Rambo

Rambo wakes around 7am and has priorities. First comes his special breakfast, then it's time to get outside. Given the opportunity, he'd happily stay out walking all day, particularly if the route involves water: river, pond, sprinkler, hosepipe, he's not fussy. On pack walks his mission is generally to reach the water as quickly as possible, where he'll swim, splash through the shallows like a dolphin and dive around looking for coconuts, sticks or whatever somebody will throw for him. Afterwards he needs a rinse because of his sensitive skin, which he considers an excellent continuation of the water-based entertainment. Then he'll spend the day plodding around the garden with Peach or lazing somewhere comfortable until dinner. He needs at least an hour of exercise every day, although he'd happily accept considerably more.

With people, Rambo is ridiculously easy to love. He's good with men, women, children and complete strangers, and he's perfectly happy being handled. For such a powerful dog, there's something wonderfully soft about him: cleaning his ears, a medicated bath or vet treatment are all just another opportunity for attention. As long as somebody is fussing over him, Rambo is quite happy.

Dogs are a little more complicated. Rambo can be around other dogs and occasionally plays with them, but he simply isn't that interested in having canine friends. He prefers females, generally does better with smaller, non-dominant dogs and doesn't appreciate being challenged. Intact males are a particular problem, likely connected to his previous life as a stud dog. His easiest and happiest placement would be as an only dog. That's not because he needs to be isolated from the world; he just doesn't need another dog to make his life complete. Give him you, a ball and somewhere to swim, and he's sorted. Cats are not recommended.

Rambo is lead trained and crate trained, good in the car, good with recall and learning his basic commands. He is not currently toilet trained, so his adopter should expect to work on this when he moves into a home. His biggest training weakness is also one of his greatest loves: fetch. He gets so excited that waiting for you to actually throw the object can seem entirely unnecessary, and he'll sometimes jump up to take it directly from your hands. We're working on patience and waiting politely, and that training will need to continue in his new home. He copes well with busy roads and motorbikes. He's not a fan of thunder or fireworks but doesn't react dramatically, and he hasn't had much experience with large crowds. Vet visits don't bother him, he enjoys being groomed and loves having a bath. He generally keeps his own nails worn down, but we're desensitising him to having his paws handled in case trimming is needed in future.

Dogs moving into a new home often regress a little at first, even on things they'd already learned. That's normal, not a step backwards - a bit of patience and the same consistent routine soon has them back on track.

Rambo is vaccinated and sterilised, and has no mobility problems. He is not microchipped. His skin is his only ongoing health concern. He has known sensitivities to chicken and grain and is on a special diet to manage them. At the moment his chest and stomach can become red and itchy, and we're working on settling this through diet and skin care. He also receives a daily fish oil supplement. Once his current flare-up settles, we don't expect him to need extensive future medical care, but his adopter will need to understand that maintaining an appropriate diet is important for keeping his skin comfortable.

Rambo needs someone who understands what they're taking on when they adopt a powerful bully breed. Not because he's difficult with people, quite the opposite, but because he's a 25 kg Pitbull with plenty of strength, and his adopter needs to be comfortable handling that, reading his body language around other dogs and continuing his training. For that reason we're looking for someone with previous dog experience rather than a first-time owner. His ideal home would be: • A house rather than an apartment • An active owner or family • Experienced with strong or bully breeds • Preferably an only-dog home • No cats • Plenty of walks and adventures • Someone willing to maintain his diet and skin care • Lots and lots of human attention A garden would be lovely, although it isn't essential provided he's getting enough time outside. If another dog is already in the home, we'd strongly prefer a compatible female and would need careful introductions first.