Sam has not had the best start, through no fault of his own. He was left at a local shelter along with his brother when the breeder was unable to sell them. At 18 months old they were not well socialized and had some social anxieties – better known as ‘stranger danger’. Despite this he is able adjust to new humans and a resident dog pretty quickly.

Sam was adopted and spent a year with his new mom where he became fast friends with the resident dog. He had a lot of fun there and also got to work with a great trainer, which helped a lot! Sadly, his new mom had some health issues which made it difficult for her to continue working with him so he was returned to GBRR. Luckily, he was able to go to his original foster and stepped back in like he never left!

In the last 2 months Sam’s confidence in meeting people and other dogs on walks has changed significantly. The work with the trainer in his previous home really paid off! He’s much more confident, less afraid and in most cases his reactive behavior (barking) is now more like normal excited dog behavior just trying to say hello and meet new friends. We still caution people to not rush Sam, let him come to them first if possible. Once he’s sniffed and nudged a hand they can pet him.

Sam still struggles with people coming into his home. He is getting better, but this is still a work in progress. He’s not been in a home yet where there are a lot of people and activity, so he’s not been exposed enough to learn how regulate those feelings. He’ll get there; he just needs people willing to help him adjust to their lifestyle. Don’t let his shaky start fool you—Sam is a total sweetheart with zero malice in his body!

Over the last few weeks, he’s met new dog friends in the neighborhood. Watching him socialize and play like a normal dog has been amazing. He’s not perfect, but he just needs the chance to self-regulate his emotions and know his human will be there to help him if he’s in over his head. We are so proud of him!

So what’s good about Sam? – EVERYTHING! Sam is honestly the perfect dog. He is a good housemate, loves his toys. Hard chew bones and a ball are his favorite. He is house broken, not destructive at all, and does not need to be crated. For a youngster, he is very calm. He plays with the resident dog, gets a good walk every day and is now enjoying some retrieve it games in the yard, but he is happy to snooze in the sun most of the day. He is also a good sleeper at night. He is very smart and sensitive. LOVES his people, wants to cuddle/snuggle and will give you his paw to let you know when he needs some attention. He can be very silly and makes us laugh every day.

Sam is looking for a home with humans who are home more than they aren’t. Sam’s never been an only dog, and we are not sure he’d do well alone for long periods. A well balanced younger canine playmate would be ideal; he really looks to his buddy for reassurance when approaching a situation that makes him nervous. Mostly he just needs someone who will work with him to become his best confident self. He’ll do the work if someone is willing to do it with him.

Few side notes: While Sam came from a farm setting as a puppy, he does show some strong prey drive to cats and squirrels. Likely he’d never hurt them, but if there is a cat it needs to be dog savvy and stand it’s ground. Also Sam does have an undercoat. He sheds like a golden, only in little tuffs.