Date of intake:: 12/4/2024

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender, 1 Year

Previously lived with:: 2 adults & 1 child(7yrs old)`

Behavior toward strangers:: hard bark/or growl at new strangers. Max is friendly/outgoing, tolerant & playful with visitors.

Behavior toward children:: Lived with a 7yr old but was noted to preferably be with adults rather than with children.

Behavior toward dogs:: outgoing tolerant and playful with familiar dogs. noted to be playful & tolerant with unfamiliar dog

Behavior toward cats:: N/A

Resource guarding:: None Reported

Bite history:: None Reported

Housetrained:: Yes

Energy level/descriptors:: Medium

Other Notes:: Max was noted to be anxious when left alone. During walks, he will react to small dogs, noted to react by wanting to play with them. Max was reported to not be bothered when held/restrained when disturbed while sleeping/resting, when startled, when pushed/pulled off furniture. He isnt bothered when collar or paws are touched/grabbed. Max is described as a social/affectionate, very active/playful, vocal dog. he spends most of is time where people are. noted that he loves to follow owner everywhere he goes even the bathroom. For grooming: previous owner noted that Max is fearful of going to the bathtub as he doesn't like his nails being trimmed or bathed but he allows owner to trim his nails, bathe/brush him. on the leash, he pulls mildly to moderately. Due to recent previous owner work schedule he was only being walked once at night for about 10-15mins. Max used to live in a home where he had a yard to play in. he has never been crated and was used to having a dog barrier. Max was noted to get nervous when getting inside a car. he knows the cue Sit in spanish and english. previous owner loved that max was very playful and silly. max favorite activities are playing with balls.

Date of assessment:: 12/7/2024

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Hard Reactivity to humans: Ignores Reactivity to dogs: None Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Seeks exit- whining,avoidant Call over: Doesnt approach- nervous, heavy panting Sociability comments: Handling Soft handling: Allowed- heavy panting, looks back Exuberant handling: Allowed- Heavy panting, looking back, jumps when neck is touched Handling comments: whale eyes, tense, lip licks freezes, fearful Arousal Jog: Follow- heavy panting Arousal comments: Knock: Approaches- neutral Knock Comments: Toy: Sniffs, ignores Toy comments: **End of handling assessment he began to vocalize, heavy panting, howling***

Summary:: 1/15/25: Max greets another dog at the gate with a tense body and stiff tail.

Summary (5):: 1/12/25- Max was sleeping with a soft body when handler approached his kennel, handler unlocked the door and he slowly came to the front. He was easily leashed and taken for a street walk. He would have a moderate pull and would pull hard at times. He would gently take treats when offered to him and he had a slight pull towards people passing wanting to greet. When he sees another dog in the distance, he just watches them with no reaction. He would slowly turn away and continue walking. He allowed handler to put his neck and back, he would lean his body into handler's legs when petting his side. He was easily clipped and returned to kennel without an issue.

Summary (6):: 12/28/24: Max is standing at the front of his kennel as handler approaches. He is leashed without issue and taken out of kennel, he pulls hard out the room and waits at the elevator. He is offered treats and approaches, sniffing them but not accepting them. He is taken to the street for a walk, but is placed on a leash harness before starting his walk. He quickly turns his head as handler secures the leash but tolerates harnessing, this alleviates a lot of Max's pulling. During his walk, Max pulls lightly and will attempt to sniff people passing by on the street. He stops to use the bathroom while outside and is taken on a long walk. After a while he is brought back inside, he again whips his head around when handler begins removing the leash harness but again tolerates this allowing handler to clip and return him to kennel without issue.

Summary (7):: 12/07/24: Max is sitting at the front of his kennel and is leashed with ease before being taken outside for a walk. While outside, Max pulls hard on the leash and relieves himself. Upon returning indoors, Max is brought to the behavior room for an assessment, during which he displays heavy open-mouth panting, a tucked tail, hyper-salivation, and and super anxious while seeking exit. He also shows touch sensitivity, lip licking when the handler touches his back. Max is safely returned to his kennel with no issues. 12/6/24- Max was at the front of his kennel with a neutral body when handler approached, they offered him a treat but he showed no interest. He would stare at handler while leashing which was done easily. He was taken for a street walk. He has a moderate/ hard pull at times, handler calls to him but he is aloof. He was offered treats but again shows no interest. When seeing another dog across the street, he perked his head up and had a slight pull towards them with no vocalization. Handler applied pressure to his leash and he started to walk again. He was taken for his assessment where he remained aloof with handlers, staring at them. He wouldn't allow collaring and would keep moving away from handler that attempted to leash. When one handler say on the couch and other handler bent down Max stopped moving away and came closer. One handler was slowly petting his neck and his chest. He looked at the door, handler touched his chest again and he gave a little jump. He then stared at handler bent down next to him that touched him, handler slowly got up. Assessment was ended due to Max being stressed. Upon returning to his room, Max tried to go towards the play yard. Handler tossed treats into the room but didn't get Max's attention. Handler applied pressure to his leash and he planted. Handler called him and applied pressure again to his leash. Max slowly walked into the room and once more in, walked to his kennel. He went in without further issues.

Date of intake:: 12/4/2024

Summary:: tense, fearful

Date of initial:: 12/5/2024

Summary:: hale eyes, tense for tasks, frozen for exam, trembling/tail firmly tucked

ENERGY LEVEL:: Max is described by his previous owners as having a medium energy level. He will need daily mental and physical activity to keep him engaged and exercised.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: Level 4

Recommendations:: No children (under 13)

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13)- Due to Max's Potential behavior challenges, we recommend he is placed in an adult-only home.

Potential challenges: : Handling/touch sensitivity,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,Anxiety,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Strength/leash pulling

Potential challenges comments:: Fearful/potential for defensive aggression: Max is noted to hard bark and growl at new strangers that approach him. Max should never be forced to greet or interact if he is not comfortable and soliciting attention. He would do best in an initially calm and quiet home environment and should be given time to acclimate to his new surroundings. See handouts on the Decompression Period and Fearful and Defensive Aggression. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Max is noted to react on leash to small dogs. Max may need positive reinforcement, reward reward-based training to teach him to look at you rather than other dogs. We recommend a front clip harness or head halter to help manage this behavior. Anxiety-Max began to display heavy panting, whale eye, lick lip, whining during his assessment. Managing his 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. Handling/touch sensitivity- During Max Handling assessment it was noted that he will jump when touched around his neck. Pay close attention to his body language and always respect his boundaries; if he shows signs of discomfort, allow him to move away. Consistently using desensitization and counter-conditioning techniques will help Max become more comfortable with handling over time. Please see the handout on Handling/touch sensitivity. Strength/leash pulling- It was noted that he will hard pull on the lead, we recommend front clip harnesses. Please see the handout on Strength/leash pulling.