Yogi – 3 year old male Pomeranian

Yogi is a 3 year old male Pomeranian. He is fostered in Cannock, Staffordshire. He’s quite big for a Pom, 11.5 Kg, so not a lap/handbag dog. Yogi came into our care a few weeks ago and was quite quickly rehomed. He has recently been returned to us due to his behaviour on walks which will need ongoing training. Yogi has a case of “little dog syndrome” which is common in the Pomeranian breed. He will need a firm adopter who will address his reactivity issue and follow instruction from his fosterer as she is managing his behaviour. He is…

Yogi – 3 year old male Pomeranian

Yogi is a 3 year old male Pomeranian. He is fostered in Cannock, Staffordshire. He’s quite big for a Pom, 11.5 Kg, so not a lap/handbag dog.

Yogi came into our care a few weeks ago and was quite quickly rehomed. He has recently been returned to us due to his behaviour on walks which will need ongoing training.

Yogi has a case of “little dog syndrome” which is common in the Pomeranian breed. He will need a firm adopter who will address his reactivity issue and follow instruction from his fosterer as she is managing his behaviour.

He is not suitable for an inexperienced adopter and will push boundaries when he is relocated to a new home.

All that said, in the home and family environment he is a sweet and affectionate boy who simply wants to play with the resident dogs. He wants to play with the resident cats too but they are not so thrilled with the concept!

He is living with a child currently and has done so in the past successfully but we would not place him with children under ten years due to his behaviour on walks. When you adopt a Safe Rescue dog, you MUST use a slip lead.

This will keep your dog safe: your new dog will be nervous and will not trust you, and you will not know which situations might upset your dog.

If your dog panics, then a slip lead is the only way to prevent your dog from escaping (many dogs can escape from a collar and/or harness). It will take AT LEAST 3-6 months for your dog to settle in and for you to know your dog fully (longer for nervous dogs).

The slip lead must ALWAYS be used during this settling-in period. Even after your dog is settled, it is safest to use the slip lead in situations where your dog may become scared (e.g. visiting new places, around unfamiliar people, at the vet) and in situations where unexpected triggers might happen (e.g. around a bonfire night).

Nervous dogs may always need to wear a slip-lead as a backup safety measure. The slip lead is a safety device and must NEVER be used as a training tool.

Using the lead to apply pressure to the dog’s neck is damaging. If your dog pulls on the lead, then we can advise you on training methods that avoid harm.

Once your dog is settled, you may want to consider using a harness (together with the slip lead) if your dog is comfortable with being handled when it is fitted.

Most harnesses are not escape-proof, but harnesses with a strap behind the ribcage (e.g. Ruffwear Webmaster or Perfect Fit Harnesses) are safer. Retractable/extendable leads must never be used on our dogs. Adopted dogs must be collected from the rescue and transported straight home in a crate.