Trador

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Original:  “Trad’s foster mom and he are working on developing their own signals/signs in order to better communicate with one another, and because he’s so super smart, he already responds to several of them.” 

When Trador’s elderly owner died, his adult children did not want their dad’s hunting dog saying he was too much trouble.  So, they surrendered Trad to a New Jersey shelter.  He was adopted to a lovely home, but unfortunately, he didn’t get along with their cat as hoped.  So, he was once again surrendered to the shelter who contacted MAESSR to help this sweet, well-behaved, deaf boy find a new home.

Trad’s foster mom thinks he is precious!  He  just wants to be loved by his person and be close.  Although he’s 9 years old, Trad is still full of energy and curiosity. He walks beautifully on a controlled leash or harness, but must be held firmly when he spots a rabbit or fox. His foster mom has not let him off-leash.  Trad was trained as a puppy to be a hunter by his original owner, and still has strong, but controlled hunter prey/instincts.

Trad is completely housetrained and barks when he must go out.  He has full run of his foster mom’s two-story home, even when she’s out. He occasionally enjoys napping in his open-door crate.  He doesn’t counter-surf, nor does he really seem interested in doing so –– except for one time when his foster mom left a newly opened package of bacon on the counter and found him sniffing it with his paws on the edge of the counter.

He does absolutely no chewing on anything and has no interest in toys or typical rawhide chews.  He will, however, poke his nose into uncovered trash cans as he loves to chew any paper he finds inside.  Also, he will try to sneak a drink of water from the toilet, so his foster mom keeps the lids closed.   He has a water bowl available at all times in the kitchen.

Trad gets onto his foster mom’s bed if she invites and helps him up, but he’s not a cuddler; he just likes to be close by.  He prefers sleeping on the carpeted hallway on the second floor outside her door.  He still bounds up the carpeted stairs with no trouble.  He doesn’t get onto furniture unless invited and seems to prefer hard or thinly cushioned surfaces.

Trad LOVES riding in the backseat of a car, with or without restraint.  He “begs” to go for a ride every time he sees his foster mom open the garage door. He sits up quietly on the seat enjoying the air from partially open windows. He doesn’t like being restrained, but puts up with it if/when necessary. He was, undoubtedly, always “ready to go” when his first owner (the hunter) said so or if he observed the signs/signals they obviously must have had between them.

Trad’s foster mom and he are working on developing their own signals/signs in order to better communicate with one another, and because he’s so super smart, he already responds to several of them. The only sounds he seems to acknowledge are emergency sirens and the high-pitched barking/yipping of the two neighboring Pomeranians. He seems to have no fear of thunder and lightning, fireworks, or vacuum cleaners, no doubt due to his deafness.

Trad had rather severe anxiety when he first arrived at his foster mom’s home, barking non-stop when he lost sight of her until he once again saw her. However, with repeated “5 minutes away, return, and reward for no barking,” he’s adjusting beautifully, and his foster mom is now comfortable staying away for an hour or more.  He still barks when she leaves, but is usually sound asleep upon her return. This will require more consistent training, assurance and praise.

Trad loves and wants to greet everyone he sees on the many walks he and his foster mom take. He is very happy to intermingle with the grandchildren (3 and 4 years old) of neighboring homeowners who have a dog at home, so the little ones know how to treat dogs properly.  He’s happy to greet even younger children in strollers, if/when invited to do so by the parents.  He has displayed no aggression, nor resource guarding towards people or other dogs he’s come in contact with.

The one and only time he has “grumbled” at his foster mom was when she was treating his infected ears with medicated drops.  He’d never done this before, but it was understandable since his ears were infected and sore. He LOVES to be brushed and petted and can be touched all over, including his paws and wiping his ears, when they’re not infected and hurting.  There isn’t a “Bad Bone” in this super-smart, sweet, friendly little boy! It’ll break his foster mom’s heart to let him go, but he deserves a kind, loving “Forever Home” at this point in his life…..no more separation trauma for this sweetheart.

Foster mom recommends his being adopted by an active, but older couple, where at least one of them will be with him on a constant basis, so the separation anxiety won’t become an issue once again.