Enzo came into RAGOM a couple weeks ago and is settling in with my resident dog, Nikki, and me. He is an 85-pound, 9-month-old puppy with a lot of energy.
He already knew sit and wait very well and also clearly recognizes and responds to his name. I have been expanding these with down, chair, come, shake, give it and going thru a door politely. He knows and recognizes these words, just not as strongly yet. We began an obedience class Monday, February 22 to improve and expand his skills.
Enzo still needs to be neutered and that is scheduled for the middle of March. His former owner's vet indicated that Enzo might have kidney disease. RAGOM is doing further testing.
Enzo will require a child-free home. He is young and can be very mouthy when excited and stimulated, a bit of “a bull in a china shop”. His transition will need to be as quiet and low key as possible.
Foster Dad is working on Enzo’s mouthiness and it is lessening as he gets more relaxed here. Walks help greatly to alleviate some of his nervous energy and he is not as mouthy when he is properly exercised.
Enzo can live with dogs, but the dog in the home should not be timid. He needs a dog that can put up with him being a bit of a bully, as he plays rough with his mouth and body. He will need a dog that knows how to appropriately tell him that his behavior is not appreciated.
He does get along with my resident dog 85% of the time, but my resident is not assertive and I have to keep a close eye on both of them to keep Enzo from getting too rough and my resident dog from being overwhelmed.
Enzo will require a physical fence. Also, he will still need to be on a leash in a fenced yard as his recall is not good enough to allow him to wander around without an additional level of confinement. I take him out to do his business on a leash and it works wonderfully for him.
Enzo seems to get his best exercise and enjoyment when we go for walks. He is a dream to walk! He keeps a loose leash on your left side. When he gets out front and tightens the lead, I make a simple verbal correction and he falls back into the heel position on my left side.
Once his growth plates are fully formed at 1½ – 2 years of age and a vet has approved him to run, I think he could make a great running partner.
When we go for a walk, I have not seen any signs of nervousness or anxiety when we meet other people or vehicles going down the street. He has shown interest in other dogs, but no aggression or overstimulation. More of “I want to meet you.”
Cats are unknown at this point as I have not had an opportunity to introduce him to cats.
We are working on Enzo’s anxiety when I leave and have made progress in just a few short weeks. When I return, he is calm and sits while he waits for me to get in the door and greet him. At this time Enzo does not like being in a crate. I have a 5’ x 10’ partitioned area in a room that he stays in while I am gone.
Enzo is house trained. With that said, he had a few incidents in the house the first week, but I take full responsibility for these as I was learning his cues and schedule. He was telling me, but I wasn’t listening.
Training for Enzo will be a must. The past couple days I have started to notice that he is thinking and making decisions instead of just reacting. Enzo is going to absolutely need someone that is committed to him and his training to keep him entertained and on the straight and narrow. At this time, if you give an inch he will take a mile.
Enzo does like to get on the couch and cuddle with me or lay his head on my dog Nikki. Enzo has been showing quite a bit of affection recently also. He will give kisses, rub his head on your leg, lay his head in your lap and lay at or on your feet.
During the night he sleeps on his pillow or blanket next to my bed through the night with no issues at all, but I do keep the bedroom door closed to keep him from wondering at night.
I am working on getting him a bath. He has learned how to get in the tub by himself, but we have not turned on the water yet. Touching feet or cleaning ears has not been an issue with Enzo.
He likes riding in the vehicle and is always ready to jump in and go. However, it does a take minute or two for him to settle when first getting in. When he picks up something that he shouldn’t have, he trades it out nicely for a treat.
Enzo is a good boy who is a quick learner and looking for direction and confirmation from his people.
