Say hello to Bobby Bones! This handsome pup is 2+ years old (DOB: 10/31/2014), weighs 55 pounds, and is believed to be a Redbone Coonhound/Springer Spaniel mix. Bobby was born on a farm, where he had too much fun running after the neighbor’s cows. While we aren’t privy to all the details of his early life, we suspect that he was traumatized in some fashion during his formative months, leading to his fear of new people and reactivity to other dogs. But having responded well to training in RAGOM’s care, he was adopted out in 2015.
Puppy Bobby Bones in 2015
Bobby lived peacefully with children in his adoptive home and received training from professionals. However, life with young kids presented a smart, curious, energetic puppy with disastrous opportunities of slipping out of his home. In one such instance, anxious and unsupervised in an open world of strangers, Bobby followed his hunting instinct and bit a small, unleashed dog, who required stitches after the encounter. His adoptive family was sad to let him go, but it was decided that he would do best in a child-free environment.
Following his return in 2016, Bobby was thoroughly evaluated by RAGOM’s Behavioral Services team, who concluded that he was “very capable of behavioral recovery and in-home management”, and hence he was placed in foster care. An incredible team of volunteers have worked tirelessly with him to address his fear issues and teach him appropriate behaviors, and now, after ten fruitful months, we are proud to share that Bobby Bones has achieved a 98% wonderful rating!
Bobby Bones is all grown up and such a good boy!
Bobby looks to his humans for direction and responds very well to that direction. He is eager to please and treat-motivated. To help you understand how awesome this pup really is, here are a few of his attributes that we just adore:
He has mastered an impressively long list of commands. Some of the basic ones are: sit, wait, stay, come, watch me, shake, down, off, leave it, quiet. He also comes to a whistle.
Foster Mom took the opportunity to snap a photo of handsome Bobby while we were practicing “watch me” and “stay” as part of his behavioral training. Don’t worry, in just a short time, he got a treat and was running around the backyard looking for critters.
He will make friends with new people given proper introductions as well as time to acclimate to their presence. Once he accepts you, he is nothing but sweet and loving!
He absolutely loves being out in the yard, running and exploring to his heart’s content, and the exercise serves as a marvelous outlet for his nervous energy. As the saying goes, a tired dog is a good dog.
See how happy he is when he is running freely!
He is the best yard patrol you will ever find, happily keeping your flower beds and vegetable patches critter-free. Just look at this amazing bounty we got last summer, all thanks to Bobby’s keen vigilance.
Of course, he has no interest in eating any of the vegetables. He definitely would prefer meat!
He knows to chill in the house, but will also gladly catch stuffed animals or balls if they are tossed up.
He is completely housebroken, doesn’t counter-surf, can have roam of the house, and only plays with his own things.
Bobz and his birthday presents
He is kennel trained, although when we are gone, he stays nicely in our laundry room and respects the gate that blocks the doorway.
He is a good travel buddy in the car. He likes his car rides!
Notice the fuzzy thing? That is his happy hound dog tail!
He is also a good camping and hiking buddy, as long as you plan your trips well (choose less-used trails) and have treats ready to engage him during encounters with other people and dogs.
He is a super-affectionate love bug. He loves to be petted and get belly rubs.
He tolerates nightly brushing of his teeth.
When your foster mom is a dental hygienist and you are a good boy…
Finally, to illustrate Bobby’s daily life as well as many useful tips for his continued training to manage his reactive behavior, we have compiled a comprehensive guide. You will note that this fine lad has come a long, long way from his cow-chasing days!
Bobby Bones has settled into home life well and grown up to be a sweet, affectionate, wonderful hound dog that thrives on direction and the desire to please you. If you love a dog who likes to be around you and give lots of kisses, Bobby may be the companion you have been looking for.
