Rehoming 7 year old male Flat Coat Retriever mix

Bend OR

Description

Hello, We need to find a new, loving home for our 7 year old male flat coat retriever mix named Loki We adopted him when he was 11 months old. His litter of puppies were found under a trailer by a rescue organization. He lived with a foster family for a while before we adopted him. The rescue agency said he was a flat coat retriever, likely with some other mix. At the time we had an older female dog and they were instant best friends. He was very skittish but learned to be a good adventure friend. He would go on long bike rides, runs and skis with us off leash and had an amazing life. 3 years ago we had a baby, and he started to become aggressive to other dogs. Initially kind of a charge bark, wrestle to the ground and then would be friendly. This got worse, he started to become aggressive at the fence in our backyard and do more charge barking even on the leash. We had to stop taking him to the dog park or anywhere off leash where we could possibly see other dogs. Then we had another baby and our older dog died. He has continued to become more aggressive with other dogs he does not know. He bit our neighbors dog once when he got out in our driveway and continues to lunge and bark on leash even if we cross the street. We have tried gentle training and socializing without effect. Throughout this time he has continued to be the sweetest dog at home. He loves the kids, is gentle and allows them to play Vet or ball. He loves his people or a dog that he knows. Unfortunately we have no yard, and we live in a neighborhood with lots of other dog walkers and even right next to a dog park that we can’t go to anymore. It’s nearly impossible now to take him out on a walk with the kids and stroller, while managing his charging and lunging and barking. He loves to run, but never gets to anymore. It’s also becoming increasingly challenging to find pet sitters willing to deal with his difficulties on the leash. I think he would benefit from either somewhere with some land where he could run, maybe with another dog friend, or with someone who has experience with aggression towards other dogs and working through that. He is a healthy guy, neutered, up to date on shots, no active medical problems. He is 45 pounds. He has a beautiful black feathery coat and looks like a purebred flat coat retriever. He has a summer short cut right now. Please feel free to contact me with any questions