Bobby is a 20 month old male English Cocker Spaniel cross Poodle. Bobby seems to be following the typical trend of this beautiful cross breeding; he has been surrendered into rescue due to resource guarding behaviour and biting. He is a complex big lad who doesn’t fully understand why he’s doing what he does, but the behaviour has arisen and now he needs a home with the experience to continue to work with it. Bobby has not shown any aggression whilst in Rescue but from his previous home’s write up it would appear he gave very little signals prior to biting. This is typical of some cockapoos. We often think that a dog will give huge signals before biting but this isn’t always the case; some dogs growl, some show teeth, some lower their heads, some stiffen their posture and give it a decent period of time for you to get the message whilst others jump straight to the bite from the initial warn (which can be subtle.).
Bobby follows the latter. He has only bitten once in his life and snapped on one other occassion. There were no signs of aggression previous to this. The bite was to his human dad’s face and came from him guarding a pillow when his dad leaned in closer to see what he was doing and Bobby reacted very quickly causing a surface wound on his nose. Bobby’s did not give him any time to react to any obvious signaling. This incident was terribly unfortunate and his family were devastated but with a new baby on the way they were sadly unable to safely continue.
Bobby is not a bad resource guarder despite what has happened; he actually will give you something if you ask him to and happily swaps out things for a higher value treat. Bobby’s problem is his lack of visible warning prior to a bite that his new owners will need to be aware of. His needs a very dog savvy home who can read body language. He needs strict, firm boundaries. He must not be allowed on the beds or sofas or anything that allows him to be at the same level to you and if ever you need to remove something from him it must be swapped out with something higher value, trying to take it off of him may escalate his guarding and cause him to defend objects and bite.
Bobby is actually a very good dog in so many ways. He is housebroken and non destructive in the home, travels well in the car, knows tricks and is trained well. He walks well on the lead and loves everyone he meets. He’s social with dogs outside on walks and enjoys playing with them. He doesn’t actually resource guard typical things like toys and his bed and also does not guard them from other dogs either. He tends to be a more discreet guarder with unknown things (scraps of paper, pillows, shopping bags) basically things you can’t predict which is where an incredibly experienced, keen eye is needed to spot the signs for this.
For those who don’t know Resource guarding refers to a dog displaying behavior (growling, snapping, etc.) intended to convince other dogs or humans to stay away from a particular treasure or “resource.” The resource can be food, treats, toys, a place (a bed or favorite chair), or occasionally a person. Bobby is cautious of children but for obvious reasons will not be homed with visiting or resident children under 13 years. The only other aggression he has displayed has been a snap whilst he was on the lead when a Child ran over to her mum quickly. For some reason they unnerve him so adopters will be advised to muzzle Bobby in busy public areas to limit any risk.
Bobby is very vocal upon being left initially. He does settle down and we are unable to ascertain if this is because he is in kennels or if this behavior would transfer into a home environment. We feel for sure at first he would be very distressed at being left but think with time and proper settling techniques his separation anxiety would calm down. We do think the behavior has been a bit pandered too. He’s generally incredibly vocal when he doesn’t get his own way at first but accepts it when he realises it isn’t getting him anywhere. We wouldn’t say it was exactly a frantic behavior that displays general anxiety, more so a complete tantrum. Since being under the care of Pupcakes, Bobby has been extremely friendly and social with dogs and people alike but he may change on entering a home environment that he comes to recognise as his home.
Bobby gets on well with all of the dogs in residence here and does not appear to guard against them. He would be able to share his home with another playful female companion of similar energy level but alternatively could live happily as a solo dog. He isn’t as comfortable with male dogs however we haven’t seen any problems with them. Having dogs around does not make a difference to his separation issues.
Bobby needs a home that is experienced with resource guarding and happy to continue with the training the rescue has put in place here. Due to his lack of signals, of being touched suddenly and the fact he has a bite history we cannot accept applications from homes with visiting or resident children under 13. He is a sweet boy who loves people and having a belly rub, he really has found the whole process of coming into rescue incredibly stressful and we are certain in the correct home he will really flourish. Bobby will benefit from a home that is active; he loves to walk and when he’s regularly exercised his resource guarding behaviour improves dramatically. A tired dog is a happy dog, we always say. He also would be a fantastic candidate for something like Cani cross or agility.
Bobby is neutered, vaccinated and microchipped and will be subject to a home check and adoption donation.