koalathebear

LaWanda dropped off her new foster dog Nova today for some training and socialising with our dogs. This is our preliminary assessment of his behaviour.

Name: Nova
Sex: Male
Age: 2 years old (approximately)
Weight: 20.9 kg. He is underweight - ribs very visible.
Breed: Kelpie
AWDRI entry: http://www.workingdogrescue.com.au/2012/06/yard-29-kelpie-male-das-act/
Petrescue entry: http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/173082
Gotcha Day: LaWanda got him on Saturday 25 August, he arrived with us Sunday 26 August.
Initial Observations: As set out below.

Progress Table

Criteria/Behaviour	Day 1: 26 August
Doorway etiquette	Not overly pushy but needs work - definitely better than Ollie when we got him
Car travel	LaWanda says good - we haven't driven him around yet.
House-training	To be assessed. So far so good.
Mealtime manners	Was impatient but in just a short period of time, we were able to make him wait for his treats - he seems very trainable. Definitely more patient than early-Ollie.
Basic focus work (Watch), sit and drop	To be assessed. I know he has a sit but no drop. He does have excellent focus though, so I expect he'll learn quickly. He's a lot more focussed than Ollie was when we got him - Ollie wouldn't meet our eyes and had difficulty paying attention.
Go to your mat/crate/bed	To be assessed. He barked like a completely demented maniac in the kitchen wire crate but is now in the soft crate in the study and is being much calmer and quieter.
1-2 camera-friendly tricks	Too early
Assess friendliness/neutrality	Very, very friendly with humans. Seems uncertain with other dogs - but that is to be expected.
Assess other behaviours	To be assessed. Likes to jump up - which needs to be worked on - I didn't really enjoy the tongue pash he leapt up and gave me :) Is also bad on leash. On the plus side - he is very gentle about taking treats from you.

He is very sensitive to correction and people-focused. Unlike Ollie, I think that Nova would be very happy as a solo dog because while he is fine with our dogs, he doesn't crave their company.

Nova has a very calm energy - he is not at all crazy and hyper, even when thrown in with our dogs. I know that's what made Dan want to take him in even though we weren't going to have one dog after another!! :) You can tell by looking into his rather sad eyes that he's had a very tough life - he looks quite resigned and sorrowful - no exercise, no training, no affection ... I'm sure he'll perk right up once he's been pampered and spoiled a bit :)

Nova: