Prince

Profile

Please welcome Prince to RAGOM! This handsome two year old came from a shelter in Alabama where he was picked up as a stray. His beautiful coat was covered in mats and fleas when he got to Minnesota, but the wonderful folks at Stone Mountain where he was boarded for a few days took care of that. They had to shave him and give him two flea baths, but now he feels much better! Don’t let his skinny, bald appearance fool you… his coat will grow back in to be full and beautiful, and if the hair on his head is any indication, he will be fluffy and oh-so soft! He is substituting a manly plaid coat for his own right now, because November in Minnesota feels awfully cold for a bald boy from Alabama!

We went in to see the vet yesterday to get him a booster shot, and he weighed in at 66 pounds. The vet thought his ideal weight would be about 70. They found that he has a cataract in his left eye, but they said when younger dogs get them, they often don’t get any worse. While it might affect his vision a tiny bit, he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it.  

Prince is one of the sweetest dogs out there! Has settled in to our home wonderfully, and we are already in love! It took a few days for his foster sister to warm up to him, as he is only two years old and still a puppy in many ways. He is very playful, but he learned very quickly to take her cues and he now knows when she wants him to quit. I think he would be happy with another energetic dog to play with, but I have a feeling he would be fine as an only dog with a family that has a lot of time to devote to exercise and training. He will definitely need training! He is sweet, and wants to please, but he needs to be taught some basic manners. When he learns a little, he will be darn near the perfect dog!

I think he was definitely someone’s well-loved pet at some point. It seems like he was taught some simple commands, but doesn’t necessarily remember them all that well. When he first met us, he didn’t jump, and I could almost see his thought… “I am supposed to sit when I meet people!” Because he was very careful to keep his tush on the ground even though he was excited to see us. He also knows “sit” most of the time, but I haven’t come across any other commands that he seems to know. It was said when he was surrendered to RAGOM that he was only partly potty-trained, but he has yet to go in my house. He gives appropriate cues when he needs to go out- whining and pawing at the back door. It is pretty common for any dog to have a few accidents in a new environment, but so far he has been a potty pro. 

He walks well on a leash most of the time… until he sees a rabbit, deer, or something that he would like to sniff. He does pull like a freight train in these instances, so his forever family will need someone that can handle a big dog that pulls. We have been using an Easy Walk Harness, and this seems to help, but he will still pull suddenly if he wants to get to something. He does love his walks! We had a few walks one day, totaling a little over 12 miles, and that finally tired him out!

I think he would do best at a home with a fence. He does not listen all that well, and does not come when called reliably, although we are working on that. At this point, he is not the kind of dog that could be left off leash and be trusted to stick around. I have had him on a long lead when out in our fenced yard, because I have no doubt that he could jump over the four foot fence if he wanted to. He does seem to respect that boundary though.

Prince has a couple of funny habits left over from his time as a stray. He is very cautious of cars when they drive by us on our walks. He slows way down and leans on me when they go by. He is not afraid exactly, you can just tell that he knows he needs to get out of their way! He also is a master of getting into our covered garbage can. The cover is a non-issue for him. He just walks in and bumps it hard with his nose and gets the cover off. His forever family will probably need to have a garbage can that is inaccessible to him when he is not supervised! He is also very cautious of new things and situations. Not exactly afraid, he just needs a minute to think about it, and investigate until he is comfortable.

He will need to be given appropriate things to chew, as he is a little mouthy and chewy (as are so many young Goldens!) I have caught him chewing his bed, the handle on the recliner, a sock, the couch, a towel, etc… He also destroyed Foster Dad’s water bottle and a boot while left with free roam for about 10 minutes while Foster Dad took a shower. He is easily re-directed though, and will easily transition to chewing on whatever toy you give him! It would be a good idea to have him kenneled while unsupervised until he learns what is and is not appropriate to chew.  He loves his kennel anyway, and doesn’t mind taking a nap in there.

He is a first rate snuggler! After his uncomfortable nights running the streets, and then at the shelter, he loves to lie on your lap on the nice warm couch and cuddle. We went yesterday to visit my Grandma after his vet visit, and once he had investigated the house, he settled down to take a nap in my lap on the floor. If I would stop petting him, he would roll over on his back and put a paw up to try to grab one of my hands. Very sweet!

All in all, with lots of love and some training, Prince will turn out to be the perfect dog for a family ready to deal with a strong, energetic dog who still acts very much like a puppy! Please let your placement advisor know if Prince looks like he would be a good fit for you!