Bruce or maybe Nigel Mastiff type X HOMED

Came in from the pound today was being PTS Monday

A family found this boy straying a week ago and took him home whilst they contacted the dog warden, whilst at her house he was attacked by their cat who then jumped on his back and he did nothing, seems very people friendly

He is at the vets on Wednesday for castration and to start his vacs

Handsome boy x Well done for saving him

Bruce or maybe Nigel........

hows Bruce or maybe Nigel getting on?
sending hugs his way

He is doing well had castration and started vacs yesterday, normally when they have the op they just sleep and don't want much food, not so this lad he was looking for food as soon as we got home

he is on lead walks at the moment as I think if he was off lead the stitches could very well split has he is acting like nothing has been done

13/3/13

Bruce

Introduction to strangers; on introduction Bruce was settled in his crate, he showed no negative behaviours, keeping calm with a wagging tail at all times and displayed no vocalisation. Bruce quickly returned to a calm state with relaxed eyes when returned to his crate after activity.

Handling and lead work; Bruce was easy to handle from his crate and did not become over stimulated or excited when putting on a lead. He showed very little to no attention on the lead and was mostly focused on different scents in the area. Bruce displayed little knowledge of basic obedience skills. Confident with all handling and health checks, Bruce remained calm and comfortable at all times. Bruce remained solid on the ground with rough and playful handling, showed minimal stress signs, did not become over excited, nippy or playful.

Dog introductions; Bruce’s was introduced to reactive dogs on lead. Although defensive at times Bruce controlled his behaviours well and just gave a confident bark. He displayed no signs of direct reaction and his hackles remained low throughout. When asked to back away Bruce listened but found it hard to remain attentive to owner and focused on the reactive dogs in front of him. Bruce was the introduced a bitch off lead and became very over stimulated, unable to control his chase instincts. Bruce was easily stopped and continued to display no signs of aggression or anxiety when put back on the lead. Bruce was introduced to a bitch loose in adjoining pens and although he appeared playful he was very confident and gave a few loud barks. He again seemed over stimulated and unsure of a proper way to interact.

Food; Bruce was not interested in low value food and was good with all handing while feeding and removal of bowl and took food gently from hands.

Summary; Bruce is a human orientated dog that has good general manners, although he needs improvement on his basic obedience and lead work skills. Bruce would suit a confident owner able to expand his socialisation and ensure he is calm and collected around other dogs. Given good, controlled introductions Bruce should quickly learn how to approach and play with other dogs. Because of this, pending good introductions he may be suited to a home with an older, well behaved bitch. Bruce has a lovely soft nature and will make a vey loving dog. He will need continued training once homed and training classes would be recommended to ensure meets lots of dogs ion a controlled environment.

Well, what is not to like about this boy! With a little bit of training he will be perfect. He is super friendly and a real charmer hopefully you will find your forever home soon.

Took Bruce to the pub for lunch and he was a very good boy. Very polite while eating, barked at a couple of people, but easily corrected. Will be taking him out again

Bruce assessment

LARGE BREED DOG RESCUE
Behavioural Assessment Form

Dogs assessed by LARGE BREED DOG RESCUE are done so by qualified / experienced volunteers and wherever possible, two volunteers will be present at the time of assessment.
The welfare & the safety of all dogs & volunteers is of top priority at all times and therefore the assessments may be stopped at any time before being completed.
The behaviours shown in this assessment were seen on the date shown below but can change at any time (i.e. if a dog has been in kennels for a long period or once a dog is placed in a home)

Assessors:

1) Tracy Buckingham 2) Sharon Farrington


Date of assessment: 4th May 2013 Dogs name: Bruce

Breed: Mastiff Type X Sex: Male

Age: 16 month-ish Neutered: Yes

History: Stray Any other history: No history



Any medical conditions: None known


How did the dog travel in the car:


SITUATION DOGS REACTION
Person approaches dog in kennel Very friendly, creates for fuss & attention. Very people friendly
Person enters kennel to put leash on No issues
Person takes dog out for a walk Very excitable but friendly
Person walks past while dog is eating food Looked but continued to eat, happy for you to take back
Person tries to pick up / take high value food As above

SITUATION
DOGS REACTION
Person tries to touch toy that dog is playing with Not really interested in toys, has no idea what they are, a bit scared of squeaky toy, took himself back to his crate
Person reaches hand out towards dog Bruce sees this as affection
Person reaches over dogs head As above, Bruce loves fuss
Person grabs at dogs collar / neck Bruce is unsure but showed no unwanted behaviours
Person hugs dog around the neck As above, then showed submissive behaviour by showing his tummy
Person pushes down on dogs back Goes into sit, submissive gives paw
Person pushes down on dogs rump Bruce falls to floor in submissive manor
Person tries to get dog to lay down by voice command Bruce knows this command and shows submission
Person tries to get dog to lay by physically pushing Bruce falls to the floor
Person tries to groom dog (head, body)
Bruce is unsure but accepting
Person touches dogs feet Bruce is unsure, showed submission
Person clips dogs toenails
Bruce sees this as affection
Person tries to bathe dog including towelling off Shows submission

SITUATION DOGS REACTION
Person tries to open dogs mouth Allows you to easily open dogs mouth
Person holds eye contact with dog Bruce turns away, sits as close to you as possible with back to you
Person shouts loudly near dog Looks and walks away
Person threatens dog with an object Looks and turns away, laid on floor and showed belly
Person drops an object near dog Bruce looks and runs away
Stranger knocks on the door Showed no unwanted behaviour. Wants to interact with people
Strangers enters the room As above
Stranger tries to pet the dog in the room As above
Stranger pets the dog outside As above
Stranger approaches dog in car Can bark, more an I’m here come and see me
Stranger shouts loudly in dog presence Looks and walks away
Dog walks past familiar, non reactive dog Bruce wants to say ‘hello’
Dog walks past unfamiliar non reactive dog Bruces social skills need work, he is too in the face, which other dogs dislike. He really should go to socialisation classes as he would benefit from this
Dog walks past familiar reactive dog Bruce wants to say ‘hello’
SITUATION DOGS REACTION
Dog walks past unfamiliar reactive dog Bruce can be too in the face, he can bark but not in an aggressive way. Again needs social skill work
Dog sees cat outside

Bruce showed submission to cat
Person holds cat in close proximity of the dog





Can the dog live with children (if so, which age): Because we have no history as Bruce was a stray & because of his submissive behaviour, older children only that have experience with large breeds.


What type of home will the dog need: A home that is understanding to his needs and to build confidence and trust to lesson his submissive behaviour. To not push too fast too soon but to also teach what his boundaries should be.

What type of home would not suit the dog: Too loud or too busy.


Bruce looks for re-assurance a lot and seems worried that he may be getting something wrong. Responds very well at being told he is a ‘good boy’. Perfect with people.

Although shows a lot of submissive behaviour he is still a dog that wants to have fun with you.

Bruce needs to learn manners with other dogs.

Great reviews sounds like a lovely boy

BRUCE IS NOW RESERVED

Fab news

So pleased for Bruce - he's such a lovely boy

Fantastic news

Well done, good luck Bruce xx

Bruce is now homed and we know he will be very happy and very much loved