09/04/2022
As I write this, Paco is currently inside with 2 large breed dogs & 1 cat, and is sleeping peacefully on the couch!
For anyone interested in adopting Paco:
I’ve been boarding & training him at my home for 2 weeks and we still have 1 more week to go. I work mostly with dogs who need rehabilitation from problem behaviors such as aggression, reactivity, fear, & anxiety. I can say with 100% honesty I’ve never been so proud working with a dog! Paco is rehabilitating from his reactivity quickly and has made some serious progression, faster than I thought he would…our first meeting each other he was so scared he lunged 5 feet in the air after my hand!(Normal behavior for dogs, even those who aren’t reactive) This is why I recommended a board & train so I could spend as much time as possible with him.
Although he’s not into playing when first meeting, he’s great with dogs! I’ve had him with dogs as small as 7lbs, all the way up to an almost 100lbs German shepherd, and there has been no issues. When he feels threatened he does show some teeth and bark, and if to close a snap…but these are just warnings, NOT attempted bites, even before we met, he knows biting is not okay and to my knowledge he’s never actually bitten a person.
Besides with people, he really wants to play with cats! I only have 1 (Nerds, who’s been raised with dogs) so I can’t speak for a number of them but he’s FANTASTIC with Nerds and actually respects his personal space. He’s most likely never had a bad encounter with a cat, and he’s small so it would make sense he likes them.
I’ve also had him around my 5 year old daughter quite a bit and he hasn’t shown any alarming behaviors, in fact he’s drawn to her. I will say if you have kids, just like we teach a dog to have boundaries, children need to understand what they can and can’t do with dogs…it’s easier said than done because most adults truly don’t know. So if anyone is considering adopting him or any dog and would like some help or wants to gain some knowledge about dog behavior, feel free to reach out!
As far as with me, in 2 weeks he’s: sat/laid/jumped into my lap many times, let me pick up up multiple times(I believe never done), let me brush him numerous times, accepted me putting collars/leashes on him, went on car rides with me which he loves! He’s also played games like tug-o-war, fetch, & his favorite…chase around the house. He likes to bark during play but that seems to be his thing and from my experience gets better with more socialization. I don’t let even my own dogs on my bed much but last night I let Paco and he cuddled right up in my arms and fell asleep, while I rubbed his paws!
Lastly, we’ve worked on some obedience commands to help calm down and avoid him reacting. Commands such as “leave it”, “ah-ah”, “sit”, “down”, “off”, “stay”, “come”, “heel”, and “drop it”. He’s highly trainable and eager to please as long as he’s getting rewarded by someone even tempered. He’s not the type of dog you play the alpha roll with, it may work but it’ll make things worse. He does need someone stern but also calm, such as if he doesn’t come to you when called, get down on his level and softly convince him by tapping the ground, showing him your hand, etc. He almost always comes no problem…if not and you need to go get him just approach calmly and when just a few feet away, be happy and praise him for not running.
He really is a sweet boy who naturally just wants to play and then snuggle with his person, cats, & even other dogs. If you’re willing to spend a few minutes a day building trust with this guy, you too in a couple weeks will feel a sense of joy like no other. Like mentioned above I do this as a living and am always ecstatic when it all comes together, but in my opinion nothing tops the transformation Paco’s made! I have no doubt he’ll be a great companion!!!!
For any questions feel free to message me or contact Renee's Rescues, Inc.
I’ll post more pics/video here in the comments.
