ROMEO – 7936 (ALT ID – A1127030)

A volunteer writes: Wherefore art thou Romeo? Where the toys are, of course! Larger than life in every way, handsome Romeo has a ton of energy to burn, and, quiet as he is in his den, once free in the yard he can’t wait to run, jump and play play play with everything he sees. Balls, plushies, rope toys, Romeo’s not fussy. As long as the throws keep coming, he’ll fetch whatever you care to toss, for as long as you care to toss it. When indoors and feeling calm, he enjoys side rubs, and even leans up against his kennel door to receive them–so cute! True to his name, Romeo does have an eye for the ladies, but he engages in play, too. Nothing excites Romeo like toys he can put in his mouth, but it seems he’s not been taught how to differentiate between actual toys and stuff he really shouldn’t be grabbing, like the leash, and his play energy goes from zero to hyperdrive very quickly. After 7 years of love and loyalty to one pack leader, he now needs a new and experienced home, plus additional training to help him be his best self in the wider world. If you’ve got what it takes to match wits with a big, brash boy looking for love, and can offer him the space and structured play he craves, then this Romeo is looking for you!

Romeo is at risk with a New Hope Only behavior determination. In the care center he has shown a low threshold for arousal, rapid escalation, and a propensity to tip over into potentially injurious behavior. He becomes quickly and easily overstimulated and in this state begins directing his energy onto his handler, and he is difficult to manage safely. We have been unable to complete a handling assessment as a result of this behavior.

Date of assessment: 4-Oct-2017 Summary: Due to Romeo’s propensity to tip over to aggression when aroused or overstimulated, the behavior department believes he is not a candidate for an assessment at this time. Summary: Romeo has had limited interaction with dogs in the care center due to observed concerning behavior during handling. He arrived as a stray, so history around dogs is unknown. At this time, the behavior department recommends allowing Romeo time to decompress outside the shelter environment before immediate introductions to unfamiliar dogs. Summary (1): 9/30: When introduced off leash to a female greeter dog, Romeo engages in brief play with intent to mount. He is difficult to distract. Date of intake: 1-Oct-2017 Summary: Unknown Date of initial: 1-Oct-2017 Summary: Allowed all handling though escalates to mouthing and mounting. ENERGY LEVEL: Romeo displays a high energy level in the care center, he has remained active throughout his stay. Though due to the aniexty seen, he may need some guidance to learn how to appropriately channel that energy when he becomes overstimulated. Spartacus will need daily mental and physical stimulation and exercise, and a force-free, positive reinforcement-based training class may help him to learn impulse control and to train desirable behaviors that can be rewarded. IN SHELTER OBSERVATIONS: On two separate occassions, Romeo has been observed to become over-aroused and rapidly escalating to aggressive behavior (lunging, growling, snapping) directed towards handlers. When overstimulated, he becomes difficult to manage on leash as he has made attempts to jump up and snap towards handler’s arms – unable to readily settle. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: NEW HOPE ONLY Behavior Asilomar TM – Treatable-Manageable Recommendations: No children (under 13) Place with a New Hope partner Recommendations comments: Due to behavior concerns displayed in shelter, in addition to our lack of known history, we recommend Romeo be placed with a New Hope rescue partner who can re-assess his behavior in a stable home environment after a period of decompression. Force-free, reward based training only is recommended as aversive methods as likely to increase any anxiety/fear and push Romeo to escalate warning signals. Potential challenges: Social hyperarousal Anxiety Low threshold for arousal Potential challenges comments: Romeo has displayed a low threshold for arousal, rapidly escalating and quickly tipping over to aggression (see “In shelter observations). Immediate intervention and consultation with a qualified veterinary behaviorist/professional trainer is strongly recommended to aid in addressing these issues to prevent further behavioral concerns that may appear in the future if not treated right away. We recommend only force-free, reward based training when introducing or exposing Romeo to new and unfamiliar situations.