Bear

Important to know about Bear

Losing his home because: Bear can struggle to switch off in the evenings and may bark persistently when overtired or overstimulated. He can also become a little snappy in situations he finds difficult, and there are areas of his behaviour that still need patient, consistent work. His family love him dearly but feel a calmer, more suitable environment would give him the best chance to thrive.

Bear really is the cutest little button. He is friendly, affectionate, playful, clever and full of personality. He loves walks, soft toys, tummy rubs and learning tricks for treats. He travels well in the car and has successfully stayed away from home with family and also overnight with his trainer.

His biggest challenge is that he can become overstimulated and overtired, particularly later in the day. When that happens, he can struggle to switch off and may resource guard items or become uncomfortable with certain types of handling.

His family have discovered that routine and proper downtime make an enormous difference. After walks, Bear happily settles in his covered crate for a couple of hours and sometimes remains snoozing there even after the door has been opened. Before this routine was introduced he could bark for much of the evening, so helping him rest has been a huge step forward.

If Bear picks something up that he shouldn’t have, trading rather than simply taking it from him works well. His guarding occurs predominantly when he is tired in the evenings. He will generally communicate his discomfort by freezing and growling before progressing to a snap if those earlier signals aren’t listened to. He does not routinely guard his food or his own toys.

Bear has occasionally used his mouth when he has felt pushed beyond what he can cope with. There has been one contact incident with his dad which caused bruising/denting but no puncture injury; otherwise his incidents have essentially been warnings or snaps. We don’t see Bear as a dog looking for confrontation. We see a very young dog who sometimes needs to say, “I can’t cope with this.”

Bear has worked with several trainers and behaviourists. His training has focused on cooperative handling, recognising and respecting his early “I need space” signals, swapping rather than removing objects, reducing conflict and helping him learn alternative behaviours.

He does need kind but consistent boundaries. He is a very clever young dog and could probably run the household given half a chance, but equally he needs someone who will respect his boundaries too. Hence, a settled, calm and experienced new home will be best for him.