Date of intake:: 8/21/2024

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray ( Unknown History)

Date of assessment:: 8/23/2024

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Loose Reactivity to humans: Ignores Reactivity to dogs: Inconclusive-Didn't walk pass dogs Leash walking comments: Jumping on the helper during walk Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Explores room- sniffing, panting, pacing, Call over: Comes when coaxes- wagging tail, soft body Sociability comments: roughly takes treats, goes to sit in front of handler allowing petting solicits attention Handling Soft handling: Tolerant- head whips, panting, distracted with squeaker Exuberant handling: Tolerant- heavy panting, Handling comments: Arousal Jog: 1 jog Arousal comments: backs away Knock: approaches- jumps on helper, panting Knock Comments: Toy: Hover, body blocks, grips walks away Toy comments:

Summary (3):: 9/17/24: Cheddar is at the front of the kennel with a neutral body and wagging tail. She jumps up and hard barks once but is easily redirected with treats. She is leashed using a toy to distract her and is taken to the backyard where she persistently jumps higher and higher in the air trying to take the toy from the handler. A secondary handler takes the toy and hides it in their pocket and the primary handler redirects cheddar with treats which she takes. She is brought into a pen where she starts to spit out treats and she relieves herself. She is given the toy which she takes exuberantly and chews on for a minute before dropping it to sniff around. She allows the handlers to pet her with a soft body and allows them to adjust and remove her collar. When the secondary handler leaves to get a larger collar Cheddar begins to whine and pace, seeking exit at the door. When the secondary handler returns she picks up her toy exuberantly and trots around, tossing it. She is easily clipped and pulls very hard on return to kennel. She enters the kennel with the toy in her mouth and is easily unleashed. 09/18/24:Cheddar is at the front of kennel bouncing up and down with a loose and wiggly body as handler approaches. She is easily leashed and brought out to the play yard. As she passes dogs in kennels she is lunging towards them, kennel fighting down the hallway. Cheddar shakes off the moment she steps outside, and maintains a loose body throughout the entirety of her walk. She stays out in the play pens for about 15 minutes, the longest she has stayed outside without wanting to go back to kennel, even with a toy in her mouth. She was soliciting pets by rubbing and approaching the handler consistently, and she engaged with the snuffle mat. Cheddar would pick up her toy and bounce around the pen, then drop it and engage with the snuffle, pick up the toy and approach handler. She was easily leashed and brought back to kennel (with no toy in her mouth - she let it go right before exiting pen).

Summary (4):: 9/16/24: Cheddar is at the front of her kennel hard barking and jumping around. When the handler unlocks the kennel she jumps up and snaps towards their hand through the bars. She is distracted using treats and easily leashed. She is taken into a pen in the backyard where she immediately relieves herself and approaches the handler socially, jumping up in the air in front of the handler but not putting her paws on them. She accepts a toy offered to her and chews on it, shaking it, before approaching the gate and seeking exit while whining. She paces in front of the gate door with the toy in her mouth before sitting and dropping the toy. Eventually she reapproaches the handler and accepts treats. When another dog passes by she attempts to approach but is redirected with a treat scatter. When another dog walks by she approaches rapidly with a tense body, hard barking. She is held back with the leash and after a few moments is able to be redirected with treats. She is easily releashed and returned to kennel without issue. 9/11/24: Cheddar is at the front of kennel with a neutral body, and a relaxed tail wag as handler approaches. She starts jumping up and pawing the kennel door, she is easily leashed and brought out to the driveway. She urinates right before stepping over threshold and manages to grab a plush toy from the laundry, as soon as she has it in his mouth, she turns around and starts pulling very hard back to care centers. Handler attempts to coax her forward to at least the driveway, but she begins to retreat, thrash, and dig her paws into the ground pushing back hard. Handler brought her back to kennel and she scurried in.

Summary (5):: 9/10/24: Cheddar is at the front of the kennel with a neutral body and slight tail wag. She hard barks once and jumps up on the kennel door but takes treats. She is easily leashed using a treat lure and exits the kennel quickly, attempting to cage fight on the way out of the room. She pulls very hard and persistently jumps up and down on leash towards the handlers hand. Once in the driveway she is offered a toy which she takes exuberantly. She immediately turns back towards the garage door and yanks hard to go back inside. The handler is not able to redirect her and has to pull her away from the door to be clear of the walking path. She fixates on going back inside, jumping, pulling, and vocalizing with the toy in her mouth. She occasionally stops momentarily before resuming pulling towards the door, straining hard against the leash. After a few minutes she stops to rip up her toy but then again resumes pulling back. When the handler attempts to walk her around the driveway she balks and tugs back on the leash very hard. When another handler walks into the drive way with a dog she lunges towards them, hard barking and standing on her hind legs. She is not easily redirected and has to be muscled away. She is brought inside and returned to kennel without issue. 9/9/24: Cheddar is loose and wiggly as handler approaches kennel, not barking at all. She was easily leashed and brought out of kennel. While walking down the hallway to the driveway, Cheddar was jumping up and down in a bouncing manner, not towards handler, more so alongside. She continued this behavior all the way outside where she maintained a loose and wiggly body, accepted treats, and solicited pets by rubbing along the handlers legs. She was walked for about 5 minutes and played the "Popcorn" pattern game, before she relieved herself. She continued soliciting pets and attention from handler with a loose body, until another handler walked out of the garage with another dog. Cheddar began pulling very hard back towards the care centers. Handler walked her back inside and tossed a squeaky toy on the floor before entering C, she swiftly picked it up and carried it all the way to her kennel.

Summary (6):: 9/8/24: Cheddar is laying at the center of her kennel as handler approaches. She is offered treats and takes them lightly with a wiggly body and wagging tail. She is leashed without issue and while being brought out the room pulls towards the last few dogs in the front of the room. Cheddar is brought to the outdoor garage. Along the way she remains loose and playfully bounces in the air lightly down the hall. She passes staff without issue and uses the bathroom once outside. She accepts pets around her body and head, leaning in to them. Handler stays with her for a bit longer, interacting with her before she begins walking back to the building. Before returning to kennel she is offered a squeaky toy which she takes and walks back to kennel and is returned without issue. 9/7/24: Cheddar is at the front of the kennel with neutral body as a novel handler unlocks the kennel. She then jumps up mouth where the handlers hand is. A toy is squeaked and Cheddar remains at the front and allows leashing. The toy is tossed on the floor and she takes the toy and attempts to pull back into the kennel. Handler is able to coax her forward to the hall but as soon as she passes the second door, she pulls back into the room, walking backwards with the toy in her mouth. She can not be coaxed forward. She is returned to kennel. 09/05/2024: Cheddar is lying down in the middle of her kennel as handler approaches. She comes up to the front with a loose, wiggly body, and tail wagging to the right. She is easily leashed and brought out to the driveway. In the garage, she relieves herself and immediately turns around to start pulling hard back towards the care centers. Handler shows her a couple squeaky toys and she becomes loose and wiggly. She is tossed one, she picks it up, and continues to pull very hard towards the care centers. She is returned to kennel without issue. Cheddar was only outside for about 3 min.

Summary (7):: 09/04/2024: Cheddar is lying down in the middle of her kennel as handler approaches. She stands up, yawns, and approaches the front of the kennel with a loose, wiggly body, and tail wagging. She is easily leashed and handler tosses a squeaker toy onto the floor, which she chases after. Her body remains loose, and she carries her toy as she is walked to the driveway. In the laundry room she begins to urinate and immediately turns around and start pulling back to care centers. Handler attempts to toss second toy outside and Cheddar makes it over the threshold, but is continuously pulling hard towards the care center. Cheddar only stayed outside for 2-3 minutes before she was brought back inside. Handler brings her back to kennel and she hops right in, still with the toy in her mouth. 09/3/2024: Cheddar is lying down in the back of kennel as handler approaches. She stands up and stretches as she approaches the front of kennel. She is easily leashed and brought out to the driveway. She immediately relives herself and begins pulling hard towards the care centers. Handler uses baby talk and treats to call her back over. She re-approaches with a loose body, low relaxed tail wag, and leans in for pets. Handler lures her over to a puzzle feeder on the floor which she is completely uninterested in. Cheddar is continuously pulling back towards the care centers. She was returned to kennel without issue. 8/23/2024: When the handler approaches, Cheddar barks loudly and growls in front of her kennel. The handler rewards her with treats for softer barking and continues to walk around the kennel room, tossing treats to her. Cheddar starts to huff and lifts her right paw to the front of her kennel. Throughout the day, as the handler passes by, she exhibits a relaxed and wiggly body inside her kennel. Cheddar will lift her right paw and is rewarded with treats again. The handler walks away ending interaction.   8/22/24: Cheddar is standing in the front of the kennel as handler approache. Cheddar jumps up on hind legs and begins barking at handler. Once offered treats Cheddar stops and sniffs and takes treats softly, pausing briefly before beginning to bark again. Cheddar is leashed without issue and brought to the play yard. While outside Cheddar is neutral bodied and walks past people in the hall without issue. When in the play yard, Cheddar uses the bathroom quickly and walks near handler not pulling mostly. After a bit Cheddar is brought back as she is observed seeking exit and standing at door to play yard and staring at it. He is returned without issue.

Date of intake:: 8/21/2024

Summary:: Growling and snapping when attempting to leash in crate.

Date of initial:: 8/21/2024

Summary:: Growling and snapping when attempting to leash in crate.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to Cheddar's fearfulness, Cheddar should go to a home with older children. Place with a New Hope partner: Due to all noted concerns displayed in the Care Center environment, the behavior department recommends Cheddar be placed with a New Hope placement partner who is able to provide an experienced adult-only foster home. A period of decompression is recommended to allow Cheddar to acclimate comfortably to her new environment; force-free, reward based training only is advised when introducing Cheddar to new and unfamiliar situations.

Potential challenges: : Resource guarding,Basic manners/poor impulse control,Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,Anxiety,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Kennel presence

Potential challenges comments:: Resource guarding- During Cheddar assessment she displayed Hover, body blocks, grips walks away over the assessor toy. It is essential to work on desensitizing her to having her possessions handled by using techniques like trading up for higher-value items and practicing "drop it" and "leave it". Please see handout on Resource guarding. Basic manners- Cheddar jumps up non-stop, indicating a need for training to improve her impulse control and basic manners. Consistent training to teach her to sit or stay when greeting people, using positive reinforcement and redirection, will help manage this behavior. Please see the handout on Basic manners/poor impulse control. Poor bite inhibition-During assessment, Cheddar takes treats roughly, showing a lack of proper bite inhibition. Training should focus on offering treats with an open hand and using commands like "gentle" or "easy." Rewarding her for taking treats softly and providing chew toys can help improve her bite inhibition. Please see the handout on Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition. Fearful/potential for defensive aggression- During Cheddar intake she displayed growling and snapping when attempting to leash in crate. To help Cheddar overcome her fearfulness, use gradual desensitization and positive reinforcement. Identify the specific triggers that cause her fear and introduce them at a low intensity while pairing them with high-value treats. Gradually increase the intensity of the trigger while ensuring Cheddar remains comfortable. This process will help her build positive associations with previously fearful stimuli. Always allow Cheddar to approach new situations at her own pace, and never force her into uncomfortable situations. Using a calm and patient approach will help reduce her fearfulness and build her confidence. Anxiety-·Cheddar began to display heavy panting and pacing during her assessment. Managing her anxiety will require creating a calm environment, providing enrichment activities, and using stress-reducing techniques like puzzle toys and regular exercise. Please see handout on generalized anxiety. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Cheddar was observed to kennel fight while walking past other dogs. Positive reinforcement should be used to help manage this behavior. Please see the handout on On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration. Kennel presence- In kennel Cheddar displays hard barking and growling in her kennel. to help improve Cheddar kennel presence Reward calm behavior When the dog is quiet and relaxed in the kennel, offer treats or praise. Use a clicker or verbal marker to capture good behavior. Start by marking when all four paws are on the ground for a split second. Gradually increase the duration of calmness before rewarding.