Paddy is a lovely docked & cropped male approximately 2 years old.
He has been with us since the end of August. When he came to us he had a retained testicle, which has since been removed, and he took some time to settle and was quite stressed.
Following castration and some time to settle, he has become a very social fun-loving boy who is very attentive, engaging and loves nothing more than to bring you his toys which he loves.
He is friendly with people. We don’t know how he is with cats or children, so he needs a home with no children under 12.
Paddy is great with bitches and we feel he can live with a bitch, but he’s not so keen on males.
He loves his cuddly toys and will readily play and bring them to you.
He is an all-round lovely boy who is eager to please. He has been assessed and is now ready to go to his new home, if you can offer our Paddy a warm sofa in time for Christmas then please fill out our application form.
Paddy was assessed by a qualified behaviourist:
Paddy assessment
Kennel behaviour
Paddy appeared happy to see us when we approached his kennel and readily had his slip lead put on. He exited excitedly but was not over boisterous. He did not take any notice of me at all. There was no reaction to dogs in adjacent kennels. On leaving, I offered Paddy a treat, but he did not take it. He seemed keen to get out to the paddock. Once we had reached the paddock, I offered a treat again and he took it. He was let off his lead to have a run before I attempted to interact more with him.
Handling
In the paddock, Paddy was happy to approach me and took treats gently without snatching. He was happy to be handled and I was able to touch him all over without any reaction. I touched his feet, hindquarters, head, ears, tummy, tail. I knocked into him to test for any reaction but there was none. He pulled on the lead on his way out to the paddock as he was excited but was fine to have the lead put on and taken off. On his return to the kennel area, he walked well, in a calm manner. His recall appeared good but would need some work to make it consistent around distractions. I believe that he will respond well to this.
Sociability
Paddy was not at all concerned about my presence and there was no negative reaction from him. He is of good temperament and showed no hostility or negative reaction at all. I moved around him and ran past him. He was pro-social and enjoyed a fuss and play. There were a large number of cows in the adjacent field and although Paddy looked over at first, he showed no reaction. I was not able to see Paddy’s behaviour around other dogs although he paid no attention to dogs in the kennel area.
Arousal/reactivity
Please give details of reactivity on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1 = low & 5 = high)
Reactivity – Low 1
Paddy was very motivated by treats but did not snatch and showed excellent impulse control. There was no jumping up. He liked playing with a ball and also enjoyed a game of tug. He again showed excellent impulse control with the toys and waited calmly for the play to start. He did not get over excited and was soft mouthed at all times. He did not show any reaction to anything in his environment, including people, dogs, traffic, noise, objects etc. He appears to have received some training and gave reliable responses to cues such as Sit, Down, Wait. He was very focused on me and even did good off lead heel work in the field with me.
Possession
Paddy showed no evidence of resource guarding. He was soft mouthed and did not snatch. He was happy to give up toys in exchange for treats. He knows the cue “Drop.” He was keen to play but stopped immediately when I indicated that I wanted to end the game.
Summary
This was Paddy’s second assessment. On arrival at the rescue, he had shown some negative behaviour, but it was quickly discovered that he was ill and has since required surgery. He did not show any negative reactions at all during this second assessment. He clearly has an excellent relationship with the Kennel Manager. He is pro-social and affectionate dog who enjoys play. He has had some training and complied very well with cues, whilst showing excellent impulse control. Paddy is a lovely dog and will make a nice pet. He has excellent manners, and I can only assume that any previous negative behaviour was due to underlying pain and discomfort.
I would have no hesitation in recommending him for re-homing and I am sure he will be a lovely addition to a family.