Royce

Royce is a sweet, playful, energetic black male with gray accents, approximately two years old. He came to us as an unclaimed stray from a Sacramento area shelter, so nothing is known about his background. He's a little smaller than the average male GSD, weighing around 60 pounds.

Generally, he greets people with wags and other dogs with attempts to play. He plays well although sometimes does not understand when dogs are not in the mood for it. There is no hesitation to jump in when the car door opens, plus he knows how to use a dog door. He settled into his foster home without any obvious issues or behavioral concerns and is housebroken. Royce enjoys a good game of fetch without obsessing, and except for a sock or two, he understands which items are not dog toys. Training is made much easier by his motivation for food.

He has quickly adapted to his active foster home and has not protested about anything except being left alone in a crate. Occasionally, he tries to jump up or play mouthy with people the same way that he plays with dogs, so young kids may be an issue. He is otherwise quiet when people are around and likes being in the room with you. We are currently working on leaving him alone in the house, without the use of a dog door. If he is left alone in the back yard, he may be at risk of taking himself for a walk around the neighborhood with disregard for his safety.

Royce needs an active home, preferably in the mountains. Oh boy, does he love the trails. He is great with hikers, runners, and most mountain bikers as long as they are very careful about keeping him cool and hydrated. If given the choice between playing in the park all day and training with sled dogs, Royce would rather run with the Huskies. In the winter, he should do well with snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and even skijoring. With smoke lingering in the Tahoe basin at his foster home, his limits have not been tested yet. If you are looking for a training partner, consider this cute boy. He does enjoy time relaxing around the house and is not pushy with people, but needless to say, Royce is not for couch potatoes.

He would also do well with other playful dogs, male or female, but may still have too much puppy left in him for nice dogs that just want to chill out. As much as he enjoys the trails and chasing critters, he appears to do it more for the run itself than the hunt. His follow-through to finish the chase has been weak. In the week that he was observed with cats, Royce wanted nothing more than play and would likely do well with canine-savvy feline friends if introduced and supervised properly.

This is a Level 2 Dog

Added August 2013