P.S. Does he have long hair, and are you maintaining vigilance against any females named Delilah?

 Quote: Mike Arnold

"Bam," the newest dog to cross our threshold, has undergone an appellation transformation. The German Shepherd Dog formerly known as "Bam" henceforth shall be known formally as Samson, named for a man of extraordinary physical strength, and commonly called "Sam."

My first GSD and the love of my life was named Sam. He too, was a rescued dog. It's a great name for a great dog.

So Sam, once known as Bam, has been here almost two months now.

Looks like another mutt has wormed its way in. He still has a few issues. Food enthusiasm, a euphemism for food aggression. He is really interested in eating his meal, from his bowl. He doesn't go to the other dogs' bowls but he has an attitude when it comes to his bowl when he is eating. Trying different strategies to get him to lighten up. Can't have this behavior. Time is on my side, yes it is.

But aside from the food issue, he seems to have fit in very well. He is a pleasure to take on walks. He follows me like a shadow. Basic commands are solid. High energy.

Still and all, better than the needle he was scheduled for.

MUCH better than the needle he was scheduled for.

The GSD rescue I volunteer at would love to have more people like you close by Mike. So when you are done there, move to Michigan.

Also Mike, I am not sure if this will help since I have not had to personally deal with the food aggression issue, but here is an article that might help you out. It was brought to my attention by some of my friends who are fantastic dog trainers, so it might be worth a read.

http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/resource-guarding-revisited

Well, Sam, once known as Bam, has been here about three and a half months. Still some issues but none that are awful.

He occasionally lets his exuberance override his good judgement, usually resulting in a correction from one of the other mutts.

Lots of energy but he gets the boundaries, and he seems to have figured out that there is already a leader so he doesn't have to be.

The issues we continue to work on, with erratic success, have to do with food focus, occasional spontaneous urination if I am too loud with a vocal correction, occasional toy possession, attacking light patterns on the floor. But he now tolerates foot touching and toe trimming, and is more tolerant of ear cleaning. Still a work in progress.

He seems more at ease and comfortable here every day, certainly a long way from the first few weeks.

His basic commands are quite solid. I am curious about his formative year or so but I'll probably never know.

I needed another dog like a hole in the head, or another hole in the head but he's still here. He is a good mutt. Glad he's here.

"He seems more at ease and comfortable here every day, certainly a long way from the first few weeks."

Fantastic! It sounds like he's one of the lucky ones who not only got rescued from his previous bad situation but got rescued by just the right family, people who know how to deal with his issues and have the patience and experience to help him thrive.

He's been with you long enough that you should know him pretty well now and know exactly what those issues are. And they all sound like things that can be worked on and either overcome or carefully managed.

Hmm, chasing light patterns on the floor. I wonder if he had been teased with a laser light previously?

Great update, Mike. I'm so glad things are going well!

Good work, Mike.

"He is a good mutt. Glad he's here."


I'm glad he's there, too, in his good new life.