CASE STUDY - Super Scooby

Here's Scooby, a young springer that didn't have the best start in life. His new failed foster parents looked into doing Scentwork to give scooby something to do other than constantly chase shadows. He has been attending our classes at Effingham and is doing so well, improving each week and really getting to grips with the sport.

'Scooby came to me at 14 months old on foster, he was never supposed to stay as he was classed as a handful! He had hardly been off lead and when he did get let off he was gone with no recall! His first owner bought him to work as a gun dog but for some reason Scooby spent most of his short life in a crate, it was here we believe he entertained himself with shadows/ reflections, they were his only outlet of some stimulation ☹️ he was then taken on by a lady that loved him dearly but struggled with him as he grew stronger and more determined to get free! He pulled her over as he's incredibly strong and with his high prey driven nature he was becoming very difficult to manage. So then he came to me! Having no recall but bags of energy I was at a loss as to what to do with him. His shadow chasing only came known to me in the summer this year and he can arctic fox pounce on my shadow for the duration of a two plus hour long walk and if I stopped he would just burrow a hole into the ground! It's been stressful, so much so I wanted to give up on him twice but no body wanted him so he continued to stay with me! And slowly but surely we are turning a corner!

Shadow chasing has become less but definitely not gone, not really sure if it ever will but the scentwork is definitely helping him focus on a job! I can walk him all day but it's mental/ brain stimulation that he needs and that's where the scentwork comes into play! And he's showing a great improvement!'

Well done to Scooby and his owners, it's so rewarding watching him progress and see him enjoying the activity.