Anton is a seven year old, large, neutered male.  He came into our home from a kennel, but prior to that he worked as an explosives detection dog for the U.S. government in Afghanistan and for the Port Authority.    He is a beautiful black, bi-color, long haired shepherd who is excited to meet people and loves all the petting that any human could provide.  When first introduced to people Anton is not shy about leaning against your legs for a good rub down.  He has a high energy level and really enjoys playing with all his toys, but he is especially fond of tennis balls which he squeezes until they break.

An ideal owner would have access to many tennis balls, sometimes he breaks two per night, but his daily record is four!  Then of course he has to relinquish the broken ball so it can be disposed of and he starts the process all over again.  His number two ranked toy is his Extreme Kong which is very challenging because he has yet to find its weak point.

When he first arrived in his foster home it was apparent that he had probably never lived in a house and spent quite some time checking every room out.  He is very comfortable in his kennel and will even spend time in it when the door is open.  He is house trained and to this point has never had an accident.    He enjoys cat-napping in any room at any time especially if a bed is put down for him.

He has spent the last four weeks living with two adults, no cats, no children and no other dog in the home.  At this point we are not sure if he would be good with cats but due to his strong prey drive he would likely chase cats.  He has met a few children and appears to view them as he would adults.  We are not sure if he is good with other dogs yet.

He enjoys walks with his foster parents and he is learning to heel, slowly but surely.  A training collar is a must for good walking etiquette because he needs a reminder that we are walking not charging down the street.  He has gone on a few short jogs and does very well to stay with the runner.  Anton also likes riding in the car and remains in the backseat usually sleeping.

Anton is working on his house manners.  He has only been caught counter surfing once.  He likes to try and jump on the couch but he is adapting to dogs on the floor, people on the couch.  He started his foster time by being somewhat fresh and mouthy with human hands and loose clothing.  Anton had a bad habit of nipping when he was excited and probably thought it was some sort of game.  He soon learned that this was unacceptable and he has scaled back on the mouthy behavior and has now introduced licking as a substitute.

Overall, Anton would make a wonderful addition to a loving and strict home.  He needs some polish on his book of tricks but is extremely food motivated and would probably learn Calculus for a treat.  His ideal home would have a fenced in yard for ball playing, and people available for a few walks per day.  If you like big furry teddy bears this dog is the poster dog.