We received this wonderful update on Tank. Our greatest reward is sharing these amazing stories.
"Hello LVLR,
It's been about four months now since we adopted Tank. He really settled in quickly and made himself at home. He weighs 59 pounds so he's put on about three pounds since we got him and the red tint in his fur is pretty much all gone. Shortly after we got him, we noticed he would get extremely agitated if he saw someone, even us, walk by a window, or if he heard a strange noise like a cupboard door shutting, the refrigerator kicking on, or the sound of cooking spray being sprayed into a skillet. He would let out the "alarm howl" and become quite nervous. Probably just a bad experience he had. Anyway, after some positive reinforcement and comforting, he no longer lets out the howl when someone walks by the window and only occasionally does it when he's in the kitchen and his wagging tail bangs the side of the stove. (That's actually pretty funny to see him spook himself with his own tail).
We've been working with him regularly with his training collar, and he has become very obedient on and off the leash. He will sit ,come, stay, and lay down on command even when the two german girls (shepherds) next door are barking and trying to distract him. He sits before entering or exiting the house and he sits and waits for an "OK" before he eats. Tank took his first long trip to Colorado in July and we found he is a proficient traveler. He loves to have the wind in his face but lays down when told. He loved my folks property out in the country (five acres to play ball on and we was worn out every day).
As you might guess, he really took to the pool. After about three tries at getting him in with the leash, he fell in love with the water. In fact, if he's in the back yard with me, he's jumping in the pool whether we are in it or not. He loves to play ball in the pool and if we get him really wound up, he'll jump in at full speed and get 10 or 12 feet of air before splashing down. He's also very considerate of those who aren't in the pool as he'll exit the water and wait until he's right next to you to shake and cool you off, no matter where you are in the yard. LOL!
Also, Tank is a big fan of old western movies, especially if they have horses and cattle in them. He will literally jump up and down in front of the TV and whimper as if he want to play when horses or cows or any kind of animal is on the screen. He sat through two John Wayne movies with me and got excited every time he saw a horse.
I have attached a picture of him watching the baseball game with me last night. He likes to put his front paws over the arm of my chair and rest his head on my stomach and watch TV while getting his ears scratched. It's a nightly ritual with either me, my brother, or my nephew before bedtime. Incidentally, Tank's bedtime is 9:30pm and he lets us know with a stare and a gentle nudge that he's ready to go to bed.
Anyway, I hope all is well with you and I just wanted to let you know Tank is doing very well.
Scott N."
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