Bruno
labrador retriever Mix | male | 2 Years Old | 62 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs and kids! ✔️ Crate trained! ✔️ House broken! ✔️ Good in car! ✔️ Walks well on leash! ✔️ Great running buddy! ✔️ Good for beginner dog owner! ❌ Some separation anxiety
Updates
Bruno found his forever family on August 26, 2020!
PUPDATE 2:
First, on the "good boy" front, any timidity Bruno showed toward strangers (mostly tall men) on walks seems to be mostly gone. If anything the pendulum has swung to Bruno being too friendly, and I need to keep him from going up to everyone to say hi on walks. I also can't believe I didn't mention this in my original write up because it was just a given from the start, but Bruno is fully housebroken -- he hasn't had a single accident, and he doesn't chew or get into things he shouldn't.
On the "needs work" front, let me first say that whenever I am home, Bruno is an amazing and wonderful and easy pup -- truly one of my favorite and easiest fosters. That said, I have started leaving Bruno alone some, and his separation anxiety is coming out, mostly in the form of whining but sometimes into barking and trying to bust out of his crate. It's completely understandable -- he basically got kicked out of the only home he'd ever known and sent away from his brother and family -- so I'm willing to work with him on it. But, his forever home needs to know they'll have to consistently work on it from day one (my biggest mistake was not worrying about it, and not leaving the house without Bruno the first 10 days. In retrospect, there should have been daytime crate training immediately). Also, Bruno may not be the greatest dog for apartments, if you have neighbors who won't be willing to be patient while you work it out. But Fetch has resources to help!
I'm already learning ways to lessen the anxiety for Bruno. Today, I tried moving his crate upstairs so he can't really notice if I'm downstairs or not, and he's doing much better with that. Not perfect yet, but much better. I'm also getting over my whole "but if I'm home he doesn't need to be crated, poor baby" human emotion and remembering that it's better for him to learn to be comfortable in his crate while I'm home, and that there's no difference between sleeping the day away in a crate vs sleeping the day away on the couch. It breaks my heart that Bruno has this anxiety, but the good news is that separation anxiety is fixable, it just takes time and patience. Bruno is showing signs of improvement, he's just not all the way there, and will need work. And to reiterate, at all other times, Bruno is just a fantastic dog!
[Also, I'll note that I adopted a dog years ago with separation anxiety, and though the initial time was less than ideal, he turned out to be the best dog ever! Separation anxiety is a common bump in the road for rescue dogs, but once they understand they are safe, they are so grateful and reward you for it!]
PUPDATE 1:
After a good night's sleep in his crate with only an occasional, correctable protest, Bruno starts his morning with a short walk, followed by breakfast, which he usually just grazes and finishes throughout the day. Then it's to the couch for most of the day while I'm working in the next room, with the occasional visit for a short pet and an acknowledgement that he is in fact a good boy. I usually force myself to take a break with a mid-day walk with him, and that's enough to send him back to the couch until late afternoon/evening. We get an evening walk in, too, after dinner, and that's usually enough to burn his energy for the day. But he's not boring! If you want him to have more energy -- play outside, go for longer walks and adventures, etc. -- then he's on board!
Sometimes Bruno goes right up to people because he wants attention, and sometimes he's politely cautious -- but he always warms up quickly. He clearly has an immediate preference for women, but he's let all men pet him so far, just sometimes after a short pause to assess them. He generally likes kids, but he's obviously confused by toddlers, and tries to hide behind me when he encounters them on walks. He doesn't bark, growl, or do anything of concern, so certainly anyone who occasionally has young children he might meet would be fine. But I'd guess he's unlikely to feel fully comfortable around toddlers if he lived with them.
Bruno was described as a medium-high energy dog when he was available to foster, and that's mostly true. He gets bursts of energy, and he will keep up with anyone who has an active lifestyle and wants to bring him along for much of it. But, I assumed he'd be bothering me all day long and would be difficult to foster while I was working from home, and that's not true at all! He mostly sleeps! I do have to take him for a few walks a day, or burn his energy in some way, because he does push boundaries a little if he's ready to be adventurous. But for a two-, two-and-a-half-year-old dog, he's shockingly calm. If you're looking for a young pup, hopefully you are aware that you can't ignore them all day and not exercise them, because Bruno will likely turn into a bit of an energetic monster if that is the case. But if you're looking for a young pup that will behave pretty well if you exercise him and give him some attention every day, then Bruno will be a pleasant addition to your home! He walks fairly well on leash, which is such a joy, because we can go on long walks and we're both happy. He will pull if he sees a rabbit or squirrel, and sometimes if he sees a dog he just *has* to meet, and when we're hiking on a nature trail with lots of good smells he also pulls more than usual. But in general, on walks around the neighborhood, he walks very well on just a regular cloth collar.
Bruno has done well with dogs he's met on walks. He was described as an alpha and will do better with other dogs he can be alpha to. Basically, he will politely greet and play with any dog he meets that is also polite and up for playing; dogs that growl and bark and lunge at him often get the same reaction back. Bruno has not been cat tested.
Sadly, I haven't actually left him alone yet! (stupid pandemic). I know I need to test it out, but there hasn't been a great opportunity. He does sleep in his crate at night pretty well, so there's reason to believe he will be okay crated when left alone. But, he's not 100% crate trained -- some nights he whines, some nights he doesn't make a peep. His night crating is vastly improving, so I expect him to continue in a positive direction, and I would expect the same rules to apply to crating when left alone. I will try to force myself to leave the house without him before a possible adopter meets him so I can give a more accurate assessment.
Bruno is just a fantastic pup! He came to Madison from Louisiana, where he was an owner surrender due to an unfortunate family relocation situation where they could only keep one dog -- they kept Bruno's litter mate, and Bruno went to boarding while awaiting a foster home. He definitely has a little separation anxiety (the abrasions on his nose are because he tried to snout his way out of his crate in boarding, poor pup) but so far he's adapting really well to being back in a home! I would expect Bruno to have a bit of a slower transition than some dogs when he goes to his forever home, just because he may be a little confused and upset about why he's in a new home, again. And he may require a little extra work to keep any separation anxiety in check. But he's a really great dog and with the right focus, attention, and consistency, I know Bruno will soon feel safe in his forever home and will quickly turn into the loving, sweet, fun, loyal dog he should be (emphasis on consistency -- I can see Bruno's alpha-ness trying to peek out every so often. It's not that he wants to be naughty, it's that he's testing his place in our pack and seeing what he can get away with. Setting firm rules and not letting him walk all over you will go a long way in keeping him -- and his forever family -- happy).