Buddy

Profile

Buddy is a PB Golden Retriever between one and two years old.  He was neutered last Thursday and is UTD.  Not much is known about him.  He followed a girl home from school one day and they had him for two weeks and no one came looking for him, they had him scanned for a microchip but none was found.  They were going to keep him but he has to much energy for their seven year old lab so he became a RAGOM dog.
 
I have only had him a few days, he came from a temp foster (thanks Sue) and now is with his new fur brothers and a bird and cats.  This is what I know so far.
 
He is about 65lbs but needs to fill out.  I think he will be closer to 75 when he is done growing.  He has a beautiful blonde coat and loves to be brushed.  He has a very soft mouth and will give up bones, toys or what ever he has.  He loves to retrieve and loves to be outside.  He will lay on the steps for hours just watching the deer through the fence.  If you try to take him by the collar and direct him in a direction he will shut down and lay belly up.  He knows how to slip a buckle collar.  The GS also  noted this behavior.  Somewhere in his past I believe has been abused but he can't tell us.  So I don't grab for his collar but just direct his whole body and that seems to work.  He will bolt out the door or his kennel or the car so I am working on teaching him to wait.  He is smart and wants to please.  Because of this behavior he will require a physical fence.  I think that is how he got lost perhaps slipping his collar and bolting. 
 
At this time what he will require is:
 
A physical fence.
No children under ten as he is a big pup at heart and still jumps up and will mouth your sleeve.
Exercise in the form of walks or jogging.
Patience when teaching him the boundaries using a very soft touch.
No cats at this time as he is way to fixated on them and hard to redirect.  I am working on that with him.
Obedience classes.
He gets along fine with other dogs but does play rough so another very playful dog or he would be fine by himself if he is not left alone for more then a few hours.
 
He is young and has a lot to learn and get over from his past but he is a beauty in and out.  You can just tell he is a gentle boy but until he gets a few years on him he will require lots of encouagement and positive reinforcement.