Leo Short

LEO IS OUR WONDERFUL BOY (21.6.2019)

Sue says “Leo is a very loving dog who fits in really well with all our friends and family members and loves our great nieces and nephews, some of whom are very young.

He is settled and happy but he does still have some anxiety issues. He is improving slowly but it has been hard work. His separation anxiety has improved such that he can be left for a couple of hours. Normally, he lasts about an hour and a half before he starts wimpering then crying (we have an app which records the noise and records it on a graph).

He will still bark at strangers but we deal with this by telling them to totally ignore him.

He is great company on a walk, his recall is very good and he is off the lead, sniffing and tracking smells, all the time (apart from in the lane where there can be traffic, of course).

We walk a lot with other dogs so he has plenty of doggy He, also, often has doggy visitors for sleepovers or even weekly stays, if their owners are on holiday, and he often stays in their homes too. All the dogs are very close friends of his and he is always very happy to share his home and possessions with them.

Leo now has a toy box as Sue and Dave were fed up with tripping over them!

Leo has also been to visit his Mum and Dad’s first foster dog, Oreo, at Caroline’s where he lives happily (and healthily) with his little brother, Buddy, and his IRR sister Ruby.

We visit The Great Ouse river a lot and he absolutely adores his ball and swim games there. The ducks etc even seem to be much safer in his presence these days too!

All in all, he is a wonderful dog and we love him to bits and we feel sure he is very happy and settled with us, in spite of his few remaining anxieties”.

SO HAPPY IN HIS FOREVER HOME (AUGUST 2018)

Leo didn’t have far to go to find his perfect forever home. Try as they might to resist him, he managed to worm his way into Sue and Dave’s hearts and they joined the very long line of “IRR’s failed fosterers”.

In some ways, he is still a work in progress but that is all part of the joy of adopting such a clever, fun-loving, cheeky little chappie. Way to go, Leo.

HISTORY

Leo is a gorgeous 5yr old reddish gold coloured castrated Retriever x Collie. He has been vet checked and has received all the necessary vaccinations to obtain his Pet Passport for travel to the UK. As is usual, he was groomed in Ireland by Kathryn.

Leo was living with a loving family but circumstances had changed and his owners made the difficult but wise decision to rehome him. His heartbroken mum told us she and her husband needed IRR’s help to find him the best home possible.

He had been adopted at 2yrs old from Monaghan Pound and all his vaccinations and medical records are up to date from that age.

They told us, “He is simply not getting enough exercise in the city. He is very biddable and trainable and we’ve had a great deal of success in this regard. He is excellent off leash and has good basic commands. He is great with our toddler but perhaps he is not suitable living with young children. Once he settles in at home, he is very affectionate and well behaved. He’s a bit of a Velcro dog, he won’t let you out of his sight! It is very important to us that we find the right home for him”.

Leo is in foster in Hertfordshire.

HEALTH

Leo is an extremely fit and healthy dog. He will need plenty of exercise and stimulation.

PERSONALITY

Leo was initially very nervous but he has gained more confidence each day and any anxiety is much less marked.   

Indoors, he is a lovely dog, brilliant around the house and very well behaved. He will get on with anybody especially if bribed with a treat. He is playful and happy, alert and inquisitive and fairly calm. He is good with friends, their children and their dogs.

Leo has always been very different inside to outside where he becomes very energetic but he is already doing much better with positive lead training.  

SOCIAL LEARNING

TRAVEL: Leo is very happy and content travelling in a vehicle especially now he has visited a few exciting places.

HOUSETRAINING: He is fully house trained

BASIC TRAINING: Leo is now very well socialized and trained in some basic commands. He is usually the perfect house guest around the home.     

LEADWALKING: and RECALL: Leo now walks well on the lead and his recall is good.

At lunchtimes, they walk in a field where Leo can run on the long halti and he can also practice recalls.

His recall has been very positive over the last couple of days and his lead control is much better. He does seem to be responding to his training”.

SEPARATION ANXIETY: Leo shows no signs of separation anxiety and is very good during the night now. 

He is becoming used to being left for short periods during the day and his anxiety is much less marked

RESOURCE GUARDING: Even surrounded by people and other dogs, he has shown absolutely no evidence of resource guarding. In fact, it was especially good for him to have the company of another dog for 10 days.

ADULTS and CHILDREN:  He can still be slightly nervous with strangers and may cower for a minute or so but, then, he is fine. Once he knows people, Leo is friendly and confident with adults, including men, and with children .

He is still slightly nervous in a town but he is improving with each visit.

CATS:  He is friendly with cats.

DOGS:  He is brilliant with other dogs and has interacted with several different breeds ranging from Dexter, a French Bulldog x Pug, to Charlie, a Boxer, who are his regular walking friends.

Leo has also walked a couple of times with a friend and her 2 little female dogs, a Cavapoo and a Cavalier K C Spaniel. They all had a day out in nearby Knebworth Park to give Leo a change of scenery and they all had a lovely time there together.

During the last 10 days, Leo was more than happy to share his foster home with Ozzie, an older Lab Cross (another family dog) while his owner was on holiday.

For the afternoon walk, Leo and Ozzie had great fun together in the big field with Charlie and Dexter and the two boys even had a fantastic day out at St Ives with the opportunity for them to have a wonderful swim together. Leo is very good in or near water and loves a swim and a game with his ball.

LEO (and OZZIE) AT ST IVES 16.6.2018

LEO with OZZIE IN THE FIELD 15.6.2018

LEO’S DREAM HOME

Leo needed an active, owner who has plenty of time and was willing and able to continue with his socialisation and positive training. He needed to ne guaranteed regular exercise and stimulation for his brain.

As he loves the company of other dogs, IRR felt he would be better in an adult home with a steady canine companion or companions who could help him to settle into his new life and would be on paw to show him the ropes.

This delightful boy is very handsome and is an absolute pleasure to have about the house so the person who offered him a forever home was going to be very lucky indeed.

That person was, of course, Sue, who together with her husband Dave fell in love with Leo and couldn’t let him go. It was a very happy ending for everyone.