Billy Whytock

BILLY HAS DECIDED (NOVEMBER 2018)

He is definitely not a “Silly Billy” and knows which side his bread is buttered so, having rejected a few possible homes, Billy has decided he is deliriously happy where he is so he is staying forever with Lynn in Scotland.

HISTORY

Billy is a cream coloured, neutered, Golden Retriever who was just 18 months old in 2016 . He has been micro-chipped and inoculated.

This boy was originally in Ennis Pound and was taken out by Martina, from ‘Baby Dog Rescue’ in Co. Clare, and was then put in foster. He was clipped so much that it was questionable as to whether he was a Golden Retriever at all. He has, as far as we know, never experienced love of any description except from his rescuers and his fosterer.

FOSTER ASSESSMENT

HEALTH
He seems pretty healthy but he needed to put on about 8 kilos. After 10 days, he was putting on weight and getting fitter. He is bright eyed and has a lovely coat. Billy probably now needs to put on about 4 kilos. His coat is soft and thick around his neck but it is shedding quite a bit on his back. Luckily Billy loves to be brushed!!

PERSONALITY
Billy is a loveable playful pup who has lots of energy and a gentle, affectionate and inquisitive nature. His second fosterer says “He has settled well in our home and, with regular reassurance, Billy is becoming more confident and relaxed in the situations that cause him anxiety and he is now showing some typical playful Goldie pup behaviour.

His anxiety seems to be caused by sudden movements or noises mostly made by men. On these occasions, Billy is very fearful and will either bark, cower or run away (or a combination of these).

Sue says “Billy has a loving and very gentle disposition! He is very wary of strangers but is not aggressive towards them. Billy is very wary of men and has reacted when both my grandson and son in law entered the back garden by the side entry. He barked and backed away. He showed no signs of aggression but was very apprehensive. He also reacted to my husband today when he was wearing black”.

Although he is a little unsure of men, if they don’t approach him and simply wait, he will go to them as he really loves people and would like everyone to be his friend. Billy, as with most young dogs, has impish ways but has a personality that would melt your heart. He is a little stubborn but is learning quite fast. He wants to be a playful pup but, at the moment, he is not sure how.

SOCIAL LEARNING

Helen, his first fosterer said “after 10 days I can’t really fault Billy apart from his excitability with other dogs. He is a lovely boy, everything you’d want a Retriever to be. His one problem is due to his lack of socialization and training which comes out when he is with other dogs. He can be so excitable that he becomes almost uncontrollable but he is learning how to play so that is going to help him”.

Sue, his second fosterer says “After initially needing reassurance to leave the kitchen, Billy quickly learnt the layout of our home and is now comfortable with his surroundings both in the house and garden. He no longer paces up and down and seems more relaxed and will lie peacefully with our dogs. Sometimes his breathing is a little rapid when he is lying down suggesting that he is still a little anxious. Billy followed us upstairs to bed on the first night and has slept in our bedroom since without any issues. He has not slept in any of the various beds around the house. He obviously likes both human and doggy company.

Generally, he has very good manners around the house and isn’t destructive. He did find a sock to chew today but I took it off him without any trouble”.

Travel: He travels quite well in the car.
Housetraining: Billy doesn’t bark when he wants to go out and this has led to a few accidents by the back door. He is unfazed by anything happening outside and he prefers to have the back door to the garden left open.

Resource guarding etc: Billy hasn’t shown any signs of aggression towards us, other family members or our dogs (even a visiting grumpy Lhasa Apso). Billy isn’t food possessive and hasn’t shown any signs of resource guarding. In fact, he is quite submissive.

Billy will let you take away his toys. He loves squeaky toys and chasing a tennis ball. He will bring the ball back and drop it at our feet for us to throw again.

Billy is not a greedy dog and eats slowly. We have been feeding him his main meals separately to our dogs because he will walk away from his bowl if he thinks another dog is near and lets them eat it. He will sit and wait in turn with our dogs for a treat. Billy refused to eat the food that came with him and is now eating Royal Canin mixed with either Pilchards or Chappie. He can be quite fussy about his treats and biscuits, often refusing them. He loves a taste of coconut oil!

Separation anxiety: He is not keen on being on his own.
Leadwalking and recall: He was not good on the lead, had no recall and didn’t know any real basic commands but he is learning. Billy knows and responds to “sit” but has selective recall.

He absolutely loves going for a walk. At present we are walking him separately after our two have been out. He gets excited as soon as he sees/hears a lead. He will sit and wait quietly while his lead (Kumfi Calmer) is put on and is quickly learning the sit and wait command before he goes out of the door. He walks to heel with the lead loose and will often stop to have a sniff and look around but then gets very excited/anxious when he sees other dogs and pulls to get to them. As he isn’t food orientated it isn’t possible to distract him with treats-even pieces of chicken.

Children: He was ok with the children he met over Helen’s fence but he is not recommended with young children as he does jump up. However, he would probably enjoy the active life with lots going on that would be the case with teenagers. Billy has now met Sue’s youngish grandchildren (7 & 9) without any incidents and was friendly towards them.

Cats: He does seem very interested when he sees one of the cats but it seems to be more curiosity than evil intent. He was very interested when he saw a cat while on a walk and did want to give chase.

Dogs: Once he recognized Helen’s 3 dogs were no threat to him, he stopped showing aggression towards them although he did treat the old boy with a great deal of respect right from the start. Although he has a great temperament generally, when he comes across another dog, he does lunge at them whether they be dog or bitch so he needs a strong handler, just to hang onto him. His lunging is because he wants to play but he doesn’t bother to say “hi” first.

When he arrived at Sue’s, Billy wanted to “play” (chase and fighty bitey face) with Tess and Freddie in the garden. He was very excitable and boisterous. However, Freddie decided that he was in charge and showed Billy when he had had enough and also stepped in when he thought Tess needed protection. Freddie did this again when Billy spotted Oscar (son’s Lhasa Apso who we are pet sitting) and wanted to chase him. Billy accepted this and now recognises the doggy cues when to stop play fighting. The dogs have been getting on well together since and Freddie has only intervened a few times.

BILLY’S DREAM HOME

Billy needs a family that is patient and kind with him but that is also firm when necessary. He mostly just needs a settled existence where he can slowly rebuild his confidence and feel safe. Billy needs to learn that the world is not such a scary place so he can overcome his fears. With reassurance, training and understanding, he is going to be wonderful provided he is given the time to blossom.

Ideally, Billy needs an experienced dog person or family where there is an older, steady dog who will teach him the ropes. He does need someone who is prepared to spend time with him, giving him structure. With continued guidance, he will blossom into a confident boy who is eager to please and he will make a wonderful family companion.