PLEASE READ THE WRITE UP THOROUGHLY BEFORE APPLYING YOU NEED TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF READING DOG BODY LANGUAGE AND BE ABLE TO MANAGE A DOG THAT SHOWS FEAR AGGRESSION IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS. If you meet her criteria below but more importantly are willing to LISTEN AND FOLLOW OUR ADVICE ON THE DOG WE KNOW BEST then please drop us an email.
Honey is a 22 month old red cockapoo, she is spayed, microchipped, fully vaccinated, flea and worm treated and has a clean bill of health. She will be rehomed with 5 weeks free pet insurance.
Honey came to us after after being booked in to be put to sleep by her owner after she started resource guarding and showing anxiety based behaviours after the arrival of a human baby in the home, Honey had been their centre of attention and treated very much like a baby before the human version came along and she struggled to cope with the new addition.
She initially had a reprieve after a family friend said they would take her but then quickly changed their minds after just a few days giving poor Honey even more upheaval to deal with. When we collected her she was anxious, nervous and confused and really didn't understand what was going on. She had become snappy and scared after enduring scary vet visits and trying to be man handled when she wasn't ready for it.
We spent the first 10 days here just letting her decompress, she was fed and cared for but basically ignored, she wasn't ready to be touched nor did she invite it so that was respected. After several days she started to approach and after a week or so she actively sought out the connection and enjoyed short bursts of attention and affection. Fast forward 8 weeks and she is a loving, kissy, friendly soul who seeks out attention on her terms before finding her safe place to rest. Honey needs a home with people who can understand and respect this and understand and recognise subtle body language displayed by these anxious little dogs.
Honey is a typical anxious cockapoo, super loving when she knows and trusts you and highly anxious when she is scared, unsure or unhappy with something. She hasnt bitten but absolutely has the potential to if mishandled. We have seen no resource guarding here because she hasnt felt the need as her anxiety is minimised but a new owner needs to be mindful that this could show itself again and understand how to recognise it and deal with it appropriately if it does. Reach into her space whilst she is guarding and it could well result in a bite.
Honey is a very affectionate, loving and attentive girl who loves a fuss and she is a bit of a kisser when she bonds with you. Like most of these anxious dogs she also doesnt like being over handled UNDERSTANDING AND READING HER BODY LANGUAGE IS ESSENTIAL. You need to take your time and build a strong bond with her before pushing her.
Honey is great with other dogs, especially ones around her size as she loves to play chase and wrestling, we definitely want her to have another playful young neutered dog in her new home as it will help to continue to build her confidence levels and she has benefitted so much from being part of a pack here.
She doesn't guard food or toys and does not guard against other dogs, in fact she is fed alongside one of our other guarders with no issues. We wouldn't set her up to fail by giving any long lasting treats though as it's just too high value for a guarder.
She is workable with dog savvy cats and isn't bothered by our livestock here, we cannot home her with resident children under 14yrs. She has been absolutely fine with sensible visiting children 10yrs plus here and is delighted to see children out and about.
Honey will need regular grooming and getting used to being brushed regularly, she is very nervous of the grooming process and gets herself into a heightened panicked state on the grooming table and will try and bite in panic. We do our own grooming here so we can build the bond and trust with these dogs, to take things slowly and reassure them, using positive rewards for accepting the touch and clippers etc.
Honey will need a VERY patient and experienced groomer who is used to very reactive dogs on the grooming table. (if you are close enough to us I am happy to continue to groom her). She will allow brushing and bathing at home and will accept a muzzle too.
She walks really well on the lead and she is loving her walks on our secure land and just wants to be with you and her recall is great. She absolutely loves a good run and to chase a ball. She travels ok in the car, she is clean in the house.
Honey is very worried at the vets and isn't open to a vet handling her without the safety of a muzzle (all fear based) but she coped well overall with our experienced vet team recently when we spayed her.
She is used to having someone around for most of the time. She would be ok being left for a few hours with another dog once she has had a good amount of exercise but would not cope well being left for any significant amount of time.
Being fostered in Swadlincote, Derbys but can be rehomed further afield subject to homecheck and donation of £300
If you have the experience and commitment to offer this pretty girl her forever home please email us telling us in detail all about your home offer and your understanding of managing an anxious reactive dog, along with your FULL ADDRESS and contact number to wonkypetsrescue@gmail.com