The Mighty Duke - Well-Behaved & Loyal

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4if4mEDNJ_Y Duke has been through so much in his life. He lost his first owner to mental illness. The next person kept him locked up in a crate for over 20 hours/day. He then spent 6 months in a cold concrete kennel. Despite it all, his spirit remains strong, and he is loving and good natured. Duke is around 45 lbs and is estimated to be about 4 years old. He's a mix of over a dozen breeds, including amstaff, chihuahua, cattle dog, german shepherd, australian shepherd, labrador, pekingnese, lhasa apso, rottie, and bulldog. This all translates into a very smart, tenacious, and loyal dog. Duke may take a little extra time to fully warm up to new people, but once he does, his devotion is absolute. He is attentive and eager and quick to come as soon as I say his name, tail always happily wagging, big smile on his face, and warm brown eyes shining with adoration. He is very well-behaved. House-trained and crate-trained. He eats in his crate, sleeps in his crate at night, and is crated briefly throughout the day to encourage independence and calmness (though he does still whine a bit in the crate sometimes for a few minutes). Duke is comfortable in the car. Walks nicely on leash and calmly greets other dogs he meets on walks, even little yappy ones who bark at him. We have taken him with us on weekend road trips and he's been fantastic. Duke is smart as a whip and is able to focus very well during training. He takes treats with gentleness. Some commands we've worked on are "sit," "down," "stay," "shake," "wait," and "spin." We've gone hiking together off-leash and he comes when called, though additional recall training is recommended to get him at 100%. While not hyper, Duke does need physical and mental stimulation. He doesn't require marathons but neither is he a couch potato. As with every foster dog, I have tried to nurture the principle of calmness and impulse control. I would love to see his new home continue to actively reinforce his positive behaviors. Duke plays hard with other dogs and relishes tug-of-war. He makes growly noises when he plays, but he is not a dominant dog and backs off when other dogs snap at him. He's been to the dog park, Pt Isabel, and has several doggie friends in the neighborhood. He loves to fetch and is a great sniffer who will always find the tennis ball and bring it back. We've discovered that he's a burrower. On chilly days, he'll try to bury himself under a blanket. If he's in bed with me, he'll go under the covers and snuggle against my legs. Duke would thrive as either an only dog or in a multi-dog household. He loves to play with other dogs and is more energetic when sharing a home with one. As an only dog, he's quite mellow. When I first met Duke many months ago, he was stuck in a small kennel day in and day out with almost no human interaction. He was, understandably, a handful on the occasions I was able to take him out. Today, having him as my foster dog, living in my home, and providing him with consistent training and direction, I am amazed and delighted at what a well-mannered, eager-to-please, engaging boy he's blossomed into. I love having him here. His good nature, his constantly wagging tail, his faithfulness. He is a true sidekick, and I hope he finds a forever family who fully appreciates all the love and loyalty he has to offer. Watch Duke's entire Youtube playlist: https://tinyurl.com/4prukmd9