Calin 13-018

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It is my pleasure to introduce Calin, a 13-month Border Collie/Golden Retriever mix. He is a little guy weighing 48 lbs. He is neutered and up to date on all his vaccinations.

Calin’s surrendering family got him when he was 8-weeks-old and when he reached that serious chew and potty training stage he became an outdoor dog. We are so grateful that the family realized what a gem he is and reached out to us to find a loving home for him.

Calin is 100% pup, and we are quickly getting him up to speed with those indoor dog necessities, such as potty training. I think we have this licked but I watch him very closely and get him outside pretty often. He is learning about our daily family rhythm and has the ‘follow me around from room to room’ thing down! He is a total love bug and always wants to be close. When we are sitting on the couch he’ll wiggle to make as much body contact with me as he can. He is so darn smart--he picks up on everything immediately. For example, the first day he was here I asked him to sit for a treat, and now when he sees me go to the treat drawer he plops his little butt down and sits at attention anticipating a treat.

He still has goof-ball puppy behaviors. He is active, and you have to have eyes in the back of your head to keep up with him. He is getting more and more settled with each passing day though, and now he’ll go grab a bone and chew on that, or just come and lay down by me and take a nap. He is into chewing—rubber balls, Kong toys, shank bones are his favorites.

Here he is with all his toys and Tigger the cat chilling out in the living room, and laying on the couch looking out the window.

 

Calin here!

I really like it here! My FM used to have me take naps in my crate but now I get to sleep wherever I want because I am such a good boy. She still sticks me in there when she leaves though because sometimes I get into things I am not supposed to, like the cat food. She barricaded that off but yesterday I snuck in there and was trying to eat as fast as I could but I got busted. Here I am guarding the cat food area.I sleep in the crate in the bedroom at night, and I am such a big boy I make it through the whole night! Boy you better get out of my way though in the morning when I high-tail it to the door! My FM thinks some of that enthusiasm has to do with it being a brand new day :-).

I LOVE going for walks, and my FM sticks this loop thing around my snout and that means no shenanigans—she wants me to walk right beside her. I am pretty good at it too! There is so much to smell out here in the country. Here I am with my furbutt sister Annie (also a Border Collie mix)having a smell-fest. I get so excited sometimes. Here I am playing tuggy with the training lead (and running over Angel) rather than walking.Showing off my handsome profile as I look out the window at the squirrels.FM here again:

Calin is super intelligent, attentive, and athletic, so any kind of training or classes (ie levels of obedience or agility) would be awesome to challenge and stimulate him. He is REALLY smart, and sweet!If you think you may be a good match for Calin, please contact your placement advisor. We will update more as we learn more about him!

 

At a Glance #13-018

Mixed Breed Born: February 2012
Male 30 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

It is my pleasure to introduce Calin, a 13-month Border Collie/Golden Retriever mix. He is a little guy weighing 48 lbs. He is neutered and up to date on all his vaccinations.

Calin’s surrendering family got him when he was 8-weeks-old and when he reached that serious chew and potty training stage he became an outdoor dog. We are so grateful that the family realized what a gem he is and reached out to us to find a loving home for him.

Calin is 100% pup, and we are quickly getting him up to speed with those indoor dog necessities, such as potty training. I think we have this licked but I watch him very closely and get him outside pretty often. He is learning about our daily family rhythm and has the ‘follow me around from room to room’ thing down! He is a total love bug and always wants to be close. When we are sitting on the couch he’ll wiggle to make as much body contact with me as he can. He is so darn smart--he picks up on everything immediately. For example, the first day he was here I asked him to sit for a treat, and now when he sees me go to the treat drawer he plops his little butt down and sits at attention anticipating a treat.

He still has goof-ball puppy behaviors. He is active, and you have to have eyes in the back of your head to keep up with him. He is getting more and more settled with each passing day though, and now he’ll go grab a bone and chew on that, or just come and lay down by me and take a nap. He is into chewing—rubber balls, Kong toys, shank bones are his favorites.

Here he is with all his toys and Tigger the cat chilling out in the living room, and laying on the couch looking out the window.

 

Calin here!

I really like it here! My FM used to have me take naps in my crate but now I get to sleep wherever I want because I am such a good boy. She still sticks me in there when she leaves though because sometimes I get into things I am not supposed to, like the cat food. She barricaded that off but yesterday I snuck in there and was trying to eat as fast as I could but I got busted. Here I am guarding the cat food area.I sleep in the crate in the bedroom at night, and I am such a big boy I make it through the whole night! Boy you better get out of my way though in the morning when I high-tail it to the door! My FM thinks some of that enthusiasm has to do with it being a brand new day :-).

I LOVE going for walks, and my FM sticks this loop thing around my snout and that means no shenanigans—she wants me to walk right beside her. I am pretty good at it too! There is so much to smell out here in the country. Here I am with my furbutt sister Annie (also a Border Collie mix)having a smell-fest. I get so excited sometimes. Here I am playing tuggy with the training lead (and running over Angel) rather than walking.Showing off my handsome profile as I look out the window at the squirrels.FM here again:

Calin is super intelligent, attentive, and athletic, so any kind of training or classes (ie levels of obedience or agility) would be awesome to challenge and stimulate him. He is REALLY smart, and sweet!If you think you may be a good match for Calin, please contact your placement advisor. We will update more as we learn more about him!

 

Updates

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

 

Here is Calin with the two resident dogs enjoying the last of the winter snow!

 

 

 

Calin is now at his new home! We did a test run and went to visit his family last weekend, so he got to see his family again, and scope out the lay of the land of his new house.  We went on a nice walk down a beautiful wooded walking path.  There will be lots of walks there! When we got there to the house mom came out and greeted us and he jumped out of the car with his tail a waggin’—happy to see everyone.

 

It was such a pleasure to foster Calin. He brought joy to our home each and every day. He now gets to share his love of life with the wonderful “S” family.

 

 

 

 

Sunday, March 31, 2013

The verdict is in: Calin is the sweetest dog ever! We find ourselves smiling whenever we interact with him because he is such a clown. He is upbeat and happy all the time, and has “love me…. play with me…. cuddle with me” energy.

Some of Calin’s milestones: He has mastered the art of levitating when he is trying to catch a ball, and when he jumps up to join me on the couch. He is totally a Velcro dog—follows me from room to room with his tail wagging and a constant smile on his face. He is so full of joy and a treat to be around. Calin loves to retrieve and prances when he brings back the ball/Frisbee. He just hasn’t quite got the hang of dropping it yet! He is getting the hang of basic commands. You’d think he is in the military “at attention” when he responds to a sit, stay, or down command. Walking him has been going really well. We’ve switched to an Easy-Walk harness (loop in front of the chest) for most of his walks. He does great with that, and loves the little extra latitude for exploring/smelling, especially when we are walking in the woods. I continue to use the gentle leader sometimes too when I want to keep him in closer check. Calin is socially adept with other dogs, and that is amazing considering he is only a year old. He loves any and all people: young, old, big, small, male, or female.

Some of things we are working on: He had the start of a potty accident about a week ago. I took him out for a walk and he was so excited to be outside, and I forgot to pay attention to make sure he went potty. When we came back in the house he had to go so I quickly swooped him up and let him finish his business outside. We implemented a Potty before Play Policy and he has not had an accident since. What a good boy! Also, Calin is mouthing quite a bit-- this is one of the main things we are working with him on, letting him know he needs to behave like a big dog and not like a puppy anymore!

He is 100% sweetie and is so smart, he is going to make an incredible companion. Contact your Placement Advisor if you may be interested in Calin!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Here he is, Mr. Personality! Calin has settled into our routine beautifully and earned so much trust this past week. He is at an age where he no longer has high maintenance puppy behaviors, yet he has those adorable qualities, “C’mon, let’s play…let’s go for a walk…lets snuggle!” You can’t help but fall in love with him.  I forget that he is not 100% Golden because he is so affectionate, and where I go—he goes!  He always wants to be close, and it is even better if he is touching me. Here he is taking a little nap after dinner, resting against my leg.

 

 

Calin is easy-going and has a steady temperament. He is such a good listener and is eager to please. We’ve been working on basic commands “sit, down, stay,” and he is getting familiar with “leave it” and “that’s enough” :-).

 

He is a total snuggler on the couch, and a couple of nights ago he discovered what a great place the bed is. We were heading for the bedroom and he jumped up on the bed, and Annie (resident dog) went into his crate (go figure). So we kept the crate door open and left both dogs be—and everyone did great! Calin was plastered up against me the whole night and didn’t budge. In the morning he STRETCHED and stretched and STRETCHED, and was as content as can be. He’s decided the bed is his favorite sleeping spot!

 

A pet from FM may be coming his way

 

 

What that really stands out for me is how socially adept Calin is with the two resident dogs. Annie (resident Border Colllie mix) sometimes gets prickly with fosters when they get into her personal space. Calin has an exceptional ability to read her body language and pick up on her cues. We really have not had any of conflicts with personalities, pack order, resources—he is such an easy foster.

 

 

Here are a few other things about Calin:

  • He has really good recall and comes right away when I call him, unless there is something really interesting to smell—then he has selective hearing. If he is exercised he will not need a fenced yard. He’ll need to be supervised at first though.
  • I would say he is housebroken but we give him lots of opportunities to go out and reinforce his excellent potty habits. We have him on a regular, predictable schedule,
  • He has free run of the house when we are home. We had him crated at first whenever we left, but we’ve been leaving him outside the crate more and more now. So far so good--he has not been destructive at all. We keep shoes, slippers, etc picked up though so we aren’t inviting problems.
  • He does not have any resource guarding issues around food or toys.
  • He met 10-year-old kids and was wonderful with them. He loved playing tuggie!
  • He does great with cats, although we intervene sometimes when he is more excited than they are about playing.
  • He likes car rides and “going along.” He had some motion sickness on our last ride (1 hour drive).
  • He needs a couple of nice long walks every day, and an opportunity to run full throttle once in a while. For now while he is young, if you work full time and are away for a long stretch, he will need a potty/walk break in the middle of the day,
  • Calin would love to have the companionship of another dog, but he’ll be a fantastic only dog too if you keep him mentally engaged and physically active, and give him time to socialize/play with other dogs.
  • He loves a job (the Border Collie in him), so if I say, “Calin, let’s go feed the birds,” he LOVES helping and keeping me company.
  • Calin is looking for a home where he can be your best buddy.

I started noticing Calin’s bottom teeth when he smiles—it is too cute:

 

 

Please contact your Placement Advisor if you are interested in Calin!