Tigger - SRF074

Ideal Home

Tigger is a loving, gentle boy who will make a gorgeous companion for the right home. He needs a kind, experienced family familiar with spaniel behaviours. A household with more than one person would suit him best as he really loves people.

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He’ll need a calm, confident, neutered resident dog who isn’t food‑obsessed, a secure garden, and adopters committed to positive, force-free training. A calm home will help him learn at his own pace, and any children should be older, dog-savvy teenagers.

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Tigger is a sensitive soul looking for people who can help him feel safe and understood. In return, he’ll offer deep loyalty, endless affection, and truly joyful companionship.

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Energy & Exercise

Tigger enjoys his outside time and loves his daily woods walks, where he can explore and sniff, but he’s just as happy curling up on the settee and relaxing once he’s home.

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He loves meeting other dogs but isn’t quite sure how to behave when he first meets them. If he isn’t able to approach them, he can bark and lunge, but this is from excitement rather than aggression. He’ll need gentle management and gradual, positive exposure. His fosterers initially avoided any interaction on walks while he decompressed, but have recently started letting him meet calm, friendly dogs.

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He loves playtime with the resident German Shepherd and would happily rough‑and‑tumble for hours.

He must remain on lead outdoors until he has a reliable recall. His recall is improving but is still not consistent (especially on walks).

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Training

When Tigger arrived at his current foster home, the behaviour plan was to avoid any training for the first 2–3 weeks to allow him to fully decompress. This has helped him settle.

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He is bright and eager to learn. His fosterer has taught him sit, give his paw and to catch treats. He has also learned his name and has started coming back when called in the house and garden. Otherwise he has had no training, so he will be a blank canvas for his new family.

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He is a sensitive little boy and must only be trained using positive, reward-based methods. His fosterers are introducing new experiences slowly to build his confidence at a manageable pace.

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Behaviours

Tigger loves being close to people. He settles well in the home, follows his fosterers around, and relaxes happily on the sofa. He sleeps on the bed and has a predictable routine - breakfast excitement at 7.45am and bedtime at 8pm.

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Behaviours requiring ongoing management:

• Resource guarding of high-value, long-lasting treats (ie pig's ears) – issues with other dogs not people

• Over‑excitement when meeting dogs outside - he needs controlled, positive exposure to friendly dogs to learn appropriate greetings

• Pulling on lead - improving but still needs a lot of work

• A secure garden is essential as he is an escape‑artist!

• Short bursts of howling when excited or when he wants something - this happens maybe a couple of times a day, lasts only a few seconds, and he is easily redirected. He may also howl briefly in the car when excited about arriving at the woods.

 

These behaviours are manageable but will require an adopter with experience, patience, and a commitment to gentle guidance.

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Meeting New People

Tigger has loved every person he has met in foster. He is so friendly and enthusiastic, though he may jump up for kisses. This can be shaped with calm, consistent training.

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Children

He has not been tested with children. Given his need for a calmer household, he would be best suited to a home with gentle, dog-savvy teenagers.

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Dog/Cat Test

Tigger currently lives with four dogs, including a German Shepherd, and gains confidence from their presence. He sleeps alongside them, plays with them, and enjoys their company. However, finding the right dog to match Tigger’s needs is essential.

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He will need to live with another dog who is:

• gentle

• non-reactive

• ideally female (though the right neutered male could work)

• playful but not overly food-motivated

 

He has not been cat‑tested but has quite a high prey drive, so we recommend no cats.

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Home Alone

He has been left for a couple of hours with the other dogs and coped well. He is not destructive and is fully toilet-trained.

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Medical History

Tigger came in as a stray, so his medical history is unknown. He is not neutered and will be adopted with a contract to neuter him. He was chemically castrated in his first foster home and is tolerating this well.

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Vet Visits

He has attended routine vet appointments without any problems and has been calm, cooperative, and easy to handle throughout. One isolated incident occurred when he was with his first fosterer, during a stressful procedure (chemical castration); he snapped due to discomfort. He has never shown aggression towards people outside of that moment.

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Travelling

Tigger travels well either on the back seat with a harness and seatbelt, or in the boot of the car with the other spaniels. Occasionally, he may howl briefly when excited about where he’s going.

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Handling & Grooming

He is easy to handle and groom. He arrived with a heavily matted coat, especially around his ears, and tolerated a full groom very well.

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Food

Tigger eats quickly so he has a slow feeder. He is currently fed AVA kibble. He should be fed separately from other dogs to help him relax while he’s eating.
He must not be given high-value, long-lasting treats due to guarding.
 

Sleeping

He sleeps on the bed with his fosterers and settles well through the night. During the day he rests on the sofa, either next to his humans or independently.