This is Hugo a nearly 7 year old castrated male. His owner has sadly passed away.

He is fine with medium to large dogs, not so much with small dogs.

He is strong on the lead but not reactive. He is not good with cats.

Had lived with a 17 month old child. He is overweight which we are now addressing.

He has a most wonderful nature and he is a really nice dog.

He will be available for adoption shortly after his vet check and assessment. If you are interested in him please fill out an application.

Hugo’s Assessment

Kennel behaviour

Hugo exited the kennel calmly and greeted me calmly but confidently. Had lead on calmly and showed no reaction to the other dogs in their kennels. Walked past some smaller dogs outside and Hugo did bark back at them but not excessively.

Handling

No issues shown with being handled. Calm in his demeanour and enjoyed the attention.

Hugo was walked on a double slip lead. Did pull slightly but very responsive to  training/treats. Hugo is strong when he sees something he is unsure of (cats, barking dogs, a horse). Hugo responds to his name and appears to have some recall until over aroused by a horse in the adjoining paddock

Sociability

Hugo passed some dogs who were barking and did bark back at them and did a slight lunge towards them in response. Was able to be  distracted by treats and walked on calmly after this. Hugo greeted me calmly but confidently and took treats very quickly from me. He also played tug with me in the secure area.  Not observed with men.

Arousal/Reactivity

Please give details of reactivity on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1 = low & 5 = high)
Reactivity – 2

Hugo was very excited by treats although he did take them nicely. Hugo showed no interest in a ball that was thrown for him but was very excited to play with a tug toy and did so in a controlled manner. Swapped the tug for a treat with ease. Hugo did bark for treats once he was in the office.

Hugo barked at dogs who were barking at him and did lunge slightly towards them although not in an aggressive manner.

A horse came into the paddock next to the exercise area. Hugo started to run up and down the fence line barking. Could not, at this point, be distracted by a treat or the tug. When back on the lead Hugo continued to bark and lunge at the horse. On entering the office after seeing the horse Hugo was slightly anxious, unsettled and excitable. He was able to take treats in the office but was a little more snappy when doing so than he had been previously.

On going back to the kennel Hugo saw 2 farm cats and again because excited by these and was pulling on his lead.  

When cars passed on the road Hugo did bark but didn’t attempt to chase or get over excited by these. Assessment not done nearer to traffic. Hugo also paid attention to Danielle whilst she was eating but did not jump up or attempt to steal the food.

Possession

Hugo enjoyed playing with the tug toy with me. He was willing to swap this for a treat though. No possessive tendencies noted

Comments

Hugo is a lovely dog who is biddable and enjoys working for treats or the tug toy. He has some level of training and will sit, walk nicely and lie down for a reward. Hugo shows a good level of self control around food and toys although he did bark at me for treats once we were in the office. He didn’t do this outdoors in the secure area. His self control and regulation does lack somewhat around other animals (dogs, cats, horses) when out of the kennel block. It’s my belief that Hugo hasn’t had much in the way of socialisation but he is overall a biddable dog who is eager to please so this could improve once he’s in a home setting and getting regular exercise and stimulation.