Entered: 01/05/2019
Status: Adopted
Age: 7 Months
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 40 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Reistertown, MD
Health: UTD, HW-, hernia repaired, treatment for ear infection completed
Temperament: Good with adults, children unknown but previously lived with several, good with other dogs, unknown with cats but has high prey drive
Original: “With several weeks of training and re-direction, this loving Springer will have a great future.”
Maui was relinquished to MAESSR by a family in Delaware. Between work schedules and several children, the family did not have the time that they had envisioned to appropriately raise and train a Springer puppy. In thinking through the situation, the family made the tough decision to do the best thing for Maui, and they contacted MAESSR.
This youngster has an excellent temperament. He is a typical Springer with a high energy level who loves to run, jump and play and will want to be a part of his new family’s exercise, activity, and road trips. In foster care, he gets along very well with the resident 7-year-old female Springer. He has a strong prey drive as he will chase everything from birds to deer.
Maui is very gentle. He allows his foster mom to open his mouth and fish out articles such as stones and sticks. He is fine with a hand reaching into his food bowl, too. He will give his person the toy or bone and take an exchange item.
The new boy in town has some issues to work on while in foster prior to adoption including housetraining, learning best household protocols, and overcoming stress-related, anxious behavior when introduced to new world experiences.
Maui was not housetrained prior to coming into MAESSR and that was the strong priority during the first week of foster care. Within that week, Maui made strong progress and by the end of the time was given the run of the house during supervised time periods. He has been given smaller specified areas for testing during unsupervised time periods of shorter duration. He has had no major accidents recently but still has a tendency to sprinkle with the start of activity or excitement.
He is also learning how to function within a household environment. He has learned quickly and shown no destructive behavior in terms of tearing, chewing, and digging. He does have a few puppy behaviors such as running off with shoes, socks, and various other items. Again, Maui has made great progress in a little over a week.
The more significant problem is that of having a lack of experience with certain types of social exposures. Maui tends to stress bark at people and dogs when encountered on a walk or entering an area such as the vet’s office. Once Maui is in close range to the parties, he is gregarious and friendly. He has started class to overcome this type of anxious behavior.
Maui has also started obedience training to learn basic commands. He has now accomplished “walk,” “heel,” “sit,” “stand with stay,” and “come.” “Down” is still a tough one for him. And holding a “stay” beyond two seconds is tough, also. Maui does leash walk well and does not pull. More classes are definitely in this guy’s future as MAESSR only places puppies in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. The decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment. To reinforce this commitment, MAESSR requires all adopters of dogs one year old and younger to enroll their puppy in obedience classes within 60 days of adoption.
Maui does get a bit carsick during longer carries. However, this has also been improving and, although he has not had a formal grooming session as yet, he is very good in allowing his teeth and ears to be handled. He is also learning to have his teeth brushed and ears cleaned.
With several weeks of training and re-direction, this loving Springer will have a great future. He will do best in a home that can spend time exercising him daily and one that will include this boy in all the family activities and journeys.