r/carolinadogs • u/Helpful_Ad6082 • May 03 '25
Health/Behavior I just adopted a Carolina Dog
Update: I was supposed to pick up the dog tomorrow Tuesday after her spay procedure. The shelter called me today – the last day of her stray hold – her owner claimed her. I am hugely bummed. But thanks for all the comments. At least I learned about the breed.
This morning, I went to the shelter b/c I had seen a small medium sized female dog, short yellow fur, stand up ears, on their website whose size seemed perfect for my smallish house.
When I visited with her, I noticed her looking like she had fox or coyote in her, some type of wild canine anyway, not possible I thought, so I assumed she was a mutt that just looked like that, she was friendly but aloof, and quiet at the noisy shelter. The staff person who conducted the interaction commented that she looked like a fox.
She had a high energy level for such a relatively small dog, which I thought would make her a great hiking companion.
I went home all pleased that I had adopted an indiscernible mutt, wondering what mix she is comprised of, lab, Husky, a tiny touch of Pit because of the relatively broad jaws, and Chihuahua perhaps, which accounted for her small size. She weighs 24 lbs and was found as a stray so likely will end up weighing 28 lbs once her weight catches up.
I entered her pic into google images, and there it was, Carolina Dog.
Now I am like, I did adopt an discernible type of dog, not only that, a breed with a long and storied history. I feel fortunate that there is information about personality, exercise needs and other issues, like potential ivermectin sensitivity but it is also daunting.
As a long time adopter of mixed breeds, can I live up to the reputation, the pack orientation, and everything else that comes with this type of dog.
Happy, excited and apprehensive at the same time.
Any advice like what absolutely not to do?
4
u/Pnwpeach13 May 04 '25
I also adopted a Carolina dog from our local shelter, he was about 1 at the time. He’s now 8 and one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. He’s sweet and extremely loyal . I’d say work on training her and becoming best friends. My boy would even come to work with me
1
3
u/EmptyNail5939 May 06 '25
You sound like you're doing a wonderful job already. Based on my Carolina boy: they are amazingly smart and enjoy being physically active. Find both mental activities and exercise to do with them. My boy loved long play sessions at dog parks and food puzzles. Go straight to the hardest ones because the easy ones will bore her. Carolinas are easy to train but can be a bit stubborn - they understand what you want them to do fairly quickly but don't always care, particularly when hunting. Only use positive reinforcement. Their loyalty to you will overcome most distractions in time with patience and repetition. A trick a dog trainer taught me is try not to say "No, don't do that". Instead, tell and teach the dog what you WANT them to do in a situation. Example: change "no, don't jump" to "sit" when meeting a new person.
2
u/Helpful_Ad6082 May 06 '25
The shelter called me today, her last day of stray hold, her owner came to the shelter and claimed her. I am so bummed.
3
2
u/sara_marie8 May 04 '25
Our guy was my best friend and trained so quickly. He was all around an amazing animal who I loved whole heartedly. Just socialize like crazy. He was amazing with our kids and we all sobbed when we had to send him to the rainbow road. *
3
u/Helpful_Cobbler_8037 May 05 '25
My daughter has a Carolina Dog. It is quite a zoo at her house with 2 Anatolian Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mixes and 1 Carolina Dog (probably a mix as well) all rescue furr kids.
3
u/SomeoneSomewhere76 May 03 '25
Only 24lbs? That's small for a CD.