Meet Bourbon! He is a 4 year old yellow lab that was surrendered by his owner after they could no longer care for him.
Personality: Bourbon is an energetic and affectionate pup who adores playtime. He loves playing fetch, swimming, and enjoying plenty of belly rubs. He’s also great with other dogs and kids, making him a fantastic addition to a lively, social family. While Bourbon is generally outgoing, he does experience some anxiety during storms, so a calm and supportive environment during inclement weather is ideal.
Training: Bourbon comes with a solid foundation of training. He knows how to sit, stay, and come, and is housetrained. He rides well in the car and is good on the leash. Although he has had some training, he will need a bit of help with crate training to ensure he feels safe and comfortable.
Updates
Bourbon settled in very well and he is doing great! It did take him some time to adjust, but he follows a strict routine and seems to be thriving with that.
We no longer have any issues with his night time crate, he goes right in to receive some treats. We turn on a white noise machine when he goes in, and were able to leave him in the crate during the day following the same routine with no issues. Our return is usually followed by exceptionally enthusiastic zoomies. If his adopters plan to leave him alone, establishing this safe crate routine would be necessary.
Bourbon is not a social butterfly and he can be skittish around new people (particularly kids due to noice and high energy). He is very sensitive to how people feel/behave around him, and is most attracted to a very calm demeanor. He can be scared of meeting strangers, however, if the person he is meeting has a dog, it’s a whole different story. Bourbon LOVES dogs, he is good with cats (interested to meet/sniff, but not chase), and overall this dog doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.
He is doing so much better on walks now – he still gets spooked or nervous around bikes, strollers, loud noises, but he is able to walk through the noise and recover pretty quickly.
He is a delight at home – he follows you around, watches you do chores (not a fan of hair dryer or the vacuum cleaner though), will bring you a ball if he wants to go play outside, loves walks and riding in the car, and is the cutest snuggle buddy. He loves getting his chest rubbed, and will be very happy to take an unscheduled nap with you.
Thunderstorms are still terrifying – small ones are usually blocked out by the white noise machine, and during the really loud ones he likes to be next to a person, generally hiding under your feet. He needs someone to be close, or be in an area where the sound isn’t very loud.
We continue working with him on socialization, dealing with unexpected noises/movements, he is very treat motivated so training is fun. He is a great dog, and with the right adopter, he will be someone’s best boy. We are enjoying having him around, he keeps us well exercised, he is funny and affectionate. We love him!
He does have a longer adjustment period, so it seems the main things he needs are consistency, direction and time – took him a bit over a month to get somewhat comfortable, but he is consistently improving now.
In true labby fashion, Bourbon does have the heart of a thief, and will raid your trash cans and counters, sometimes even in front of you without any sign of guilt at being caught. We keep all reachable areas clean, and are working with him on boundaries, but he really loves to push them!
FOSTER UPDATE!
Bourbon has been making wonderful progress and overcoming his fears day by day! We’re so proud of how far he’s come. His leash walking has improved tremendously—he’s building confidence and learning to walk through his fears with more ease each day.
Inside the house, Bourbon is more at ease. He loves his crate and sees it as a safe space, though like most Labs, he really prefers being near his people. He absolutely needs to be crated when left alone, especially during thunderstorms. He’s very afraid of storms and will try to “dig himself into a cave of protection,” so the crate helps him feel safe and secure during those stressful moments.
Bourbon would do best in a calm, quiet home—ideally with another dog, since he truly loves canine companionship. He’s currently thriving in a foster home where someone works from home and is around most of the time, and we’ve seen how much that stability helps him blossom.
