Chuck is a handsome dark brindle boy with bags of character but, beneath a seemingly confident nature, is a very anxious lad. He arrived with us over a year ago now, worried about anyone who handled him and eyeing us up suspiciously whenever we approached him. He guarded his food and bolted it down, as if he had never eaten before or thought he was not going to have a meal for some time.
He came in underweight and somewhere in his life, someone had not treated him kindly and he would study you, as you took him back and forward to paddocks, out on walks etc. until he felt he could eventually trust you. Once we gained his confidence with voice reassurance and regular handling, he relaxed pretty quickly. He is now at a healthy weight and looks stunning.
However, in a home environment where he is starting afresh, he becomes worried and over anxious and unnecessarily defensive, so needs someone confident and who exercises non confrontational handling, until he is comfortable you are not going to harm him or shout at him. Once reassured by experience of people, he visibly relaxes more and will make the most devoted companion hound.
He is exceptionally clingy and needs someone at home with him or he worries. He is food motivated, so is a quick learner, but needs to go home with experienced dog owners. He needs a quiet home and we hope that will come along for him in time. Meanwhile, he is happy with us at the kennels and loves his outings and walks.
Like most anxious hounds, he doesn’t like dogs in his face, too close for comfort, or off lead, although does appear to be generally other breed friendly. Again, it is more of a confidence issue and he just needs wider exposure to life outside of a kennel and around other dogs.