Pierre

Original: Handsome Pierre came to MAESSR when his Maryland owner became ill and too weak to care for this young boy. The family did not have a fenced yard and found they could no longer provide enough physical exercise by walks that young Pierre needed. Stressed when left alone, this young one got into some mischief and there had been some stress-related chewing.

Pierre arrived at his foster home anxious and worried about the two resident Springers that met him, even crying when they approached him. Within a few days, however, Pierre is thriving as one of the crowd. He runs and plays with the dogs and is perfectly comfortable around them. Also, he isn’t showing any separation anxiety possibly due to his canine companionship although his former owner reported that he did have a degree of separation anxiety when the humans departed the house.

Now, Pierre is gated with the other dogs when his foster mom goes out and has done just fine. Pierre is getting lots of exercise every day in the yard, on daily walks and on daily drives to drop off the children at school. He loves the rides, especially the stop on the trip home to McDonalds where the dogs are given bones at the drive through! Although he is good with car rides, Pierre does need to be belted so he doesn’t help with the driving. As well as getting along well with the resident dogs, Pierre is also good with the resident children and their friends, except for jumping on them.

The little guy does jump and pulls somewhat on leash. His foster mom started him on a gentle leader head harness and he does very well with that. His family is also working to discourage the jumping by asking for a sit. The jumping will need continued training. His foster mom expects a sit before all meals and treats and Pierre is now offering the sit without being asked. Despite good manners, he is interested in checking out the counters and is not beyond taking a few things from the trash can. He also can be found on the sofa and can slip into the bed when everyone is sleeping. His new owners will not get complaints about Pierre barking too much; he is a relatively quiet pup.

Because Pierre is under one, MAESSR requires that his new family take him to obedience classes. He will benefit from training to help with his insecurity in new situations. He can be a bit of a fraidy cat at times. Training will also help him learn stay and wait commands which he isn’t so good about obeying yet. This pup is very smart and will quickly learn more commands.

Pierre loves to retrieve and play with his bones. When it is time for his meals, he prefers for his people to remain in the kitchen while he eats. Grooming him is not a problem since Pierre loves to get baths and take showers, and really enjoys the towel drying. Pierre is fine with having his ears cleaned too.

Above all, Pierre’s main interest is to be near his humans. He is a true Velcro Springer, always lying very close to his humans and checking back often when he’s out in the yard with the dogs. His foster mom believes Pierre wishes he was a teacup sized dog so he could sit on her lap and be carried around.

Pierre is just a perfect dog for someone who wants a pup but isn’t so interested in the housebreaking and chewing of much younger pups. He’d most likely do best in a multi-dog household. If you’re looking for a real sweet companion, ask about Pierre.

Update 11/13/09: With a little more time to get acquainted in his foster home, there is more news about Pierre. He does have some submissive urination at times. His foster mom has seen this happen when new people approach him head on, and when he was allowed to get too crazy when she returns home from an absence. His foster mom is asking new people to ignore Pierre and allow him to approach them when he’s ready. She also ignores him when she returns home until she gets the dogs outdoors. Once Pierre is comfortable in his new home, he probably won’t do this much except for situations where he’s nervous – like going to the groomer and the vet.

Pierre got to go to the Jersey shore for the weekend with his family. He was a good boy for the 2+ hour ride, preferring to stay close by his foster mom in the van. He easily transitioned into a new house and yard and presented no problem when left for a few hours home with the other dogs. He went on long walks and met new people, including a group of preschool boys who were very eager to meet Pierre. Pierre was initially shy but quickly became pleased with their attention.

Like all young Springer boys, Pierre needs to have an opportunity every day to run and play hard to get his crazies out. He just loves to run with one of the resident dogs all out for ten minutes or so until both their tongues are hanging. They do this several times a day. This hard exercise outdoors is the magic key that keeps Pierre being a good boy indoors!