Quote: Mike Arnold

Another day in the saga of Sam...

At my feet as I type. He's turned into a shadow. I move, and he moves. Trying to minimize it with the command to down but he clearly doesn't like to be too far away.

Took him to the cabin for a few days to see how much I had to work on, and see if he could be trusted to not bolt into the woods at every sound or critter. Turned out he stops dead in his tracks with just a Sam. I figured with the distractions and space he'd be inclined to test his limits but he didn't.

Still, he has little quirks that have to be worked on in addition to his long command compliance. He downs but struggles with durations. And when he eats, and if the moon is in the wrong phase or the wind is not right or whatever, he demonstrates food aggression, though in a much less aggressive manner than when he got here.

He has a seemingly endless amount of energy. Average play and running barely dents his endurance. I have a few heavy lengths of tree he seems to like to drag all over the place. He is really strong.

Mostly gets along with the other dogs though he occasionally tests dominance with Titan.

And he gets amped up and obsessed when a light is played around the room. Someone must have really worked him up with a laser or the like. Not a fan of the light game.

All and all, better than the needle.

Sounds really good, Mike.

I was happy to see the update .... I had just been thinking of you when I was outside with my dogs, "warming my hands with my coffee mug."

Sam,once named Bam, has been here almost exactly a year. An interesting year it has been.

He is seldom more than a few feet from me. As I type he is down at arms length, Oops, just moved to an area rug about three feet away.

He some times is an arm load but its probably because he has more drive than I do. If I leave for a cup of coffee with cronies, I'm told by my bride that Sam sits or downs by the door until I return. Too needy.

When I got him, I was told that he would be extraordinarily loyal. I had no idea. I've had dogs that were inclined to be close at hand but still independent. Sam acts as if he is afraid he will be left alone or whatever other human attribute doesn't really apply to a dog.

He's still a work in progress. Commands are good but still not as inviting to the rest of the family as I would like. I'm not a fan of the one man dog model. I prefer the dog and family model.

Still and all, he's had about a year more than he was scheduled for. It still baffles me, the how and why people can decide to put a dog down because of the flimsiest of reasons. In Sam's case, his training and disposition made for concern for his adaptation to a family environment. Time and purpose. Sam probably wouldn't have been everyone's cup of tea. Just a dog, when all is said and done, at least to me.

I think it time for a little toss the ball in the back yard. Yup, a toss the kong. And for years more of tossing the kong.

A tangent, there is really a difference between the the heads of a German lines GSD and an American lines GSD. Titan is the former and Sam is the latter. Neither like to play second fiddle.

Sam is a fortunate dog, Mike. (And yes, I do know that it goes both ways. )

Kudos to you Mike!

I enjoy hearing these updates about Sam. Yes, it does sound like it's been an interesting journey for Sam and for your entire family this past year as everyone gets used to each other and learns how the pack functions, human and canine. I'm glad to hear things are going well and he has a good life with you.

Well a few weeks over a year. The shadow is at my feet. I move, he moves. I stand, he stands. I leave the room, he follows. Aaaarrrrgggghhhh.

He needs to be less attached at the hip but seems unwilling to adapt to my efforts to get him to just relax. The Trooper who gave me Sam told me he would be the most loyal dog I ever had, and he was absolutely right in his assessment.

He is a good mutt. It is as though he's concerned he will be left alone or some thing. Ah well. Sam or Sammy as I like to call him, is an interesting mutt. His command compliance is quite good but he really is not fond of long downs at distance.

Anyway, no one had posted today, though it is Mother's Day. Was just thinking out loud and decided to type stuff.

The down side to that loyalty can be a dog that raises hell when left alone.

Any separation issues?

Mother's Day was cool as usual. All three kids and all five grand kids making lots of noise. Love it!

When I took Kaiser he was 8 months old, and had been in a ridiculous amount of homes with people who were on the breeders puppy list, who were certain they wanted a big dog, which at 8 months he was, and still growing.

He and Sugar turn 6 this month, and after 5 years, Kaiser is still super glued to me, where I go, he goes, just like you said Mike, I go to the fridge, turn round, and bump into him, he is a baby, and like a lot of mastiffs, not that bright, it can be exhausting, but yes, a labour of love, definitely

Yeah. Separation anxiety can be an issue but Sam doesn't seem to have an overt issue with it. No tearing up stuff, or the like. Likes proximity but adapts to being alone or as alone as he can be with three other GSDs. He seems to read the other dogs and mimic their behavior, which, thankfully, is relatively calm, much of the time.

Mother's Day brought bounty from the 'children' to their mother. A huge basket of stuff from FTD. Nice. Very gratifying to have them all get together and present one gift. The underlying harmony is very nice, and a rewarding tribute to their mother.

After a night's rain, a lovely morning has dawned. Very comfortable. I think we'll be in for a hot summer, in contrast to a very cold winter.

Dogs. Personalities. It is a good thing they all have different personalities. When Sam doesn't move I look to see if he is all right. Who's training whom?