Ollie #2 Chocolate Labrador Retriever Male 3 Years Old ID #2618

Ollie is a three year old boy who is about 75 pounds, up-to-date on vaccinations, and neutered.  He’s also a sweet, smart, affectionate, and active boy. Please read his blog from the bottom up to learn more about him.

January 11, 2021

Ollie continues to have fun, learn, and win hearts at Camp while we look for his forever home!
His favorite activities are still running around the big yard, doing agility and games, searching for kibble,
and snuggling.  We’re continuing to work on his separation anxiety in small increments to help
desensitize him.

This includes breaking up the routine that sets off his anxiety, for example, Linda has started putting her
coat on and sitting down for a few minutes and taking it off and repeating it, going out the door and
back in, sometimes going out the garage door and coming back in the porch door.

We’ve learned that it’s important to combine the work on Ollie’s separation anxiety with exercise
(physical or mental) and calming exercises/time in between.  Check out the video of Ollie with his trainer
as she explains one of his favorite games, sit and search. It shows off his eager-to-please, fun loving
personality too!

Ollie’s new person/family will have to be patient and invest the time to provide him the consistent
structure, routine, exercise, and affection he needs.  Brookline will provide support and Ollie’s current
trainer will aid them with his transition. He is worth it!

December 2, 2020

Ollie continues to hang out at camp and have fun while we find his forever home.  I got to spend some time with him this weekend and he’s still as sweet as ever.  ️

November 2, 2020

Ollie is continuing to refine his leash walking skills, he loves going on walks but is strong and can pull.  He’s now trying out the gentle leader and getting more comfortable with it.

Ollie is also spending more time with other dogs.  We knew he did well with older, calm dogs but have learned he does well with calm dogs of any age.

He’s also working on his social skills around more active dogs.  He can be a bit intense when trying to play with dogs who are running around him or up to him.  He’s getting better and seems to be more comfortable in smaller spaces where they can’t run around as much.

Check out Ollie with his new camp friend, Hunter.

October 26, 2020

Ollie is continuing to do well at camp.  He’s still very sweet, smart, affectionate, and active.  As we learn more about him, we’re determining what type of family will be best for him.

He is a relatively high energy fellow who loves playing ball, doing agility, and going for walks.  He needs to go to an active person/family who will give him about 1.5-2 hours of activity throughout the day.  A fenced in yard would be an added bonus but he’d be okay without one if they are big walkers or hikers (e.g., a  2-mile walk twice a day plus playtime).

Ollie has spent time with other dogs, and matches the energy given out by them.  He’s done really well with older, calmer dogs.  With dogs who are more energetic, he can be intense when trying to play with them.

Ollie loves people and will follow you around as he just wants to be with you.  They’re working on getting him more comfortable in the crate in a home environment but he still exhibits some anxiety.  This is something his new person/family will need to continue working on in small increments with repetition over time.

Ollie hasn’t shown any signs of resource guarding with his food while he’s been at camp.  He does jump up sometimes when he’s excited to see someone, and he’s a bit strong on the leash at times so these are things he’s continuing to work on as well.

Based on what we’ve learned about Ollie so far, his ideal home will be one where he’s not alone much, and will get lots of attention.  He may have less anxiety if there is an older, calm dog around but he’d also do okay being an only dog.  He’d love an active person/family looking for a walking, hiking, or jogging partner and/or someone who is interested in doing agility with him.  We expect he will have some initial anxiety in his new home so will need his new person/family to be understanding and patient with him as he adjusts.

October 7, 2020

Ollie is doing well at Canine Camp – he’s been busy learning, getting lots of exercise, and having fun too!

His trainers have been spending a lot of time with Ollie.  He’s been working on refining his leash walk skills and waiting at doors and gates.  He can be a bit hesitant and unsure meeting new people so they’re going to work on getting him more comfortable meeting new people.

Ollie has met a few lower energy dogs, including resident dog Summer, and has been good with them.  Ollie has also met a couple of other dogs through the fence.  He seems to want to play but can sometimes be a bit vocal and forward.  Because of this, she’s going to introduce him to other dogs slowly, so he can learn appropriate behavior and doesn’t intimidate anyone.    Time will tell, but we think it might help him to live with another dog so he’s not alone when his person/family isn’t home.

They’ve gradually moved Ollie from the largest kennel/run to a regular sized one, and are now introducing the crate to him so he can get more comfortable with it.  He went right into a giant crate in the playroom so his trainer is going to try setting up a crate at her house next to Summer, and spend a little time with him trying to get him acclimated to a crate in a house.

Ollie still  loves running around the big yard and doing the obstacles.  He’s so athletic, brave, eager to please and loves treats, so he’d be the perfect candidate for agility.

September 26, 2020

Ollie has separation anxiety and can’t be crated so his family reached out to Brookline for help as they feel he’ll do better in an environment where someone is around more.  In addition to the separation anxiety, it turns out Ollie also doesn’t like it when anyone touches him or his food while he’s eating.  Because of these issues, we wanted him to go to an experienced foster home so he’s currently at a special camp for boarding and training.

They have experience with dogs with separation anxiety, so we’ll be able to get a clearer understanding of Ollie’s behaviors and work with him while he’s there.  In addition, he’ll be able to get a lot of physical and mental exercise which will be good for him.

Ollie was uncertain and nervous at first and is still anxious at times but is being brave and making progress.  Baby steps!!  And he loves being able to run around and explore the huge yard and obstacles.  Stay tuned for updates on Ollie’s adventures at camp by reading his blog from the bottom up.