Dolly is a cracking young dog. Presently she lives in a home with two other dogs. She is approximately 16 months old. She is sable black, brown and tan in colour. Once fully matured she will have long fur that will need maintaining. Dolly is very polite. During assessment she wasn’t boisterous or demanding of attention or treats, once she worked out that by sitting calmly she will be rewarded so that is what she did. She was able to settle within minutes of a complete stranger entering the house. No barking towards me, jumping up or lunging. Just polite sniffing. Dolly loves to be touched and fussed; she has a great temperament and allowed me to investigate her ears, nails, teeth and touch all over her. She is quite skinny at the moment so she definitely needs more food than she is currently given. She has great big paws and her build is very lanky which only tells me that she still has some growing to do, but she definitely is quite petite for a German shepherd. The owner said that they think she is a Shepherd/ Husky, however I disagree. She is a petite, vocal little German Shepherd lady, although during assessment she didn’t do a peep of sound.

During assessment she successfully figured out some basic moves of how to get a treat – touch command; sit, down.

The situation of why Dolly is being rehoused is very common and unfortunate,  herself and neighbours cat accidentally got trapped in the same space with the cat no where to go. Dolly got hold of the cat and bit it severely enough that it had to be PTS. At present the area where she lives cats are on every corner and are free roaming. There are too many triggers for Dolly and she is known to leap over 6 foot garden fences and attempting to jump out the window at the sight (and smell) of them. Dolly also will chase any furry friends – squirrels, rabbits and foxes. She has very high prey drive that needs work, but it is workable. During assessment I walked her past some bush that she was scenting for foxes. She was allowed to sniff and take in the scent. After couple of moments I called her name and she was able to refocus to me and came for a treat and we moved off.

Dolly is very young and energetic, so her new family must be prepared to work with her high prey drive and manage her environment. She responds beautifully to reward training and is very clever. She would be great at agility. Although she loves toys, she prefers food so training her this way will be very fun and easy. She is a real companion dog and takes life in her stride and for her life is fun. Dolly travels well in the car. She is a great swimmer and loves water.  During the assessment she shared toys and treats with her dog siblings and there was no resource guarding present what so ever.

During our assessment we walked past numerous dogs and people. Currently she pulls a little bit around the areas where she knows the cats usually are, which puts her in arousal state. Once past that she was calm and responded well to the handler. When off lead she didn’t go out of sight, she kept walking ahead and after 20 metres always turned around and waited for her person. Dollies recalls when off the lead and even better if she knows you have a delicious treat for coming back. Within only couple of times assessor calling her back and giving the treat she only had to be called once for her to instantly bolt back.

The owner reported that when she first got her, Dolly suffered from a Separation Anxiety when left at home alone. This lasted for few months once the routine was established. Dolly cannot be crated as she will chew the bed and the crate and she has escaped from it several times so the owner hasn’t crated her since. She also knows how to open door handles. The new owners must be prepared to do some SA training and not leave her for more than 4 hours at a time. She loves company and it gives her great anxiety being left behind by her people. Prior the incident Dolly has never had any other issues with any dogs or people; never been reactive towards anyone; no bites or lunges.

Overall Dolly would be a cracking family dog. She is great with children, people and other dogs. She cannot live in the same environment as cats or other small furries due to her high prey drive. She is highly trainable and very very smart. She responds beautifully to food so training will be very fun task for everyone. She would be a great companion for long walks and with some recall practice she can be off lead and always ready to come back for a yummy treat. Dolly can live in a home with other dogs, but due to her age, they should be older dogs. Dolly is fully house trained and will let her people know that she needs to go out.

Dolly has been adopted.

Location:

Essex - IN FOSTER

Sex:

Female

Age:

DOB 1.1.23

Neutered:

Yes

Good with children:

Yes

Good with other dogs:

Yes - not small dogs

Good with cats:

No