Meet Leo is a 3-year-old boy. We are looking for an experienced home for this lad, someone who is experienced with Dobermanns or large guarding breeds in general.

Leo has had a rough few months, we have now secured him to find him a new home.

He can show some slight anxiety when he first meets new people, so a slow steady confident approach is needed, this is understandable given what he has been through. You will need to build a relationship with him, and with that comes trust but once earnt he will make a wonderful companion.

He will guard the house and alert you, he is a Dobermann. He does not pull on the lead, he walks nicely.

Once he is comfortable he relaxes and will play and interact, after a while he will just wonder off and do his own thing.

He shows no resource guarding, he will wait for toys and food. He has shown no reactivity towards dogs. Unknown with cats.

He has no recall, so a long line and training will be needed, if you can use a secure paddock that would be perfect for him to let off steam.

We have no idea with children so adults only. Although he has shown no reactivity towards other dogs we don’t know if he could live with one so a home all of his own would be great.

If you feel you can offer Leo a new start then please fill out an application.

Leo’s Assessment

Kennel behaviour

When we arrived, Leo was behind a fence in a paddock. I approached the fence and he barked at me in an aggressive manner. This was of short duration however and he was calm when I backed off. We asked for him to be returned to his kennel. Once in there, he showed no aggressive behaviour when we approached and we were able to give him treats through the bars of the kennel. The kennel owner was asked to go into the kennel, put on the lead and bring him out. He showed no reaction and waited calmly for the lead to go on. He exited the kennel block and did not take any notice of myself or Ian, the DRUE Trustee who accompanied me on the visit. He paid no attention to dogs in adjacent kennels. Ian then walked him around the paddock and he was happy to go with him.

Handling

We were cautious with Leo at first to give him time to settle with us. He started to take treats from us and would comply with a Sit cue. After a while, I was able to touch him all over, including tail, feet, ears, muzzle, tummy. He showed no reaction at all. I bumped into him on several occasions and moved quickly round him to test for any reaction but there was none.
Leo does walk quite well on the lead and is fully compliant. He was happy to have the lead on and off and does not pull.
Leo does not recall well. He is not particularly focussed and is happy to go off on his own. He does not respond to recall cues unless you are really close to him and show him a treat.

Sociability

Leo was initially worried when we approached him for the first time but he quickly calmed and showed no negative reactions after that. Leo was calm throughout the assessment and showed good impulse control. He will Wait for toys and food and does not snatch.
He showed no reactivity to other dogs in the kennel block or any other persons that were working at the kennels.
Once he had settled with us, we touched him and handled him more and he was more than happy to be fussed and petted. He enjoyed playing with a ball but did not fetch it straight back. At first, he would not swap for a treat but soon started to understand that he could drop the ball, take a treat and get the ball back. He also enjoyed playing tug but again was happy to relinquish it.

Arousal/Reactivity

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

Leo was not reactive to anything at all in his environment during the assessment, apart from a brief bark at me when I first approached the fence.

Possession

Leo was soft mouthed at all times and did not snatch for toys or food. He was happy to give up items and there was no evidence at all of any resource guarding, whether in the paddock or in the kennel. He actually became bored of toys and dropped them.

Comments

Due to previous concerns and the bad experiences he has had recently, we approached Leo cautiously. He showed some anxiety initially but this was very brief and after that, was calm and approachable at all times. I would describe him as an independent dog who is happy doing his own thing. He is not particularly focussed on people and needs to be motivated to be more willing. Once you have his attention, he will comply with requests and is motivated by treats and toys. At his current kennels, he has not been handled with positive reinforcement methods but he is more than capable of learning and has potential due to his calm manner and good levels of impulse control. Concerns had been raised about his kennel behaviour but there was no evidence of any guarding or any aggressive behaviour in the kennel.
I feel that Leo is a dog who would initially be cautious with strangers but once he got to know someone and settled in a new environment, he would be amenable and sociable. Leo is a large, powerful dog and I would recommend that adopters are experienced with the breed.