Date of intake:: 12/16/2017

Spay/Neuter status:: No

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray

Date of assessment:: 12/19/2017

Look:: 1. Dog’s eyes are averted, with tail wagging and ears back. Allows head to be held loosely in Assessor’s cupped hands.

Sensitivity:: 1. Dog leans into the Assessor, eyes soft or squinty, soft and loose body, open mouth.

Tag:: 2. Dog is not fearful, but is unresponsive when touched. Approaches the Assessor when the game ends (may need coaxing to approach). Dog is focused on stimuli other than the Assessor.

Paw squeeze 1:: 1. Dog gently pulls back his/her paw.

Paw squeeze 2:: 1. Dog gently pulls back his/her paw.

Flank squeeze 1:: Item not conducted

Flank squeeze 2:: Item not conducted

Toy:: 1. Dog settles close, keeps a firm grip and is loose and wiggly. Dog does not place his/her body between you and the toy.

Summary:: Eli approached the assessor in the assessment room with a soft body. He was distracted at times, sniffing around the room, but was social at other times. He allowed all handling.

Summary:: In our care, Eli has been observed to become reactive toward other dogs while on leash, proceeding to bark and growl when passing by them. Due to behavior observed toward handlers (snapping at handler when a safety tool/interruptor was used to interrupt barrier reactivity), Eli is muzzled when introduced off leash. During off leash interaction, Eli displays playful, bouncy behavior and attempts to engage in chase play. He does not display concerning behavior when offered correction from the female greeter dog. Follow up on Eli’s behavior around dogs should be conducted in a stable environment, incorporating the use of positive reinforcement training methods. Future introductions to dogs should be conducted at a slow pace, to highly tolerant, social dogs.

Summary (1):: 12/16: When introduced through the fence to a female dog, Eli offers high pitched vocalization and appears extremely tense. When he is sprayed with water by the handler he snaps towards her. No off leash interaction is conducted.

Summary (2):: 12/17: Eli is introduced to a realistic prop dog. He is initially tense when approaching, then quickly loses interest and turns away.

Summary (3):: 12/19: Eli is muzzled for off leash introduction to the female helper dog. He displays interest in play, bouncing after and offering playful bumps and bows.

Date of intake:: 12/16/2017

Date of initial:: 12/16/2017

Summary:: Eli was active and hard to control but allowed handling.

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Eli so we cannot be certain of his behavior in a home environment. However, he is a young, enthusiastic, social dog who will need daily mental and physical activity to keep him engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct his energy and enthusiasm.

IN SHELTER OBSERVATIONS:: While Eli presents to be a challenge in the care center with his on leash dog reactivity, he remains highly social when interacting with his human caretakers. Duke is playful, exuberant and actively seeks/solicits attention.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: ADULT ONLY HOME

Behavior Asilomar: TM – Treatable-Manageable

Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Recommend no dog parks

Recommendations comments:: No children: Due to the potential for defensive aggression seen at the care center, we recommend an adult only home. No dog parks: Due to concerning levels or reactivity and arousal seen in areas of high dog traffic, it is recommended any future introductions between Eli and other dogs be conducted at a one on one pace.

Potential challenges: : Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Strength/leash pulling

Potential challenges comments:: Fearful/potential for defensive aggression: While Eli presents as a social dog, he has snapped at a person in the care center when being interrupted with a spray bottle while in a high state of arousal. We recommend using only positive reinforcement, force-free methods with Eli as he has displayed that he does not respond well to corrections. Guidance from a professional trainer/behaviorist is recommended to assess behavior after decompression in a new home environment. Force-free, reward based training is advised when introducing or exposing Eli to new and unfamiliar situations. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: At the care center, Eli has been observed to react to other dogs on leash, lunging towards them, barking and growling. Eli may need positive reinforcement, reward based training to teach him to look at you rather than other dogs. We recommend a front clip harness or head halter to help manage this behavior. Strength/leash pulling: Eli is a very large, strong dog with the capability to pull over an average adopter. His adopter must be prepared and able to handle a dog of this size and strength. It is recommended that he be walked on a front clip harness or head halter, which help diminish his strength through leverage, and that he be trained using positive reinforcement, reward based training to not pull on leash.

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