Date of intake:: 12/1/2025

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender( 2 years)

Previously lived with:: adults, children, other dogs

Behavior toward strangers:: friendly, outgoing, playful and tolerant around strangers and visitors.

Behavior toward children:: friendly, outgoing, playful and tolerant around children.

Behavior toward dogs:: playful and tolerant with dogs he is familiar with and will bard and/or growl at unfamiliar dogs bot

Behavior toward cats:: No experience.

Resource guarding:: Considers food an item of high value ad will have a tense body or hover over the food when its approached. He can escalate to growling or barking if his boundaries are pushed.

Bite history:: No known bite history.

Housetrained:: Partially

Energy level/descriptors:: Ace is noted to have a medium energy level in the prior home.

Other Notes:: Has general anxiety and is protective of his family. On walks he is reactive to strangers, vehicles, all other dogs, cat and other small animals and will growl or bark at them. Mostly unbothered by being held or retrained, disturbed when sleeping, being moved from furniture, having his paws touched or collar grabbed and will bark or growl when startled. Ace is known to be a social, affectionate, vocal, active, playful, and independent couch potato who spends his time in the living room or bedroom of his home when he's not following his family around. He allows his owner to bathe, brush, and trim his nails, is partially potty trained and knows the cues "use the bathroom", "you hungry", "come", and "watch it". Despite not having a set schedule he is accustomed to going on 3-4 hour long walks during which he mildly pulls on his leash. He has never been crate trained and has had access to a backyard for most of his life. He loves playing catch, going for a car ride and snacking on pumpkin puree or Whole Hearted brand food.

Date of assessment:: 12/5/2025

Summary:: 12/16/25: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Loose Reactivity to humans: N/a Reactivity to dogs: N/a Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Social- with familiar handler, soft body Call over: Comes when coaxed- gently takes treats Sociability comments: Handling Soft handling: Fearful- Yelps when touched on the middle of his back Exuberant handling: Fearful- whale eyed, lip licks Handling comments: Arousal Jog: Follow- tense body, tight muzzle Arousal comments: Knock: Knock Comments: Toy: Grips toy walks away Toy comments: 12/05/25: Due to his handling sensitivity when touched and avoidance of collaring, a handling assessment will not be conducted at this time.

Summary (7):: 12/13/25: Ace is standing at the front of his kennel as handler approaches. He is able to be leashed with ease and is taken to the behavior room. In the room, he is able to relieve himself and then would explore around. He is comfortable approaching the handlers while whimpering and would lean in to receive pets and treats. He pulls hard on the way back to kennel and is able to enter with no issues. 12/5/25: Ace is standing at the front of his kennel whimpering as handler approaches. He is hesitant of being leashed and would back away as the leash got closer to him. Once he is slowly leashed, he pulls hard on the way outside for a walk. On the walk, he would continue to pull hard ahead and would try to pull towards dogs and hard bark at them until they are out of sight. He has no interest in toys or treats. He is able to be taken to the back yard pens and he is able to explore around and relieve himself. He pulls hard while hard barking at dogs on the way back to his kennel and is able to slowly return back with no issues. 12/04/25 Ace is lying down in his karanda bed as the handler approaches. He is easily leashed as he rises and comes forward, and they proceed outside to the play yard. Ace will see a dog with a novel handler and grow tense and begin to pull hard on leash. As they enter the yard, Ace will explore the pen and urinate. He continues to sniff around the pen, maintaining a neutral frame. He sees a dog from a distance while still in the pens and displays hackles, pacing back and forth. He pulls to the exit of the yard to attempt to make contact with the other dogs. As the handlers allows the handler and the dog to create distance, Ace grows anxious, heavily panting and actively seeking out the dog. They slowly return back to the facility and as they walk down the ramp, another handler and a dog will exit the building. At this point, Ace begins hard barking and seeking out a way to get to the dog with the novel handler. They are able to get into the building and Ace continues to fixate on the dog outside and attempt to pull towards the exit. As the handler attempts to clip the ring of the leash, Ace whips around and muzzle nudges the handlers hands. Ace will enter the kennel and allow the hook to remove the leash. A dog reactive tag as well as "Office walks only" tag is placed as a result due to his strength and size.

Date of intake:: 12/1/2025

Summary:: jumped out of the car and when staff went to lasso him he backed up, hackles raised, low growled and

Date of initial:: 12/1/2025

Summary:: growled and hard barked when approached by medical team.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): We recommend Ace be placed in an adult-only home at this time. No cats: We reccomend Ace be placed in a home with no cats or small animals. Place with a New Hope partner: Ace came into the care center as an owner surrender due to a no-pet policy in the building. Ace is known to be a social, affectionate, vocal, active, playful, and independent couch potato who spends his time in the living room or bedroom of his home when he's not following his family around. Ace knows the cues "use the bathroom", "you hungry", "come", and "watch it". Ace has shown sensitivity to touch and avoidance during collaring attempts; when the handler reached toward his collar, he whipped around and muzzle-nudged their hands. Because of these handling concerns, a full behavior assessment cannot be completed at this time. Ace will require a placement experienced with dogs who displays reactivity and who can provide structured management and slow, controlled desensitization. Ace is available for rescue through one of our new hope partners.

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

Potential challenges comments:: Resource guarding: Considers food an item of high value ad will have a tense body or hover over the food when its approached. He can escalate to growling or barking if his boundaries are pushed. Training should focus on management and desensitization, feeding Ace in a quiet space and gradually pairing the approach with high-value rewards to reduce guarding behavior.Please see the handout on Resource guarding. Handling/touch sensitivity: Ace jumps away when touched around his lower back, indicating discomfort with handling. Implement cooperative care training, starting with gentle touches near neutral areas and pairing with treats, then slowly progressing toward sensitive zones. Avoid forced contact and use consent cues for predictability.Please see the handout on Handling/touch sensitivity . Fearful/potential for defensive aggression:Ace barks or growls when startled, showing fear-based reactivity. Training should include confidence-building exercises, controlled exposure to novel stimuli, and reinforcing calm behaviors. Avoid sudden movements and provide decompression opportunities.Please see the handout on Fearful/potential for defensive aggression. Anxiety: Ace has general anxiety, which may contribute to reactivity and handling sensitivity. Use structured routines, enrichment, and calm reinforcement for relaxed behaviors. Avoid punishment, as it can increase stress.Please see the handout on genralized naxiety. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Ace barks and growls at unfamiliar dogs both on and off leash and reacts to strangers, vehicles, cats, and small animals during walks. Training should focus on counter-conditioning and desensitization at a safe distance, reinforcing engagement with the handler. Use management tools like visual barriers and appropriate equipment (e.g., front-clip harness) to prevent rehearsal of reactive behaviors. Please see the handout On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration.