Clyde

Profile

I would like to welcome Clyde, our honorary golden, to the RAGOM family!  He weighs 70+ pounds, but that amount will be exacted after a visit to the vet.  He was born in July 2009, so he is approximately 9 months old.  Clyde is still a puppy and was surrendered because he was too much for the family. 

I have found that Clyde is very smart and wants to please.  Due to this I think that he should be put through some obedience.  He reportedly had some obedience but I believe that his adoptive family should take him through themselves to reinforce what was learned prior and to build upon that.  Since he is so smart he will need to be kept occupied through exercise and obedience.  With these two components, he will be an absolutely perfect dog!

Clyde is, for lack of a better term, a strong brickhouse.  He has muscles and isn't afraid to use them!  He needs a gentle leader for walks otherwise he has the capacity to pull you wherever he wants to go :-)  Again, with obedience this is something that can be worked on and eliminated as an issue.  Not only is his body strong, but he has a monster of a tail!  This thing can be heard for miles when he is happy :-) 

He met my 3 dogs with no issues on his part, other than be a little scared - but who wouldn't be scared being met by 3 large exhuberent dogs!  He is in love with Millie and they are constantly playing with each other, chasing each other around my living room, giving kisses and play bowing.  He hasn't been reading the signals of my two male residents.  They have been raising their lip when he tries to take their toys/bones and he isn't backing off.  I'm hoping that this is just some of his puppy naitivity.

I took him on a homevisit today and it really took him a little while to settle down.  He was very excited to be in a new place and needed to explore the whole house.  I found out that he also bonds well with males.  He has nothing against us females, however he really took to the guy at the homevisit. 

Although Clyde hasn't been here for long, I can tell that everything he does is because he needs attention.  He wants nothing more than to be pet by you, hugged by you, giving big slobbery kisses to you.  He wants to be near you and he needs positive reinforcement.  I have found that if he needs redirection and this is given in a neutral tone with lots of loving afterwards that he is very receptive to this!   He is an incredibly smart dog who needs an outlet for that.

Of course, being a puppy means he needs lots of exercise too!  He was receiving daily runs at his previous home but I think that a few walks a day, combined wtih attention, and tasks to help him use his mind he will not need that high of a level of exercise.  Of course, if you are a runner all the better :-)

I have found that he truly loves kids.  Unfortunately he loves them so much that he will knock them down in his exuberence.  Due to this and the fact that he has a very strong tail that I can see hitting a kid in the face, I am saying that he needs to be in a home with older kids.  With younger kids they are at risk for being inadvertedly hurt. 

It was reported by his surrendering family that his recall is not so hot, especially when on the trail of a critter such as a bird.  He gets so distracted that he doesn't come when called.  Due to this, I think a fence would be the optimal thing for him, unless you are commited to several levels of obedience.  He has really started listening to me and my directions but I haven't and won't be letting him off leash. 

Clyde is housetrained!  Although he has only been here for a short while, I can lthat he is housetrained because he hasn't marked my carpet which has been thoroughly marked by Millie's UTI's and former fosters :-)  I watched him and he didn't make a move to potty, he smelled and moved on!

He is exceptional in cars!  I keep him in the back seat and he immediately lays down.  I also figured out that him being in a car is like a baby being in a car as it puts him straight to sleep! 

So if you're home can accomodate the needs of a puppy; exercise, obedience, occasional puppy misteps and you love giving belly rubs and getting slobbery kisses, please let your placement advisor know!