Arwen is a four-year-old Australian Cattle Dog/Husky mix, born in August 2022. She weighs approximately 44 pounds, is spayed, and is current on her vaccinations through approximately August 2029. She takes 32 mg of fluoxetine daily and Simparica Trio monthly. She has no other special medical or dietary needs.

 

Arwen is an incredibly smart, athletic, funny, affectionate dog. When she trusts someone, she is loving, cuddly, playful, talkative, and relaxed. She loves interacting with her person, learning new things, and having a job to do, but she is also very capable of settling down and relaxing. She is house trained and crate trained. She actually loves her crate and will often choose to spend time there on her own. She does not have separation anxiety and is comfortable being left home.

 

Her personality

There is a very noticeable difference between Arwen with people she trusts and Arwen with unfamiliar people. With her trusted people, she is affectionate and cooperative. She allows me to bathe her, brush her, look at her teeth, pick her up and carry her, and handle her in ways she would not tolerate from a stranger. She has a strong bond with her people and is very engaged with them. She is also exceptionally trainable. She learns quickly and genuinely seems to enjoy training.

 

She knows behaviors such as sit, down, spin left and right, sit pretty, stand, dance, paw, roll over, heel, middle, drop it, and leave it, among others. She enjoys problem-solving games and will work hard to figure out what I am asking her to do. She is the kind of dog who can make training feel like play.

 

Her history and progress

When Arwen was young, she was generally friendly but occasionally gave subtle signals that she wanted space, such as a side-eye or quiet growl. I tried to respect those signals rather than forcing interaction. We lived in an apartment where walks were difficult because there were often other dogs nearby. She became very excited by dogs and would bark and lunge. At that point I did not yet understand exactly what was driving the behavior. At this point in time, I believe that her reactivity is fear based with strangers and frustration with other animals while on leash.

 

She also initially had a very strong prey-drive response toward our cat. She would become stiff, her pupils would dilate, and she would stalk him. We kept them separated and worked through a very gradual introduction using barriers, a leash, a muzzle, food rewards, and distance. I rewarded her for looking at him and then disengaging and looking back at me. It took months, but the result was dramatic.

 

Today they can free-roam the house together without concern. She may chase him when he gets the zoomies, but their relationship is relaxed and peaceful. This is one of the reasons I have so much hope for Arwen. She has demonstrated that when she is given time, structure, appropriate management, and a chance to learn that something is safe, she can make significant changes.

 

Training and enrichment

I spent a great deal of time training Arwen, and she loved it. We worked on engagement during walks, changing direction, changing pace, stopping to sniff, and gradually increasing the amount of time between rewards. At home, we used scatter feeding, lick mats, lick bowls, food puzzles, and scent games. We played with a Jolly soccer ball, flirt pole, fetch, tug, and other games that gave her appropriate outlets for her energy and instincts. I also worked with Horizon Dog Behavior for six sessions and completed their accompanying course. We worked on engagement, cultivating calm, helping her relax in different environments, and techniques for working through triggers and stressors.

 

I would be willing to share this resource, as it has been very helpful. I am not a professional trainer, but I spent years observing Arwen closely and working with her. I learned to recognize changes in her body language and intervene before she became overwhelmed. She is very responsive to a person she trusts and can be extremely focused on them.

 

Her behavior around people

Arwen is uncomfortable with unfamiliar people approaching her directly. She generally does much better when people ignore her and allow her to decide whether she wants to approach. She becomes uncomfortable when someone stares at her, reaches toward her, tries to pet her, stands over her, or moves directly toward her. When uncomfortable, she may freeze, stiffen, bark, lunge, jump, or attempt to create distance by moving toward the person.

 

She is very athletic and can jump high enough to rebound off a person's chest. She has made significant progress with strangers outside. At one point she would try to cross the street to approach a stranger walking by. That has improved considerably. Recently, I walked her through a busy park before potential adopters arrived. People passed within approximately 10 feet of us several times. They were simply walking by and were not focused on her, and she completely ignored them. She sniffed, explored, and stayed relaxed. When the potential adopters arrived and stood close to her, stared at her, and tried to interact with her, she became uncomfortable and began asking for space. This distinction is important: Arwen does not need everyone to interact with her. She does best when people give her space and let her warm up at her own pace.

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Leash skills and settling

When Arwen is not reacting to a trigger, she is actually very good on leash. She can walk, run, change pace, sniff, engage with her person, and work through training exercises. She is also capable of being calm in public when she has enough space. In environments without immediate triggers, she will sniff the ground, explore, and relax. At home, she can settle well. She loves her crate and does not have separation anxiety. The goal is not to keep her isolated from the world. The goal is to give her a life in which she can experience the world at a level she can handle while continuing to build her skills.

 

Veterinary care

Arwen is current on her vaccinations through approximately August 2029. She is spayed and takes fluoxetine 32 mg daily and Simparica Trio monthly. Veterinary visits are very difficult for her. She is extremely uncomfortable with the handling and approach involved in veterinary care, and appointments have historically been stressful for her, the veterinary staff, and us. Because she is sensitive to unfamiliar handling, I think it would be important for a new owner to work with a veterinarian who is comfortable with fearful or reactive dogs. A veterinary behaviorist may also be worth consulting, both for her veterinary care and to make sure her behavioral medication and overall plan are appropriate. She has no other special medical or dietary needs that I am aware of.

 

What helps Arwen succeed T

he most important things I have learned are:

• Give her space before asking for interaction.

• Allow her time to warm up to new people.

• Do not stare at her or reach toward her.

• Learn and respect her body language.

• Keep enough distance from dogs that she can still think and respond.

• Use positive reinforcement and reward disengagement from triggers.

• Give her a predictable routine.

• Provide both physical exercise and mental enrichment.

• Manage situations rather than forcing her through them.

• Give her a safe place to decompress.

• Introduce new people and animals slowly.

 

What she loves

Arwen is an active dog and needs an active lifestyle. She loves swimming, kayaking, hiking in quiet areas, running, fetch, tug, flirt-pole games, her Jolly soccer ball, scent games, food puzzles, trick training, and learning new behaviors. One of our favorite activities was taking her kayaking on a large lake. The open environment allowed her to move freely, swim, and get a tremendous amount of exercise without being forced into close encounters with other dogs.

 

I think she would thrive with someone who enjoys being outdoors and has access to quiet places where she can safely exercise and explore.

 

The home I am looking for

More than anything, I am looking for someone who genuinely wants to understand Arwen. I would love for her to go to someone who has experience with reactive or behaviorally complicated dogs, but I would also consider someone without that experience if they are genuinely committed to learning and working with a qualified trainer or behavior professional. I think she needs someone who is patient, observant, compassionate, and willing to respect her boundaries.

 

An ideal home would provide:

• An active lifestyle

• A predictable routine and good structure

• Plenty of physical and mental enrichment

• A relatively quiet environment

• Safe opportunities for exercise

• Someone willing to continue behavioral training

• A willingness to use management and a muzzle when appropriate

•Slow introductions to new people and animals

• Patience while she decompresses and builds trust

 

She can live with other animals, as she has successfully lived with both a dog and a cat. However, I would want introductions to be slow and carefully managed. I would not expect her to immediately be comfortable with a new animal.

 

A home without children would be my preference because of her sensitivity to people approaching and reaching toward her. What I hope her life can look like I don't want Arwen's future to be defined only by the things she cannot do. I want someone to find the things she can do and build a life around them.

 

She can swim. She can kayak. She can explore quiet trails. She can train. She can play. She can learn. She can run. She can solve puzzles. She can cuddle. She can spend time with her person and then curl up in her crate and relax. Once she trusts someone, she is an incredibly affectionate dog. I think there is a really wonderful life available to Arwen with the right person.

 

She is not an easy dog, but she is a very rewarding dog for someone who enjoys learning, training, and building a relationship with their dog.

 

What I want a potential adopter to know

I am not looking for someone who thinks they can simply “fix” Arwen. I am looking for someone who understands that she has real limitations and is willing to work within them.

 

I want someone who will learn her signals, respect her boundaries, and give her time. Someone who will work with a trainer or behaviorist if needed. Someone who will understand that asking a person to ignore her is not avoiding the problem—it is giving her the opportunity to feel safe.

 

I also don't want to minimize the seriousness of her bite history or her reactivity. She is a strong, athletic dog, and responsible management is important. At the same time, I don't want her reduced to her worst moments.

 

I have seen how much she can change when someone is patient with her. I watched her go from stalking our cat to peacefully sharing the house with him. I watched her learn to ignore people walking nearby. I watched her become more comfortable in busy environments when we worked at a distance. I watched her learn complicated behaviors simply because she enjoyed figuring things out. I know the dog underneath the reactivity. She is smart. She is funny. She is affectionate. She is playful. She is incredibly engaged with her person. She loves learning and being outside. I am hoping to find someone who sees all of that and wants to earn her trust and to protect her.

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Email shelbileigh92@gmail.com