Richard

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With all their adolescent exuberance, young Springers can be quite a handful. Even for the best-intentioned owner, this can end up being too much. When Richard’s Maryland family found they did not have the time to guide him on his journey into adulthood, they looked to MAESSR for help with finding him a home where he’d be able to get the love, attention, training, and exercise he needs.

Lacking early socialization with people and exposure to diverse situations, Richard was a shy guy when he came into foster care. His foster family is focusing his training on socializing him with new people of all ages and on exposing him to new situations, two areas where he needs work. His foster mom looks at every new person as someone new for Richard to warm up to. So, she is having everyone that meets Richard hand him a treat so he learns people are good. She has also been taking him with her to places and situations new to him so he can see there is nothing to be afraid of.

Although shy around new people, Richard feels comfortable with the resident dogs. He loves exploring his environment with them and is trying to understand what acceptable Springer behavior is and what is not. He loves diving in the pool, swimming back to the ladder with his canine foster brother, both dogs’ mouths locked onto the same toy! When out in the yard, he romps and plays with the resident 18 month old Springer and the 2 year old dachshund, running laps with them and playing ball. He does not resource guard his food or toys; however, he is fed alone since he tries to eat all the other dogs’ food.

Mostly housebroken, Richard is learning to signal when he needs to go out. When his foster mom is away at work, Richard is confined to one room for four to six hours at a time and does well. Very good in the car, he settles right down to enjoy the ride. He enjoys going for leash walks and does fairly well on the leash; he just needs to learn to not pull. Richard has learned “sit” and “off”; however, “off” is not his favorite word. He does come when called and is rewarded for this good behavior. Although he does not like being confined away from the action while he is at home, Richard was very good in the crate at the groomers. He loves water so bath time is fun! 

Note that MAESSR only places puppies in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Puppies require a lot of care, attention, and patience, and they do chew on things! 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 under 1 year old to enroll their puppy in an obedience class within 60 days of adoption. With love and encouragement, Richard will be a good pupil.

Because of his shyness, it is going to take some time before Richard will be ready for his new family. He is a sweet boy and will need a forever home that can commit to helping him get past his shyness with new people and places. He would prefer a home that will let him curl up tight at night and sleep next to his favorite human. For the investment of time and love, his adopting family will be rewarded with a loving canine companion.