Leo

Profile

    Introducing Leo, a 9 month old PB male Golden Retriever pup!  Dubbed “Leo the Licker” by members of his transport team, the nickname has stuck!  He is such a sweet boy and loves to give kisses!  He is lighter colored and has an absolutely gorgeous coat!  He loves to be brushed too!  Leo went to the vet this week and was neutered, hw tested (negative!), and had his fecal tested (negative!!).   He is utd on vaccinations.  He is slightly underweight at 53#, so he is getting a little more food to help with that.  He also has a mild skin infection, so he will be on antibiotics for 10 days.

    Leo is a VERY energetic puppy with minimal training.   He has made tremendous strides in the few days he has been in foster care, but still has a lot to learn as far as training goes.  He learned “down” (from sitting to laying down) in about 10 minutes, and knows both verbal and hand signals.  He is completely trained on the Gentle Leader and walks like a dream on leash.  He knows sit, down, and drop it.  Leo has never jumped up on anyone, he politely greets everyone and waits for them to love him up!  He does not always come when called (though this is something we are really working on!).  He thinks it’s a game (chase the Leo) and runs off.  I do not give chase and ignore him, and he usually comes to me right away.  However, I would not trust him to stay near me off leash in an unfenced area.  We are working on his manners in the house as well.  Before coming to RAGOM, Leo spent a lot of time outside and seems to be more comfortable outside.  He has picked up on the house “rules” fairly quickly - including not stealing towels, shoes, and kid toys (stuffed animals especially.)  I do keep a close eye on him to make sure he hasn’t gotten into anything he isn’t supposed to.  He will “drop it” as soon as you tell him.   Leo LOVES his new fleece dog bed that I made him right before he came to stay with us.  He loves to curl up on it in the evening with a Kong or a Nylabone and chew, chew, chew!   He is completely housebroken and will whine when he wants to go out! 

Requirements for Leo:
- MUST have a physical fence - He does not always come when called and makes a game of it when you try to catch him, even in the fenced in yard. 
-Leo would do well with another active, well-behaved  dog in the household, but it’s not absolutely necessary.  Cats would be fine as well.  The first day he was very interested in our 2 young resident cats, but now ignores them for the most part.  One of them is *always* hungry, he will steal a few pieces of kibble out of Leo’s food bowl while Leo is eating - Leo doesn’t care at all!  
-He needs an active family who is dedicated to providing the exercise and training that he needs.  I have been working with him a lot, but he will need to continue his training in his forever home.  He currently gets a short 30 minute walk either in the morning or at lunchtime, and a long walk (and sometimes a refreshing swim in the lake, on a long leash of course!) in the evening.  Once home, he usually romps around the backyard with my daughter for a little while.  He learned how to climb the play-set stairs and go down the slide- he loves it!   He’s usually pretty worn out by the time we come inside and is fairly calm for the rest of the evening.
-An experienced dog owner would be best for him - his training/exercise requirements may be too much for a first time dog owner. 
-He would love a home by a lake or that has a pool - this boy loves to swim! 
-He’s great with kids - Please remember that he is a big, rambunctious puppy so keep that in mind if you have little ones.  I trust him completely with my 6 year old daughter.  She sits with him on his dog bed and reads to him and he loves it!  He quietly follows her around, it’s so cute!  

Stay tuned - more on Leo to come as we get to know him better!  (Including more super adorable pictures!)