Yankee

Profile

Welcome Yankee! This handsome boy came into RAGOM due to allergies in the family. You can tell he was well-loved and has been a great houseguest. Yankee is 4 years old, housetrained, and good with other dogs. He isn’t neutered yet, but it’s scheduled for July 27th. Despite being intact, Yankee hasn’t marked in the house, but he is kept busy when outside; he spends lots of time sniffing and marking!

Yankee has a beautiful coat, a blocky head, short legs, and a long body. We are working on getting some weight off him currently; I think he could lose 10-12 pounds, but he will still be a big boy; currently he’s 94 pounds. He does the Golden nudge and would love to be petted all day long. He has really started to play with his foster brother, a Saint Bernard puppy, Hugo. He handles the puppy play very well and respects the older girls when they tell him to calm down. We had a couple male Lab visitors over the weekend, and Yankee did well with one exception: one of the Labs must smell good or something, but Yankee was a bit obsessed with humping him. I was able to call him off after a few attempts, but he kept trying, so eventually I just kept them separated. On that note, Yankee respects baby gates and doesn’t try to tip them or jump over. I have a fenced yard, but I think with work, he may be able to be trusted off-leash. Sometimes he gets so focused on his smells, I don’t think he pays attention, like a little kid. But he’s very eager to please and is definitely treat-motivated, both great qualities for training!

Short legs, long body!

How do you get a puppy to stop biting? You sit on him!

I haven’t had him around kids yet, but I think he would be just fine. I think older kids, 6 and up, would be better for Yankee, just because he’s a big boy and could knock a younger kid over when excited. He doesn’t resource-guard with humans and has been good with the other dogs, though I haven’t had any high-value items out yet. He is very strong and pulls like a horse on a leash. We are starting to use the Gentle Leader, and it helps some, but he still pulls. He has quite a bit of energy and would benefit from an active home. I’m hoping to test him by the water soon to see if he likes to swim. I don’t have cats, but will see if I can-test him; he doesn’t seem to have a high prey drive, so I think he would be okay. Yankee is able to have free roam during the day and is trustworthy! I make it a habit to not have anything on the counters, and I have a locking garbage can, so I’m unsure if he would counter-surf or get in the garbage. He does like to beg; I’ve been spraying him with bitter apple spray, and he’s already much better!

Yankee is a great boy:

• good with other dogs
• housetrained
• eager to please / very trainable
• always happy
• loves all people
• loves to be outside and active
• gets free roam during day (can be kenneled, though, and is comfortable with that, too)
• doesn’t go on the furniture
• up to date on vaccines, microchipped, will be neutered

Things Yankee needs work on (both of which will come with time and training!):

• pulling on a leash; will work on use of a Gentle Leader
• getting his attention when he’s focused on something else

Things I will try with Yankee:

• getting him cat-tested
• having him around kids
• seeing if he likes water/swimming
• focusing exercises

What Yankee needs in his new home:

• someone strong who can work with Yankee on his leash skills
• a family dedicated to continue with training and focusing
• an active family who will include Yankee in their activities

Yankee is a fun dog that will make some lucky family very happy!