Bennie and Baxter

Ask about Bennie and Baxter

My Tale

About our dogs

Their names are Bennie and Baxter, they are both males from the same litter. Their mother was a Jack Russel and their father a miniature Daschund, they are effectively first generation cross breeds. They were born roughly in February 2014 and are currently 6 years old. 

Because they grew up together and inside complexes and estates in South Africa they are not socialized with other dogs or cats. Because they are brothers from the same litter they also very dependent on each and they have their own little pack. 

They were brought up as house/companion dogs, they are extremely well house trained and will always ask to be let out side if they need to do their business. They have always slept inside and most nights they make their way into our bed. 

They have been create trained as part of the preparation to bring them here and we will often have them sleep at least a portion of the night in their Crates. They are however left outside during the day when we are not there and have a dog house they sleep in and they tend to roam the yard from time to time. They both respond to basic commands like Sit, Down (Lie Down), Stay and Leave. 

We have never tried to walk them off leash as Bennie tends to run and not look back, so our fear of losing them has not allowed us to take the chance with off leash.

Both dogs are extremely healthy other than some allergies to the grass here that seems to cause some itching and scratching, but we have gotten medication for this and a shampoo that seems to help quite a bit. They have always only eaten Eukanuba, we sometimes mix this with a wet food as a nice treat. We don’t give them any human food other than some fruits (They absolutely love Mandarins) and veggies( Peas, green peppers,carrots), but this is doen done on a regular basis and only one or two at a time, never as a meal. We also give them 3 pellets each of Hills oral care everynight for their teeth and this has helped a lot and their teeth look amazing.

Rehoming hopes

Ideally the new home should not have additional dogs or cats until such time as the new home can socialize them effectively (To be honest, I think the new home will have a completely different experience with socializing than we have had and I am confident that they will be able to do it quite easily).

They are ok with kids, but would not recommend a house with a baby or toddlers. 

The new owners must want companion dogs, our dogs have always spent their days with us and love lying on the couch and having a cuddle with us.

Bennie in a nutshell

Bennie is bit skinnier and taller than his brother and normally weights between 8.8 and 9.8 kg

He is an explorer and loves running around the yard and sniffing at everything

He loves people, but is a bit more scared of the world and all the strange things in it

He does not love playing fetch, but his favorite game is keep away and he loves to run fast

He is very smart and learns a bit faster than his brother, he is also much more food motivated and you can keep his attention much easier with treats

He is more fear re-active than his brother and tends to be the first to bark

If he does not have us around he tends to shut down and hide in his dog house outside

He is also our little watch dog, he will often sit and look outside and bark at people or animals walking by

Bennie absolutely loves tummy scratches and any other love you can give, he will often come stand next to or on you to ask for love

He also likes lying on top of you like a baby in your arms

Bennie also loves finding a nice sunny spot and lying there to bake

Bennie is also a stress eater, so he will often run to his bowl if something stressfull ahs happened to eat a few pellets, this also means that if you are outside with him where he feels scared and you have treats you can easily get his attention

Bennie tends to be a bit stubborn, so if you call him or tell him No, he will often ignore you or still try to do something

Bennie also loves chewing on sticks and destroying plush toys

Baxter in a nutshell

Baxter is a bit shorter and stockier than his brother (We joke and call him the Jock of the family)

Baxter is a bit of lazy bones and he loves lying on the couch and sleeping most of the day, he is not as active as his brother

Baxter is a bit more skeptical of people in general and tends to bark when new people come into the house, this does sometime scare some people

He is much less fear reactive and he tends to ignore outside sounds and not respond to what is happening outside (We normally say Bennie likes people, but is scared of the world and Baxter does not like people, and does not really care about the world)

Baxter absolutely loves playing fetch and his red ball is his favorite thing in the world, if he can sleep on the couch and have 30 minutes of fetch everyday, he is a happy dog, you can distract Baxter from anything with a ball

Baxter takes a bit more effort to learn something new and we have also noticed that he struggles more to learn outside because he is less food motivated then his brother

Baxter is less reactive and tends to only react after his brother, but Baxter tends to be the one that charges at another dog (Daschunds don’t know their size)

He is also what we called the Velcro dog, Baxter normally has to be close to you and preferably just touching you

Baxter is prone to developing habits and struggles sometimes when habits are broken, so he has a specific spot where he eats his dental chew and if he can’t sit there he won’t eat it, he also asks to play ball almost exactly the same time everyday

Baxter tends to be more confident when we are not around (I have a camera at home to watch them) and he tends to stroll around more during the day and lie outside their house

He will also sometimes bark at something, but if you say no to Baxter he will stop, where his brother will often ignore you

Baxter tends to be more obedient and if you tell him no he will stop immediately (Except when he wants to play ball, he will keep asking)

Baxter does not like being scratched or rubbed as much, but loves just being close to you, he wants to be near you, but not necessarily touched

Baxter also loves being tucked in and under a blanket, he will always try to climb in under his blanket on the couch or the bed.

If you would like to apply to adopt Bennie or Baxter please email support@friendswithtales.co.nz or Text Only 021 664 054 for an application form to be sent to you. 

You must own your own home to apply or have a written letter from your landlord stating you may have a dog. 

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