Date of intake:: 5/30/2025

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray (history unknown)

Date of assessment:: 6/2/2025

Summary:: 6/6/25: Cookie is taken to the behavior office for handling assessment. He takes high-value treats but avoids touch and doesn't allow the handler to clip the drag leash to his collar. When pettecd, he jumps away from touch, displaying a tucked tail. Due to this, a handling assessment is not conducted at this time. 6/2/25: Another attempt to conduct a handling assessment on Cookie is made. He remains highly fearful, tense, and mostly avoidant of handlers. While he does allow collaring with an intensely slow approach and high-value treats, he pancakes and will attempt to flee from handlers. When taking treats, he holds his body away as much as he can and extends his neck towards the treats, but otherwise avoids the handlers. When returning him to the kennel, he pancakes in front of the hallway and does not take treats when close to the door to the room. 6/1/25: A handling assessment could not be conducted due to Cookie's high level of fearfulness and growling at handlers. He is returned to his kennel and is given more time to settle.

Summary:: Due to Cookie entering the facility as a stray, there is no prior dog-to-dog history recorded. 06/12/25: While off-leash at the Care Center, Cookie is introduced to a greeter male dog. He approaches the gate while displaying displacement scent-marking. Both dogs engage in mutual scenting through the gate. Cookie initially wags his tail, which shifts to a flagging motion as the interaction continues. He remains present at the gate, showing signs of conflict through lip licking. The greeter male eventually loses interest and walks away, while Cookie stays at the gate. The dogs are then separated, concluding the interaction. 06/11/25 Cookie is introduced at the gate to a novel female dog while off leash at the care center. Cookie will approach the gate softly, slow to approach. The novel female dog will linger at the gate line becoming aroused as she lacks focus and continuously jumps onto the handler playfully. Cookie remains self-present at the gate, displaying a high flagging tail appearing sexually motivated as he whines at the gate. Cookie continues to whine attempting to solicit her attention however, the novel female dog is fatigued after being used as a new greeter for prior interactions in the day, so she lacks focus. As Cookie displays frustration pawing at the gate and still whining, the novel female seeks endless attention from the handler and the interaction must be concluded. Both dogs are returned to kennel. 06/04/25: Due to signs of fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS), Cookie was reluctant to leave his kennel. He will be revisited at a later time once his behavior has shown improvement.

Summary (7):: 6/13/25: Cookie is at the front of his kennel laying down when approached, and is easily leashed while being coaxed with treats and walked out of kennel. Cookie slowly walks up the stairs and into the sidewalk, and remains aloof from the handler but slowly exploring his surroundings. When crouched next to, Cookie will wag his tail, lean his head into petting and displayed a soft body. Cookie continues to walk slow, and the handler lets him explore where he wants to go due to the sidewalk being very empty. Cookie did not see any dogs on there walk, and did not react so strangers. Cookie is brought back to kennel, where he will walk into the kennel room and pancake onto the floor, Cookie is crouched down next to and he will begin to wag his tail and walk to the handler. Cookie is coaxed with treats into his kennel with no issue. 6/10/25: Cookie is reported by acs to pancake when going in and out of his kennel. 6/6/25: Cookie is reported to pancake entering kennel rooms. Some staff he has to be helped along with leash pressure, while some explain that if you give Cookie time to walk through the room, he will crawl. Cookie is moved to a closer kennel towards the door, and when in kennel jumps off his kennel door, vocalizing and pulling his water buckets in. 6/2/25: Cookie was laying in kennel as handler approached. He was leashed and walked to the BA room for his assessment. Cookie was timid but highly food motivated with high value treats. Cookie appeared uneasy and would shy away when handlers attempted to collar him. Using a slow approach and many pieces of ham, he was eventually collared by handler 2 while hand fed by handler 1. Upon exiting the BA room, Cookie pancaked in the hall. Handler attempted to lure him with treats but he was not motivated to stand up, instead stretching his neck forward to eat the treats while he remained laying down. He followed handler 2 down the hall but pancaked again outside kennel room. Handlers used treats and directional leash pressure to guide him back into kennel with some difficult. A staff member reported Cookie displayed touch sensitivity around his neck when offered pets as well as when clipping leash to a figure 8. They added that he will stop on walks but can be coaxed with treats, however treats were not effective when re-entering kennel. Staff member guided him in using directional leash pressure. "Do not pet" and "walk with treats" signage was placed. 06/01/25: Cookie is at the front of his kennel and will back away and avoid leashing when the handler opens the door. Once the handler is able to lasso him, he rushes out of the kennel, hard pulling on the leash. He is then brought to the assessment room, where he displays nervous behavior and a tucked tail. Due to his discomfort, he is returned to his kennel to allow more time to acclimate. While the handler is removing the leash inside the kennel, Cookie attempts to leash bite.

Date of initial:: 6/1/2025

Summary:: nervous, accepts pets, food motivated

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Cookie so we cannot be certain of his behavior in a home environment. However, he is a young dog who will need daily mental and physical activity to keep him engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in addition to physical exercise, to positively direct his energy and enthusiasm.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to how uncomfortable Cookie is currently with touch and novel stimuli, we feel that an adult-only home would be most beneficial at this time. Place with a New Hope Partner: Cookie has not acclimated well to the kennel environment and has allowed only minimal handling since intake. We recommend placement with a New Hope partner who can provide any necessary behavior modification (force-free, positive reinforcement-based) and re-evaluate behavior in a stable home environment before placement into a permanent home.

Potential challenges: : Handling/touch sensitivity,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression

Potential challenges comments:: Handling/touch sensitivity: Cookie would move away or pancake when his neck was touched during collaring. Staff have also reported similar behaviors when his neck is touched, including during leashing. It is important to avoid touching Cookie's neck at this time and to be cautious when touching him in other areas as we do not know where he may have other sensitivities. Positive reinforcement, reward based training should be used to pair touch with good things such as food rewards in order to teach Cookie to be more comfortable with this. Please see handout on Handling/touch sensitivity. Fearful/potential for defensive aggression: Cookie began growling at handlers when they attempted to conduct a handling assessment. Cookie gives clear warnings when he is uncomfortable and does seem to choose to avoid or retreat when given the opportunity, but if prevented from moving away there is a potential to escalate to higher-level warning behaviors and possible fear-based aggression. It is important to move slowly with Cookie, to build positive associations (treats/toys/praise), and to allow him to initiate interactions with new people. He should never be forced to greet or to interact if he is not comfortable and does not want to solicit attention. Please see handout on Fearful/potential for defensive aggression.