Pepper

Pepper is a 2.5-year-old Cocker Spaniel, blue roan in colour. He is desexed, vaccinated and microchipped. And now he’s looking for his forever home.

Pepper is a healthy soul, loves his meals and treats, has a great coat and doesn’t mind grooming. He’s pretty easy to care for, not fussy, and a pretty good boy in the house. He is fully house-trained and crate-trained. I’ve never had a sign of him wanting to toilet in the house since he has been in foster care. I've seen no signs of destructive behaviour. (Though the previous owner suggested that they had an issue with that.)

He does have a couple of things that we have been working hard on since he has been in foster care. (Foster Mum is a trainer).

He had very minimal training, so we have been working on his obedience commands. He does well with sit and drop and is able to hold both positions well. His walking on the lead has been a challenge. He’s been a big puller, but we are finally getting to the point where both of us can enjoy a walk together. He will definitely need someone who will remind him to walk nicely. No real recall yet.

He is a bit overwhelmed initially by all the distractions on walks. Wants to chase birds or pull towards dogs. He’s got very good at listening to me instead, but I’m not ready to trust him with random dogs. He doesn’t enjoy dog company most of the time. He’s great with his foster brother (dog) and sister (cat), but neither of them is boisterous or gets in his face. He doesn’t particularly want dog company, so a single-dog environment will be best.

It’s you he wants. He loves his people. His separation confidence needs ongoing work. If allowed to, he would follow you everywhere and whine when he cannot. I’ve worked hard on his separation confidence so I want someone who will continue that. Practicing boundaries and outside time is important for him.

He’s great when home alone, but you leaving or returning are hard times. And those times when he can see you but not get to you are hard. He’s the perfect candidate for a separation anxiety problem if you don’t work on his alone-time confidence. Not a big barker but a big sook for sure. He seems fine with kids, though not living with any.

So Pepper's ideal home would be a family who has time to dedicate to some more training. And they will be ok with building his confidence in being outside or being alone. No other dogs would be his preference. We’ll consider kids 10+ as a guide. If you think you might be a good candidate for Pepper, why not apply now.