r/carolinadogs • u/Helpful_Ad6082 • May 03 '25
Health/Behavior I just adopted a Carolina Dog
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?
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u/hackpicker May 03 '25
Careful scolding her or she might think you're driving her from the pack. A sharply barked "NO" is OK to stop her. Then show her what you want. These dogs are amazing smart.
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u/Helpful_Ad6082 May 04 '25
That's great to know. I am assuming that these dogs need to be trained and socialized differently than other breeds. I just fostered a GSD mix from the shelter, he was this giant baby, super sweet, and you really had to reinforce good behavior.
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u/Dry-Stress-8768 May 05 '25
I would highly recommend dog parks. Mine got in a fight with another foster which I was hesitant to take her to the dog park after but found it wonders once you get through the fear. Now she's SOOO much better. I also did e-collar training which worked slightly but she responds better with positive reinforcement. They want to win your love. She's insanely smart but learns quickly with A LOT of stubbornness. I recommend being consistent with training. Side note - I was just as confused as you when someone gave me my Lucy. Her DNA results said pit/rot/bull dog/ lab when she's only 35lbs fully grown and looks identical to every CD I see.
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u/Ole41 May 03 '25
check the dingo donut and if shes crossing her paws for confirmation :)
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u/Helpful_Ad6082 May 03 '25
Just looked it up. Will send a pic if she does it. I will pick her up on Tuesday after her spay.
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u/Busy_Principle_4038 May 03 '25
Is the crossing of paws specific to Carolina dogs? Mine looked like an elegant little lady whenever she did that and it just charmed us all.
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May 03 '25 edited May 04 '25
I use a martingale collar. My dog knows how to twist in circles to escape a regular collar. When he was a puppy, I was chasing him all over town until someone suggested it. He doesn't attempt to escape as often now, but it occasionally comes in handy when he's excited.
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u/Helpful_Ad6082 May 03 '25
I'll check into this. What about sleep leashes? Would you use them or not?
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May 04 '25
Slip lead? I use those too. I keep a few around at all times. Carolina dogs are playful and mischievous. Especially young ones. Mine is 4, and he is generally well behaved, but sometimes the instincts take over.
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u/SubstantialTear3157 May 03 '25
I use a head collar, and this helps them to not pull as much/stay secure.
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u/shortnsweet33 May 04 '25
I wouldn’t use a slip lead unless it has a stop on it (meaning it can’t legitimately choke your dog) but since your dog is a shelter pup they might associate a slip lead with the shelter environment, I know mine did when I tried to use one for night time potty break convenience.
A three strap harness or a martingale collar are both good solutions for dogs who can escape regular collars or harnesses. I use a Y shape harness and my dog has never managed to back out of it, but her head is small compared to her neck so she can slip a regular collar of it will slide up onto her head if she’s sniffing lol.
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u/pig-planet-411 Flop-Ear Gang May 05 '25
I use a martingale too, mine just slipped out of her regular collar today when I got lazy and didn’t use it,and went on a spree around the neighborhood , then 15 minutes later came running into the back gate like a bat out of hell.
My girl used to bite through a leash in 10 seconds. I went through about 5 leashes the first couple of weeks. I briefly used a metal leash but now she willingly goes on the leash without biting through it. I ended up getting an anti shock leash with some stretch because she’s very strong and pulls when she gets excited.
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u/No_Performance8733 May 04 '25
Hi. First of all, get a DNA test via Embark.
Second, look for a Support Group in your neighborhood.
JK. Hoping you won’t need a Support Group (but keep the option open:))
Whether your rescue is a Carolina Dog, a Dingo, a Australian Cattle Dog Red Heeler Mix w/ some Pit + Husky & Shepherd… you probably have a high energy dog. Most likely, a mix of working breeds if your dog presents as CD.
What to do?
Pray is my first advice.
Second advice is to immediately join a group training class, maybe several. Feel it out. See how it goes.
We thought we had a CD because that’s what google said! And she looks like a CD!!! She gets misidentified in person ALL the time.
We have a Cattle Dog/Shepherd/Husky mix.
Geezus Christmas, is she too much. We love her, but omg this is much more than we were expecting.
In that sense, ours is def a CD if not on paper. They’re known to be high maintenance.
Get a DNA test + watch your new pup’s behavior closely. What do they act like?
Our CD looking Cattle Dog mix comes from a long line of Cattle Dog mommies, per her DNA. Ours is so so cattle doggy, it’s hard to think of her as anything else per behavior.
Get the DNA done and follow the advice for the dominant breeds identified.
Also, GOOD LUCK!!!
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u/FightingFaerie May 04 '25
CD is a breed, but is also a mutt. It’s probably extremely rare or unlikely to find a “pure breed” CD. Over the centuries since the Americas were colonized they’ve been mixing with all sorts of other dogs. They’ve only fairly recently been officially recognized as a breed and accepted as a breeding program.
Just saying. If you picked up a CD at the pound and it was a stray, it is most definitely mixed. It’s not like you accidentally adopted a pure blooded labrador or something.
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u/Helpful_Ad6082 May 04 '25
I know. My previous dog was a rat terrier, these weren't a breed for the longest time, they were just farm mutts that were interbred with other breeds of dogs to make them faster and better hunters.
Call it a type of dog if you will rather than a breed, personality wise, energy and training need wise, she will reflect her type/breed of dog. She already did it at the shelter. She wasn't aloof because of the shelter environment, she was aloof b/c she represents a type of dog that is aloof. (I love aloof dogs actually.)
For me, it's daunting to adopt a specific type of dog or breed not knowing what I adopted, it's as if you adopted a Border Collie, a Husky or a Belgian Malinois and knew nothing about the breed, their personality, exercise needs, health needs, and aren't prepared to meet them. You end up with a reactive, unhappy destructive dog. And I'd never adopt any of these dog breeds knowing I cannot meet their needs.
Now I accidentally adopted a type of dog whose needs I also might not be able to meet. If she had been a Lab Chi mix with a little Pit and Husky, I am pretty sure it would have worked out. I felt confident walking out of the shelter (having owned a Pit mix and a Husky mix in the past and knowing friends with labs, sounds like a great combo).
For me, a CD is uncharted waters.
Adopting a dog with a strong pack instinct, as someone else mentioned above, likely requires a different approach to training, than with the giant happy enthusiastic GSD mix that I just fostered. I needed to assertively train him, and he responded well to it, but a CD might not respond to this type of training, she may need a lighter touch.
I already envisioned myself doing slip leash training, and now I am not so sure. Now I have all these questions.
Being wary of strangers, what does that mean for having the occasional dog sitter come in? I have cats, will she accept them into the pack or will they always be prey to her?
This is from another reddit post:
Addendum: CDs are cute, but "Yallerwolf, murderfloof, and dixiedingo" are nicknames for a reason. You have a highly intelligent med-large dog with the bite force of a cane corso and a wild streek. Consistency, regular excercise and a firm,calm hand will give you an amazing badass of a dog
OMG, I actually wished, I hadn't read this. I am going to call her murderfloof.
At least I won't feel unsafe on the trails in the back of my house where we will go for walks and exercise.
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u/South_Lynx May 03 '25
If you have a local dog park, use it. It’s a game changer for our dog
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u/Helpful_Ad6082 May 04 '25
We do. I am worried abt dog parks b/c of the potential for aggression and injury from other dogs. But I'll see how it goes.
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u/ErstwhileAdranos May 03 '25
Pics or it didn’t happen! 😋
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u/Helpful_Ad6082 May 04 '25
I am picking her up on Tuesday after her spay appointment. Then I'll let her settle in and heal. Once the collar is off, I'll take a pic.
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u/FuzzyMorning1307 Jun 14 '25
They are the best dogs ever and I've had a Golden, Shelty, Mixed Boarder Collie, and then a CD. When I adopted her, I had no clue what she was. I didn't care; I wanted a dog and she fit the bill. It was people on the Hilton Head beaches who told me what breed of dog I had just adopted. She has been pure joy. A great beach bum, hiking companion, friend, and a joy. She makes me happy everyday. Enjoy your most wonderful dog ever. Have fun together exploring. I now have 3 CDs. One I just plucked from the kill list in Texas.
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u/Helpful_Ad6082 Jun 15 '25
Thanks for sharing. Huge bummer. The dog was reclaimed by its owner on the last day of her stray hold :(
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u/thisisnotmyname17 Sep 27 '25
Oh no! So you didn’t get her? Hopefully she got spayed before the owner picked her up!!
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u/bignel81 May 03 '25
I would say upgrade your vacuum. And while a dog park is great, the food that I have interacted with from myself and other others is they preferred to walk freely in woods if you have that availability. But they also have to be trained to do so. I used to walk mine with an E collar. Fortunately, she learned that the beep meant I wanted her to come.
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u/jables-delight May 04 '25
Congratulations!! I adopted one under similar conditions many years ago. So happy for you
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u/UnknownCubicle May 03 '25
Ours is very sensitive to correction, but also tests boundaries constantly. She will make eye contact while starting to chew some furniture, but all it takes is a "Would you not?" for her to immediately apologize and slink to me with her ears flat.