2/11/08 - There is far more to this guy than just a handsome face.   After learning about Cassius's story and speaking with the Trainer @ the K9 facility is it easy to see why one would fall in love with Cassius.  Both his former foster home and his trainer confirmed that Cassius is very well mannered and easy to train.
At the K9 facility Cassius has been working on being less fearful when meeting new people and other male dogs.   Cassius is progressing nicely.    His trainer would like to see Cassius be adopted to a family near by so that he can continue to see this wonderful boy reach his full potential.   Cassius is looking for an experienced Boxer home with  a strong leader.    Cassius is very capable of leading the house.. but we all know that  Humans need to be in charge so that the dogs can be happy, balanced dogs.    Cassius is looking for an adult home where his family will have the time and commitment to make exercise part of his daily routine.  In addition Cassius needs some one who understands that he is still learning to trust new people,   male dogs and will continue to work with him through his professional trainer. 
Cassius would be very happy as the only dog in a home but will be happy to share his life w/ a passive female canine.    Cassius loves to go for walks, running and swimming.   If you are an active family who loves Boxers and has the time to invest in this beautiful Boxer, Cassius has much to offer in return.  He is a loyal, fun loving boy,  with great manners..just waiting for a family of his very own.

10/07 - Cassius did not get along with the cat in the home and has been returned to rescue.  He is presently in a training facility in NJ and is doing very well there.

8/1/07 - Cassius has been with us for a week now.  He is adjusting wonderfully.  He is learning his new surroundings and sounds.  He continues to do better every day.  He seems to be adjusted to our schedule nicely.  He is doing wonderfully when we come and go (separation anxiety).  It almost seems non-existent. We are learning the commands that he already knows and he seems to be very tolerant of my mistakes.  He shows a lot of interest in the family cats when outdoors.  Indoors, he really could care less about them. (The cats have not caught onto this yet).  He is also working well with his dog aggression. We take one to two walks a day regularly and get to practice and help him adjust to his social neighborhood.  We are currently focusing on not barking at the fence (which he does well until a strange noise appears).  He is even tolerant of the neighbors dog that is on the other side of our fence.  They bark at him and he sniffs the fence.  :)  My toddler likes to walk him in the back yard (with me trailing very closely behind).  Cass is also tolerant of this and listens to him when he is leading him.  Cass appears to be happy especially when he gets his gizzards and sour cream during his obedience training.  (we are practicing at home until our class starts in two weeks.) 

Cass sleeps well on his dog beds that his foster mommy made him.  Did we mention what a wonderful people his foster parents are.  They have made it amazingly simple for us and Cass to adjust to his new life.  I can not say enough good things about them.  TRUST ME..... YOU WANT A BOXER THAT THEY HAVE FOSTERED!!!  No doubt about that.   Until next time, Cassius's Forever Family!!!  ;)

7/26/07 - Cassius has found his forever home.  We came home later in the evening last night so we took things very slowly. He had a wonderful evening.   He was sniffing everything and exploring all the rooms he entered.  He is showing lots of "playing" interest with the kitty 'pack' that are his new family.  He is also doing wonderfully with my 2.5 year old son.  So far he is a prefect gentleman.  He is listening to obedience commands like a pro and following through with our routine.  He slept on his dog bed through the night without a peep. 
Cassius is getting used to the sights, sounds and smells of his new home.  We absolutely love having him here.  He has given lots of kisses and tons of wiggles.  He is a delight to have as part of our family.  It is amazing how calm he is and how well he is adjusting. 
I made him gizzards for a special treat and he gobbled it right up.  He is even leaving the cat food alone (with prompting). 
We start obedience on the 15th so we have lots of time to practice (for me) to get up to speed). 
We are off for a long walk.  Cassius wants to get to know the neighborhood and find some more friendly kitty's to sniff.  Have a wonderful day.  Cassius Dog and family.

7/25/07 - Cassius is with his forever family tonight.  I miss him already. When we got home there was no-one to take out of the crate and ignore for 15 minutes. We sat down to have dinner, and he wasn't under the table for me to put my feet on. Tonight we'll go for a walk all on our own without Cass, and instead of people saying "I can't believe you are going to give him up" we'll probably hear "I can't believe you gave him up". Handing Cassius over is bitter-sweet because I will not be able to have or foster a dog for a while now (work, work.. :) ).  But it is SO WONDERFUL to know that he has a good home!!!  Fostering was one of the best things I did in my whole life. Seeing Cass grow and make such remarkable progress was priceless. He deserved another chance at life and I think he's got a great one with his new family.

7/19/07 - Something happened yesterday, and I though- this is worth an update!!!  I went shopping last night, and came back with bags full of stuff. I brought all the bags in and put them by the door. Because I have to
ignore Cassius for the first 15 min when I get home, I figured I'll start unloading the stuff. About 10 min later I was in the bathroom putting something away, and there came Cassius, carrying his new toy!  I bought him a toy and it was in the bag with all sorts of other things. He figured out it was for him without me saying anything, and brought it to me to play. He was so cute running around with it squeaking in his mouth. It's his favorite toy now.
He's such a cheap date- the toy was only 88 cents !!!
Cassius is pending adoption

7/16/07 - Well I got my dates mixed up a little bit. His last obedience class is on the 21st which is next Sat, not last :).
Cass is doing well. He still has issues with dogs if they are coming towards us. He will walk pretty well if we are following a dog and ignores completely dogs that are confined, stationary, or tethered in their yards.
In class he is off-leash for 1-5 minutes at a time with other dogs in the room and has no problems at all. The trainer we've been working with is quite impressed with Cass's progress, and that adds to my feeling comfortable that with work Cass is going to get over his dog aggression.  He's made great progress since march, but still needs work and astrong calm leader.  Cass has been meeting more and more people while we are out walking. A pair of elder ladies stopped their car in the middle of the road yesterday, and jumped out to pet him. I guess they really like boxers :).  He was a little surprised, but behaved nicely.  I get a lot of "I can't believe you're going to give him up!" from people in the neighborhood. It's a townhome community and everyone has been paying very close attention to his progress ;). He quickly went from being "the vicious dog" to "a well-behaved, beautiful dog". And  I've even noticed some people out training their own dogs. I hope Cass has started a new trend ;).
I'm posting some new pictures in his album
http://picasaweb.google.com/Cassius.BAR/Cassius?authkey=w3CQmtHhUjI

7/7/07 - Cassius continues to do very well. He has one more obedience class left in the current class, and he's looking forward to more! He's picking up all of the commands taught in class in no time. He's also learned some things on the side. When he gets thirsty outside he runs to the water spigot to tell me to turn the water on, and then follows the house out to its end to get a drink. He doesn't like being sprayed or hosed, but he likes to drink out of the hose :).
He keeps getting better and better with dogs. Yesterday the neighbors had their dog in the yard (on leash). That dog was a bit unstable (to put it lightly), but Cass listened very well and after a couple of minutes completely ignored the dog (we went outside to practice some commands). Earlier today another neighbor's dog escaped from the garage and came flying up to Cass, barking. The dog, however, was smarter than it sounded- she stopped about 6 feet away from us and didn't get any closer ;). Cass sat on command, and although he tried looking at the dog, he didn't show aggression. We went on with our walk as soon as the owner came and got her dog.
Please, let's keep and eye on our dogs when going in and out of the garage- bolting out the door and into the street is one of the easiest ways to get hit by a car!

6/26/07 - A note from Cass:
Hey guys! I've been such a good boy lately, my foster parents actually allowed me to use the computer!!! I have been mainly looking at pictures of poodles online, and watching youtube videos of all sorts of dogs, but then my mom reminded me to write an update about myself :) Apparently, she's been writing about me all along! All right, enough about her, it's all about me now :).
Here it goes: I like to eat waves! I like to eat duck (cooked or the kind running around the lake)! I like to sleep in the sun. I like to chew on grass in the yard and slide on it after a rain. I want to sniff (and lick) everything and everyone new. I love all the people I get to know. They are so nice to me :) I met a nice lady by the lake, she came over and was petting me even though I was all wet (from eating the waves) and foamy (from drooling). She used to have a rescue boxer (I could smell it on her!) and was very excited to find out that I was available for adoption. I don't know if she will try to adopt me, but that sure'd be fun!

I've been so happy here, but my mom always says things like - "Honey, we are just your foster parents, but you will soon find a forever home and people there will love you even more then we do." Like that's even possible! Well, either way it's fine with me ;). I love pretty much everyone once I meet them. As long as they play with me and feed me and let me run around and get me well tired out I think I'll be all right.  I know, I know.. Playing, eating, sleeping, cuddling, it's a dog's life.. but someone has to do it!

I'll tell you about my past. I used to think that I was the top dog. Some other dogs I've talked to think it's really cool. But now that I've tried being Omega for a while, I would never trade! It's so nice not to have to worry about protecting my pack. I don't have to bark at everything, I can just relax and let my foster parents deal with the stuff. I still let them know when someone is at the door, but they take it from there. I used to worry quite a bit when they were leaving me alone in the house. I didn't know where they were going and why. I was worried about them and didn't want them to leave. But now I figured out that they know what they are doing, and can get back home just fine on their own. And usually they bring me back something good too! Also I get some treats to munch on while they are gone. So now I just cant wait for them to leave ;). I used to be really afraid of my crate. Now I have a nice big crate- like a whole room!- and plenty of treats fit in there :) Sometimes I go in to check if any treats appeared in there while I was out. There's this magic rug in my crate- it makes treats! It's all true!

My foster parents took me to school. At first I wasn't sure what to do, but then I figured out what treats were all about. As soon as I do something I'm asked (usually something very easy- like put my butt to the ground or look at mom) I get a tasty morsel. It's so much fun, because my foster parents get all happy whenever I do things the way they want, makes me happy too. They think I'm really smart and all. I'm trying not to get a big head, but it's hard- they praise me SO MUCH!!!

So I finished the first grade ( I think I was .. what's the name.. valebarktorian!) and now am in high school. I've already had two classes, and it's way cool! The first day was not super cool, because my mom washed me the day before, so I came to school smelling like a fru-fru dog. All the other dogs were laughing at me ! But I had the last laugh, when my mom pulled out the treats. All other dogs wanted my treats, they could smell them from anywhere in the room and kept trying to come up and get some. And because I'm such a nice dog, I let them have a few :). The second class went much better, and I even tried making friends. I like school, because the other dogs are nice to me and I don't really have to worry about them biting me. So even though I get a little defensive at first, I relax quickly and have all sorts of fun with my foster parents. I can just look at them and know what they want me to do without them saying anything (the trick is to pay attention to their hand- if it moves all the way to the sky- it means I gotta drop on the floor like a wet noodle! and then it's TREAT time ;) )
My school ends July 21st, but I would really like to go to a university with my forever family! My mom says I would like agility too! I jump over short fences in the park when mom says "over" and it's a lot of fun. And I'm not afraid of anything, so I can go through tunnels and climb things. I like it when people around me tell me that I'm a good boy. My foster mom says I like to work, but really it's just plain fun for me!
I'd like to have a family I can call my own, without the foster part. I want to know that they will keep and love me forever no matter what. I want a good leader to take care of me and the rest of the pack, so I don't have to carry a burden of being the alpha dog. I want to go to college, but live at home :) I would also like to sleep in my parent's bed.. but my foster mom says it's not good for me. Here I have my own bed and my own chair (and the crate of course) and I like that- I know where I can crash and not be in the way, it makes me feel comfortable and safe. I want to go for long walks and go camping and hiking and running. My foster mom says I deserve to have all that, because I'm such a wonderful dog. And I promise to love my forever family with all my heart and all four paws.. forever. (My foster mom also says that I'm a bit of a sissy and mushy for a male boxer.. but I can't help it if I have feelings, you know!)
Anyway, hugs and wiggles to all of you!
-Cassy

6/19/07 - Cass has started his advanced obedience class. It is WAY harder than the basic class. At least for me! I was trying to concentrate on what the trainer was saying and showing and keep track of my feet and hands and at the same time make sure that Cass doesn't stare too much at any of the 11(!!) dogs in the room. Wooh.. I was worn out by the end of the hour. Cassius did much better than me though! He tried to bark at other dogs at first, but settled down quickly and was paying very close attention to his treats (I roasted a duck the day before, so he got the fat and skins and left over meat mixed with his kibble as treats- gross to touch, but smelled wonderful. All other dogs were jealous ;) ). One of the exercises was 10 dogs laying down in a circle with one walking by them snaking between the dogs. When we were doing the walk, Cass didn't even flinch. He was staring at me the whole time. I was quite impressed. When it was Cassius's turn to "down" in the circle,  he tried getting up a couple of times as a dog was passing him, but he didn't show any aggression. A few times closer to the end of the class he came face to face with a neighboring husky (doing "around" finish) and acted like a perfect dog! I am so proud of him :)
He doesn't bark in the car anymore.. How awesome is that?!
He's made more friends in the neighborhood. Turns out one of our neighbors volunteers at the shelter where we go to class to. She's heard all about Cass from the trainer and other people in the neighborhood. She stops by with chunks of hot dogs and talks to Cass when we are out and about.
Since Cass started eating in his crate when we are gone (he used to wait until we got back to eat the cookie I gave him on the way into the crate- "temporary anorexia" apparently a symptom of separation anxiety) I got him a puppy kong (it's softer than the regular, and Cass is not a chewer, so I though he might like the softer one better). He's too funny with it. He LICKS the treats out as opposed to chewing on the kong. After a little while he also figured out that if he throws it around treats are bound to fall out. He's been launching it ever since ;).
With the weather being so hot, we've been going to the lake to cool off and play in the water. Cass loves the water. He jumps in the waves and bites them. He's not much of a swimmer, but will wade in with me pretty deep. He doesn't seem anxious about the water at all, and really enjoys it and the sand too.
I would love for Cass to find a forever home where people will keep up on his obedience training (maybe even try agility? he's so quick to learn and isn't afraid of anything!), spend lots of time with him, and take him out to play in the water and run (he lives to run, although when it's hot out he poops out rather quickly ;) ). He's been through a lot, and really deserves best. He's very loving and patient and extremely smart and easy to explain things to.

6/13/07 - New pictures of Cassius can be viewed at:  http://picasaweb.google.com/Cassius.BAR/Cassius?authkey=w3CQmtHhUjI

6/10/07 - Cassius is steadily turning into a perfect dog. He graduated from the basic obedience two days ago and was the star of the class. We also had an individual session with the trainer and his two dogs. The verdict was that Cassius is definitely curable of his dog aggression.  After the first 15 min of the session he was "watch"-ing me with two german shepherds sitting two inches away from him. (He particularly dislikes GSD's for some reason, so these were perfect dogs to work with.) I can now see the light at the end of the dog aggression tunnel for Cass. I don't know if he will ever be able to play off lead with random dogs at a dog park, but I can definitely see him walking by any dog (including barkers) calmly in a few weeks.
We also had a major breakthrough in terms of car rides. Now, Cass used to bark incessantly in the car whenever we were going somewhere (he was usually better on the way back; at least until we got close to the house, where he resumed the barking). He would bark anxiously and work himself up to the point where nothing would stop him unless I stopped the car and got him out. Once he was agitated, he would also bark aggressively at dogs, people and cars walking or driving by. This was annoying at the least! I used to drive around with ear plugs in! It was also quite puzzling because he loves to get in the car and go. He would actually get worked up and rush to get in, so it's not that he hated the car.  We tried ignoring the barking and praising the quiet times, but most of the time the "quiet time" didn't last long enough to say "good boy".
At the suggestion of the trainer we got him a "calming cap". That reduces the visual stimuli and helps anxious dogs that get overstimulated by moving objects. Unfortunately it made absolutely no difference for Cass. He barked with it on just as much as with it off.
So we had to try something different. To start off, we worked on getting him to calm down about getting into the car. We put him in and took him out of the car about 10 times in a row (treats raining on him for calm behavior) and walked around the car to the point of him ignoring it. We did this a few times without actually going anywhere, and also every time before going for a ride.  It really helped because now he was starting off the ride without being already worked up. Next step, which seems so trivial now but took a while to arrive at, was to give him a DOWN and CONSISTENTLY maintain it throughout the ride (at first someone had to sit in the back and correct him every time he got up). This way he doesn't get a chance to work himself up into a frenzy where he can not listen at all.
It's only been a few days that we've been working this system but Cass jumps in the car and lays right down now. He whimpers only slightly and rarely when we come up to a traffic stop, and no longer requires any leash corrections to stay down, only a verbal reminder. He is much calmer and we have normal car rides.. awesome :). So far someone still has to sit in the back seat, but like I said we have just figured out the trick, and I want to make sure that he's setup for success not failure. But still I think soon he won't need anyone back there. Cass is so quick to learn. It just took us a long time to figure out what to do. It's like with the heeling- it took a while to find out what makes him tick, but once we did he turned into an angel in a few days. For a while now he's been heeling like a pro- no tugging on the leash whatsoever (unless there's a dog walking by or a bunny rabbit :) ).
I think barking in the car and dog aggression are his main, no actually ONLY problems, and it's clear now that neither of them is here to stay. I'm very happy for this guy.
The obedience class really helped. He's seeing people as leaders now, and has to work for his food. I've been feeding him breakfast, lunch and dinner one kibble at a time and he has to sit, stay, down, come, heel, watch me, go to his crate, chair and "shake" in any order and combination and for as long as I ask. He knows all the hand signals and obeys them completely.
His separation anxiety has pretty much vanished. He used to get worked up and bark when someone was leaving. He doesn't do that anymore. It cost us the fun of greeting and petting him when we first get home and playing with him 15min before someone leaves, but it's worth it!
I have to restrain myself from encouraging Cass to get overly excited, he needs people to be calm around him. Sometimes it can be hard for he's such a clown. And it's fun to see him jump around like a deer, all four paws off the ground, when I get home. But "exuberant greeting ritual", as Dr. Dodman put it, is one of the manifestations of separation anxiety and should not be encouraged.. Go figure. And I always thought that "he was just happy to see me". ;)
Next week Cass is starting Advanced Obedience. That class will focus on off-leash obedience. Wish us luck! And keep checking for updates. Perfect dog coming through!

P.S. I tend to focus on a bit of technical things in my updates- classes, behavior improvements and such.  But Cass  really has a great heart. It's really hard work for me to try to not get too attached to him. He is such a joy to have around. He's always ready to play or cuddle and his little "propeller-tail" is always going. He makes a perfect "U" and shakes and wiggles his butt like no other. He's loving the warm weather and gets to hang outside with me quite a bit. After a long walk he likes to roll around on the grass and nibble on it a little while at it. When we get home he just plops himself down on the tile to cool off while I wipe the slobber off his face and clean his feet. He loves having his face rubbed, he sticks his nose in the towel and will sit there for the longest time for me to rub his cheeks.  And I can see his eyes closing and he's off to heaven ;).

5/31/07 - Cass is doing fine! Going to obedience class and showing all those dogs how to sit properly :) He loves his liver! Unfortunately he still tries to lunge and bark at dogs walking by in the neighborhood (he's fine with dogs in class as long; as they are 6 feet away he totally ignores them). To deal with this we have scheduled an individual session with the trainer. He's going to bring his two dogs and give us a few techniques on how to handle him best around dogs.
Other than that Cass has been a total love. People in the neighborhood come out and give him cookies when they see us walking by. He loves it :)
Sweet dog :)

5/6/07 - Cass is doing great. People in the neighborhood no longer rush to pick their little dogs up in the air at the first sight of Cass, whispering "here comes the vicious dog". A few neighbors are now frequently petting him, and random people say "what a nice dog !". :)! He gets a lot of praise and pets at Ellison park (local dog park) but I still don't allow him off leash or much more than sniff other dogs.
 He definitely turned a corner as far as listening to me goes about two weeks ago and was heeling nicely. Then a trainer recommended a gentle leader (head collar). I'm in general not a fan of the fancy "no jump no pull" contraptions littering the pet stores' shelves, but this thing really did magic. Cass didn't like it that much in the beginning and kept trying to wipe the nose loop off on my pants ;)-didn't work. He got over having something on his face in about 5 minutes and now has no problem putting the collar on. The nice thing with the head collar- I don't have to yank on the leash at all. This completely eliminates any frustration during the walk and lets me stay calm and consistent. If there's a dog he wants to go eat, a slow pull on the lead and his face is back looking at me.  We both enjoy our walks so much more. Cass seems a lot more calm and content. The head collar, however, is not a permanent solution, only a training tool. So we are going to class with Cass to work on the obedience. He knows all of the commands, but doesn't quite listen when there are distractions (dogs, mailman. etc.) present. About a month ago I wouldn't dare take him into a room full of other dogs and people but he has made so much progress, and has gotten much calmer; I figured it was time to go to school.
 Yesterday was our first class and he did wonderfully. He was a bit over stimulated at first and ignored the treats I brought for him (boiled chicken hearts and hot dogs), but after a few minutes he realized that the other dogs are not about to give him any treats and that paying attention to me was much tastier. I now walk around with a zip lock full of pieces of liver and chicken. He loves it!
Car rides are getting better too. With the head collar on and a leash in my hand I can correct him when he starts barking at people we drive by. With barking pretty much concurred he just whimpers anxiously. This whimpering only happens on the way TO somewhere (park, class). On the way BACK he is completely relaxed and lays down for most of the trip. I wonder what he'll do if I take him for a 3-legged trip as opposed to just "there and back".
Aside from his great progress with manners he's been a total love at home. Cuddly and playful.
Oh, and he doesn't throw barking fits when someone is leaving anymore. He's still crated when we are gone and doesn't bark when we leave. However, when a repair man came and I put Cass in the crate it only intensified his barking. So I keep him out on a short lead when someone comes.
Aside from his great progress with manners he's been a total love at home. Cuddly and playful and very very sweet :).

4/27/07 - Today was a great day! I think this is the first time I saw Cass completely relaxed for most of the day and on all of his walks. We spent quite a bit of time on turning around while heeling, but he didn't need any corrections at all. He's doing much much better with people on the sidewalk and is ignoring barking dogs in the neighborhood. I am so proud of this boy! He really loves to do the right thing, and does a little butt-wiggle when we stop for our "good dog and scratch" sessions.
I was playing with him in the yard today and noticed that he would growl when I play-attacked him: chasing him with my arms around and above him. He was definitely getting tense (he's fine chasing me ;) that's no problem). I can pick him up and pull on his legs (he likes that ;) ) with no problems, but I haven't "attacked" him like this before and his response was a bit  disturbing. So we spent some time on me "attacking" him followed by praise/playing to ease the tension. An occasional "no growling!" was necessary, but 15 min later he relaxed and showed absolutely no discomfort whenever I'd invade what was formerly "his space".  He knows he's not allowed to even play-bite, so he chews on the grass as he's rolling around. Since the grass isn't all that lush yet, he came home with a mouth full of dirt ;).
I can always tell when he sees another dog, because he starts huffing and puffing like a head cheerleader from Bring It On ;). Today all I had to do was say "take it easy" and he would stop and we'd keep going. It's like magic! I think all of the work we did over the past 3 weeks is coming together to yield this new wonderful chilled out Cass :). (Ok, he's not perfect yet, but he's really got the makings of it!)
 

4/17/07 - Cass is being such a good boy! He is calmer, listening better and is very relaxed most of the time. 
He had a little bit of a dry skin when we first got him, but it's now all cleared up and he's not itching or chewing at his paws at all anymore.
He loves his exercise and long walks. I'm working hard on being a good and consistent (the hardest part) leader and he's responding wonderfully. His forever family will have to provide him with strong leadership and those "rules, boundaries and limitations". He's walking much better on leash (heeling). Recall is not reliable still, but we are working on it :). After a long walk and a rump around the ball park he gets fed and then is perfectly content to lay around the house and sleep for a while.
He doesn't like to be left alone, and I do crate him when I leave (I usually don't leave him alone for more than 3 hrs at a time). He almost likes his crate now. Well, he likes to get his peanut butter!
Over the weekend we were clearing out some brush in the back yard and Cassius was out helping us. He was absolutely hilarious! He would chew on all of the branches and twigs that had started to bud, mulching them, of course, so that we would have less yard waste. Then he found some field mice under a pile of leaves and twigs. He was snorting around in that pile for about half hour and nothing would disturb him- dogs barking in the neighborhood, geese flying by- he was on a mouse trail and that was it. Although later when a mouse finally ran out of the pile, I realized he wasn't actually on a mouse trail. He pretty much ignored the  mouse (even though I was chasing after it like I had no other business) and kept snorting around in the leaves. When I moved the leaves to see what he was digging at there was a big (relatively speaking) pile of mouse poop! Now he's officially a "mouse poop search and rescue" dog!
Cass and us still have a way to go to be a "good pack" but with some discipline from all involved I think we'll get there in a reasonable amount of time. His forever home will likely have to go through an adjustment period when he's first introduced. Some of the behaviors will reappear but if he knows that humans are the leaders he should quickly fall back into his calm happy self.
So for the strong leaders out there, you have a chance to have a very loyal smart and patient dog who's on top of all that is irresistibly cute :) If you are up to the challenge of being a consistent leader to a dog that loves to please and  is just waiting for you to tell him how, get your applications in!

4/5/07 - Cass is doing great. He's a total sweetheart. He's much more calm now then when we first got him. He is very patient, and wants to please. He sits to have his paws wiped after the walk, is a total gem in the bath; he sat very still to let me clean his teeth, and he even lets me vacuum his hair right off of him after I brush him. He loves the vac :) (See pics in his album)
He has been itching and biting at himself a little ever since we got him. I tried giving him benadryl at the suggestion of one of the BAR directors, but he still itched so it looks like it is not an allergy, which is great news :).
Cass is very sweet and playful. I've banned any sort of biting (even nicely) because he would get carried away sometimes when he played and bite down pretty hard. I keep a toy around whenever we play so he can bite it instead of biting me. If I don't have the toy, he now licks my hands as opposed to biting. He'll growl and let out a little "woof" whenever there's a dog barking outside, or a mailman walking by, but he responds to a stern "NO" and goes back to whatever he was doing (usually playing or laying around sleeping). Huge improvement! No more ramming his face into the glass and scratching at the windowsills.
He's doing much better outside too, he seems interested in people but not barking at them now. However, exercise is ESSENTIAL for him. Without at least an hour a day of running flat out at the ball park he "forgets" all about heeling and not pulling on the leash. He can run around on his own, but likes to chase me or be chased. His recall is not great, so I don't let him off leash anywhere except for the fenced in area, and only when there's no one around.  I can get him to "come" after he has been running for about 15-20 minutes, but wouldn't count on it in an emergency. He would probably love to run around with another dog if I can get him to be friendly with those.
Slowly but surely he's getting more comfortable with the car rides. He still gets anxious and whimpers a lot (especially on our way TO the park), but doesn't get as worked up about people or dogs passing by as he used to. He's also getting better with the crate. He loves peanut butter, but is only allowed to have it in his crate (with the door open for now, because he won't eat anything when the door is shut).
He's very good in the house- no accidents at all, no chewing, no begging for food. He stays out of the kitchen and sleeps in his own bed. He's calm in the mornings and waits for us to get up and get ready and patiently waits by the door to go out when told to. Although every time somebody goes out into the garage he tries to sneak in there too. He's really quick so his forever parents should be very careful to make sure he doesn't bolt out. I have him sit and stay whenever I open the front door, and that works pretty well. 
So far Cass has turned out to be a pretty easy keeper, and a joy to have around.

3/31/07 - There are new pictures from the ball park in Cass's webalbum http://picasaweb.google.com/Cassius.BAR/Cassius?authkey=w3CQmtHhUjI.
 We've been going to the ball park every day (or even twice a day) and that really helps Cass calm down. There he runs around like a mad man, but is listening much better now. We practice obedience in the fenced in area off leash, with a toy reward and he responds really well. He also heels to and from the park. He still tries to go after dogs that walk by on the other side of the fence, but yesterday I managed to stare him into a "down and on his back" position and he left the dog alone. That felt pretty good :) This boy is really trying hard to be good, sometimes I have a hard time explaining what it is I want him to do. So I'm reading up on dog training and behavior in general.

Still barking at people walking by when he's in the car. He even barked at me when I got out of the car and came around back. But then realized it was me and stopped. I think he's just really used to barking at people, so we're going to have to break the habit.
Cass has been watching the Dog Whisperer "Focus on Aggression" with me, and doesn't bark or growl anymore when he hears the dogs barking on tv.

I've been leaving him in the crate for about an hour at a time. He protests when I leave, and hi-pitch barks when I come back. But I spied on him from the outside a couple of times and he stops barking right after I leave, and doesn't start back up until he hears the garage door opening. So he's quiet most of the time.
He is so cute, in addition to boxer wiggles he turns into a complete "U" and backs up when saying "hi" or "good morning". His little tail is doing more and more wiggling now. I'm really happy to see that. He's very trusting and social. And probably would do best when someone is home most of the time, or could take him to work with them. Oh, and he loves baby carrots and cheese. Surprisingly, not a big fan of rawhide.

3/29/07 - Cass is doing great. We're still working on not trying to eat people, dogs and other critters that pass by, but except for that he's been absolutely perfect. He loves to play and is quite a clown. We took him to a fenced in ball park tonight so he could run around off leash with no dogs nearby. He had a blast. This boy loooves to run. He was just running around like mad for about an hour, and then played fetch. I brought my camera and was going to take pictures, but got carried away running around with him and forgot all about it. We headed home when it got really dark, but this kid was ready to play as soon as we got home. He's doing better in the car, but still barking at people and dogs that walk by. He will "stay" and let me put a leash on him before jumping out of the car. He made friends with his toy duck and spends much of his free time chewing at it and throwing it around. He's being gentle enough though- the duck still has it's wings and feet! More updates on this wonderful boy later!

3/26/07 - PM - We went for a short walk tonight and Cassius HEELED the whole way!!! (about 20 min)  This is after our quite disturbing walk this afternoon, when I had to keep changing directions so he would pay attention to me instead of the trees (which he likes to pee on). Not bad for a Monday :). All that on a flat collar no less. There were no dogs around, but we did see a mouse run into someone's garage on the way back. Cas made an attempt to chase it, but returned to heel when asked. Made me so happy. I should say I got my inspiration to stick with "heel" the whole walk from update on Bo, THANKS!
 I also tried having him sit and down and stay while we play fetch (at home), and he is doing what he's asked with a lot of enthusiasm. Since he's not very motivated by food, I figured playing would be a better reward. We keep it quiet, I whisper and he is only allowed to grunt, no barking. He's doing really well.
When we got back from the walk he was a bit wet from the rain. And, I guess, I didn't dry him off well enough, so he ran into the bedroom and crawled under his dog bed, chewing at it a little and rubbing his back on it and then rolled around in his blanket. Cracked me up!
Still working on leaving him alone. He gets pretty anxious in the crate, but did go in it on his own (almost :) ) today.
I got him to sit on my shipping scale today- 54lbs! :) Also, he lays down straight and seems to have no problems with hips at all.   P.S. He doesn't snore!

3/26/07 - Cassius now has his own Picasa Web Album located at http://picasaweb.google.com/Cassius.BAR/Cassius?authkey=w3CQmtHhUjI
I'll be adding pictures to it as we go :).
He is doing absolutely great. Slept through the night without any problems, and is sleeping now too. I think we got up a bit too early ;). He's definitely more comfortable in the house now, a lot less growling and barking at strange noises. While walking last night, he did try to eat a passing by GSD, but he didn't get a chance to get close, I had him by his muzzle as soon as he made a half-growl towards the dog. He tries to protest (barking mainly) when one of us is leaving. We tell him to "down" and "stay", and he calms down quickly. So far I haven't left him alone, but I will try some time today, for about an hour or so.
Cassius is such a quick learner, he's really a smart guy. Last night he decided the kitchen was a good place to hang out when I was cooking. It took me only two times of gently escorting him past the refrigerator for him to get this "boundary". He won't go in now, unless I call him. He still doesn't respond to his name much though. He comes quickly if I whistle or clap my hands.
He is playing much nicer today. I don't let him mouth at all, only his toys. He brings them back if I throw them, "drops it" on command and will "down" and "stay" for me to throw it again. He is very easily excited, but if we are calm around him he can be amazingly patient.
I can take 5 minutes putting on my coat and slooowly tying my shoes, after I had already put his collar on and said we're going for a walk. He just lays down and calmly waits. Same thing with his food, he'll wait with no problem.
 

3/25/07 - Cassius! I am so excited to foster this boy.
First, a little bit of history on this little man:
At around 6mo of age he was found tied to a tree. He was left there without food for several days. Cassius was taken by animal control, neutered and quickly adopted. He was "completely out of control" according to the surrendering owner, and so Cassius was taken to an obedience trainer who uses pinch collars to get the dogs under control. Things went better from then on, but the owner worked a lot and Cassius was left home alone most of the time. He did ok though, no chewing or accidents. Now the owner is going into the Navy and his parents couldn't take Cassius, so they decided to adopt him out.

From everything I've heard about Cassius prior to meeting him, I thought he was a dominant, aggressive dog. I welcomed the challenge ;).  However, having had him for  about 30 hrs now, I think he's a bit neurotic rather than aggressive. More on that below.

We met up with the previous owner at Ellison park. Cassius was pretty distracted by everything that was going on around him and didn't pay much attention to the owner (even though he had his pinch collar on). He seemed to be quite dog aggressive, coming up to them for a sniff and then trying to start up a fight. On the way home, I put him in the back of my car, he was barking continuously. But today, when we went to the park, he was mainly whimpering on the way there and was pretty much silent on the way back. I think he was just stressed out and he may be not used to riding in the back. His previous owner told me that he liked to sit in the front seat. I don't like the idea of the dog being in the front because of the airbag and all, so he's going to have to get used to the back ;).

This boy is full of energy! After three hours of running around Ellison I was about to drop off but he acted like he just got out of the car. I kept him on short leash the whole time, and was very careful around dogs. He did pretty good. I cut off any attempts at growling or barking, and he listened well. He wanted so badly to go play with the dogs, I really hope that he will be able to do that soon.

He has great ears and eye sight. Sitting at home in his chair he could hear geese flying by about 30 seconds before they got close enough for me to hear. He growls and low-barks at noises like geese, dogs barking on my laptop, or squirrels playing outside. I don't encourage him at all to do that, and he is doing less of it as the day progresses.

He does get vocal when I  leave (so far I haven't left for real, just  checking to see what he would do). But it's controllable and I think I will be able to get him to stop. He just needs to feel a little more comfortable here first.

Cassius is very playful :). He's got a rack of toys and he already knows he can go over there and pick a toy and play with it. He plays on his own or with us very well. Sometimes, however, he gets a bit carried away. He is used to rough play and doesn't know how to stop. We're working on that. For now I only allow nice play, no mouthing, and no barking. He does, of course, grunt like every respectable boxer ;). He's not possessive of his toys/chews or food. No food aggression at all.

Cassius is very eager to please. He is willing to learn, and does it quite well. He sits nicely before we go out for a walk, and lets me wipe his feet when we come back. I gave him a bath and he did amazingly great in there. He likes the warm water and doesn't lick the shampoo.

He figured out very quickly which spots in the house were his. Last night he went right to his bed (next to ours) and slept pretty well. Well, at least till 3am, when I woke up from him whimpering. Not willing to take any chances, we took him out, and he went back to bed fine. I think again, he was just worked up, it being the first night and everything.

He is very well behaved around the kitchen- no counter surfing, no begging. He does like his homemade liver cookies though, and sort of looks in the direction of the cookie bucket and lets out a slight whimper once in a while.

He's very affectionate and likes to cuddle, but doesn't lick or jump up on people.

He's not stubborn at all, and I wouldn't say dominant. He flops on the floor and shows his belly for pets with no problem. However, he is very easily excited and stressed out, so he needs someone calm, balanced and consistent around him.

At any rate, I think for his first day, he's doing absolutely great. :) More updates to come, and pictures too.