August 2025
Oskar is a very handsome 3 year old male who we rehomed due to a change in his families circumstances 6 months ago.
He is now looking for a new home because his adopters have found several of his issues too difficult to deal with.
Oskars favourite things according to his original owners are playing fetch with his squeaky ball, his frozen Kong filled with yogurt, banana and peanut butter with a raw knuckle bone (1-2 times a week) burrowing under a blanket which really helps him to chill out, getting tucked in for bed and he also loves spending time snuggled up on the sofa.
He dislikes his feet being touched but is happy to file his nails on his scratch board. He can be aloof so belly rubs are on his terms, he’s definitely not a fan of the vets so he wears a muzzle in this situation, he also has tried calming medication prescribed by the vets before he visits which his owners weren’t convinced helped.
He can get fixated on reflections/sunlight. He was worse when he was younger and distraction tends to snap him out of it.
He dislikes foil and metal trays – just something to be aware of. Barking – whilst not excessive, it’s loud so the ‘quiet’ command is useful.
Walking – he wears a Dogmatic headcollar because he is strong on the lead. He knows how to walk to heel but he doesn’t always choose to do it especially when there are good scents or he knows he’s going for a run. Needs reminding sometimes that there is a person on the end of the lead.
He can take a while to warm to strangers. For example, in the park if a stranger approaches him to stroke him he doesn’t like it, but if it’s someone he sees regularly he’s quite happy to say hello and sit for a treat.
If he knows you’re not watching he will take the chance to steal food. He has been left up to 4 hours – his owners work from home so he is used to someone being around however they say that he has never had any issue with being left.
Around other dogs on a walk he is very happy to say hello, If they are bigger than him he will have a little whinge and sometimes needs reassurance, he was once chased by a German Shepherd who wasn’t very friendly so can be wary of them.
On the occasion that another dog will have a growl or snarl at him, he is indifferent and has never retaliated.
Oskar lives with a calm mature cat but would chase one out on a walk. His reactions are unknown around livestock so careful introductions would be needed.
Oskar has lived with a child 4 until 7 years of age and has been very good with her although clumsy on times. Out on walks he’s fine with children but can get wary if they approach him. He wears a Dogmatic head collar out on walks and a tracker for his owners peace of mind, even though they have never needed to rely on it. He has stayed at a boarding facility where they have supervised free roaming/playing time in the day and have a room at night, which he really enjoyed. He responds to a whistle/Come-come-come for recall he also
knows sit, lie down, leave it, wait, stay, gentle, sit down (to settle), bed, heel (moves to your left side), watch me, paw, other paw, roll over, quiet. He is a great traveller and settles behind the dog guard in the boot.
The current adopters who have cared for Oskar for nearly 6 months have found several of his issues difficult to manage they explain that the main one is that Oskar still gets fixated in the home and out on walks with shadows which has been very tricky with the sunny weather. He Suffers from anxiety – shakes, squeaks, and moves around constantly during daylight hours. He licks himself every chance he gets (not cleaning more a nervous reaction)
He is strong on the lead, food driven - very vocal up to one hour before meal times (am / pm) and also shakes with anticipation. He will also counter surf in the kitchen and lick crockery in the sink if given the chance, he squeaks when he is excited, hungry, playing or being asked to sit/stay for any amount of time. He doesn't understand a telling off - or praise for that matter. If we chat to other dog owners on our daily walk he gets bored quickly and either barks, squeaks or jumps up to say he's had enough, he is wary of visitors to the house and ignores or barks at them. We ask all visitors to ignore him and wait for him to approach them - for staying guests this can be three days! he is obsessed by birds, flies, leaves, noises in fact anything unexpected. He has no recall, once let loose it's pot luck if he returns, even with lots of high value treats. He does not answer to his name when focussed elsewhere. We thought he may be deaf but you can rattle a crisp packet at 100 meters and he hears it so just selective hearing.
But the most difficult thing for us to deal with is that he only wants to be with us on his terms - he does not demonstrate typical 'velcro' dog traits, so much so he will sit at the end of the sofa rather than next to us and he rarely looks us in the eye, the no-eye contact is probably the most difficult to wear as we know he trusts us to a degree and has allowed us into his little world but not enough.
This difference in opinion on Oskar highlights how dogs behave differently with different people because he was more responsive in his first home.
If you could offer this lad the active and understanding home that he’s looking for please contact us.
Oskar is currently in the Lancashire area and will be rehomed with his 5 weeks free Agria insurance and his adoption contract.
GSP Rescue UK Terms and Conditions apply. 💟🐾🐾
