularly afraid of them and he actually puts up with them very well.

Wookie loves to roll over on his back and play with you, paws up in the air trying to catch your fingers. He also loves to be in this position while playing with other dogs, leaving the other dogs to stand over him while he bites them from under their chins. He also loves to bite other dogs' legs while playing with them, it's his favourite spot to (play) attack from! He really likes to chew on his rubber tug toys, or sit there chewing on an antler. He also loves to just curl up and have a nap. He would gladly do it beside you if he was allowed on furniture (which he isn't in our house, but he's definitely tried!), but in our house he is usually sleeping on a dog bed or under a table. Sometimes he likes to watch tv too if there is something particularly good on at the time, like a cat. He also LOVES to be scratched and makes these hilarious little noises when you are doing this - because he loves to be scratched so much, he also likes to be brushed! This will make grooming fairly easy for his new family. Wookie is usually fairly quiet in the house. If there is a loud noise outside then he will start barking, but otherwise he is quiet. In the yard, he will bark when chasing my dog. He is also fairly noisy for the first few minutes after he goes into his crate. I believe with time if an owner wanted to continue with crate training that this would decrease. He is already learning to settle down more quickly at night while in it.

Usually Wookie is very good in the home. He hasn't chewed on anything that he shouldn't, though one time he did find a button on the ground and tried to eat it - luckily for me he spit it out quickly and I was able to pick it up. He has never jumped on top of a table, but one time I left the room with a plate of pasta on a low table and Wookie gobbled up as much as he could by the time I came back into the room. He also got into my dog cookie jar that I had left open by accident and on a low table again. This food was within reach of him though, I am not sure if he would jump up on to a normal sized table to get at food. However, he has been found sleeping on my kitchen chairs, so in situations like this the kitchen table is easily within reach. I think it would be best to just make sure no food is left out around him. Other than this, he hasn't done anything that he shouldn't within the house.

Wookie came to us not knowing any commands. We are working on sit, wait and NO, but these need a lot more work. A new owner will have to be prepared to go through all basic training with Wookie. He is fairly food motivated though and I don't think this will be very difficult. Wookie has had a couple of accidents in the house but it was after he had stolen the cookies so I am not thinking that this is a problem as long as he is let our regularly and food kept out of his reach. Wookie walks fairly well on a leash. Sometimes he resists if he does not want to go somewhere or if something smells really good, so he would benefit from more leash training. I think a harness would also be useful for convincing him to move along in these circumstances. Wookie would definitely bolt out the door if given the chance. Our apartment is set up so that there are stairs to climb down before going out the door, and this creates sort of a barrier for me to say 'no' if he tries to follow me down them. He does stop, but if I allowed him down to the bottom of the stairs into the foyer and opened the door he would definitely be gone. We are working on 'wait' at the open door, but this still needs work. Wookie enjoys car rides but he jumps up to the front and also jumped up on to the back shelf behind the rear seats. An owner might want to consider crating him while driving.

Wookie is an awesome little pup who will make a new family very happy. He loves to cuddle and play but also loves to just snooze if that's what you feel like doing. He has a beautiful shiny coat, and the cutest little Wookie face. I think Wookie would be best in a home with a low energy level, but where someone would still be willing to play with him a little bit every day. Kids would be fine, as long as they didn't expect Wookie to be the fetching, soccer playing type of dog. He would do fine in an apartment if the owner was not planning on crating him, however if crating was too continue then I don't think an apartment would be suitable as he can be very loud. As long as he got adequate walks every day then I don't think a yard is necessary. I think he would be best as an only dog, but he would still benefit from (and love!) socialization and play dates with other dogs if this were the case. Wookie is an adorable, fairly easy going little pooch, and will meld into most situations though! He will just need someone who can be patient and willing to teach him everything from scratch.

If you think Wookie would be a good choice for your family, please submit an application for consideration.