I think Boss is ready to find a forever home. He seems to be down in the dumps a bit lately, and I'm quite certain it's because he doesn't get enough time with us. The crating and rotating is working fine, I just want him to be able to be with someone as much as possible...because it's obvious that is his favorite thing.
He is my shadow...is constantly right by my side, even if I just get up to throw something in the trash. He paces and whines if someone goes into the garage...because he knows they haven't left, but also can't see them. He is always cuddling, and demands little more than that.
Boss has learned how to play, he even tugs with me now. He loves to chase balls, and chew on bones.
Although he has opened up more than I ever imagined in the six months that he's been with us, he is still very timid. He cowers if someone's voice is raised, even if it's a happy raised voice. If he ever is told "no", he acts like he is in deep trouble...but he has never been, not here anyway.
He is good with Harlow, but is never left with her unsupervised. I don't know how he would be with male dogs, or other dogs for that matter. Honestly, he is a people-dog. I'm confident he would be best as the only dog in a household, but exceptions could be made if he just absolutely fell in love with the adopter's current dog.
It's my responsibility to disclose that Boss has in fact bitten me twice. However, neither bite broke my skin, just left a little bit of a bruise.
It seems that the first time was out of fear...I was leading him into his crate before he learned to "go in his bed", and he turned and bit. When I reflect on it, I think my putting hands on him felt threatening to him, and the bite was a defense.
The second time we were playing. I reached down to grab a toy after he backed away from it, and he bit. He could have been guarding the toy, or could have simply gotten too excited in play. After all, he didn't even know HOW to play, or what toys were before he came here.
With that being said, I realize that both instances were entirely my fault. We have worked VERY hard with him on the biting issue. Those were the only two incidents we have had, and both happened months ago.
He needs to go to an experienced home. To someone who uses ONLY positive reinforcement training, and who understands and accepts the issues he has, and has overcome.
Boss is not an active dog. He doesn't need walks, he doesn't compete. Because he is a bit brachycephalic he tires after a short amount of exertion, and snores like a freight train. All he really needs someone to love him as much as we do, and that is able to give him more time and attention than we are able to. I don't feel like our situation of crating and rotating him and Degan & Harlow is fair to any of them, but especially to Boss because he is so connected to, and dependent on his people.
I prefer him to go to someone in my general area...just in case. It will be contracted with whoever adopts him that he WILL come back to me if he ever needed to be rehomed. Plus, I would like know I could visit him if I ever felt up to it.
It is SO....SO unbelievably hard for me to imagine letting him go. I have gotten very connected to him, and him to me. But I want what is best for HIM. He didn't have a good start to his life, and he deserves the absolute best for the rest of it.