FOREVER HOME WANTED

LOCATION - Swansea

NAME - Ralph

AGE / DOB- 08/07/2020

NEUTERED - No

I am looking for Ralph’s Happy Ever After .

A dog free home would be best for Ralph due to his guarding in the indoor environment around food and his lack of trust around dogs indoors .

please read the detailed information below before applying .

Toileting

Ralph is a very clean dog and will ask to go outdoors by ringing the bells provided that hang onto a door handle. He has been brilliant in doing this.

When he first came into my care, he did have a few accidents but I strongly believe this was due to the stress of being in new surroundings. I contained him to one room which made it easier to clean and it all stopped once he settled. He wasnt doing it on purpose and he knows to toilet outside. I have had no problem with this ever since. He simply needs time to settle down and adapt to his new home.

Beeping sounds:

Ralph is sensitive to beeping sounds and will react by barking and spinning around in circles. He can be calmed down by calling him towards you or using a distraction. It usually doesnt take long for him to calm down. To get him used to different beeping sounds, I have been showing him where the beep comes from by beeping infront of him and rewarding with a treat when he remains calm. He has began to overcome the beeping of the microwave by doing this, although he might still need a bit of ongoing training and reassurance with this until hes fully accepted beeping noises. The aim is to turn a beeping sound into a positive with the use of treats, until he realises a beep is normal.

Ralph will also sometimes react to sneezing or coughing until he gains trust with his owner and realises he has nothing to worry about. You can sneeze/cough and give treats for him to overcome this, if it becomes an issue.

Ralph can react to the beeping of a phone but I do believe he will overcome this in time, as everything is so new to him at the moment.

Guarding:

Ralph will sometimes guard items of value to him. If he is guards from his bed, I leave his bed untouched and ignore him. He has never bitten me during his time being fostered with me, but will bark and growl. I remove his bed and any bedding during the day to prevent this. I also remove any trigger items such as blankets during the day as he will try and claim items like this as his own. Instead of blankets, I also used a dog crate mat to avoid guarding behaviour. I found this helpful. He was also less likely to chew this, as he does tend to chew blankets.

If Ralph is guarding an item such as a slipper and you need to get it back off him, he responds well to distractions. Usually I will either call him for a treat, or distract him by opening the back door for him to go out the garden. This allows me to retrieve the item from him safely.

Ralph has previously guarded his personal space if he has been behind a baby gate. His space is to be respected whilst ignoring this behaviour and using distractions where you feel it is needed. I have entered through the baby gate whilst hes showing guarding behaviour towards me and he does tend to snap out of it, but he does lack trust and thats something that needs to be built.

Ralph has responded well when offering him something of higher value than the item he is guarding. And once he has stopped guarding, he enjoys praise. The aim has been to ignore the bad behaviour and reward any good behaviour you see from him. It might be useful to have a box of treats at hand to shake and attract him whilst he is building trust in his new home.

Crate:

On arrival to me, a crate was used. However, I since stopped using it as he was reactive whilst closing the crate door. He will happily go inside when asked, but he does tend to guard and react negatively to the door when you need to close it. I have avoided stressing him out by using a tall dog gate and giving him his own space out the kitchen instead. I would avoid using a crate unless totally necessary.

Bed time:

When it is time for bed, I put his bed down out the kitchen in an area out of the way so he has his own space which he prefers. I then leave him alone and do not disturb him until the morning. Hes happy in the morning and looks forward to coming into the living room no problem. If he guards his bed out the kitchen, I just ignore it as thats his space and it needs to be respected.

Food:

Ralph dislikes anybody going near his food bowls but has allowed me to walk around him in the same room whilst eating with no problem. I havent experienced any issues with picking up his bowl once he has finished. Ralph will get excited when his food is being prepared and will listen to the command "wait" whilst you are placing his food bowls down on the floor. He will wait until he is told "go on then".

Treats:

I would advise small treats only, due to his guarding behaviours. Ralph will happily take treats gently from the palm of your hand but if given a larger treat such as a dentastick, he could potentially try and guard it and display unwanted behaviour. So its best to stick to smaller treats, as he cannot guard these and will eat them straight away. He loves treats and is keen to work for them.

Other dogs:

Ralph loves meeting other dogs and can become very excited when he spots one whilst out on a walk. He will pass dogs on the lead with no problem. He does like to say hello and sniff if the other dog is friendly. He has been known to bark in the past, but I think that has been because hes so keen to see the other dog that it becomes a bit overwhelming for him. Walking in the opposite direction helps, until the other dog is out of sight and his attentions are elsewhere.

Ralph has been fine off lead with two other dogs in a secure playing field but can be a bit full-on to begin with. He could potentially mount another dog with excitement in the beginning but once he knows his place, he is fine. It has helped when the other dog has been kind and confident as he then calms his excitement down and enjoys his time with them. He does take some time to gain a bit of trust so I wouldnt rush any introductions just to be on the safe side.

I believe Ralph would be better as an only dog to begin with, due to his guarding tendencies and lack of trust. But he thoroughly enjoys walking with other dogs outdoors.

Ralph lacks trust in an indoor environment with other dogs, and has showed disapproval when another dog has accidentally touched him on the settee.

Cats:

Ralph is accepting of resident cats but will try and chase an unknown cat whilst out on a walk.

When introducing him to my two cats, it was all new to him. He was a bit uncertain in the beginning and did bark at the cats, but not for long once he was corrected and told "No". He was also a bit full-on and pushy as he was first getting to know the cats, until he built up trust and it hasnt been a problem since.

At the beginning of introducing him to my two confident cats I let him sniff them to a certain extent and when it was enough, or he was becoming a bit over-excited, I pulled him away to give the cat space and rewarded/praised him when he was calm or behaving well around them. He should learn to eventually respect the cats space and become used to them being around. Ralph responds very well to praise and enjoys learning. I have noticed Ralph dislikes a cat being too close to him on the settee and will show disapproval if one jumps up by the side of him. I have supervised him at all times whilst hes been with me as it seems he does lack a bit of trust and is still uncertain of being too close to another pet.

Toys:

Ralph will happily bring a toy for you to play fetch on his terms. He will drop the toy infront of you and stand back for you to pick it up and throw for him. He hasnt overly guarded his toys whilst hes been with me, its been more blankets but if he ever has, I have ignored this behaviour and not gone near the toy. I have not ever taken the toy away from him, but I have distracted him and removed an item if it became an issue.

Hose Pipe:

Whilst washing Ralph down after getting full of mud at the secure dog playing field, Ralph started barking at the water coming out of the hose pipe and trying to bite the water. This wasnt aggression. I do think he was just getting overly excited. I continued to wash him down with no issues apart from the excitement.

Visitors:

Ralph lacks trust but once he builds trust with his new owner, he will look up to them for reassurance.

Ralph will bark at visitors if he is behind a baby gate, but once he is let into the same area, he will greet visitors at his own pace. I would advise taking things slow and not over doing it as he might become overwhelmed at first. I would also keep physical touch at shorter durations when meeting new people to begin with, until he builds more trust and confidence.

TV:

Ralph has preferred the TV at a lower volume. I have gradually been increasing it over time and he has become much better. He gets excited when he sees any animal on TV (barks and spins around in circles) so I have been calling him over and when he calms down, rewarding or praising. He has become significantly better with his reaction during the time hes been with me.

Shadows:

When Ralph came to me at first, he was obsessed with shadows and would look for shadows at any opportunity. This has got better over time and he takes less notice of them now that he has settled a bit.

Vets and groomers:

I havent experienced a vet visit or taken Ralph to the groomers whilst hes been with me but I have been told he is reactive in these situations and will need to wear the muzzle provided.

Ralph is a very active, high energy dog that will need an active home with someone who is confident, kind, understanding and patient.

He has a few issues, but with time, patience and continued training with the correct owner, I'm sure he will improve and overcome things over time. He responds well to training and is keen to learn.

His main issue is trust, and he will look for reassurance when he feels uneasy. He will need somebody who is very understanding and willing to give Ralph time to settle at his own pace. He will also need somebody who is confident as he thrives well from somebody being confident around him.

He absolutely loves being outdoors and although he pulls slightly on the lead, he is manageable and responds well when corrected. He does walk nicely once hes calmed down a bit and got over the excitement of being on a walk. He would benefit from long daily walks to burn off the energy he has.

Ralph needs a bit of time to settle into new surroundings as he doesnt trust easily. But once settled, he is a fun loving dog who loves to cuddle up on the sofa in the evenings and will lay on his back to have his belly tickled.

He loves to work for treats, loves praise and learns very quickly. He also loves meeting other dogs so keeping up with socialisation would really benefit him as its something he really enjoys.

He is a clean dog, and loves to be involved in everything.

Ralph is well behaved when taken to dog friendly eating out places and will settle by your feet. As long as he is with you, hes happy.

He travels well and sits quietly in the back seat of the car, although he must be strapped in securely as he loves to stick his head out the window and sniff the air.

Once Ralph gains trust and settles, hes a joy to be around and great to take

places. He really is a fun, loving dog when his true character comes out.

Meet and Greet and Adoption Donation applies .