DescriptionURGENT PLEA
Simba is in need of a forever home. He is currently in foster and has been there for 6 months now where his foster has been carefully working with him and assessing him and his needs. We now feel that we have enough information to find the home that he needs as we do not want to have to keep moving him around. Unfortunately, his needs mean that he cannot stay with his foster, even though they care for him very much, the mutual agreement is that Simba has specific needs and is not able to continue living in a busy, built up area.
This boy has been through a lot. We are seeking a quiet, more rural home where he will feel safe, learn to let his guard down and have a bit more freedom to explore, sniff, and release some of his prey drive energy. His foster believes if the opportunity arose, he would make a good working dog where his breeds strengths could be used. He needs an experienced owner who either knows his breed well, or has experience dealing with a reactive/prey driven dog. This is a big ask, but we believe there is someone out there for this beautiful boy. We will be thoroughly vetting all applicants, so please only serious, experienced applications.
If anyone knows someone/a page that specialises in german hunting terriers/terriers, please let us know.
A note from Simba's foster on his personality and behaviour:
"Having had very little exposure to normal life before coming to the UK, since being in foster Simba has learnt how to relax and is less bothered about daily household and living environment noises, but he has a tendency to have reactive behaviours when out and about and managing this can be challenging and is a work in progress. Simba is very sensitive to sound and sight and has a very high prey drive. Outside the house, he is on high alert to anything that moves, which includes all vehicles, people, children, cyclists, cats, and joggers, so he needs very careful management and handling. He gets anxious in narrow or enclosed spaces and can get overwhelmed very quickly and needs to be given lots of space, or shielded when walking past reactivity triggers to avoid him lunging out, and he is conscious and anxious of things approaching from behind or suddenly appearing. He has learnt some recall but can only be let off lead in certain circumstances when there are not too many distractions and unfamiliar people such as joggers, cyclists, children, etc. He can be very unsure of people he has not been introduced to, but is fine with those he has met regularly since being in foster, particularly those who have dogs, and those he has been carefully introduced to, but it has taken time for him build trust. He can occasionally be a little reactive to some dogs he meets when he is on a short lead and so it is best to not let him approach new unfamiliar people and dogs unless carefully managed, and kept brief. Simba is always keen to see what's going on on the other side of things both in and out of the house, and so he would need a VERY secure garden at home. He finds busy built up places with people and cars challenging and needs careful management in those situations as they are triggers for reactivity, so I think a quiet rural setting would mean life is less challenging for him. Underneath his anxiety, Simba appears to be a submissive sensitive boy with a cheeky side to him. Since being in foster, Simba has not been tested with children but has shown reactivity towards them when seeing them out and about, I'm not sure if he finds them exciting or threatening, but I don't feel I would trust him with children. Simba has been trained to accept a muzzle, although he doesn't like it. Simba has a very, very strong hunting instinct, and is constantly looking and listening for prey to hunt or flush out, he would therefore need someone who is familiar with hunting dog instinct and experienced in managing reactive behaviour, and who is able to provide him with the mental and physical stimulation that his breed needs for his all round wellbeing. Simba will want to chase cats, I believe there is a level of anxiety and fear that comes with seeing a cat. Simba developed extreme anxiety with moving objects when travelling in the car, and so he now travels well in a covered crate in the car. Simba cannot live with cats as his prey drive is too high. Simba may do well with another calm dog in the household for company and playmate, preferably a female, but I think he has benefited from one-one attention and training while in foster. Simba will need a transition period from foster to a forever home in order to build trust and familiarity with new surroundings."
Estimated DOB: 01/06/20
Height:45 cm
Weight: 15 kg
Vaccinated: Yes
Castrated: Yes
Dogs: Yes
Children: No
Cats: No
Location: Sudbury, Suffolk
●House trained
●Good in the house when being left
●Likes and needs his space
●Trained to accept a muzzle
●Affectionate boy but in his time and on his terms
●Cheeky mischievous side to him
Eats most food offered and loves his treats
●Will bury treats around the house and garden and mild resource guard
●Likes bum scratches and belly rubs
●Crate trained for car travel
Simba is microchipped, rabies vaccinated, infectious diseases two times vaccinated, bordatella vaccine will be recieved before transport, castrated, Mediterranean diseases tested-negative.
Adoption fee and home check applies, and full rescue backup is provided by Ninas Haven