Duke is adopted. Duke is a black and tan entire male, he is nearly 3 years old.

Duke is a friendly chap who gets on well with other dogs and takes their social queues well.

He can pull a bit on the lead. He does suffer a little from separation anxiety but his previous owners worked really hard on this and he can now be left for a few hours at a time. He does not like cats and he has not lived with children, so dog savvy children over 12.

Although he has not lived with another dog, we think that he can do so, he will happily play and interact with all the dogs at the rescue.

If you feel you could offer duke a forever home then please fill out an application.

Duke’s Assessment

Kennel behaviour

Duke was very pleased to see us when we approached his kennel. He rushed out but was happy to wait to have his lead attached. He paid no attention to any dogs in adjacent kennels. He pulled on the lead out of the kennel block and down to the paddock.

Handling

Duke was very friendly and sociable and was happy to be petted and touched all over. He showed no reaction to any touching all over his body. He did pull on the lead down to the paddock but on the way back, I worked on teaching him to walk at my side by using food rewards. He was very motivated by the treats and stayed at my side on a loose lead. He was extremely receptive to the training and I believe that any pulling could easily be rectified.
His recall was inconsistent. He did at times come straight to me when called and at other times, when distracted, could be slow to respond. He was motivated to come back to treats or toys.

Sociability

Duke is a happy and pro-social dog. He enjoys play and wants to interact. He played ball, bringing the ball back and releasing for a treat. He also enjoyed a game of tug and this could be very useful as a reward for recall. He showed no anxiety or reactivity to any other dogs or people that he encountered in the environment. He did get a little over excited at times and jump up but this was infrequent. He responded well to cues such as Sit, Down, Wait and Paw. He has excellent impulse control around food and toys. He is very soft mouthed when taking treats and does not snatch.

Arousal/Reactivity

Reactivity on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1 = low & 5 = high)
Reactivity – 0.
Duke was not reactive to anything at all in his environment during his assessment.

Possession

Duke showed no tendency to resource guard. He was willing to drop a ball or the tug in exchange for a treat.

Comments

Duke is a really lovely dog who enjoys interaction with people and wants to play. He showed no negative reactions at all during his assessment. He has clearly had some previous training and responds well to cues. He has excellent impulse control and is very soft mouthed. He does currently pull on the lead but demonstrated that it would be relatively easy to get him to walk on a loose lead. He is very responsive to treats and toys and I believe that he is highly trainable. DRUE volunteers and previous owners report that he does have a tendency to be an attention seeker. It may be that he was not previously well exercised or receiving of enough mental stimulation. Like any dog, he needs to be taught to be self-reliant and to entertain himself. During his assessment, he did show some independent play with toys. Enrichment in daily life with items such as chews, Kongs, lickmats etc should keep him occupied and reduce his need for attention. I feel that Duke would quickly settle into a new home.