Ralph

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Ralph is an absolute sweetheart, silly, smart and very affectionate. You don't always get to see that side when at the rescue as he is constantly around other barking dogs, overstimulated, paired with the lack of 1 on 1 time and consistent training to make successful progress with him. He can be reactive towards other dogs, you tend to “hear Ralph before you see Ralph”. Ralph is a lot more than this, but it does seem to overshadow him and the good parts to him. With the right owners onboard, the support of a good trainer, he has so much potential to offer.

When it comes to meeting people Ralph is very sociable and always friendly to whomever he meets or is walked by.  He gets a little excited, initially jumping, occasionally high-pitched barking, but does calm down eventually, enjoying well needed affection on his bed but only after he has skated around the kennel on and off the bed showing you all the tricks he knows.

Ralph is good when being handled by all staff here and when at the vets, sometimes he finds his legs sensitive to touch when he is there (due to previous strains and nags as well as an accident hitting an agility frame).  He isn’t a fan of having his nails clipped, so we have opted for a cooperative care approach where he is learning to use a scratch-board which owners should carry on with. 

Ralph loves running around our secure paddock, either playing fetch or racing around with another sighthound.  He needs a minimum of 1-2 hours daily and has a medium energy level.  He settles well after his walk and during the quiet periods of the day, however, he can be vocal during the active parts. Ralph has always been a lot easier once he’s had his walk.  We’d recommend a good walk before working on other areas of training such as impulse control and reactivity. When off lead he is easy to engage with and to call back. For the most part he ignores dogs and people behind a fence in our exercise areas, as long as he is interacting with someone. 

Potential owners should understand that he is a sighthound and may struggle to have a consistent and reliable recall, especially under certain distraction or around prey.  He does well on a long line and is very easily motivated by food and toys. He finds himself here due to lack of understanding and knowledge, being rehomed for chasing the three cats that lived in the home.  Therefore, he is looking for owners that understand his sighthound traits, the good and the bad, or have researched them and how to keep them happy and fulfilled as they can be pretty simple dogs when you know.

To be straight, Ralph will a lot of the time sound awful on the lead, mainly when he sees other dogs; this is mostly down to frustration but the reasons can vary.  Despite this, he has made a few doggy friends. Some other sighthounds, other different medium size breeds but all of them are sociable and tolerant dogs that aren’t bothered if he starts barking.  As a lot of dogs can really dislike this rude behaviour you would need to be selective or set up the introductions for success in who he meets.  When he is playing, he can be a little pushy when sniffing but for the most part is quite well mannered and does extremely well off the lead.  He is not a physical player and just enjoys a good race around the paddock with a few playful barks and play bows in between. He would benefit from more structured type walks with other dogs (on-lead) in helping his frustrations around them.

Ralph could potentially live with another dog depending on the owner and environment but cannot live with small furries or cats.  He has lived with older children before (14 and a 17 years old) and said to be friendly, excitable, not boisterous, but jumps up, so teenagers that aren’t worried about having a large dog around would be best suited.

For his home he is looking for his own secure garden with privacy type fencing especially if neighbours have dogs themselves. He may be suited to a more rural and quieter area, away from the hustle and bustle of seeing lots of other dogs, however, this really depends on potential owner dedication to Ralphs training as it may be more challenging in busier environments.

Ralph has been with us a while, patiently waiting for people to call his family with not a lot of luck. Despite his reactivity; his enthusiasm for life, willingness to learn something new and always having a way to make you laugh with his silly antics really shines through. Prospective owners should be experienced and committed to continued training with the support of the team along the way.

The adoption fee for Ralph is £250.00

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