Happy (Chauncey/Happy 10-226)

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Profile

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Date Posted Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
7/16/2016  Not Required  10+  Optional  NO Cats
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

Happy is in the house! The RAGOM community welcomes back Happy (fka Chauncey) 10-226 after 6 wonderful years with his adoptive mom. Happy was tearfully surrendered back to RAGOM after his mom needed to change her living arrangements in order to care for a family member. Happy is a very timid dog and the new arrangements were just not a good fit.

Happy is a 6 year old, male Goldendoodle. He is neutered, UTD, and on heartworm and flea/tick preventative. He's fully housetrained, although his signal is to pace the house, which foster mom sometimes confuses with his general uneasiness with his new surroundings and that's led to a couple of accidents through no fault of his own. He is slender, weighing 35.5 lbs. at his recent vet visit, and is a picky eater. We've had good luck getting him to eat when wet food is involved and have started mixing some with grain-free kibble. He's not much interested in dry treats or partaking in vegetables for snacks with the resident dogs. He will take meat nibbles for a snack and we are using that for training and medications.

He has and is currently living with other dogs and has new foster siblings of the feline variety. He generally leaves the cats alone although he will on occasion give chase, in curiosity and play rather than prey mode. Our cats are dog savvy and don't put up with doggy nonsense and Happy is easily redirected, particularly if a cat takes a swipe at him.

As mentioned, Happy is very timid, which leads him to be quite skittish and fearful of most things. Noises can startle him and cause him growl and bark. He is fearful of humans, particularly men, and shows both "flight" and "fight" behavior in expressing his fear, including lunging and barking in hopes of scaring the "stranger" away. He exhibits this latter behavior quite aggressively in the car, especially at a drive-thru window. We are also noticing that his choice to "fight" may be influenced by his attachment to foster mom and him perceiving a need to protect her. Foster dad is working to earn his trust and Happy will approach him and offer a paw (his preferred greeting) and look for pets, but we have a long way to go on this front. If his forever family includes a male human, they will need to be patient and understanding while he continues to learn that good things come from both male and female humans. Happy's not yet completely comfortable in his new environment and has a difficult time relaxing and napping much during the day. He is good with free roam in the house day and night. If he has the option, he prefers to sleep on the bed with foster mom and doesn't seem to mind that foster dad is there too.

We have seen some resource guarding resulting from the other animals being a little too interested in Happy's food and nosing their way into his bowl while he's eating. His previous owner did not report this as an issue with his canine housemate, so it is likely due to the rudeness of the resident dogs and one of the cats. We've resolved the issue by feeding Happy separately of the three resident "pigs", who all wish they could get wet food, so he can eat in peace. He has no issue with the others cleaning out his bowl once he's had his fill.

Happy can be very affectionate and will even give "hugs", standing on his hind legs with his front paws hugging your shoulders. This isn't a "jump", it is truly a gentle lift off the floor to offer you a hug. He does try to initiate play with the resident Golden and has earned the nickname "Tigger" since he bounces around while wrestling. He does bark and nip to instigate play with the other dog and is "mouthy" with foster mom when she's part of the fun. Due to this and his timid nature, young kids are not a good fit for Happy.

Overall, Happy is a wonderful dog who just needs some extra time and attention while settling in to a new home and a family who will love him and his timid personality traits.

At a Glance #10-226

Mixed Breed Born: January 2010
Male 35 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Date Posted Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
7/16/2016  Not Required  10+  Optional  NO Cats
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

Happy is in the house! The RAGOM community welcomes back Happy (fka Chauncey) 10-226 after 6 wonderful years with his adoptive mom. Happy was tearfully surrendered back to RAGOM after his mom needed to change her living arrangements in order to care for a family member. Happy is a very timid dog and the new arrangements were just not a good fit.

Happy is a 6 year old, male Goldendoodle. He is neutered, UTD, and on heartworm and flea/tick preventative. He's fully housetrained, although his signal is to pace the house, which foster mom sometimes confuses with his general uneasiness with his new surroundings and that's led to a couple of accidents through no fault of his own. He is slender, weighing 35.5 lbs. at his recent vet visit, and is a picky eater. We've had good luck getting him to eat when wet food is involved and have started mixing some with grain-free kibble. He's not much interested in dry treats or partaking in vegetables for snacks with the resident dogs. He will take meat nibbles for a snack and we are using that for training and medications.

He has and is currently living with other dogs and has new foster siblings of the feline variety. He generally leaves the cats alone although he will on occasion give chase, in curiosity and play rather than prey mode. Our cats are dog savvy and don't put up with doggy nonsense and Happy is easily redirected, particularly if a cat takes a swipe at him.

As mentioned, Happy is very timid, which leads him to be quite skittish and fearful of most things. Noises can startle him and cause him growl and bark. He is fearful of humans, particularly men, and shows both "flight" and "fight" behavior in expressing his fear, including lunging and barking in hopes of scaring the "stranger" away. He exhibits this latter behavior quite aggressively in the car, especially at a drive-thru window. We are also noticing that his choice to "fight" may be influenced by his attachment to foster mom and him perceiving a need to protect her. Foster dad is working to earn his trust and Happy will approach him and offer a paw (his preferred greeting) and look for pets, but we have a long way to go on this front. If his forever family includes a male human, they will need to be patient and understanding while he continues to learn that good things come from both male and female humans. Happy's not yet completely comfortable in his new environment and has a difficult time relaxing and napping much during the day. He is good with free roam in the house day and night. If he has the option, he prefers to sleep on the bed with foster mom and doesn't seem to mind that foster dad is there too.

We have seen some resource guarding resulting from the other animals being a little too interested in Happy's food and nosing their way into his bowl while he's eating. His previous owner did not report this as an issue with his canine housemate, so it is likely due to the rudeness of the resident dogs and one of the cats. We've resolved the issue by feeding Happy separately of the three resident "pigs", who all wish they could get wet food, so he can eat in peace. He has no issue with the others cleaning out his bowl once he's had his fill.

Happy can be very affectionate and will even give "hugs", standing on his hind legs with his front paws hugging your shoulders. This isn't a "jump", it is truly a gentle lift off the floor to offer you a hug. He does try to initiate play with the resident Golden and has earned the nickname "Tigger" since he bounces around while wrestling. He does bark and nip to instigate play with the other dog and is "mouthy" with foster mom when she's part of the fun. Due to this and his timid nature, young kids are not a good fit for Happy.

Overall, Happy is a wonderful dog who just needs some extra time and attention while settling in to a new home and a family who will love him and his timid personality traits.

Updates

Saturday, October 15, 2016

"In memory of Decoy." -Anonymous

 

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Happy continues to settle in to his foster home. As he's gotten more comfortable, he's developed an obsession for one of our cats and is showing more prey drive. Therefore, it is not recommended his forever home have cats or pocket pets.

Happy is eating well and consistently. He really enjoys the wet food and we're hoping it helps him fill out a little. We continue to feed him separately since the other animals really want his meal.

Happy is playful with our resident Golden and would like him to play more often. We've not seen much in terms of interest in playing with toys so far.

Happy enjoys his walks and walks nicely on the leash. He has a harness and we continue to use it just to be safe due to his skittishness with unexpected noises and reactivity towards other dogs. He is highly reactive to dogs we meet on our walks and we're working on counter conditioning to improve this behavior. He's not reactive to humans while on a walk, although he has no interest in meeting anyone.

We are learning Happy's triggers and how to limit his fearful behaviors with humans. It's a work in progress and his forever family will need to be committed to and patient with continuing the process. The payoff will be well worth the effort!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Charlie had an eventful Labor Day weekend.  Lots of dog wrestling and play dates.  He is a really sweet boy.  When there are no men around, he is a perfect darling who will nudge you for pets and will rest his head on your lap when invited up on the couch.  Once there is a man around, he gets nervous and does a bit of pacing.  I sure wish he would learn to trust men. Oh well, we will give him some more time.

On a slightly bad note, Charlie went to the vet for his heartworm check.  No bad news on the heartworm, but he does have a couple tummy parasites that we will be medicating him for and watching our dogs very closely for as well.

Hopefully there will be better news regarding men later on.  Until then, Charlie will continue to have all the puppy fun he can handle. Leroy could use a break once in a while though!

Friday, September 3, 2010

I have the pleasure of hanging out with Chauncey during the day.  He has come a long way in the last week and is funny, loving, and cuddly, although he still spooks easily at our house   He does well with my cats and hasn’t met a dog that he doesn’t want to play with. He knows how to sit and shake and is sporting a new haircut, which makes him look more like a poodle.

I can’t get over how frightened Chauncey is of men.  His foster dad is a good friend and we kid him about being the dog whisperer.  I have never met a dog that didn’t adore Dan.  My dog loves to lick and flea bite his head and pretty much comes out of his skin every time “Uncle Dan” comes to visit or even if I just mention his name.  I watched Chauncey be led by Dan on a leash last night and he was clearly terrified, even after spending a week with him.  He has this reaction with all men. Chauncey is only six months old and I can’t imagine what happened to make him so afraid of men. If anyone can help him with his fears, it is his foster dad. When he does trust, he is an absolute gem.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Charlie is in heaven!  His daily routine consists of waking up in the morning to wrestle with Leroy.  Then it's off to day care where he gets to play with Bogey (Kelby 03-118) all day long.  After a nap or two, he comes back home and plays even more with Leroy before a brief dinner break.  After that, he and Leroy increase the intensity of the wrestling well past lights out.  Charlie has decided that he should sleep next to the bed, Maren's side of course.  He sleeps through the night and wakes up ready for more action.

Charlie's fear behavior improves every day.  He is less growly with me and will even let me pet him if he is in a comfortable place.  The growls he gives are simply out of fear, not aggression.  He has never shown me his teeth or made any indication that he would bite.  The poor guy is just so traumatized and his behaviors have become a habit that makes him feel safer.

His fear of men is going to take some patience, but I think he will be fine.  My plan is to let him get comfortable in his new foster home for just a little while and then use a tether leash so that he will be stuck to me instead of to Maren!  (He is stuck to Maren right now by choice, he will be stuck to me later for his own good.)  I will send more updates soon along with some pictures - he is awfully cute!

I am dedicated to helping Charlie, but if you would like to welcome him into your home and take on his rehab please contact your placement advisor.  Charlie would love to meet you and your dog.  He is a bit of a fixer-upper at this point, but imagine how proud you will be of Charlie, and of yourself, once he learns to be a normal puppy in your loving home.