October 2022 –

Tobias (Toby) is a sweet guy who loves napping, playing with toys, chewing bones, and relaxing outside taking in the sights and smells. He is a sweet cuddler and will come running for love and pets. When he naps Toby gets a pretty good snore going, particularly when he falls asleep hanging out of his bed. He’s very trustworthy in the house (other than with loose shoes) and will wander off to different rooms to relax or chew a bone; however, he is very curious and likes to investigate everything so dog-proofing is important to make sure he can’t get to anything unsafe if you’re not home.

He does get very excited when you come home and at mealtimes and will do amazing leaps straight up in the air – generally, he will not jump on people but sometimes loses control of his leap if you’re moving and may bump or push off you with a foot. He could easily be trained to jump into your arms if you can handle 50+ lbs of wiggles. He has learned that he needs to sit calmly to get attention so once he gets his vertical wiggles out he calms down quickly and will sit and lean against you for love and hugs.

Toby is sometimes a little hesitant/nervous with new experiences but learns quickly (the big screen TV and surround sound were quite the surprise but are now no big deal, and the dog door was a complete mystery for a couple of days). He reacts very well to a calm voice and patience while he figures out that the new experience is nothing to be worried about. As a very smart boy he usually just needs a couple of minutes to watch and observe what’s going on before being comfortable. He is also a little nervous meeting new people but after just a little bit of calm sweet talk, he warms up quickly and makes new friends well. He is very devoted to people who are in his life regularly and will remember and greet them with enthusiasm.

Toby prefers the company of people to other dogs so he needs a home where he can get all the attention. He is not interested at all in playing with other dogs and doesn’t like them in his personal space. He will not be a dog park or doggy daycare dog and may be reactive to dogs while on walks if they are reactive to him – if they ignore him, he will be interested but walk away; he should not meet strange/new dogs on a walk. If there are other dogs that will be in his life regularly, calm/submissive dogs, dogs that aren’t interested in playing, and slow introductions will be important. Mainly after an initial greeting sniff, he will ignore other dogs in the home if they ignore him and don’t try to come between him and his people.

Toby loves car rides and is an excellent passenger; he likes to sniff out the window but will also curl up for a nap when the windows are up. If you need to stop for a bit, he will chew on a bone or just watch the world outside of the window. He loves food but doesn’t beg and won’t try to steal your food on the road. He does seem to understand what drive-thru food is from his life prior to his foster home, so expect him to be very interested in seeing if anything coming through a window is for him.

Toby is very smart and in addition to generally good manners, has learned the following in his foster home: “Wait”, “Give”, “Out” & “Back-up” (no dogs allowed in the kitchen – although “Back-up” doesn’t usually stick for long when he’s hungry), “Off”, “Inside/Outside”, “Sit” and he will generally come running at his name in the house or a confined environment like a fenced yard. We’re still working on crate training (he will lay or sleep in an open crate but does not like being locked in), leash manners (he’s so interested in all the sights and smells that staying focused on a walk is hard, but he is improving with an Easy Walk harness), recall in an open environment (he’s quite the explorer outdoors).

Overall, Toby is a super sweet guy with lots of love to give his future people, and how can you resist those gorgeous eyes and adorable ears being totally devoted to you?!

• Good with male dogs: no; but will tolerate calm/submissive & indifferent
• Good with female dogs: no; but will tolerate calm/submissive & indifferent
• Good with small dogs: no; will tolerate calm/submissive & indifferent
• Good with cats: no
• Good with children: yes (not tested with toddler age but has done well with young kids 6 – 10)
• Energy Level scale 1-9 (sleepy –energetic): 6
• Intelligence scale 1-9 (silly-genius): 8
• Friendliness scale 1-9 (aggressive-affectionate): 9
• Playfulness scale 1-9 (not playful-very playful): 9
• Disposition scale 1-9 (anxious-calm): 7
• Nicknames: Toby, Toblerone, Toe beans
• Favorite food/toy/treats: Toby loves to play with soft toys, squeaky toys and chew bones. He loves giggle balls or larger squeaky balls. He generally takes treats gently and loves pretty much any treat.
• Must be in a home that has the following: a fenced yard or an adopter willing to continue working on his leash walking skills. He would love to at least have a fenced or enclosed porch to sunbathe.