Over the last year and a half, we have learned so much from Luke. He pushed boundaries and ignored commands, but we haven’t given up. Luke can be reactive toward dogs, high energy, and driven. We have spent countless hours training and are not done yet. We want Luke to have the best life possible and know that we need to put in the work to make that happen.

Luke loves big; when he’s excited, all bets are off. I call him my kangaroo because he can jump straight up to eye level. Every morning, snuggle time lasts as long as possible—Luke curls up next to us and doesn’t move until he has to.

We tried to crate train Luke; however, this failed quickly. Luke would destroy everything in his crate or nearby. He would eat in it and do all kinds of activities as long as the door was open. If the door closed, all bets were off, and he would do anything possible to get out. He would rub his nose on the door causing injuries to himself, trying to open the crate, but he eventually figured it out. We kept a camera on Luke to make sure he was okay. When he finally escaped, we watch Luke body slam the door and flexed it enough to pop it open. We decided to stop using his crate and instead restrict his access around the house with baby gates and houseproofing to keep him safe. Once out of the crate, his days became much calmer.

Luke does well with routines, even though they are not as structured as when he was a puppy. We go for walks every morning before leaving for work. We use enrichment toys, mental stimulation tools, slow feeders, toy dispensers, Kongs, and chews.

Luke loves having a job, whether it’s fetching the ball or riding the bike. Luke’s focus is spot on! He watches the ball and usually knows its exact location. When Luke misses the ball landing, he uses the same strategy every time. He grids out the area and sniffs in a square-like pattern; once he gets on the ball’s scent, he considers it found. It’s really quite impressive to watch. On the bike, Luke just runs; his focus is impressive. He follows his commands and runs past things that would normally catch his interest.

Recently, we took the bike to the park to let Luke run. As we entered, there was a pack of dogs on leash. Brad used Luke’s command “on by, this way,” and Luke was able to focus on his task rather than reacting to the dogs. Luke ran nonstop, just enjoying his run. Our hope is that someday we can run Luke on trails and pass other dogs without any issues. This experience gave us some hope.

Luke walks very well on his leash without pulling or acting out of control. He is also doing great off leash. His recall has been tested a few times around birds, cars, and a dog, and he succeeded each time! He paused on a scent but still came back without going further. Big wins.

He loves to play, whether he’s chasing the ball, running zoomies in the yard, or playing with his best friend. Playtime is the best time.

While Luke takes more time to learn and get comfortable with new things, we are dedicated to investing the effort to ensure he has the best life possible with as much freedom as we can give him. He found his forever home with us and we will do whatever it takes to give him the best life we can provide. Luke is more than just a dog, he is family.❤️