Zar

Overall, high food drive. Trains for kibble easily. I’ve started some lureing with him and he will chase the food lure. We’ve been working on rear end awareness and he is making progress.

High prey drive, high possession. Forward pushing grip. I’m very impressed with his gripping behavior at such a young age. All foundations have been done on a leather rag but he will bite any texture. He’s been on linen balls and tugs as well. He wants to share his items with him person. He will hug the handlers leg and push the toy into you.

High hunt drive. I’ve done ball searches in a few different environments and he loves searching for his ball. I’ve introduced him to some IGP style tracking foundations and he’s done very well with that.

Other training notes:

Overall, very green. He understands how to follow a lure and how to use his brain to free shape (mainly how I start OB foundations on my young dogs).

I’ve mainly focused on clicker conditioning and engagement with him. Both of which are going very well. I’ve started muzzle conditioning and positions (sit, down, stand) via freeshaping and that’s also going well.

Environmentally, very sound. Nothing has ever bothered him. He has seen clatter stick, can curtains, streamers on a tambourine, field trash, and a rock jug. All introduced while searching for food. I’ve taken him in downtown Minneapolis and he had absolutely no issues with grates, people passing, city noises, bridges, or different textures on the ground. He has no problem putting his paws up on things. He has been into some pet friendly stores like HomeGoods, Home Depot, and small pet stores and has done very well in there. No problems at all.

He is going to be a large dog and he is going through the puppy uglies and growth spurts. He is still a bit clumsy and doesn’t realize how to coordinate his hind legs with the rest of him! We’ve been working on rear end awareness and he is getting better and now is able to coordinate his jumping up on objects with all four paws. I have been giving some supplements to support his growth development during this stage.

Crate and potty training:

He is clean in his crate (hasn’t had a single accident since I’ve had him) and will go in the crate by himself with snacks. He likes to be crated out in the living space is much quieter there vs in a room. I’ve been working on barking the crate when in a separate room and I recently found a method that is helping reduce that. Usually quiet while crated in the car.

Potty training is going well. I would say he is about 95%of the way there. Some missed cues are my fault when I’m busy out in the house.

Being out in the house he does fairly well. He will play with my other dogs or find a bone to chew on. He likes to be on your lap and get pets. He is gentle while on your lap. He will put his paws on the counter sometimes but he responds to “no” or “off”.

Dogs and humans:

Zar is a social dog. He has gotten along with every dog and human he has met including kids (aged 6+).

Ideal placement:

I think he would thrive at almost any job. He could be a very nice protection sport prospect (specifically PSA with his griping type currently). He could do PPD work or police work. I think he would do well at detection or tracking. He is very a versatile and well rounded dog.

He will continue to be developed while searching for placement. He participates at my weekly PSA club and is getting his bitework developed there with experienced decoys.

Please have vet and trainer references available. I will be checking those for sport homes. Full payment due at pickup or before the dog leaves my care.