Ben - Leicestershire

Bouncy Ben

Poor GSD X Akita Ben finds himself in very bad circumstances, through no fault of his own. His owner cannot cope with him, as she is disabled by illness, and he lives a very confined life shut up in a small flat. He gets very little, if any, exercise and our assessor describes him as 'stir crazy'. He is a fine upstanding two year old, who is finding his feet and his current situation is a recipe for disaster for this young ebullient boy.

We think that Ben has some Akita in him, which is a known as a strong-willed breed. He will need an experienced,  preferably a male owner, whom he can respect. This is not to say that a similar female would not be able to succeed, but it would be more of a challenge. Our female assessor found that Ben acted up when she walked him but that he was much better behaved for her male partner. Sadly, due to his owner's vulnerability, which he senses, Ben has come to regard women as the weaker sex, over whom he might have a chance to be dominant - not the basis of a long term canine/human relationship.

We have indicated that Ben should only be rehomed with older children. He is a big bouncy, largely untrained boy and this is only in case he knocks a small child over. Finesse is not characteristic that you would associate with this boy - yet.

Much the same is true in relation to other dogs. Ben leads a sad life and has not had opportunities to socialize with other dogs. When he came across them, on his assessment walk, he became excited and barked. As far as our assessors could tell, this was not so much aggressive: it seemed more to indicate excitement and curiosity.

Clearly Ben is at his most outgoing and has not had the benefit of systematic training, suitable accommodation or exercise. It is to his credit that his behaviour has not become even more challenging, if not actually dangerous.

There is huge potential for this impressive boy. Are you the person who can take him on and explore this together?