Character design concepts part 1

I thought now would be a good time to show the progress of the character designs for the dog. He's the antagonist in my script who enters the man's life and disrupts it by destroying his belongings and generally just being a nuisance. Below is the dog on which my character is based; the most hyperactive, smelly, slobbering dog i know.


Below are a selection of possibly designs, although I'm not happy with any of them. Starting from the top. This is too 'cartoony', it wont fit my aesthetic and also is too reminiscent of Belleville Rendezvous' dog. Below that is probably my favourite of the group, it has a mixture of appeal and a strangeness I'm going for. Finally, this is just a straight drawing of one of my reference pictures, it doesn't have much appeal but is closer to the aesthetic I'm looking for.I don't think any of my designs have really captured the dogs personality, they are all looking a bit old and tired. I'll continue with the concept drawings, working on the face to give him the kind of crazy expression which relates to his character.