12/01/2024
Nico is a 2 year old shepherd mix who sadly developed anxiety following an incident when he was 10 months old when a firework went off over his head. Prior to this Nico was a nervous but happy pup who enjoyed life.
He is a dream dog within the family home, loving, cuddly and very loyal. He is clean and will obey commands such as ‘be a good boy’, ‘sit’, ‘down’ etc. He likes a routine and knows that when certain things happen what will happen next. He loves the garden and really enjoys a good run in a secure field. He is playful with other dogs and likes a game of chase. He will play with toys at home and chase balls round in the garden. He would LOVE a big garden or a small holding he could potter around in.
Sadly, he hates walking from the home on the streets. The noise is just too much for him. He will happily hop in to a car though and enjoys walking in the woods where he will visibly relax as the walk progresses. His owner has developed a painful foot condition and she isn’t able to give Nico the exercise he needs to lower his anxiety. Nico has never shown any guarding tenancies when outside of the home and can be taken to the vets, meet people on walks etc.
Nico forms strong bonds with people he knows and trusts. He has formed a very strong bond with his adult owners and his 8 year old human sister and will follow them around the home. He is not keen on being left but can be left for periods of time in a safe space where there is nothing fabric for him to chew! He doesn’t bark or cry during these times, he is just very pleased to see you when you return!
He has begun to guard the home as this is his safe space, but he lives on a busy street and in a busy family which means his anxiety levels are always high. He will jump at loud noises and will bark when he hears things but will tolerate known noises like the builders at the back of the house and the hoover etc. We live in a turning circle at the end of a cul-de-sac so it is never without traffic and/or parcels being delivered.
Nico will bark at visitors to the home but can form new relationships if done at his pace. We notice on days when he hasn’t been disturbed by the door or cars/vans he is much calmer/receptive to new meets. The unpredictability of children means that Nico should not live with them and unless a child is regularly visiting where a relationship can form slowly, he needs to be kept away. It is always best if Nico meets people outdoors, either in a field or when walking when he is relaxed. When introducing new people in the house he must be put on a lead as it makes him feel safer and allows for a level of control should he become too aroused. For one off visitors there will need to be a safe full door space, like a utility room where Nico can stay. We have glass doors on our ‘safe’ room which make him nervous as he can see too much. This may improve over time if his general levels of anxiety can be reduced and we have a training plan for this. Sadly this has not worked for us as the house and street is too busy to enable him to be responsive to the training.
We are desperately sad to have to rehome Nico but we feel it is best for him to be somewhere quieter where he can live without anxiety and our home just cannot give him that.
Please DM the page if you feel you could offer Nico a place within your home.
Nico is based in Leicestershire, fully vaccinated, neutered and chipped.
