rehoming 20-month old Australian Cattle Dog

Ben Lomond CA

Description

*This is a re-post from about 6 months ago (he was 14 months then and is 20 months now). We have continued working with Rocket to the best of our abilities without the progress we had hoped for. I will think we're making good progress, then he'll seem to regress or a new challenge arises. He has been on medication for 6 months. We love Rocket so much and want so badly to find a great home for him. I'm willing to drive several hours for the right fit and to work with any potential new owner in any ways that we can. He will need someone with time, patience, and experience with ACD's and/or fear reactive dogs. Potential adopters will need to complete an application. Please help give Rocket a chance ❤. And no judgement please; this is an absolutely heartbreaking decision for us.* Santa Cruz, CA Fully vaccinated Neutered at 6 mos. old Asking for a small rehoming fee of $50. This is negotiable, and we are willing to transport him to the right home. We have Trupanion insurance and have met the lifetime deductible and could see about transferring the policy to a new owner, if interested. Rocket is a 20-month old Stumpy-Tailed ACD. We are heartbroken at the thought of rehoming him, but feel it is the best decision for him and our family, and even our friends and neighbors. He has so many wonderful qualities, but he has a history of reactivity and has bitten me and my husband (beyond the typical ACD herding nips, which he also does, although these were not bites requiring stitches or anything extreme like that). We cannot risk this happening again to our children or anyone in our busy neighborhood. We are looking to rehome him with someone familiar with the breed and fear reactive dogs who has a farm, ranch, or large yard. Rocket needs and deserves a compassionate individual, couple, or family who is willing to put in a lot of time with training and ideally to give him a job that will help with his mental and physical energy and working dog drive. Rocket has been through basic and intermediate training through PetSmart, as well as 1:1 training with an experienced balanced trainer. We have a lot of information to pass along to any potential new owner, including protocols to work on reactivity. Rocket is smart and learns quickly. He is highly motivated by treats of pretty much any kind. He walks nicely on leash and has made a ton of progress with walking past other people and dogs (this is generally not a problem at all anymore!). He loves most people once he gets to know them and/or upon meeting them in neutral territory. Rocket is good with kids (although he tends to want to herd our children). He sometimes takes longer to warm up to men. He gets along well with most well behaved and well adjusted dogs, although he seems to be wary of dogs much bigger than him. Rocket does well with our cat, although she knows not to run and trigger his chase instinct. I can't say they're friends, but they tolerate each other just fine. Rocket would probably want to be friends with her if she were interested. 🙂 Rocket knows the commands sit, stay, come, shake, lie down, crate/place, and other basics. He goes to his crate willingly when he's tired or needs a break and when we're eating dinner (giving him treats in there has helped a ton with this). Admittedly, he sleeps at the foot of our bed, but he's a great sleeper and will stay in bed as long as I do. He is very loyal to me, but his drive to "protect" me seems to be one of his triggers. Rocket is a snuggle bug on his own terms (which is often). He often likes to be pet and scratched, especially belly rubs and scratches behind the ears. He does not like to be "handled." We haven't been very successful with trimming nails or official baths (although he loves swimming in rivers, lakes, and the ocean). He gets nervous and reactive when he thinks someone might do something to cause him pain or discomfort. This is one of his big triggers. Our trainer recently gave us a protocol to work on this, and we will be continuing with it. He has a muzzle, but it can be challenging to get on and occasionally off of him. He will easily stick his nose in it for treats, and we are continuing to practice. Rocket loves walks and runs and chasing my husband on his mountain bike, enjoys fetch with balls and frisbees, working for treats, swimming, hiking, and other adventures. He is an awesome dog the vast majority of the time, but is just a bit too unpredictable in our house and neighborhood with many people coming and going, including young children. We really want to find a great placement for him and are really willing to work with whomever is interested in order to make it as smooth a transition as possible. Please reach out with any questions or recommendations and feel free to spread the word!