Cleo

Welcome the strong and loyal Cleo. Cleo is a three year old female German Shepherd cross Rottweiler, large in size and full of character. Cleo was on red alert in the pound and due to be put to sleep if no home was found. Thankfully, she moved to a new foster home. Cleo’s fosterers say, “She is a very good-natured dog in the home and very affectionate with us, loves a belly rub and a scratch on her bottom. She has mastered basic commands and is good at them in the home and garden. Her reactivity to other dogs and her guarding of visitors means that she needs to be managed on walks and when people are in the house. She has a loving personality and could make for a great dog if the owner is willing to support her with her anxiety and reactivity.” Cleo barks at the doorbell and is very excitable to begin with but then settles and becomes very affectionate. She has shown reactivity around visitors to the house since being in this foster home. If someone comes to the door, she barks and jumps at the visitor. Cleo has not shown any food guarding but has growled when the fosterers attempted to remove toys early on, though they haven’t seen it for a while as she hasn’t had toys while in behaviour training. She is head shy because of her past. She accepts lead and collar. She wears a flat collar at all times and has a martingale collar for walks. She does not like a harness and when in one, she becomes non-responsive, so she uses two collars as mentioned. Cleo is very anxious on the lead. She responds reluctantly to being asked to sit. She pulls quite a lot and can be easily overwhelmed if there is a lot going on. She is reactive to other dogs and barks and lunges at them, tending to ignore them unless triggered or overstimulated, and in that situation, she can bark at people too. She can occasionally bark at bikes and scooters. Her fosterers have started muzzle training with her; she is making progress but still needs treats to accept the muzzle. After a time, she tries to scratch it off her nose, so she will need to go back to basics with her training for this as she will need to be walked wearing a muzzle until her reactivity has been minimised. Cleo has not been around children. She is a big dog and likes to get close to people, can be pushy for attention, and can be reactive to people. She would therefore need an adult-only home. Somewhere away from town, where there is a less dense dog population with more outdoor space to enjoy, would be ideal for her so she doesn’t have to navigate so many dogs on walks. Cleo cannot live with other dogs as she is dog reactive. Cleo has a strong prey drive so cannot live with cats or small furries. Sometimes she also barks and jumps for birds in the garden. Cleo has been left for four hours in her safe space and has settled with no destructive behaviour as long as she is let out for the toilet first. She doesn’t mind being left alone but her new home will need someone around most of the time to commit to her training, and any alone time should be built up gradually once she has settled. Cleo is toilet trained, crate trained, and settles well overnight. She does not like dog beds; she sleeps in her safe space on blankets on the floor. She can be stressed in the car, especially by triggers if she sees them, which leads to barking. She also gets travel sick in the car but has previously responded well to herbal travel sickness tablets on short journeys. Cleo’s new home will need to have proven experience in training dogs with reactivity, experience with large breed dogs, and someone who can be around most of the time to dedicate to her training. She knows some basic commands. Once she has overcome her reactivity, she will make someone a big, lovable friend for life who will love to play and cuddle with you. She needs someone to understand her past and work with her to build a future both she and her forever family can enjoy together. Select CountyAvonBedfordshireBerkshireBordersBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCentralCheshireClevelandClwydCornwallCounty AntrimCounty ArmaghCounty DownCounty FermanaghCounty LondonderryCounty TyroneCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDumfries and GallowayDurhamDyfedEast SussexEssexFifeGloucestershireGrampianGreater ManchesterGwentGwynedd CountyHampshireHerefordshireHertfordshireHighlands and IslandsHumbersideIsle of ManIsle of WightKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonLothianMerseysideMid GlamorganMiddlesexNorfolkNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshirePowysRutlandShropshireSomersetSouth GlamorganSouth YorkshireStaffordshireStrathclydeSuffolkSurreyTaysideTyne and WearWarwickshireWest GlamorganWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire