Decker is a 2-year old chocolate Labrador Retriever. Decker has done well with his training, but is being released from our service dog program because he is uncomfortable with the advanced responsibilities of service dog life. Decker is a sweet, loving dog whose greatest desire is his own person to love. He hopes his new person will love him and give him lots of attention and time in return. He has a quiet, sensitive personality. He is calm and laid back, after he has had an appropriate amount of exercise.

Training

Decker’s cues are many. He has been clicker trained with positive reinforcement. Decker walks beautifully on leash, has great house manners, knows sit, down, stay, wait, go to your mat, release, shake, touch and more. Decker enjoys knowing what his job is and being able to do it.

Decker is good with children and people and is well behaved at home. Like all service dogs, Decker has been raised to be with his person constantly. Therefore, we are looking for a home where someone will be able to be with Decker during the day, so that he will not be left alone for many hours at a time.

Decker has always been well behaved around other dogs in the household, but he would be happy to be the only dog in your house. He has gets along fine with cats and has lived on farms with horses and cows. Puppies are the exception, as Decker doesn’t like them and won’t tolerate them being around him.

Background

Decker has experienced some insecurity and anxiety as a result of all the changes and moving around he has done while in our program. He has some resource guarding issues. He will guard treats, his food bowl, and sometimes his person. He will growl and bark at other dogs to keep them from coming close to whatever he is guarding. He has done no guarding of his food bowl from people, but care should always be taken, especially with children in the household.

Gaining Decker’s trust and building a relationship with him are extremely important. He needs a stable home with consistent boundaries set so that he knows exactly what is expected of him. When under stress, and when he is unsure of what he is supposed to do, Decker has shown some fear and reactivity towards people. He may have his tail tucked and be afraid to approach someone, or may bark at them. Under these circumstances, Decker will need help from his handler to be re-directed.

Health

Decker is a healthy dog, but has had some skin problems. SDV has not found the traditional prescription of steroids and antibiotics to be a cure. However, our holistic Chinese veterinarian has prescribed an herb that has cleared up his skin nicely. If the problem reoccurs, our recommendation would be to pursue holistic treatment for Decker. He is current on all vaccinations and is on Frontline and Interceptor.

Requirements

A crate is required for Decker. A crate will give him a safe den to hang out in at home. He may be anxious about being left alone, and has a tendency to chew things up when anxious. Decker does not do well when left alone in a car, and should be crated if he was to be left for any length of time. He has been known to chew through seatbelts, so a crate would protect both him and the car. For the safety of the dog we require that the crate be an extra large plastic airline kennel, not a wire crate.

A fenced yard is also required. The fence must be at least 5ft. high. Decker will jump out of a 4ft. fence or any shorter barrier. Invisible fences are not acceptable.

Adequate exercise for a young Labrador is at least 30-40 minutes of on-leash walking or running off leash every day. Putting him in the backyard by himself or with another dog may be good for their mental happiness, abut is NOT considered appropriate exercise! Decker’s favorite activity is running. Running free in a big safe space is huge on his checklist for the perfect home. Of course, he wants his person to be along for these preferably daily walks. He enjoys Chris Greene Lake Park, where he can swim, and play with other dogs.

Inquiries

If you are interested in providing a permanent, loving home for Decker that meets all of the necessary requirements, please fill out an application. If you have questions about Decker, or would like more information about adopting a released dog, please call us at 434-295-9503.