Harry

Harry is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross Bull Terrier male aged approximately 4 years old. He was picked up as a stray and never claimed. He urgently needs your help as he has a limited time to find a new home. Can you offer him a loving home and a place in your heart?

Oh Harry! What a ladies man he is! I am working on Harry’s little habits which would be very embarrassing for any new owner. It is plainly obvious why this boy was kicked out of his home and never claimed. I am sure that he looked very funny and cute when he was a tiny puppy and mounting people, but this is a classic example of why this behaviour needs to be stopped when it starts.

Harry really is a lovely dog apart from this little habit that he has and because of the problem he cannot be homed with children. It is behaviour that would worry them and it is actually a sign of dominance.

He has learnt that he is not allowed to do this to me under any circumstances through very intensive training. When he first came in he didn’t even sniff to say hello! Straight onto the first person he saw. Now this has lessened since neutering and I always am very strict with him if he comes up to me and tries it on…in fact he will now come up to me, watch my reaction and then wander off knowing that it really is a bad idea! I never ever punish the dogs physically but I am very loud and have no problem telling these dogs off and the tone of voice is often the secret to letting a dog know where his boundaries lay.

I make a point of making Harry sit before he is fed, sit before he has a fuss and when he is having a stroke I always hold onto his collar so that he can’t try anything on. All the time that he is being a good boy then the tone is nice and he really does enjoy petting, but give him an inch and he will try to make you realise that he is in charge! I must stress that there is no aggression at all with Harry and the way to his heart is definately through his stomach. As you can see from the video he is still very skinny, but has put on about a quarter of his current body weight since getting to us.

In the video, this is how is with me for the vast majority of the time. No, he isn’t the most playful of dogs. He doesn’t have a clue what a toy is and a game of fetch is far beyond his grasp, but he is a lovely boy and with a strong minded handler and someone who has got lots of patience, he will make a wonderful companion. He just needs extra training that nobody else has ever bothered to do.

Harry desperately needs a rescue space/permanent home now! He cannot be homed with other dogs or cats. He isn’t outright aggressive with other dogs, but because of his behaviour another dog will tire quickly and become snappy with him. He is far better going off to a one-to-one home with an adult couple who can really work with him.

Because Harry has been castrated his behaviour will continue to improve but I need someone to offer him that second chance. If anyone can help please contact me as soon as possible.

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