Bradley

Profile

Meet Bradley, a 2 year-old purebred Golden Retriever. He weighs 63 lbs and has medium gold coloring. He is a beautiful boy. He is neutered and up to date on all his vaccinations. He had some fungus in one of his ears so is receiving drops for that.

Bradley is one of the most affectionate dogs I have ever fostered, and from day one I could see what a gentle soul he is. His previous owners had him for just a week, and when left alone he was very anxious. They brought him to their vet and were told he has separation anxiety. They realized they were not meeting his needs so made the difficult decision to surrender him. You can tell he was loved and well cared for as a pup because he is a happy boy and he wants to engage with every person and dog he meets.  He has really open energy.

He loves any kind of activity—walks, runs, playing in the yard. He walks beautifully using an Easy-Walk harness. He is easy-going and gets along with the 2 resident dogs and lets them take a more dominant role. I don’t think he’s had any formal obedience training but he is picking up on basic commands super quickly. His new family will need to continue his training to help him gain confidence. He has excellent manners in the house: He doesn’t jump up on people to greet them. He hasn’t displayed any resource guarding for food or toys. He loves playing with the younger resident dog, and he LOVES balls –especially tennis balls that squeak. If left unattended with some toys though he quickly shifts into destroy mode, so I don’t leave stuffed toys on the floor.  He does great with our cats—they’re relaxed around him. He rides really well in the car—gets in the back seat and doesn’t make a peep. He is completely house trained (no accidents or marking).

When Bradley came to RAGOM, we were unsure if he has true separation anxiety or if he may be having some anxiety around the owners leaving because of all the changes in his life.  Our vet recommended not taking medication until I work with him and assess a little more where he is at. I’ve been following the plan outlined by Patricia McConnell in “I’ll be Home Soon” for working with separation anxiety. We worked through many of the smaller earlier steps quickly, and now I’m practicing leaving him for different (short) periods of time. He’s doing incredibly well, and other than a little whimpering and whining, there have not been any issues at all. He hates being put in the crate during the day so I have been exploring leaving him free-roam. I plan on getting him more comfortable with the crate too—just to be on the safe side. He does sleep in the crate at night though and loves it—go figure!

He is an incredible dog, and I’d love to adopt him myself. The vet and the woman who owns the doggy day care where I bring one of my resident dogs both said, “He’s perfect” –and I agree. The only challenge to work through is letting him know he can love you and its OK when you leave—you’ll be home soon! Taking him to obedience classes will help build up his confidence too!

His requirements: He is very athletic and needs a family that can give him consistent exercise. Because of his history with anxiety around separation, he will not be a good dog to sit at home alone for long periods of time everyday while his family works. Also, I’ve explored leaving the house with the resident dogs present, and not present, and he is much more relaxed when a dog is home with him. He’ll do best in a home with another dog. He does not require a fenced yard. His original owners had small kids and he loved them, but I have not tested him around kids yet.

If you think you may be a good match for Bradley, please contact your placement advisor. I will update as I learn more about him!