Meet Duke, the dog who has take my couch hostage

Duke came out of the shelter and joined my family which consists of a 5 year old little boy, two 7 year old labs, and a hedgehog. Duke is a very submissive to my two labs and gets along with any dog I have introduced him to. He is a perfect fit in our home. Duke it house broken, crate trained, knows basic commands, gentle taking treats, playful, and just an over all joy. When I go to work I put him an XXL plastic crate. He has never had an accident in his crate while with me. But I do believe he would do just fine out of his crate while I was at work. 

While at the shelter Duke was refered to as a "Pocket Pit", due to him being smaller than the normal pit. Although I really think he is part bunny rabbit. The height and length he can jump while running is impressive and comical.

Duke has this internal switch that just turns his energy level on and off. He is calm and relaxed in the home. Wants to sit right next to you on the couch or lay in bed with you and take a nap. He isn't running around bouncing off the walls or knocking stuff over. When we go for a walk he does spectacular on the leash and I have stepped up the walk to random spurts of joggging and he great with that too. But when we are in the backyard it is GO TIME!!! hahaha.. He runs, flies, leaps, and bounds. He will chase you then do a 4 paw stop and dodge to the right when you stop running. He doesn't fetch sticks but will chase down his knuckle bone if you throw it (see pictures of him andh is knuckle bone).

Duke is a quiet dog. I can count on 1 hand how many times I have heard him actually bark. Even when he is barked at by other dogs he just looks at them. He does a low grumble if he hears something while we are in bed at nighttime.

Below are the notes from when he had his behavior assessed at the shelter and he has showed the same behaviors here at my home:

Per Our Professional Trainer:  In the kennel, Duke came forward in a calm and friendly manner.  When eye contact was made, he remained relaxed and friendly.  When spoken to, he stood quietly looking at you.  On the leash, Duke walks calmly without pulling.  Walking through the kennels, Duke was relaxed and friendly towards the other dogs (he previously lived with a female pit-bull and was submissive to her).  When taken off-lead, Duke immediately came over and solicited attention in a calm manner.  When spoken to and stroked, he responded in a calm and friendly manner and solicited more attention.  Duke allowed his teeth to be examined without any difficulty.  During his body-handling test, Duke remained calm and relaxed throughout and displayed no sensitivities.  When placed in a vet-tech hold, Duke enjoyed the interaction.  When his food bowl was taken away, Duke immediately stopped eating and looked at you.  When startled by a sudden loud noise, Duke cowered but quickly returned to normal.  During his crate-test, Duke entered the crate easily and, once inside, was calm and relaxed.  Duke already knows the command “sit” and appears to be at least partially housebroken.

“VERY nice boy – a good companion.  Could use some confidence.  NO harsh correction methods.  GOOD dog!”