About Cooper

This is Cooper/Coopa. He is a 1 & 1/2 year old male Belgian Malinois. He is also mixed with Pitbull. Here's his DNA breakdown: -60% Mali -33% Pitbull -3% Akita -2% Boxer -2% White Swiss shepherd His birthday is Jan 2nd, 2024. He currently weighs 78 pounds. He is chipped. He is up to date on all of his vaccines, and he is currently a patient at Academy Pet Hospital in Fayetteville (all vet records can be given to his new owner). Cooper is a very high energy boy! He needs lots of physical activity, and play time. He needs daily walks/runs, and LOTS of play time around the house. Cooper is extremely smart. He has taken lessons with a personal trainer and does very well following these commands (from the right person): sit, stay, break, lay, come, place, and shake. He loves to cuddle, and is loves to always be touching you, even if it's just your feet. He is so so so sweet and cuddly! Cooper is an anxious boy, and that does sometimes result in anxious aggression. He is extremely anxious at the vet, and 9/10 times ends up needing to be muzzled. He is anxious and on guard around other dogs in the beginning, but is able to relax after some time. Once he has calmed down, he loves to play with other dogs. (It's a great way to get his energy out) The reason we need to rehome Cooper is that like many Mali's, he has seemed to really only form a strong bond to one person (my husband). He listens VERY well, and is a very wonderful dog for him. Unfortunately, my husband is at work all day, and I am the one home with him all day everyday. He sees himself above me on the pecking order, and doesn't listen to me. We've tried working on me asserting my dominance, but it just has not worked. He doesn't listen to me, and he is aggressive towards me (but not my husband). He has only ever snipped at my husband when he was very anxious (like at the vet), but he growls at me, shows his teeth to me, and puts his teeth on me on a regular basis. He has even fully bitten me once. He doesn't like when I tell him what to do, so he will do those things to scare me, so I back off, and then he gets to do whatever it was he wanted to do. It's a crappy cycle, that is just too far gone to fix. He knows that I am afraid of him, and uses that to his advantage. We've tried for a very long time to fix this and work on it, but unfortunately it's just getting worse not better. He is a fantastic boy for my husband, but he just isn't for me. We also have a baby in our home, and I have to keep them separated at all times, as he is just too rough and not careful enough around her. He has never shown deliberate aggression to her, or hurt her on purpose. But he has hurt her on accident a few times, and I'm not willing to risk her safety. Keeping them separate at all times means he is either in his crate/outside alone/or in a small area behind his dog gates, which isn't fair to him. Or, I have to have her separated in a play pen or different room, which isn't fair to her. I also, have a lot less time and energy these days to spend on him now, that I have a baby to take care of. This has been an extremely hard decision to make because we LOVE him so so so much. We have tried our very best to make it work, but we are finally seeing that he is just not a great fit for our family. Everyone in the situation deserves better. Cooper's Pros: - Extremely cute - Has had formal training and is extremely trainable - Very smart (too smart sometimes) - Loves to play - Loves to cuddle - Fully potty trained - Doesn't chew shoes or anything like that - Able to walk on leash (some minor pulling if he gets excited or anxious) - Really really great at running on leash (so he would be a fantastic running buddy) - Listens very well to someone above him on the 'pecking order' (because just like he listens to my husband, he also listens to our trainer, and my dad when he visits. So really anyone that he thinks is more dominant than him, he is a FANTASTIC listener for them. - Very protective (always putting himself between me and things/people he is suspicious of) - Does great riding in the car and LOVES to go places Cooper's Cons: - Can be very anxious, which sometimes leads to anxious aggression - Can also show dominance aggression - NEEDS an owner(s) who will assert their dominance from the start - Needs a TON of physical activity (walks, runs, fetch, tug of war are some of his favs) - Not very gentle or careful around babies/young kids - Has bitten owner before - Can take some time to warm up to other dogs - Jumps on people - Cannot be off leash

Cumberland County
Fayetteville, North Carolina 28312