Ernie 2

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Update 1/6/2005: Ernie had to be put to sleep due to an aggressive temperament.

Original: When Ernie’s owner moved and could not have a dog in the new apartment, he was relinquished. He weighs 55 pounds and is a very strong boy. He knows “sit” and responds well to “stay.” He gives kisses when people rub and pet him. He has spurts of high energy when people enter and leave the home but calms within minutes. He has jumped up a few times to greet people but was corrected and settled down. Ernie seemed to love the ride to his foster home. Ernie is being treated for a mild ear infection and skin allergy. He was a challenge at the vet as he became very anxious. He is not very cooperative when getting ear drops or pills at home. The vet prescribed Derm tablets and also recommended fatty acid and antihistamine tablets as needed for the skin allergy.

Though housebroken, Ernie does have a problem with submissive urinating when being approached to put his leash on. He seems to have a fear of being grasped at the collar. His foster family is managing this by keeping his leash on most of the time. That way he is ready to go when they say, “Outside.” He pulls quite strongly on the leash, so his caregivers have been working with a choker collar when teaching him the proper way to walk on a leash. Again, the choker collar is not put on until he is outside due to his submissive urinating. His submissive behavior is evident whenever one approaches him quickly. Sometimes he starts to crouch and pee even when he is being approached to practice his commands. Fortunately, his foster family has seen reduced incidents as he gains confidence in his new home. His forever home should be prepared to be patient while he figures out that he is in a new but safe and loving environment.

Ernie is crate trained but prefers snuggling on people, sofas, and beds. He has responded well to the “down” command and now sleeps on a doggie bed next to his humans. He lies quietly in his crate when people are nearby. He is crated for 7 hours during the day and barks when his family leaves, but he is always calm when they return and let him out.

Ernie is a counter surfer and garbage picker, but with the proper human precautions, it has not been a problem. He is always corrected with a firm “no” and responds well. He has shown no food aggression with the male resident springer. He resists if someone tries to take something away from him, like a tissue from the garbage or a smelly sock, but his family handles this by reinforcing his place in the pack.

This fellow gets along well with the resident springer but not the resident cat. He has not attempted to hurt the cat but is obsessed with finding him to bark at. Ernie is quiet most all other times. He is good with the resident children who are ages 9 and up, but children need to be told to approach him slowly and gently, so as not to make him crouch or get scared. He likes playing with toys around the house by himself or playing chase for the toy with the resident springer.

Ernie has so much potential. His personality is still unfolding to his foster family, but they can see he needs additional training and reassurance of his place in a family. With continued training, patience and love, it is hopeful that he will make a great addition to a special forever family.