Entered: 03/07/2022
Status: Adopted
Age: 2; born 12/17/2019
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 55 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Goochland, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, treatment completed for ear infection, receiving an inexpensive medication to combat anxiety, overall good health
Temperament: Good with people as young as 12 (too bouncy for younger), good with other dogs, unknown with cats
Original: “A very active boy, Duncan is interested in participating in anything that is going on.”
Duncan was well loved and trained by his Virginia family. Unfortunately, he started resource guarding items he had stolen. The family worked with him to get him to trade the stolen item for a treat. He had made a lot of progress, but in one quick moment, he ended up nipping the wife. She then felt Duncan could not be trusted and the decision was made to relinquish him to MAESSR.
When he came to his foster home, Duncan was started on an inexpensive medication for anxiety. It has helped to calm him when he is anxious and allow his brain to work. His furever family will be required to continue this medication for a minimum of six months after adoption.
A sweet, loving, exuberant boy, Duncan loves spending time with his people and learning new things. He would be perfect for someone who wanted to do obedience or agility. With some experience with agility training already, he knows the obstacles and generally runs the course well. That said, he sometimes loses focus and “drifts.” Duncan was receiving obedience training in an AKC Canine Good Citizen course; however, he still needs work in greeting people.
Mr. D knows standard commands including “sit,” “down,” “stay,” “leave it,” and “come” and he will “sit and wait” at doors until released. This smart boy has some special tricks too including “touch,” “spin” in the direction indicated, and “bow.” The tricks are used to distract him from barking or other undesirable activities as well as an excuse to give him treats!
Both housetrained and crate trained, Duncan views his crate as a safe place to which he will retreat during vacuuming and other “stressful” activities. In his original home he slept in a small room with an open crate and a separate bed, alternating sleep between the two. One inside vice he has is counter-surfing, so the counters shouldn’t have anything tempting left out!
Duncan is accustomed to being groomed. Once or twice a week he was brushed with a slicker brush and rake to remove dead hair and knots. His foster mom groomed him with clippers without an issue and his nails have been trimmed with a Dremel in his previous home. Sometimes he will very softly mouth a hand during grooming or petting or to get attention. This gentle mouthiness seems to be slowly changing to licking.
Duncan’s foster parents are working with him on his resource guarding using “leave it” and trading the resource for a high value treat. His adoptive family must continue to work with him on this issue.
A very active boy, Duncan is interested in participating in anything that is going on. He enjoys playing tug with toys and retrieving a thrown tennis ball. On request he will search the house to “find the ball.” Duncan gets along well with other dogs and enjoys energetic play with individuals or groups of dogs. If the other dog is not interested in joining him in play, he backs off. He has no experience with cats. If he hears sounds or sees movement in the yard, Duncan barks to alert.
From time to time, Duncan does a “slow walk” to approach someone or something. He takes tiny, individual steps with several seconds between. Then when he gets close, his tail begins to wag and he is very affectionate. It’s uncertain whether this is just a game with him or something is making him nervous. This always ends in a joyful greeting.
Due to Covid isolation, Duncan has had limited experience interacting with people other than his original family and has had no experience with children. When he has had such interactions, he’s been very (often overly) friendly with his initial greetings but quickly settles down. He was very much a Velcro boy with his former male owner.
If your family is looking for an active, affectionate Springer addition, Duncan may be your man! He would enjoy having another playful dog in his new home, too, and together they could burn off some of their youthful Springer energy.