My name is Boris!

Boris joined us from Missouri on March 18th along with his buddy Kane. They have lived together their entire lives. Boris is the elder, at 8 years old.  We were told they both spent too much time in a kennel but did have some sort of backyard. We worried that they would not have good leash skills, but surprisingly Boris does well and has a brisk pace he likes to keep, unless he catches the scent of something too good to pass up and stops for a good sniff of whatever caught his attention. What is currently slowing him down is a bit of a drag/knuckling with his back left paw. It was noticed as soon as he arrived as his nails were bleeding from scraping the concrete. Once we got that under control and found a boot that will stay on him, he really enjoys walks and would go farther if his leg didn't get so tired. So, we have dialed it back a little, going shorter distances and we also are working on getting some weight off him and doing some red/cold laser treatments at home to see if this all helps him a bit. He does stairs well, but I would use caution later in the day if he has been active as his leg may get tired.  Boris is incredibility agile for his size. He gets on and off the couch, chair, ottoman, or your lap. He truly believes if he fits, he sits!  Boris likes toys. He has been caught rummaging his snoot through the dog toy box searching for what he wants to entertain himself with. He enjoys tennis balls also and will bound across carpeted areas to get to one if you play with him. He doesn't exactly bring it back to you but does seem to enjoy playing “keep away” once he has it in his mouth. We are not sure how he would be with other dogs up close. He tolerates his buddy, Kane, very well. At times when walking him he may bark at another dog or completely ignore them. We will need to explore this more with him.  He has greeted people/strangers without any hesitation. He will go up and lick you and expect pets and butt scritches. He craves attention and contact from people. I think he would be fine with children, but because of his size, and he is a little clumsy, he may accidentally step on them, not meaning to cause harm at all. He is a very loving boy.  Boris knows his name, can sit when told and knows how to shake. He is a food hound! He is convinced he is being starved to death, so additional training would be easy since he is so food motivated. We are currently working on “out”, using it to keep him out of the kitchen when we are cooking because he is underfoot hoping something will fall.  Also, if you are eating in front of him, you will see the droplets begin to form at the corner of his mouth and his drool will drip every so often. Using “out” to have him go to the edge of the carpet and telling him to stay until we are done has been effective, he is learning, but he doesn’t give up easily.  He is good going into his kennel, that is when he gets an actual treat. He seems 100% house trained and has not tried to play with anything that isn’t a toy. He spent the night out of the kennel last night and I am pretty sure he was in the exact same position this morning. as when we went to bed.  He has shown zero signs of aggression with people or when being redirected from something he wants, even food. He will allow us to take his food dish away while he is eating.  We are determining if he is truly bonded to Kane or not. He seems to be fine when he is not around. We are experimenting on doing things separately with each of them, instead of everything together so we can figure out what is best for each of them.  He has been to the vet, he did well during his exam and bloodwork. He is heartworm negative! And his blood work looks good, besides dropping a few pounds and getting his teeth and gums taken care of, and figuring out how to help his foot, he is in good health. He is scheduled for his dental appointment in May.  Boris would make a great companion for anyone. He is trained, chill and a whole lotta love in once big package!