Archie

ARCHIE HAS FOUND HIS FOREVER HOME (9.7.2017)

We believe Archie had a plan all along and knew where he wanted to be and he wasn’t going to give up on his dream. 

Finally, those dreams all came true when, after worming his way into his foster mum’s heart, his beloved foster dad who, from day one, adored every bone in his body, warts and all, had his best ever birthday present and became Archie’s forever dad. 

It had been a rocky road and Archie disgraced himself a few times along the way but, with the devotion and hard work put in by David and Anne and a little help from his doggy friend Gizmo and his mates, Archie began to turn a corner.

Initially, he was reactive and hard to handle, simply because of his fears, but he has learnt how to trust and now knows how much fun life can be. He is a very well travelled boy with his own cosy pad in his folk’s motor home and now has loads of doggy friends.

Special thanks have to go to Anne and David for hanging on in there through tough times, for giving Archie the benefit of the doubt on several occasions, for building his confidence and especially for making Archie a very happy boy.

HISTORY

Archie is about 18 months old. He, and a similar aged female lived alone, with little human contact for two months in a stable. This has made him wary of strangers but, once he has learnt to trust, you would have a friend for life.   He started out very underweight and with tummy issues but, thanks to his fosterers, he is looking really good now and any sensitivities to food seem to have almost disappeared. He has had veterinary health checks and has been pronounced fit and healthy.

UPDATE FROM HIS FOSTERER  7.6.2015

Archie has been with us for 2 weeks and is now much calmer and more settled. He came to us with a reputation for being very unsure and wary of strangers. We have allowed him to go at his own pace and so have had no problems. He will definitely need time with his adopters to be able to settle into being a proper dog.

He loves nothing better than to carry a toy or ball around the house or garden. He is toy possessive but in the way a toddler always wants someone else’s toys. He can become very focused on his toys and he loves to play fetch so that is a really good way of training him.

SOCIAL LEARNING

BEHAVIOUR AT HOME: He is well behaved in the house, settles quickly and quietly, is very affectionate and likes to be involved in everything.  He loves being brushed and having a cuddle at night in front of the TV.

LEAD WALKING & RECALL: Lead walking needs some training as he tends to pull and get very excited when the lead comes out but his recall is good.

FOOD: He is always hungry and a very fast eater, but he does take treats gently. He is very well mannered and lies quietly while we eat at the table without being told and does not beg. 

DOGS: He gets on very well with Bonnie who would like to play with him but, because of his past, he doesn’t really know how to play with another dog.

Last week for 7 days we had Maxim who was twice Archie’s size and within a couple of days they were tolerating each other well  but, again, Archie rejected Maxim’s offers to play because of not really understanding how to be a dog. Due to our remote location we haven’t met a lot of dogs out walking to judge his reaction to strange dogs. The one “strange” dog, chickens and geese that he has met, he showed no reaction to but there is a good chance this may not always be the case.       

 Archie would do well if rehomed with another dog but it really needs to be a calm, non dominant female.

ARCHIE’S DREAM HOME         
Archie’s forever home needs to be an active one with very experienced dog owner. He needs firm and consistent rules and boundaries but also plenty of love and attention.       Archie is a very lovely dog and he will make his adopters a loyal companion, however, he will require plenty of attention and training and, due to his upbringing, time to develop into a dog.  

PREVIOUS REPORT

Most of the time Archie is quite calm and is an easy dog to live with although he does get very bouncy when food is around or he thinks he is going out for a walk. He adores the sight of his harness as it now has such good associations for him.       Apart from his walks, most of all, he loves being outside, watching everything and sniffing all the unfamiliar scents. He enjoys sun bathing with the garden door open.  He will pick up and carry soft and hard toys and he has been learning to play with them, chasing and catching them in the garden. He likes nothing better than to “help” with the gardening too!!          Unusually,he seems to become bonded to men quicker than women. It is clear he loves his female fosterer to bits but really only has eyes for his male fosterer, who he idolises.

SOCIAL LEARNING

Travel:  He travels very well. He settles and is relaxed once moving although he will bark at another vehicle if in a queue.

Housetraining:  Archie is housetrained. He “asks” to go out if necessary

Grooming: He will endure foot washing if held firmly and copes with daily grooming. He has a silky coat which was full of knots and tangles when he arrived but they are all gone now and he is looking very well groomed and handsome.

Basic Training: Initially, he didn’t seem to understand any word commands, even his name, but he has made a marked improvement and is now learning to respond to his name, “sit”, “come”, “be quick”,  “no”, and “this way”.

He respects boundaries and does not go upstairs but waits patiently at the bottom. If he attempts to climb on furniture, he, immediately, gets down onto the floor when told.  

He is not allowed and does not go into the dining room. After initial interest, he settles down whilst his humans eat meals and doesn’t pester.        Food:   Archie is learning to take treats gently from a hand.  He is not concerned when his fosterer stands nearby when he is eating his food and he can now be made to wait before he wolfs his food down.

Separation:  Archie seems to accept being left along in a room. He keeps a close eye on his human’s movements and likes to be within sight of someone if he can be. He is left in the kitchen at times during the day and all night in the utility room. At night, he settles quickly on the dog bed and makes no sound.

Noises:  He is fine with potentially scary objects like the hoover, wheelie bin and lawn mower but can be wary of things coming out of the dark.

Leadwalking:  Archie remains excessively enthusiastic about going out for a walk. When he sees the harness, he comes and sits, lifting his feet to put it on. He still pulls a little initially but he stops on instruction before setting off again.

Recall:  He has enjoyed some free running in a very secure field and his recall was excellent but, normally, other than having total freedom in the garden, he roams quite happily in the fields on his harness and an extending lead sniffing all the unfamiliar scents which he love. Children:  His trust issues make him unsuitable for a home with children.

Dogs:   He seems to be unsure how to greet other dogs and, on the lead, will still bark when he sees another dog. He only barks when dogs are coming towards him and is fine, returning to his calm self, when they have gone past.   Given the opportunity to meet friendly dogs in a controlled and safe situation, like a lot of dogs when on a lead, he was fear aggressive when approached by them but off lead his reactionwas to chase and eventually play with a lively dog and almost totally ignore an older dog who showed no interest in him either.

Cats: He sometimes watches cats warily but, mostly, he shows little interest in them so he would probably be OK with a dog savvy cat. 

July 2015

Archie has gone to live in his Forever Home