Gretchen Pit Bull Terrier Mix Durango, CO

Here's what Gretchen's foster wants to let you know!

Gretchen is such a sweet, smart dog that is full of love! In the shelter, she is a sweet, but very energetic pup. However, once she leaves the shelter her demeanor completely mellows! She is the perfect pit personality: quick bursts of playing (tug of war is her favorite) followed by lots of naps with close cuddles. Gretchen is very confident and secure. She listens well, is polite on the leash (a slight puller but responds well to a gentle leader), and already has basic commands down (knows Sit, Come, and Paw). She is incredibly intelligent and learns quickly. Gretchen would benefit from a secure, active, adventurous home that can offer lots of time for Tug of War as well as loving cuddles. She will lay directly on top of you if she can! With just a little bit of training and patience, Gretchen would make the best life companion. Gretchen also has a great coat and barely sheds.


Everything else we think could help knowing about her:
We got to take Gretchen home for Thanksgiving for a couple of days. Once she got out of the shelter, she immediately settled down. She wasted no time giving us her trust, showering us with kisses and cuddling as close as physically possible. She explored the house and settled in quickly. We put on a movie the first night, expecting she needed some rest from shelter life. She welcomed pets and fought sleep as long as she could, but was out in minutes, snoring quietly. Here's what we've learned about Gretchen being at home:

she has a great balance of independence and loyalty. She'll hang out in the yard happily on her own, and will also enjoy following you around the house.
She's a big sun bather
She loves tug of war more than anything
She is incredibly food/treat motivated and also responds really well to praise
Gretchen is incredibly smart. She picks up training very quickly, and knows Sit, Paw, Lay Down, and Come.
She didn't bark once at neighbors or fellow dogs, just wagged her tail and kept on her way
On walks:
she can pull a bit at first but settles in really well after a couple of blocks. She responds to the gentle leader well too!
LPCHS warned about her biting at her leash, but we didn't experience any of that outside of the shelter.
She greets
She loves human affection. When on the couch, she is right next to or literally on top of us, and at night she curls in close by your feet or even with her head on your chest.
She LIVES for tug of war.
She is so gentle. Even taking treats, bones, or playing, she takes food and She plays very gently
Aside from playful growls and barks while playing, we didn't hear a peep from her; no barking at neighbors or guests
We didn't get any direct interaction with other dogs, but passed a lot of pups on sidewalks. She never growled, lunged, barked etc. She would stay by our side or excitedly pull toward them, but come back when called away. She wagged her tail at people and dogs each time we passed.


Things to be prepared to train:

she loves playing keep away - she is still very gentle, but it would be beneficial for you for her to know a "leave it" or "drop" command so she easily knows when it's play time or not
She can pull on the leash just a little bit
She has some self soothing behaviors: gnawing on her bed until she falls asleep (no holes, just licks and nibbles and gnaws)