Dwayne

My story

Let me introduce you to Dwayne. This loveable fluff is an 8mth old St Bernard mix who is one of those simple minded, happy dogs who just never have a bad day. Dwayne is a big puppy, currently 80lbs and growing. He has huge feet to grow into so will likely be around 100lbs if not more, when fully filled out in a couple of years. Dwayne is a constant tongue lolling, happy, drooling friend who thinks everything is awesome. He doesn’t have deep thoughts and as such takes great pleasure in all things…he just doesn’t have the worries, anxieties or fears that other dogs may have. Dwayne enjoys all life’s simple pleasures and is a loveable dude for it. Dwayne came to us from an overcrowded shelter where he was an unclaimed stray. He was quite happy to be in a kennel in the shelter, having never had a bad day, pleasures can be found in the barest of accommodations, but when he came to his foster home he was equally pleased with a cozy house, a large yard and daily walks and play time. He is an easy dog to please and doesn’t ask for much. Dwayne came to us with some basic training and made himself a welcome house guest. He is fully crate trained and quite likes his XL crate. He sleeps in there at night and will sleep a whole night through without a peep. He also is crated when we aren’t home and he is calm and quiet, sleeping peacefully while we are away. He knows some basic obedience like “sit”, “down” and “shake a paw”…you have to watch that paw tho..it comes fast and it’s a big one and he could take down a man easily with a hearty good boy paw shake. Dwayne’s “needs work” is general manners. Although the friendliest of dogs…not a bit of aggression in this boy…it is apparent that his prior owner never taught him manners so Dwayne is mouthy and sometimes jumps up and he also likes to grab his leash or your drawstring or anything dangly. Now these are just puppy behaviours, but with an XL puppy, they are very much unwanted behaviours, and so are being actively worked on while in foster care. Dwayne can be a bit much when greeting people or when excited and this is where the mouthing behaviours are most prominent. New friends need to greet him in a calm manner and not get him amped up. Because of his size most people don’t recognize that he is a puppy and he gets easily excited and because he is such a handsome, fluffy, appealing boy, people’s general reaction to him is one of excitement and eagerness to greet him, so we need to intervene and coach others about calm greetings. Dwayne’s puppy antics are a work in progress and we will be looking for a person or family for him that are experienced in large dogs, particularly training large dogs, and are very dedicated to obedience work and training this happy pup. Dwayne is 8mths old, but giant breed dogs mature slower than other dogs so he is mentally and emotionally much younger and acts as such. The good news is, he is all love and affection and has no ill intention in jumping up or grabbing someone’s hand with his mouth, he just is still learning that this isn’t how good dogs greet others. He will get there. He is going to be an awesome dog given just a bit more time and training. Dwayne will be best suited at this time for a home without children or visiting children. Give him 2 years to fully mature and he will be an excellent family dog so would make a good dog for a couple planning on having kids in a few years, or a good fit for an adult only home without plans for kids. Right now though he needs to not have the extra stimulation and excitement that comes from kids. Until he fully learns his manners, he is too big of a mouthy puppy to be around kids. He also won’t be suitable for a home with elderly persons in it as he is completely unaware of his size and would easily knock over anyone unstable on their feet. Dwayne lives with other dogs in his foster home and is dog friendly. He is a lot of dog though and is not a suitable dog for a home with small dogs or elderly dogs. Being the only dog in the home would allow his people to give him all their focus and devote their time to training and that would be ideal. He could go to a home with a well-trained and well mannered large dog who really enjoys wrestling and running and having a big galoot of a friend who will be all up in their business. Dwayne thinks everyone and everything needs to be his new bestie and needs regular reminders in his foster home that he is being too much with his foster brother. He should not go to a home with a cat in it. There are cats in Dwayne’s foster home that are very dog savvy, but again, Dwayne is a lot, and he thinks cats are AWESOME and he wants to sniff them really close up and follow them really close and they don’t enjoy that. He will absolutely chase a cat that runs from him and he thinks cats are great playmates…and cats don’t think he is great..so best to avoid this dynamic. Dwayne is very quiet and we haven’t heard him bark yet. He is also a low to moderate energy dog and although he has puppy bursts of energy, he is easily tired out with some ball play in the yard or a short walk. He would certainly love a house with a good sized back yard for ball play, but he would do equally well in pretty much any home, and can even be an apartment or condo dog. He prefers going for walks to get his potty business done and so a fenced yard is not a requirement. He is low key in the home and likes to chew his Nylabones or other chew toys, lying close by wherever his person is. He is a dog that follows his person everywhere and so is a constant companion in the home. He is being taught to walk on a Gentle Leader head halter for better control when walking and to work on the leash grabbing. He is doing well with this. He is generally a very easy dog to walk and does like to walk right at your side. The Gentle Leader is just for those moments when something catches his attention and he wants to pull towards it. He is a very strong dog when he wants to be so it allows great control. He is generally tho a very good walker and walks with Dwayne are quite enjoyable. Dwayne is also very good in the car and is a quiet traveler who loves to go on adventures. He needs to be secured in the car so he doesn’t end up on your lap, but once secured, he goes along for the ride happily. Dwayne is neutered, fully vaccinated, chipped, heartworm and lyme tested and more. He is a very healthy dog and was good at the vet…when he wasn’t trying to mouth the vet or grab the stethoscope. He does tho have poor confirmation on his back end so has a bit of a turn in of the hocks. This doesn’t affect him and he can run, walk, jump without issue. He also has low grade hip dysplasia in his right hip. No intervention is needed and he has no pain issues and good mobility. It may cause him some arthritic pain later in life and he may need to go on a pain medication to help with this should it ever become a soreness for him. We currently have him on a glucosamine supplement as general maintenance. Dwayne is eating a top quality dog food and he is a good eater. He is a VERY sloppy drinker tho and so anyone interested in Dwayne needs to be ok with a rubber mat or other catch all container under his water bowl as this dog loves to make a mess when drinking and for as much as he gets in, the same amount of water ends up on the floor. Of course when done drinking, with his dripping jowls, he feels that this is the best time for cuddles and licks. We have gotten used to drool on our clothes as a regular occurrence with Dwayne around. Combine this with the St Bernard fur shedding and Dwayne certainly isn’t the dog for the house proud who can’t have anything out of place or marred with fur or drool. We just think this all adds to his character and makes him even cuter!! Dwayne is such a fun and loveable goofball of a dog. He loves everyone, men in particular, and he is such a happy dog. He takes to his training well and really wants to be a good dog…it just takes a lot of repetition. Dwayne was blessed with extreme good looks, but is a bit lacking in the brains department so he needs his people to be patient and know that dog training is all about repetition, positive reinforcement, and putting the time and work in. We have started his manners training and are consistent with what we expect from him and consistency is key. We need his adopters to fully embrace his training and take over where we leave off so that Dwayne can be his very best self. Extra large dogs take longer to mature so Dwayne wont be fully mature, emotionally and physically until almost 3yrs of age, so time is needed to train him well, and teach him what is expected of him. If you are a lover of fluffy, big, slobbery dogs who resonate happiness then Dwayne may be the dog for you. We know that giant breed dogs cost more to feed, and vet care is more for them, and they don’t live as long as the smaller dogs do, but giant breed dogs give back so much love, and are such devoted companions. Dwayne is looking for his life’s partner. He will be a devoted companion to the lucky person(s) who get to adopt this sweetheart. Could that be you? Name: Dwayne ID # PDR1415 Age: 8 mths Gender: male Neutered: yes UTD vaccines: yes Breed: St. Bernard X Colours: red and white Coat length: med House trained: yes Special needs: no OK with kids: no OK with cats: no Ok with dogs: yes Status: adoptable Microchip: yes Size: X large Location: Drumbo Adoption fee: $900

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Dwayne, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.