KIBBLES: Neutered male, 36 lbs, Australian Shepherd X, approx 9 months old
Kibbles has been with me for just over a week now and he has overcome his shyness with me very quickly. He is still quite timid with strangers and will need continued socializing in order to help him become less fearful of people. If people will hang back and let him approach on his own, he will show some interest in smelling an out-stretched hand or even allow them to pet him. A couple of people have come to pet him before he was ready and he showed his teeth and growled. This has happened twice. Kibbles is not moving forward in an aggressive way, he is just warning the person to not approach like that. Close supervision and further socialization should help him with this and he will likely continue to be fostered until he has overcome this reaction. He also warns when new dogs approach him too quickly but with dog daycare and trips to the dog park and off-leash areas this reaction with new dogs is lessening quickly. With dogs he already knows he greets them happily. He is also starting to trust that I will ensure he is safe and this helps him work through his fear.
Kibbles rides well in the car although he has begun to get car sick. Although he has been jumping into the vehicle on his own he isn’t feeling any joy in the ride. We have driven on trips of varying lengths and most times he hasn’t been sick. It is just the occasional trip. I believe he will likely grow out of this and we’re working on building more comfort with being in the vehicle.
Kibbles has been doing well at dog daycare. He has warmed up to the staff and wags his tail and solicits attention. He plays with the other dogs and as his confidence builds in the new setting he has started barking a bit when playing. At home he is quiet and rarely barks. He is housebroken and sleeps mostly through the night except the occasionally nose nudge to get some attention. If I pet him for a few seconds he quickly lays back down and sleeps. He plays with some of the toys I have but his preference so far is the bones that all the dogs before him have chewed too.
Kibbles walks so well on the leash. For the first few days he was walking slightly behind me but now he heels at my side. He is learning to sit when we get to the light at an intersection and is learning to sit on command other times too. I took him to a fenced dog park on Saturday and he was afraid when too many dogs approached at first. It took a few laps around the park before he started to relax and he eventually found a few dogs he wanted to greet and run with a bit. He stuck fairly close to my side but by the end he was running a bit further away and having some fun. He was coming back to me when called.
On Sunday we went to the off-leash beach and he did really well with other dogs. There were only a couple of dogs that he took exception to but mostly he discovered the fun of running into the water and playing some chase games.
So far he has been mostly unfazed by city life. Loud buses, sirens, cars and people passing by in all directions and Kibbles has been relaxed with everything going on around him. At one point we saw a little critter run under a bush and he lunged for it. I think he has the average prey drive that lots of dogs have. When we have passed birds on the ground he has remained relaxed. I have not had the chance to see his reaction to cats yet. He is good with puppies and small dogs and approaches them very easily. I have seen him with kids 10 and over but haven’t seen how he is with any little guys yet.
Kibbles is very cuddly and is just learning his way with people and new dogs. I get lots of tail wags from him now and he has recently started grinning at me when he gets excited. As I mentioned, I would like to continue fostering him until his greeting with people gets easier. He will make an awesome companion for a lucky adopter.
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