MEET:

KEISEL
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HOW DO I ADOPT?
STATE:   NJ
AGE:  5 Years
DOB:   Unknown
WEIGHT:  75 pounds
SEX: Male
NEUT/UTD:  Yes/ Yes  
COAT COLOR: Fawn/ black mask
DOCKED TAIL:    Yes
CROPPED EARS: Yes
CHILDREN UNDER 4: No
CHILDREN OVER 4: Over 12 best
SEPARATION ANXIETY: No
OTHER DOGS: Yes
CATS: Unknown
CRATE TRAINED: Yes
HOUSE TRAINED: Yes  
LEASH TRAINED:  Yes
OBEDIENCE TRAINED: Basics
MICROCHIPPED: No
ADOPTION FEE: $300
UPDATE 8/13/10 - a couple weeks ago Kiesel successfully graduated from obedience school at petsmart. I think he has become a different dog in the past 3 months. he listens better and walks on a leash a lot better than he did when we first brought him home. we have decided to continue his training with intermediate classes at petsmart. he starts school in september like a lot of other kids :) both of our dogs get along but Kiesel is just tolerant and neutral of our shepherd mix. he always gets lots of compliments when we go out and unless they know him, people are intimidated by his size and looks. but we know the truth, he is a big lover. having said that I pity anyone who comes in our house uninvited in the middle of the night.

UPDATE 7/14/10 - Kiesel is a great addition to our family. we walk him and our other dog Athena every morning using the "loose leash" method from the obedience class and its working well. he still needs a little work on meeting new dogs without getting over excited but that will come with time and work. a few weeks ago he met my mother-in-law and niece and couldnt get enough of them. we actually had to make him lay down on his bed so they could have some space. Kiesel's personality becomes more developed everyday. he Woo Woos at me when I get home and makes dragon noises (snorts) and rolls around on his back like a clown. we havent taken him to a dog park yet, he intimidates other dogs on sight. they dont know what to make of him and his lack of a tail doesnt help. smaller dogs especially, go on the offensive near him but all he wants to do is meet them and make friends. best of all, his fur has filled in nicely and his coat shines and is healthy.

UPDATE 6/15/10 - Kiesel is doing very well with us. His great personality shows more every day and he just gets more loving.
he has been going to obedience class for 3 weeks now and he is doing much better on the leash and listening better in general. the inside of his ears were pretty nasty but we have been working on him letting us clean them. the first couple times he was NOT happy but he lets me swab them now, then he gets a treat. a couple weeks ago he went to the vet, he didnt like the vet cleaning his ears and needed to be muzzled. we are working with him so he wont have any vet agression. aside from being muzzled he was given a clean bill of health and it looks like his alopecia skin allergy is getting better.
overall, Kiesel is warming up to our family and friends as well as his roommate, our shepherd mix.
Kiesel is a total clown, after we get home from work he rolls around on his back snorting and making silly faces while we rub his belly.

UPDATE 5/28/10 - Kiesel has settled in nicely. we walk him everyday and love him up every night.

we will be starting the obedience training at Petsmart this sunday. his leash manners arent too bad, but he gets distracted easily and doesnt always come when called.
our other dog has accepted him and gives him kisses and initiates playtime when we get home.

5/14/10 - Keisel has been adopted!

4/28/10 - Keisel is  a wonderful, calm, gentle, dignified, and handsome boy. He is beyond obedient and very food motivated. He makes this snorting sound.... it sounds like he is snoring. I actually have heard the noise less when he is sleeping. This could be mistaken for a grumble or growl (to an untrained ear) ..... it seems to come out more when he is tired. He does well with other dogs but, like the typical Boxer, he wants his human. He follows me room to room. He has to keep an eye on me. (He's concerned he'll miss a meal, I'm sure of it) He has blossomed in my home; its calm and quiet with not a lot of coming or goings. I would love to see him in a similar environment. He has very expressive soulful eyes. I feel so important with Keisel here. He hangs on every word. If your personality is laid back and you need a buddy, this is the dog for you. More to come on this boy in a few days :)

4/5/10 - Kiesel has come back into rescue and will be hanging with one of our best evaluators for the next few weeks before we tell you how he's doing. Stay tuned!!

UPDATE 10/12/09 -  Kiesel is one of the best dogs we have ever owned.  He travels great in the car, thank goodness, because we go upstate (4hrs) every weekend for three nights.  He loves the woods, sniffing everything, long hikes, campfires, sleeping on the deck in the sun and snuggling by the woodburning stove at night . He loves our home in Baldwin too. Not so crazy about doing his business in the dog run though, he prefers the woods.  Can't blame him.  Obedience is going well. We're working on heeling and recall.  Much improvement there.  I enjoy walking him every where and we go on car errands daily.  He fit into my pack (3 other smaller dogs) without a hitch.  I have placed an order for a back pack for him so he can carry a few items and have more of a sense of purpose.  We are also going to continue Obedience, maybe even agility.  The trainer is going to talk to us in class tomorrow (Tuesday)

8/14/09 - I was adopted today

7/22/09- Keisel is continuing to do extremely well here, he is such a love bug!  He loves to watch what you are doing, as if it is all foreign and new, his eyes are so focused and cute and he cocks his head back and forth as if to ask "what are you doing?!"  He is a great cuddle bug and has been allowed to join us on the couch when we're relaxing and is very good about laying down and snuggling with you. 
     We have started trying his house manners outside of the crate and he has been fantastic.  I had a two day lax tourney at UMASS Amherst and was gone for over 7 hours both days and he was on his bed sleeping with everything as I left it like a perfect angel.  He is just so laid back and relaxed that I can't imagine that he'd get into something he wasn't supposed to.  Of course, we're really good around here about keeping food out reach of the cats and dogs so I can't say whether he's a counter surfer as he's not had the opportunity.  Our trash is also dog proof, so again no guarantees, but he's never gotten into anything while here and seems to be perfectly happy to relax on the dog beds or the couch while we're out. 
     We went to the vet yesterday because Keisel had a swollen ankle and was not feeling well and he was diagnosed with Lyme disease.  This is from a tick bite and he can't spread it to humans, he just needs to be on his medication for a month (which can go with him to his new home) and he'll be completely better.  He is very good about taking his pills, though he gets them with a bit of cheese, so I'm not surprised!  The vet also agreed with my belief that he was older than 3.  We decided some where around 4-5 is a more accurate guess.  This sweet heart has the exterior of a tough guy but loves nothing better than being with his people and getting some love.   Keisel is so laid back and easy to live with I'm sure he'll make a great addition into most any family!

7/6/09 - Keisel did really well this weekend with all the visitors and excitement that we had!  There were a couple half hearted attempts at jumping when everyone arrived but did very well when told no and not given any attention until he was calm.  He was great with my 19 month old neice, he was very patient with her and allowed her to do pretty much anything she wanted.  The only thing we had to be careful about was him inadvertantly knocking her down, it doesn't seem he's had much experience with kids so he doesn't know to be careful of her when turning around or something.  We worked on how to wait to come through a door and by the stairs to be careful of the baby and he picked up on it pretty well.  He has a very soft mouth when taking something from your hand and you don't feel his teeth at all.  He is very interested in people food even though we have a strict rule of no people food except for fruit scraps.  Either its left over from being a stray or he was with someone at some point that gave him a lot of people food.  Keisel could almost care less if Cooper was around to play with but he really enjoyed the company of my mom's female dogs.  He was more active with them in one day than he has been in a week with Cooper!  We've also discovered that he enjoys chasing after a ball but isn't so great at bringing them back.   He looks at you with his head cocked to the side and does these little grunts/snorts in anticipation of the ball being thrown, its really quite funny.  He also does it when he's getting a good two handed face and jowel rub :).   My father was playing with a couple balls with my neice and although Keisel wanted to play with them too he waited very patiently for the baby to walk away from what he wanted or took it very softly from her if she offered it to him. 
     You do have to have a firm hand with training and teaching him the manners that you expect from him but as long as you're consistent and he understands what you want from him, he learns very quickly.  He is very good at "sit" and will do it with a hand command only, "down" is very inconsistent- we've had him do it a couple times but he's stubborn about it, he is getting better at "wait" to come in/out of doors and also knows "out" when we want him in a different room- usually out of the kitchen when we're cooking, "come" seems to be pretty solid as well as long as he hears me.  He will still occasionally try to beg for food from me but has pretty well learned to "go lay down" when we're eating and finds one of the dog beds.   He seems to have learned our routine very well here and I can just send him out the dog door to go potty at night and he is very excited to kennel up for a peanut butter kong at bed time.  I don't even have to say it these days, just get the kong and walk towards his crate and in he goes, turning around and immediately sitting so he can get his peanut butter :).  He waits very patiently in the morning to be let out (even if I sleep in til 8am) and walks/stretches his way out of the crate and to the back door to go potty- he's definitely a low energy dog!
     Overall, Keisel still seems to be a laid back little (big) dude that is happy to go with the flow.  He has done a great job with learning that humans are dominant and has picked up on most of the rules of the house in the short time he has been with us.  He has surprised me more than once with understanding and remembering something the first time you do it.  He still has some of that boxer stubborness for some things but does very well when we're firm and show that we're not going to back down.  He is a cuddle bug if you let him on the couch or just have him sit next to you- he likes to sit in between your legs and lean into you for some lovin'.   He seems to really enjoy laying in the grass or on the patio, whether I'm outside or not and at the same time, he's happy to run around in the yard for a little bit and go for a walk but he has such an easy energy level he should fit into most any lifestyle!
PS:  I keep forgetting to mention how Keisel got his name.  He came to SCBR as a stray from a shelter in NJ.  He had someone adopt him and name him Tyson, but was returned after 24 hours because he wasn't bonding quickly enough with the grandmother in the house.  When we got him he didn't respond to Tyson at all and our website guru's requested a different name because of the popularity of Tyson.  We jumped at the chance name him after a football player from our favorite team.  So Brett Keisel (a big defensive end that plays for the Steelers) became the name sake.  We thought Keisel fit because it rhymes with Diesel (which is also very common) and he's such a thick, solid boxer.  He has warmed up to the name quite well and the more we use the name the more it seems to fit him :)

7/2/09   Keisel is continuing to do pretty well here.   He seems to be taking his time in trusting us that he's in a good place now.  He is a super laid back dude.  Yes, I said "dude" :)  I call him that here and there because his laid back attitude reminds me of a surfer, he's so chill and relaxed.  I don't think I've ever heard him bark or growl and he couldn't care less about the cats.  He kinda has a tough guy look because he is so solid and has cropped ears but his eyes are very expressive and he likes to look at your face as if to figure out what you're thinking.  He seems to be hand shy some and sensitive about his neck/collar but we'll continue working on it.  We still crate Keisel when we leave the house and at night and, although he's a little reluctant to "kennel up", he does pretty well and I haven't noticed any anxiety while in there.  He's very good about waiting patiently for you to open the door and let him out. 
     We'll have family up this weekend (my parents, sister, neice and two large female dogs) so I'll have more to update about next week.  My impression is that he'd be fine around kids of all ages since he is so relaxed and the complete opposite of hyper.  Another thing I've noticed is, even though I'm the one home with him all day, he gets very excited when my boyfriend comes home from work and will follow him around and is even more expressive with him!  If you're a guy who is looking for a relaxed hang out buddy and is sick of all those others pups always liking your lady better, Keisel is the dog for you! (but don't worry ladies, he's super friendly and will gladly sit next to you too for scritches and lovin!)

6/27/09 - Keisel has arrived from a shelter in NJ.  He is quite solid though I wouldn't be surprised if we put a few more pounds of muscle on him.  Although he is a bigger boxer boy, his musculature seems to be slightly underdeveloped from being in a shelter.  I also noticed quite a few black spots on his feet/elbows/belly area.  I wonder if they are urine burns or from laying on concrete or something. 
     I took him for a slow roller blade around the neighborhood before he even went into our yard to drain any negative or anxious energy he might have had from the shelter/transport.  He did well, didn't have a problem with the roller blades and waited when we had to cross the street.  No pulling either, though I imagine he's pretty tired.  When we got back to the house he went into his crate with very little hesitation and has been catching up on some water and a little rest. 
     My Cooper has met him through the crate and the two cats (complete with puffed up tails) have also noticed there is a new dog in the house.  I haven't noticed him even looking at the cats yet, let alone smelling them, and when Cooper came to meet him he smelled him with a lowered head (normal dog behavior-yay!) with no signs of stress or dominant posturing.  Cooper is currently laying next to the crate and they aren't paying hardly any attention to each other, just relaxing in front of the fan.  So far so good and I'll update more as we learn more about him.