About Pikachu

Pikachu will be five years old this fall. We have had him for 4+ years, since he was about 5 months old. In that time we have tried to work with him on his various issues and have successfully resolved a few. He is no longer aggressive or possessive around treats, food, or me. He can be bathed calmly now. He does still tense up which can be difficult on your back, but he will stand still and allow you to wash him and rinse him without fighting you. He is potty trained and crate trained, and he has an iron stomach. I've only ever seen him throw up two or three times in his entire time with us. He understands sit, stay(limited time), spin, lay down, off (getting off furniture), down (getting off people he's jumped up to), jump, paw/shake, speak, quiet(this one is very limited in scope), fetch/go get, show (usually he will hook your finger behind his front teeth and take you to what he wants or needs.) He LOVES coconut, chew sticks, playing with flirt poles, eggs, belly/ head rubs (he gets so excited he can't sit still and will often mouth at you because he wants you to keep going.) It was initially my plan to train him from the time he was a puppy to be my walking companion, and to have him come on almost all our family outings with us but his anxiety and emotional issues have become a roadblock to those goals. He does not do well on walks, and hasn't since a puppy. When he was littler I used to walk him every single day and tried to train him with the same commands each time but he did not take to them and would freak out and over react to everything on walks. I continued trying to help him but he only got worse and as he got bigger it became harder and harder for me to take him out and about at all, especially since I have three young kids (the older two were already with us when we adopted Pika.) I tried walking him regularly, I tried tying him around my waist, I tried tying him to the stroller, and I tried to find time to take him on walks alone. He didn't respond to any of it. The only time he really does well is if there are no other people or animals around which is difficult to do. He has pulled my wrist and shoulders out of place, yanked me to the point I rolled ankles, jumped through the stroller and nearly tipped it, jumped through the stroller and scratched my daughter. It's gotten to the point where I can't take him on walks. I have gotten him used to the treadmill a bit and he will hop on for five minutes here and there with me, but not enough. He freaks out at other animals outside the yard and it is very hard to break his concentration when he gets going like that. I never know if his reaction to any particular dog will be positive or negative. Mostly he growls and barks and raises the fur on the back of his neck, and he seems to be to react however the other dog reacts. He has had a few doggy play dates that went well, but for the most part because his responses are unpredictable I keep him from other dogs. I have researched a ton, spoken to trainers, read articles, tried an e-collar (it works with the beep or vibrate as long as he has it on, but as soon as its off he knows and will not respond.) He plays with our two male cats usually pretty well, but occasionally can be too rough and pulls them around too hard. He barks a lot and is hard to calm down outside the house. I used to take him on car rides but he became so anxious that once he jumped out the car and ran off and it was difficult to get him back, and on another occasion he lunged at a drive through worker as we went through the line. Car rides also depend on the weather. If it's too hot I can't take him and leave him in the car. These are still great issues that I have not been able to surmount. I have tried to rehome him and then tried training myself again multiple times over the years but to no avail. Our most recent issue is he has not taken to our youngest(newest) and up until a few weeks ago he mostly avoided him and we kept them apart. We do not let him or any of the kids climb on the dog, pull on him. play with his body etc... but a couple weeks ago he (seemingly unprovoked) nipped at my baby and scratched his hand. No broken skin, but he definitely went after him. And then a week or so after that he did the same to my daughter. He missed her, but did try to bite her. He isn't happy here. I cannot provide for him the things he needs. I have tried really hard. It also seems we will need to move here soon and I would like to get him to a new place before that happens. I believe he would be happiest in a home with only teens and adults, no young children. I believe he would do best as an only pet, but might be ok with a cat or two. He is a sweet dog who deserves a good, loving person who can help him out and be his best friend. I am currently working with Brian from Boldk9Solutions who has offered free training through a non profit to the right adoptive family! Please reach out with any questions!

Tooele County
Tooele, Utah 84074