Basic Information:: Stew is a 1 year old medium mixed breed male dog. He was bred in his home and has been there ever since. He was surrendered because he has been destructive.

Previously lived with:: 1 adult, 3 children, 3 dogs

How is this dog around strangers?: Around strangers, Stew is friendly and outgoing and exuberant at play with adults.

How is this dog around children?: Stew is said to be relaxed and playful with children. He lived with 3 children age 7, 11 and 12. When he played he was exuberant.

How is this dog around other dogs?: Stew lived with a 2 year old female dog, who was his mom, and 2 of his, 4 month old puppies. With the 2 year old he was relaxed and playful and exuberant at play. Initially he was afraid of the puppies and would avoid them. After about 2 months he was relaxed with them and very gentle at play. With small dogs he did not know, Stew growled, barked, lunged and bit.

Resource guarding:: Stew isn’t bothered if his food bowl was touched by his previous owner. He continued to eat. If his food bowl was touched by another dog he growled initially. He allowed them to eat from the bowl as he ate. He isn’t bothered if a treat or toy is taken away.

Bite history:: Stew has never attempted to bite a person but has bitten other animals. The bites did draw blood and were more than 10 days ago.

Housetrained:: No

Energy level/descriptors:: Very high

Other Notes:: Stew enjoys baths and isn’t bothered if his paws are touched. He’s friendly when held. He isn’t bothered if taken off furniture or disturbed while sleeping. He’s friendly if an unfamiliar person approached his home or previous owner.

Has this dog ever had any medical issues?: No

Medical Notes: Stew has never been to a vet but has no known medical concerns.

For a New Family to Know: Stew is described as friendly, affectionate, playful, confident and very exuberant. The thing his previous owner liked most about him, was he was protective. He was kept indoors. When his previous owner was home he tend to follow her around. He likes to play fetch and tug. His favorite toys were stuffed toys, balls and rubber toys. He ate dry dog food. At night he slept in his previous owners bed. He is not house trained and had accidents daily in different areas if the home. When left alone he destroyed household items such as shoes, tissues, towels and other things left out. He is said to also go into draws and closets. He was crated trained and does not do well. He barks and cries. He went out for exercise twice a day. He was walked on leash and pulls hard.

Date of intake:: 2/4/2018

Spay/Neuter status:: No

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender

Behavior toward dogs:: Barks and lunges at small dogs.

Bite history:: Yes, when he was a puppy a small dog ran up to Stew and but his head. Stew bit the dog on the neck and let go. Severity of the bite was not reported. Stew bit another dog a few months ago. He barked and lunged at a small dog, ran at the dog and bit the dog’s chest, not letting go. The dog required veterinary care.

Housetrained:: No

Other Notes:: Stew is destructive with household items.

Date of assessment:: 2/5/2018

Look:: 1. Dog leans forward or jumps up to lick the Assessor’s face with tail wagging, ears back and eyes averted.

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

Tag:: 1. Dog assumes play position and joins the game. Or dog indicates play with huffing, soft ‘popping’ of the body, etc. Dog might jump on Assessor once play begins.

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. Minimal interest in toy, dog may smell or lick, then turns away.

Summary:: Stew quickly approached the assessor in the assessment room with a soft body and jumped up in a social manner. He jumped up a few times, soliciting attention. He allowed all handling and displayed no concerning behaviors.

Summary (1):: 2/5: When introduced off leash to the female greeter, Stew engages in running chase play.

Date of intake:: 2/4/2018

Summary:: Stew had a relaxed body, wagging tail, and allowed all handling.

Date of initial:: 2/4/2018

Summary:: Stew was social, active, and allowed all handling.

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Stew 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:: Stew consistently displays highly social behavior with his human caretakers in the shelter environment. He maintains a loose wiggly body throughout interactions and solicits attention from handlers by jumping up onto the handler.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: NEW HOPE ONLY

Behavior Asilomar: TM – Treatable-Manageable

Recommendations:: Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: Place with a New Hope partner: Due to Stew’s multiple bite history with other dogs, as well as the severity of the bite (holding on and not letting go), we recommend placement with a New Hope partner who can provide any necessary behavior modification (force-free, positive reinforcement-based) and re-evaluate behavior in a stable home environment before placement into a permanent home.

Potential challenges: : House soiling,Destructive behavior,Basic manners/poor impulse control,Multiple-bite history/risk of future aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration

Potential challenges comments:: Basic manners/poor impulse control: Stew jumps up socially on people. It is recommended that default behaviors such as “Leave it”, “Sit/Stay”, “Down” are reinforced to substitute any frustration and teach him to control his impulses instead of simply reacting; proper management is also advised. Force-free, reward based training only is recommended. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Stew is reported to bark and lunge at small dogs, running up and biting a dog when he got away. Stew 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. House soiling: Stew is noted to have accidents in the house, and will likely need guidance with house training. We recommend positive reinforcement, reward-based training only. Destructive behavior: Stew is reported to show destructive behavior in the home. We are unaware of what, if any, attempts were made to remedy this behavior but we suggest to future adopters that Stew will need to be provided with physical and mental stimulation and with a variety of appropriate and engaging chew toys so he can engage in necessary chewing behavior without damage to human objects. Multiple-bite history/risk of future aggression: Stew has a multiple bite history to small dogs, including an incident where he ran at a small dog, bit the dog, and did not let go. He will need careful management around small dogs. Guidance from a professional positive reinforcement trainer/behaviorist is strongly recommended.