Cody's rehoming story

Cody is an excitable dog, who needed a new home with owners who had the time, experience and patience to help him learn new behaviours. We found that in abundance with Iain and Jane, who have not only helped Cody settle in well to family life, but they’ve also found an outlet for all his energy – learning to run obstacle courses with Canine Hoopers.

In November 2023, Iain and Jane welcomed Cody, a black Labrador retriever, to their family. The couple are experienced dog owners who know that any dog they rehome will need their time and patience. At their home in Moray, Scotland, they also have Rebus, a black Labrador cross golden retriever who they rehomed from Guide Dogs in 2020, and their two cats, Josh and Dante.

Jane says: “Cody was a bit of a handful when we first got him, he was very excitable. We were told he had made it to an advanced level in his guide dog training, but he struggled with being able to control his own emotions.”

Iain says: “Cody had a lot of separation anxiety at first. He found it difficult if we tried to leave him in one room and go into another. For the first two and a half months I slept downstairs on the sofa bed. It meant we could keep upstairs for our cats, and we were able to build up Cody’s confidence, so he felt comfortable to be downstairs on his own.”

Jane adds: “Cody could walk beautifully on the lead, but if he saw another dog he just wanted to say hello. We needed to learn the skills to manage his excitability, so we worked with a local dog trainer to figure out what it was that Cody needed us to do. We would say, okay - you can go and say hello to that dog, but you need to have good manners.” 

“Because Cody’s an excitable dog, I learnt to give him a good burst of energy in our garden by throwing a ball or frisbee around. And then I would take him down into town, just sit on a bench and let him watch the world. The world just seemed to overwhelm him and get him excited. I needed to invest the time to help him, so he could see everything and learn that it’s ok.” 

“We also worked hard to help him get used to our cats. We needed to find a way for him to be less excitable when they were around. When we were in the house, we’d keep him on the lead so he could get used to them. And now he’s absolutely fine, we can go out for an evening and leave him with the cats.”

Canine Hoopers

Jane has been running Rebus at Canine Hoopers events for several years, with lots of rosettes to show for their work. Now, Cody and Iain have started learning together too. It’s a sport that suits Labradors well.

Jane says: “Hoopers is like agility. But rather than going over obstacles or around tight turns, it's suitable for a wider variety of dogs. They go through hoops, tall tunnels, and around barrels. A lot of what we do is about distance handling rather than running with the dog. It’s a sport that involves creating a very good bond with your dog and building the dog’s confidence and ability to focus.” 

Iain adds: “Hoopers has been really good for Cody. When we took him to his first show, it was a large event with around 300 dogs. It was great for exposing Cody to all the dogs and teaching him the calm behaviour we wanted from him. There would be sessions when he could go and play with the dogs, but we also wanted him to be able to walk past the dogs.” 

“I’ll be running Cody when we start competitions. He loves the training and he wants to work. He’s been in an environment where he’s been taught things before, so he’s used to learning.”

Jane says: “Hoopers is also great for building a bond. You can see the joy on Cody’s face when he gets it right and he gets his reward. It won’t be overnight, and it will take time and effort, but Cody is getting very very good and, most importantly, we’re all having fun!”