Blockhead

Sex: MALE Age: 2.5

GOOD with dogs, OLDER KIDS ONLY, GOOD with dog-savvy cats

ADOPTION FEE: $550 www.unbreakabull.com/adopt

From the foster mom: Blocky is an amazing boy!! This is not confirmed, but best guess is that he is part Dogo Argentino and pittie. He was adopted this past spring but then returned about 5 months later. He was returned because his adoptive family said they could not control him. He started to display destructive behaviors. Best guess is that he was not given boundaries, structure, enough mental stimulation or physical activities. Once he came back to my house, he reverted back to his old routine and none the destructive behaviors were seen. He gets the exercise and mental stimulation he needs. He attended an in-board training program to help with impulse control and he came back as an even better boy. A few things that he learned from his training - duration with place, auto-sit when stopping on walks and also learning how to make better choices when meeting people.

Blockhead is an energetic and handsome goobie goobs that just happens to be deaf. I affectionately say he is smart but not very bright. He is very treat motivated and caught on really fast to learning hand signals. He knows sit, down, stay and wait. He walks in a near perfect heel position. He doesn’t try chasing squirrels or rabbits. He has learned to respect thresholds and he knows to sit and wait before before we step out the door. We do training daily. He knows the place command and he is doing better with duration. He is kennel AND potty trained! ZERO accidents!

What would his perfect family look like? Because he is deaf, can startle easily, is an energetic young dog and can jump up on people, it would be recommended that he live in a home without little kids. He would most likely be fine in a home that has older, calmer and respectable kids (maybe 13+ years). You should have bully experience because as he lives up to his name … he literally is a blockhead. He can be a rebellious and stubborn teenager and can try and push boundaries. He needs a strong handler and will thrive with boundaries and structure.

He would make a good running/jogging partner as he matches your speed on walks. With proper training, he would probably make an excellent hiking partner and may do great off-leash (with proper recall). If you want to do really fun things with him, doing sniff work or doing an agility course might be great for him for physically and mentally! He is not dog or people reactive. He gets excited when he sees people and other dogs but that is because he wants to meet them. We have been working on his greeting skills. The last time he met someone on a walk, he was a very good boy and stayed in a sit while the gentleman came up to give him some pets. He has made several new friends in the neighborhood, including the mail lady. She likes to give him treats and he loves her.

He does well with my two dogs but I don’t let them play unsupervised since my dogs are older and don’t have the same energy level. He also doesn’t understand the corrections my dogs give him (maybe because he is deaf). He would probably do good with a younger dog that also has high energy and loves to play. But he would be good as an only dog as well. Sometimes during play, he can get a little too ramped up and needs to be corrected to calm down.

For communication, we use a mini-educator eCollar. Since he cannot hear verbal commands, we need a way to communicate and this has worked well. He sleeps in his own room at night and I let him sleep outside his kennel. When I leave the house, he goes into his pro-kennel. Over the last few months, he has been going into a wire kennel during the day while I work and his job is to chill out in the kennel and just relax. He gets kennel time every day even if I am home all day to help him get used to the wire kennel.

He is LEARNING HOW TO SNUGGLE! He does not get free roam in the house and time on the couch has to be earned. It’s mostly my fault that we don’t get much snuggle time because I work too much and I don’t get much couch time. But when I do, I make it a point to give him the opportunity to be calm to the point where he can curl up on the couch. I think he really loves people and I think he will bond really hard with his new family. We have been working on building trust and he has started to show an affectionate side. When we walk, sometimes he will just stop and look up at me - meaning he wants me to stop and pet him. During one of our long walking routes, there is a bench and we will sit on it and just chill out and watch cars drive by. Sometimes people honk and wave. Or we will just sit in the grass and contemplate life. Sometimes he gets to lay on a dog bed right next to me while I work and he will come up and just rest his head on my lap. He has come such a long way since I first brought him home. I love having him but he deserves his own happily ever after. And oh! Most important - he figured out what a lap is and understands that laps are meant for sitting (see picture).

Now, a few words from the dog: ‘Sup. I am Blockhead. The lady who pulled me from the shelter (the director of the rescue) said I am a blockhead (I mean seriously - look at my huge head) and the name stuck. But honestly - I don’t care what you call me because I can’t hear you!

I currently live with two dogs and a cat. The cat’s name is Crowley, and he is the self-proclaimed King of Hell. I know he beholds great power so I try my best to ignore him. I refuse to bow down to his terroristic demands. I have booped his nose a few times through the gate at the top of the stairs. Sometimes I try to chase him when the gate is down, but he is too fast and runs away from me. But most times I just walk past him and just play hard to get. I don’t even react to him when I’m chilling in my kennel and he decides to grace us with his presence and struts around like he owns the place.

I love working with the lady in the house. She gives me treats and all I have to do is follow a few commands. Seems like a real good trade off! At night, I get to sleep in my very own doggie bed in my own room. I work hard and I sleep hard. My bedtime is 9 p.m. and the lady usually feeds me when I wake up around 8 or 9 a.m. I go into the kennel when she leaves the house. Sometimes, I bark for a few minutes when I first go in, but me singing the song of my people seems to fall on deaf ears (hahaha! get it?!!!) and so I just settle down and sleep.

I have recently found out what snuggling is all about. It’s kind of nice. If I am not an energetic ball of energy, the lady will let me on the couch and I can rest my head on her and stare into her eyes. She pets me and scratches my head and I have to admit it feels good to feel loved! When it’s nice out, I go on two walks a day and after each walk, I am tired and I think that would be a perfect time for a cuddle session!

If I sound like a good fit for you, please fill out an application to meet me. I am patiently waiting for my happily ever after!

p.s. I am the self-proclaimed King of the Sploot.

Your future companion,

Blockhead

(Updated 12.12.2024)