Kane - a 3.5 year old black male with natural ears. He came to rescue from a shelter where he was turned in by his owner. He lived previously on a cable in their back yard. Kane came to MAGDRL in September 2007.
Update 10/4/08 – Kane is doing wonderful in his foster home, he gets along great with the two foster dogs and he completely trusts his foster Dad now. But we feel that he should be placed in a home with no kids and at least another dog. Kane is young and likes to play a little rough, so he should be placed with another young dog (no puppies) that also likes to play. In his obedience class, there was a little Pitbull puppy that wanted to play with Kane, but he was a little too high energy for him and he got upset with his hyper energy. The foster Mom also feels he needs to go to a Dane savvy owner that can be very structured with him. He loves women, but is very leery of men and needs to be introduced slowly. The foster Mom thinks that once he trusts a man, he will do fine with him. They have been working on getting all his commands, food, praise, etc. from the foster Dad so he can learn that men are ok. Because of his high energy, he would do best with a large yard to run in or to go on long runs or hikes. Kane is very smart and likes to be given jobs. He is happiest when his foster Mom is giving him commands and he won’t take his eyes off of her.
Update 11/29/08 – Kane is doing fantastic. Since Kane is more fearful of men, my husband took Kane to Starbucks to continue his socialization program. Three different men petted him and he was totally ok with it. As soon as he did not want to get petted anymore he turned towards Joe and put his face in Joe's lap - Joe came home and was so excited. I took Kane with me yesterday to dog sit a JRT and a Golden Retriever and he got along with them fantastic. He played with both of the dogs and had a blast. Afterwards I took him with me to the car wash. We went through the car wash and he was fine, while they waxed my car I took him for a walk. Again, people petted him and he did well. He is getting much better with trusting people. My stepdaughter has been staying with us and he has no problems with her whatsoever. She comes and goes and it doesn’t bother him at all. We are really happy about the progress he has made. He is also not as guarding with the house as he used to be. So I think most of his problems had to do with trust. He continues to improve and show us what a great dog he is!
Update 3/9/09 - All in all, Kane is doing very well with us. No problems with aggression, not listening, etc. However, he defiantly picks up on peoples vibes. Because it has been so cold lately we were not able to take him out for socializing. We did take him on Thursday and not taking him over the winter made a different in his behavior. He was very nervous and would not settle down. I think all it comes down to is that as soon as Kane trusts the person he is ok with them - however, he does not like strangers that much. Now that the weather is getting better again, we will start his socialization again.
After being with Kane for over 1/2 a year, I am able to tell by his body language if he is nervous, etc. I have enrolled him in a "Tricks and Games" class with the Animal House, and around 10 other people - which makes him nervous if he does not have a task. He is very smart and very active. Because of that, Kane will need another active dog to play with. He loves romping around with Ellie (foster’s dog) - however, if he is bored he will be self-destructive (he chews on his dew claw). He loves toys and is able to entertain himself with them. He knows exactly where is toy basket is and pulls it out of the shelf to pick one of the toys. He is very, very, very smart :-).
Kane has gotten much closer with his foster Dad, 3 month ago he would not give him any kisses or get excited when he came home. Now he gets so excited when he comes home and also jumps up on the bed to cuddle with him and gives him lots and lots of kisses.
Kane is still distant to strangers - but he is great with us. He gives me one kiss after the other. As soon as I look at him I get a kiss. He is also very pushy with his head, like most Danes. I will sit in the office and do some work, he will come from behind and move his big head between my arm and my body, so he gets some petting. He also listens very well to me. He comes when called, sits, lays, stays. He still listens somewhat better to me than to Joe - because I am the treat lady. Kane always comes to me because he thinks he gets a treat. Joe is starting to reward him more - so that Kane will listen to him as well. :-) Besides his nervousness in public - I am very happy with the way he has developed.
Update 8/22/09 - Kane is still weary of strangers, but as soon as he realized the person is allowed in the house and comes in and out, he warms up to the person and becomes cuddly. Also what we realized is, when he gets stressed about a stranger in the house - if the stranger calls him by his name, he usually snaps out of it.
Kane is one of the moodiest/high maintenance dogs I ever meet. If it rains outside he gets all depressed, he will just lay around and look at you with his big puppy eyes. He does not like the heat outside at all, he goes out, does his business and comes right back in, the same goes for the winter, when it gets to cold.
Kane defiantly knows his size and how to use it for his advantage. When he plays outside with our Lab, Ellie, he either likes running into her and throws her down, or he just butts her. When my husband or I play with him, he uses his butt to throw you off balance and gain some advantage. All in all, he is just one big playful baby with some trust issues.
Update 3/28/10 - Kane is doing great, he even snuggles with his foster Dad now. But he is ready to find his forever home. He has been in rescue for almost 2 years now. If you think you might be able to give him a good home, please contact us today!
To watch Kane and his toy on YouTube, click here!
