She was surrendered
to Rescue by a family whose children wouldn't take responsibility for her care. But
they did get her so riled up in play that her puppy enthusiasm was misunderstood.
Putty had not been groomed before she came into Rescue and at first she was not happy about the prospect. But by the time we got to doing a second haircut, it was a one-person effort, with her cooperating completely, noshing on treats for good behavior. She is probably going to have a lot of coat and would be best with an owner capable of grooming her at home.
Putty is somewhat of a puzzle. She is social and outgoing and loves to run up to strangers and ask for kisses. She will roll over on her back to get her belly rubbed. She lets you take toys away from her. She will let you hold her and play vigorously with her ears, mouth, webbing between her toes - and her only reaction is to give you a kiss. As part of the evaluation process, we keep "pushing her buttons" and have yet to get a rise out of her.
She has, however, growled at several (but not all) vets. We have been working on desensitizing her to being handled at the vet's office (fortunately our vet's staff has been very cooperative). And we are checking to see whether there is anything physical triggering her reluctance to being examined. Putty needs to go to an experienced cocker person who would be able to deal with her inappropriate behavior should something besides the vet's office trigger it. Although she seems to love kids, an adult home would be best.
Putty has been attending a Puppy Playgroup. She's learning that a little canine rough and tumble among larger breed puppies isn't going to hurt her. And she totally enjoys playing the "Pass the Puppy" game, where everyone gets a chance to cuddle her. On the foster homefront, she is very confident around the adult cockers. She does not show dog aggression, yet in a multi-dog household she might attempt to become the "alpha bitch".
Whether she should be placed with cats would depend upon the cat. If the cat knows enough to "stand his ground", Putty co-exists just fine. If the cat decides to run, Putty will be glad to give chase, and when the cat glares down from a high perch, Putty is quick to bark to try to coax the cat to let Putty chase her again.
Putty is a real quick study. When new concepts are explained with a handful of food, she catches on immediately. When she's taken outdoors on a regular basis, she's close to being housebroken (but we would not want any puppy placed with someone who worked full time). And she is clean in her crate at night.