Barnaby

Barnaby is a very handsome 2yr old, yellow, castrated male Labrador. He has received all the necessary inoculations and veterinary examination to travel to the UK.

HISTORY

He came from a Pound in Ireland and was named after “ super foster brother Barnaby” after he helped to find the gorgeous lady Lab, Kim, when she ran away in terror. Barnaby is in foster in the UK with Diane and Tim.      

PERSONALITY
Diane says “Well,  what can we say!  Barnaby is a proper lovable character. He is no longer fearful and anxious but is, now, quite boisterous and energetic, playful and happy 

He is a very curious boy and gets into anything and everything.  He loves to run – at speed – around the garden and into the house and has gained a few bumps from doing this.  He loves to throw his cuddly toys in the air and catch them, being quite happy to play on his own if we are busy.  He loves food but is not too interested in dog chews except to throw them around, much preferring a hand to stroke him or to hold his paw when he gives it. 

Barnaby is a lovely gangly two year old who loves people once he gets to know them.  He can take time to feel confident enough to approach anyone new in the house but he will go straight up to people outside of the house.  He seemed to be more cautious of men than women and really loves children but he is very nosy with people he is used to and will push his way into whatever is being done so he can be involved.  He can be a bit clumsy and will bump into things easily, treading on feet or knocking into legs so small children and elderly, frail people are best avoided”. 

HEALTH
Barnaby seems to be healthy with very strong, clean teeth. He does have big feet and gangly legs which seem to get caught up in things easily!

He has a good appetite and easily finishes four small meals a day with no aggression or food issues. 

He does drink a lot of water but that is only to be expected in this hot weather and, despite this, he has had no issues with soiling in the house.   

BARNABY’S FIRST DAYS IN FOSTER

Barnaby was a very timid, nervous dog on arrival and would lie down low to the floor.  He was scared of everything that was new, of sudden movements and with strangers.

However, after four days he started to settle and, although still nervous of new people, he soon began to show signs of being happy. It became clear Barnaby is a very loving friendly dog who craves attention but he was unsure of how to get it to start with.    Being a typical Labrador, Barnaby enjoyed getting everything in reach that he could.  There have been a couple of episodes of counter surfing and rubbish bin emptying, particularly at night when he was alone.

We used treat filled Kongs and toys to keep his attention at night to try and stop the behaviour and it has, slowly, been having an effect. 

BARNABY’S TWO WEEK ASSESSMENT

Diane tells us “We are well into Barnaby’s fostering now and he has developed a much more confident nature.  He will now go to any person from whom he thinks he can get a fuss. He does this whether they have a dog with them or not. 

He is filling out well now and with that comes strength especially on walks.  He is now walked on a harness and lead and walks well, apart from bumping into things. He has no toilet issues and feeds well.   If he gets bored, he will pace around until either someone plays with him or strokes him. Alternatively, he will take something to get a reaction e.g. shoes, slippers etc. He can also open doors so all outer doors have to stay locked! I can’t get many photos of him as he doesn’t stay still long enough!!”

SOCIAL LEARNING

He is a quick learner but sometimes doesn’t realise that he is not really a puppy any more. 

TRAVEL:  He was an unhappy traveller after his long journey from Ireland but he is, now, getting much better.

HOUSETRAINING: He is house trained and goes through the night without needing toilet time

BASIC TRAINING: He appeared to have little basic training on arrival but he is quickly learning his commands, having arrived with only the knowledge of ‘sit’. 

Now, he will sit and stay at the roadside.  He also has learned the ‘leave’ command especially with cats and rabbits. 

He was happy to approach other dogs but was quick which made him seem unsocial with them as he didn’t seem to know what to do so now he is made to sit and wait for other dogs to approach him.

LEAD WALKING and RECALL: He enjoys walks and comes when called. He is now walking well on a training lead with a Halti but still jumps at sudden noises or movements

He is quite strong but he will stop pulling when told although he often forgets again.  He will still pull slightly when he sees anyone walking within 100 paces of him but he,  now, will sit and stay when told to (most of the time). 

RESOURCE GUARDING:  He has no aggression or possession issues and is now learning to play with toys, especially soft toys  that he can carry in his mouth.  He will, most of the time, now bring the toy back and give it up to us to play with him.   SEPARATION ANXIETY:  Barnaby does have some abandonment issues but he is learning to trust that we aren’t far away and will come back to him after an hour. 

ADULTS: He is now very friendly with all adults. He is a proper people dog and, although he was nervous of males at the beginning, he is now very happy to meet and greet everyone. He has been taken to a local cafe and behaved very well and he has also visited the local pet store where the staff fell in love with him 🙂   CHILDREN: Barnaby is very friendly with children He has been excellent with the children although he can get over excited sometimes and will jump up or mouth their hands. Although there is never any biting, it makes him unsuitable for younger children. 

DOGS: When meeting other dogs on walks, he can be bouncy and a bit overpowering but he shows absolutely no sign of aggression.  He is inquisitive and very friendly and will now sit when introduced to other dogs instead of launching at them at speed!

He is quite friendly with other dogs but really seems to prefer the owners to their dogs as they always want to talk to him and stroke him. 

CATS: He would enjoy chasing cats and rabbits given the opportunity but probably with no real evil intent.

BARNABY’S DREAM HOME

Barnaby is a lovely boy who will, no doubt, benefit from a family with older children or an active, adult only home where his people will take the time to interact and play with him as well as continuing with his training.

We think it would probably be nice if Barnaby could have a home with another dog for company to play with him and to show him the ropes.  

FURTHER ASSESSMENT (16.7.2018)

Barnaby is coming along really well and is loved by everyone he meets. He loves people, especially ladies, and will go to them whenever he can. 

Barnaby is gaining confidence by the day and is a lovely boy who loves attention.  He plays well now and will fetch toys when asked sometimes.  He behaves well with the children but can sometimes get carried away and has to have time out to calm down.  He likes to steal things, clothing, shoes, toys etc in the hope of being chased for them.  He has no aggression in him at all but we do have to watch him with ‘mouthing’.  He is soft mouthed  but can get overexcited.

When he first arrived, he didn’t like going out for walks and would lie down most of the time.  Now he loves his walks and will pull sometimes so he will need continuous training and support from his new home.  As he is getting stronger, he is now walked on a halti with a training lead.  We have tried a front led harness but this has no effect on his walking.

Barnaby is reasonably good when out, occasionally pulling when he sees other dogs, children playing football or anyone walking past.  He has met a few “girlfriends” while out walking and is good around them until it is time to leave, then he starts to get overexcited. He can greet other dogs well but still displays puppy behaviour and will jump on the dogs in play. 

In our opinion, Barnaby would benefit from a home with another dog that he could learn from as he gets on really well with all dogs.  Friends and family who met Barnaby at the beginning of his fostering have all said what a different dog he is now and how settled he has become.

OCTOBER 2018

Barnaby has gone to live in his Forever Home.