Snoopy 5

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Updated 10/3/06: Snoopy is one special little dog. He has worked hard for 6 weeks to make gains on basic obedience, crate training, and being comfortable when apart from his people. His overall progress brings him to being ready for an adopting family who will take over where his foster family leaves off. He can far surpass the level he is at now with consistent and firm leadership. and, of course, love, going forth.

A huge gain for Snoop in obedience has been learning that a good “sit” is 2 feet in front of his foster mom and not on top of her feet. This may sound funny but for him, being as close to his people as possible is important. Getting him to back off took some doing! He also knows “down,” “wait,” “stay,” “OK,” “load up,” and “off” and will walk nicely on a leash.

When Snoopy first arrived, he needed help with crating. After a short time in a crate at home, he would rub spots on his nose and drool until his paws were soaked. He had a very scared look on his face when his foster mom came home from work. Oddly, this didn’t happen when he was crated for travel. Daily exercises were started to build his confidence in the crate at home with time being increased very slowly. He is no longer rubbing his nose and his paws are not so wet. The look of fear has been replaced with one of annoyance.  Yes, even this counts as progress!

Ironically, Snoopy has spent tons of time with his foster family but the goal has been to help him feel more independent of them and there is progress there too. He lives in a very rural area and enjoys off leash exercise daily. When this first started, he would hardly go a leash’s length away, but now he has gained tremendous confidence and doesn’t mind being out of sight for a few minutes. This does concern his foster mom so work on “recall” is next. A possible benefit is that Snoopy has just begun staying at home during the workday in a safe area, with his bone, comfy dog bed and the resident springer; foremost, he doesn’t seem to mind his family being gone.

Snoop is not totally accomplished and may backslide when he moves but just as he has learned to trust in his foster home, he will learn again in an adopting home and probably much more quickly. He is looking for a home with a fenced yard or a nearby dog park so he can continue to get lots of exercise. He can live with another dog but no more than one. People are central to Snoop’s world. He loves them all but the ones who will make him shine are the ones who will make him mind. He respects clear limits but will test the limits or set his own in the absence of humans doing that for him. Snoopy in particular needs a family who is either home much of the time or can take him with them most of the time. Some understanding of separation issues would be helpful.

He is a great rider on both short runs and over the road trips. He stayed in a motel on one adventure with his foster family and was quite gentlemanly. Mostly he would like to have a safe area in his new home, with a plush doggie bed or old sofa, where he can feel safe with his bone when his family does need to be away. In return, he will worship his people and settle as close to them as he can possibly get.

Updated 8/16/06: Usually when a dog comes into foster care with MAESSR, he/she stays with that family until joining its adopting family. Occasionally there are reasons for a move to another foster home before adoption and in Snoopy’s case, it happened because he just “worried” the resident cats in his first home too much. With no cats in his second foster home, it has been easier to get and keep Snoopy’s attention! …..and the cats have come out of hiding in his first home.

Snoopy is an incredibly sweet little guy who loves to be loved and bonded as quickly in his second foster home as he did in the first one. He is 36 pounds of energy and turns on like a light bulb when outdoors. On a flexileash he is constantly checking every inch of ground for smells. Brushy edges and tall grass are his favorite places to hunt. He is also an eager companion when his foster mom goes bicycling and will trot alongside on woodland trails for miles. He plays with the resident ESS and works on basic obedience daily too.

Indoors Snoopy can relax and snooze through most of an evening. He is sleeping through nights in a crate in the bedroom with the rest of the family. It’s the day time when his family is at work that gives him problems. He has been both ill at ease while being crated and into mischief when not. To help Snoopy past this, his family has been taking behavior modification steps with him. One example of this is leaving a scrumptious, frozen marrow bone for him in his daytime crate. Usually this would be a high value item for a dog and offer something to focus on while alone. Snoopy also visited his vet and, after a review of his history and activity, medication to support training was recommended. Its benefit will not be clear for a week and won’t displace training, but it is hoped that with the med, Snoopy will find that he can remain at home and not only be safe but feel safe as well.

Updates on his progress will be added.

Original: Snoopy was relinquished to a shelter in eastern Pennsylvania. He had been adopted from this shelter 4 months ago and was back because he seems to have some separation issues. Other than that, his family said he was good with kids of all ages, including a toddler. They also added that he was good with dogs and they didn’t know about his view on cats. This healthy, energetic youngster is barely past puppyhood, so it is hoped that, by moving him into a MAESSR foster home, his behavior can be assessed and modified so that Snoopy can finish growing into a mannerly and secure fellow.

With just a short time in his foster home, Snoopy has already impressed his family as being very clever, extremely bright and a dog who really tries to please his people. He is a love bug with humans. The cats in his foster home, however, don’t feel the “love.” They feel like potential meals and hide at his approach. Training may be Snoopy’s greatest need. Some has begun in his foster home and much will be shared with his adopting family. More on Snoopy as he gets better acquainted with his foster family.