Lionel
	Gender: Male Age: 3 Months Height/Weight: 17" / 20lbs House-trained: SO CLOSE! Fenced yard required: No Location: Western Michigan Foster Home: Samantha and Billy	Crate-trained: Learning Treat-motivated: Yes - canned dog food is best! Toy-motivated: Somewhat Likes Car Rides: Yes Good with cats: Yes Good with kids: Older Commands: Sit, down, touch, Lionel, this way (Working on leave it, take it, come)

Lionel was adopted in April, 2017 and is now known as Winston Felix. Here he is with his new family!

Lionel celebrated his last night in his foster home with a two of his favorite things: a trip to the park and ICE CREAM!

Lionel is 18 weeks old and looks more like a border collie every day. His recall (recognition of his name) is solid in a low distraction environment. He is getting more proficient at it while playing or while being outside. We think he is doing a fantastic job for his age.

Our big focus right now is being calm in the house and not pestering his foster sister, Stella. He is rewarded for stopping his play when we call "Lionel", sitting next to instead of jumping on his sister, or flat out ignoring her and laying down. This isn't his favorite game, as you can imagine, but it is really good for him to learn that not all dogs want to play 24/7 like he does. When Stella is not present, he settles down fine.

His favorite toys are raw hides, a benebone, kongs with canned dog food inside, and tennis balls.

He plays nicely at the dog park, though sometimes he likes to observe when there are lots of dogs.

His touch sensitivity gets better every day because we spend a lot of time petting, touching, handling his eyes, ears, body, and feet while treating.

His teething phase is almost over. A simple "Lionel" and he releases what he is nibbling on. This doesn't apply for the leather leash, shoes, the bath mat, or the frisbee--a treat to the nose and luring him off does for these things. We take back our belongings and he's learned that giving things back gets him treats. Eventually, we are confident he won't take these things; or if he does, calling "Lionel" will work as well as it does on most other things.

He has the most soulful black eyes and loves to give kisses to salty faces.

I had my 2nd vet appointment yesterday. I'm 18lbs and 14" tall! The vet says I am growing wonderfully and I didn't fuss about receiving my vaccines or getting examined. I was a social butterfly and wanted to see/smell everyone at the vet's office.

Since I'm usually too busy playing, I had my foster parents write up a long list of all of things I've been doing the last couple of weeks. (Some of this stuff will be good material for song writing, if I decide to take up the hobby of singing again!)

Within the last two weeks, I've:

-shopped at LuLuLemon...met the employees, had a drink of water, and ate treats.

-walked along a lake. The water was really cold, but I sniffed it and think I might dip my paws in it next time.

-drove in the car to the park. I like being able to roam when I'm in the car, or have a yummy treat in my kennel. I prefer my kennel to have a blanket or non-slip pad in it, otherwise I don't like being in my kennel in the car.

-hung out at dad's work all day. I walked the grounds and played with my foster sister in the yard. I got to meet lots of new people too!

-walked on concrete, pavement, grass, tile, carpet, sand, stone, mulch and through water.

-learned to trade my foster mom and dad for things I have in my mouth in exchange for a delicious treat. My favorite treats are cheese, wet dog food, cat tartar control food, hot dogs, sausage and freeze dried beef liver.

-transitioned to a walking harness (easy-walk). This takes the pressure off of my collar if I wander on a walk, and keeps me from getting frustrated about things for which I am pulling.

-understood a "yes" or "click" (by a clicker) means I did something right and will get a treat!

-played with several friendly dogs.

-learned "sit", "down", "touch" and looking when I hear "Lionel." I am learning "roll over", "perch", and coming when I hear "Lionel."

-listened to rainfall, thunder, door bells, knocking, city cars, busses, and kitchen appliances. -saw children, lots of different, older children and adults, bikes, trash cans, a blender, a toaster, a food processor, and more!!!

-ran through an agility tunnel--woof! What an adrenaline rush!

-ate out of several types of containers--metal bowls, ceramic bowls, hands, food dispensing ball (plastic), Kongs, and a bone toy.

-learned that my kennel door doesn't always close when I go in it, but I hesitate to put all 4 legs in...I'll do it for cheese and wet dog food, but my foster parents have to have patience with me. I do great once I'm in the kennel (very little whining, crying or singing) and can lay down, nap, and take a breather...but I'd rather be out of my kennel.

-had my paws, ears, face and body played with. I'm learning that it's OK and will tolerate it.

I've got lots of energy and can't wait to play with my forever family. Since I'm a puppy, a family with older kids (>8yo) would be ideal. I'm certainly friendly with everyone I meet, but I'm still learning what I can and should not put my mouth on. A family with dog savvy cats or no cats would be good. I'm not mean or harmful to my cat sisters, but I do chase them and try to play with them.

I love playing with other dogs one on one. More than two dogs is still pretty intimidating because I'm small. A family with or without dogs would be fine, but I'm still learning puppy manners, so a sibling who enjoys teaching or is patient would be ideal.

I'm a puppy and need LOTS of mental exercise and have a lot of learning to do. I would excel at a puppy 101 class and my foster mom and dad say that I should go to one.

I really like my foster mom and dad, but I'm excited to find my forever home! Is it you?

Look how cute I am when I sit!

Inside.

Outside.

Album Cover

"Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?"

My name is Lionel (Richie) because I came to my foster family on Valentine's Day and they wanted to name me after someone who reminded them of love. Oh, and I sang to them "All Night Long" that first night. Luckily, I don't feel the urge to sing much now that I'm settled in, and I am able to sleep entirely through most nights.

My foster parents say that I am good in my kennel, but I don't love going in. I don't want to miss any of the fun! I've had a couple of bathroom accidents (pee), but my mom always tells me that it wasn't my fault and she is sorry for missing her cue to take me out.

I LOVE to play with my stuffed animals, crinkly toys, nylabones, kongs, tennis balls, and ropes. I enjoy playing with other dogs too, but I'm still learning dog social graces…My foster sister is patient, but sometimes she corrects me when I get too bitey. ("Serves [me] Right!") I'm also teething right now and mom calls me "bitey face." I'm learning "zen hands" right now, though, and that teaches me to not use my mom and dad's hands as chew toys. It's hard, but I'm getting better!

I'm not house trained, but given adequate opportunities to use the bathroom outside, I'm doing a really good job for a 12 week old pup.

I'm a solid eater, when I'm not too distracted, and my foster parents tell me that I'm growing! I came to rescue with an intestinal parasite and possibly poor nutrition during the beginning of my life, so I was slow to grow at first. They can't wait to see what I am going to look like when I'm fully grown.

My foster parents use a clicker to tell me when I've done something correctly. It helps me to realize that they like that behavior--looking or going to them when they call my name, sitting, or doing a down. I like yummy treats, but sometimes throwing a tennis ball or giving me a stuffed animal is a great reward too!

I’d like a home with a dog bed, patient parent(s) and tennis balls. I will give you "Endless Love," as we "Sail On" to many years of happiness.

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