Training him to wear goggles was the easy part!

This is the story about ‘The Great Santino’, a foster that became part of the pack.  Santino came to his foster family when he was 5 years old.  While he was a nice enough dog, he had this very irritating habit of jumping up on people and grabbing....anything....clothes, skin to pinch, hands....He also had totally out of control energy bursts and wind himself up so badly, he could not listen to anything.  If given the chance, he would dart out of the door, run away and generally be a pain in the butt.  Honestly, you could not touch his butt without him nipping at you.  They watched these antics in silence for the first week and knowing he would never be adopted with behavior like that, they went to work.

She started working on his focus.  A lot of attention games; learning to make eye contact, learning his name, learning to sit and that acting out is not rewarded.  Santino learned to pay attention, come when called and basic obedience.  She figured out in no time how incredibly smart this dog is. They got him to the point that his recall was great and he guided his energy to catching his ball instead of jumping and nipping.  As far as the butt touching goes, the trainer had everybody in school touch his tail.  Which sent him into a frenzy but after about 20 minutes he decided it was not worth it, and now he actually likes his butt scratched....go figure.  Still, nobody was interested in adopting this little gem. 

One hot summer day, after a play session in the yard, he was lying in the pool so content, he just looked at them and her husband said, "He is going to stay”.  Therefore, he did.  They suspect that this was Santino's plan all along; it just took them a bit longer to catch on. 

Santino has been a wonderful addition to the household and pack.  He is funny and the faces he makes keep everyone laughing.  He loves to sleep in, go for car rides, chase his toys and annoy his brother Tike.  He continued his education; is a proud graduate of the Basic Manners II class and walks on a leash like a dream.  

He is going to turn 10 years old this year, and they have NEVER looked back.