Date of intake:: 9/8/2025

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

Date of assessment:: 9/11/2025

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Mild Reactivity to humans: N/a Reactivity to dogs: N/a Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Social- quickly becomes conflicted, Call over: Readily approaches- clown grins, playbow, flinches away from handler Sociability comments: Jumps on handler through assessment, heavy panting Handling Soft handling: Tolerant- lip licks, looks back, Exuberant handling: Tolerant- lip licks, looks back, Handling comments: Arousal Jog: Follow- lip lick, look back at handler, nervous Arousal comments: Knock: No response Knock Comments: Toy: Grips toy walks away, loose body Toy comments: ***09/09/25: Twixie is taken to the behavior office for a handling assessment the He displays conflicted behavior, wanting attention, but will fawn over exposing his stomach. He will lip and display clown grinning and will display playbowing, but will quickly flinch away from handlers. Due to this, he was given more time to decompress.***

Summary:: Due to entering the facility as a stray, there is no prior dog-to-dog history recorded. 09/14/25 Twixie is introduced at the gate to a novel female dog while off leash at the care center. Twixie approaches the gate with a neutral frame, marking in the female's direction and walking away. Twixie returns, displaying look aways as he ignores the female dog, walking away from the gate. This concludes the interaction.

Summary (5):: 10/31/25 (Trainer Note): Twixie is laying on the kuranda bed as the handler approaches. He stands and comes forward, but does not want to be leashed. The handler sets the leash on the ground and puts a treat inside. Twixie comes forward and tolerates leashing. He exits the kennel readily and pulls moderately outside. Twixie jumps repeatedly up onto the handler to solicit reinforcer. The handler works with him on the 123 game to practice walking with a loose leash and keeping his feet on the ground. Twixie improves over time and eventually turns to engage with the environment instead of the handler, sniffing intently. The handler reinforces Twixie for looking at dogs without reacting and he starts to automatically turn away from dogs to solicit reinforcer. Twixie is returned to kennel without issue.

Summary (6):: 10/28/25: Twixie is on his kuranda bed as the handler approaches the kennel. He is laying down but his frame is tense as he watches the handler with a furrowed brow. The handler opens the door and coaxed Twixie forward with treats and is able to leash him as he eats them. He walks out of the kennel slowly and will pull moderately to the sidewalk. Once on the sidewalk, Twixie is aloof and will sniff the entire walk away from the Care Center. He will sniff intensely around the dumpster with a tense frame. Once he is done, he will continue sniffing as they walk back toward the Care Center. At one point, he turns around and jumps toward the handler with a short lip and a hard face but is stopped with the leash. The handler tosses treats onto the ground and he will continue engaging with the handler for treats as they walk to the door of the Care Center. He is returned to his kennel where he is secured safely with no issue. 10/25/25: Twixie is approached in kennel and is laying on her bed, still and begins to back away a bit and whale eye the handler. Twixie will not approach with any baby talk or displaying the leash, and stays still on her bed hard staring at the handler with hard eyes and visible wrinkles on her forehead. Twixie is coaxed with treats into the leash, which she is still reluctant to approach but is slowly leashed. Twixie walks out of her kennel and into the live room with no issue, stiffening when a sudden person comes around the corner but walks by. Twixie in the room is mostly aloof to the handler, engaging in a snuffle mat in the room and exploring her surroundings. Twixie is coaxed over with treats and begins to eat them from the handlers hand, but disengages on her own after a bit. Twixie is easily placed back into her kennel and given a bone to chew on. 10/23/25: Twixie is reported on the rounds board to lunge at strangers on her walks, growling and then starting to lunge at strangers that pass too close. 10/18/25 (Trainer Note): Twixie is standing at the front of his kennel with a neutral body as the handler approaches. He hesitates entering the leash so the handler places the leash on the ground and feeds treats through. He enters after a few moments and walks moderately to the canine training room. Twixie allows the handler to attach a drag leash and independently explores the room before approaching the handler. The handler engages him in LATTE for a few rounds before working with him on take a breath and the 123 game. He engages readily with the 123 game but must be lured into taking a breath as he cannot sit still long enough to breathe. Twixie accepts contact from the handler and is returned to kennel without issue.

Summary (7):: 10/11/25 (Trainer Note): Twixie is standing at the front of his kennel with a neutral body as the handler approaches. He is easily leashed and pulls moderately to the canine training room. Twixie is social with staff, jumping up to solicit contact. He engages readily with the various enrichment items, orienting towards the handler between each. The handler then pulls him off to the side and works with him on conditioning the 123 game and learning to take a breath. He is intermittently able to participate but is easily distracted and must be lured into taking a breath. He is easily leashed and returned to kennel without issue. 09/23/25: Twixie is standing at the front of his kennel with a neutral frame, appearing stiff as the handler leashes him. He is then brought to the play yard for enrichment. The handler begins practicing sit and focus cues and offers scattered treats to help build engagement, but Twixie struggles to remain attentive. He becomes reactive to people walking by on the street by hard barking and lunging at the gate as well as dog passing too, which is preventing him from settling and maintaining focus on the handler. Due to this reactivity, the session is ended early, and Twixie is escorted back to the care center and returned to his kennel safely. 9/11/25: Twixie is siting on his bed at the back of his kennel as handler approaches. He comes forward to the front and has a tense body and widened eyes as the handler leashes him. He then pulls on the way to the behavior room for his assessment. In the room, he has a tense body as he explores around and when he is being collared and petted. Please see behavior assessment notes for more details. He is able to return back to his kennel with no issues. 9/9: (late entry; assessment): Twixie is lying down in his bed when approached in the kennel. He comes forward with coaxing but dodges leashing from the first handler and does not take their treats. The second handler can leash him in one attempt. Twixie is brought to the behavior office and explores as a collar and leash are prepared for him. Spray cheese during collaring Twixie as he tenses. Once on the drag leash, he immediately moves away and shakes off. He then zooms over to the handler that leashed him and jumps on them, leaning into their lap, but then flinches and drops one of his front shoulders, skin rippling at the contact. The handler immediately tries to move away, seeing his conflict. Twixie checks in with the other handlers but mostly stays near the first handler, slowly tolerating longer petting, but his eyes are still wide and he lip licks rapidly. He continues to drop his front right shoulder when touched, before lying on his side with his hips rolled. Due to his conflicted behavior, he is given extra time before attempting his assessment and is returned to his kennel.

Date of intake:: 9/8/2025

Summary:: friendly and outgoing. He sought attention from staff members by approaching with a loose wiggly bo

Date of initial:: 9/8/2025

Summary:: friendly

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to Twixie's noted fearfulness, we reccomend that he be placed in a home with no children (under 13). Place with a New Hope partner: Due to Twixie's fearful and reactivity towards strangers, we recommend she is placed with one of our New Hope Partners.

Potential challenges: : Basic manners/poor impulse control,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,Anxiety,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration

Potential challenges comments:: Basic manners/poor impulse control: Twixie is noted to jump up in a social and enthusiastic manner, indicating poor impulse control and a need for basic manners training. Teaching alternative greeting behaviors such as “sit” or “four on the floor,” along with consistent reinforcement, will help him learn to interact more appropriately with people. Please see the handout on Basic manners/poor impulse control. Fearful/potential for defensive aggression/Anxiety: Twixie displays conflicted behavior during his handling assessment, showing a desire for attention while simultaneously exhibiting signs of fear and anxiety. Twixie has also been observed to lunge and growl at strangers on walks. He fawns by exposing his stomach, lip licks, and displays a “clown grin,” along with play-bowing, but quickly flinches away when handlers approach. These mixed signals suggest underlying anxiety and fearfulness, particularly in response to close contact or sudden movements. Training should focus on building trust through slow, positive interactions, reinforcing voluntary engagement, and creating a predictable, low-pressure environment to help Twixie feel more secure. Please see the handout on decompression period & generalized anxiety. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Twixie has been observed to lunge and growl at strangers on walks. Twixie may need positive reinforcement, reward based training to teach him to look at you rather than other people on walks. We recommend a front clip harness or head halter to help manage this behavior.