Spanky

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Updated 1/26/06:

Spanky is making wonderful progress at becoming the great dog everyone knows he can be. He is now neutered and has recovered nicely from that. In fact, it has not seemed to slow him down in the least.

He’s been going to obedience training with his foster mom and is learning commands with positive reinforcement. He’s learning not to jump up, which is still a hard task for such an energetic boy, but he is definitely trying hard. He will “paw” at his mom’s pant leg as if to say “Hey! How about some attention down here?” Of course, he gets it. Spanky now responds to “come,” “sit,” “stay,” and the ever popular “NO”. He’s starting to leash walk, and with the help of his Gentle Leader, will be getting better at it. Right now, he still pulls quite a bit, again because he’s a very active boy who still thinks he’s a little puppy. In fact, he weighs in at a strong 55 pounds!

Spanky loves attention, the more the better for this handsome guy. He likes being around other dogs. Though he doesn’t live with any, he does get to go to doggie daycare with his foster mom once a week. He seems to like socializing with the other dogs there a lot. He hasn’t gotten the whole playing thing yet, since this is all new to him, but he will learn quickly.

Because Spanky is so energetic and still “puppy nips” at times, a family with older children would probably be best for him when he’s adopted. He also will need consistency in obedience training, so as to build on what he has already learned.

He is wonderful about going “outside”, also a word he knows, and usually goes in the same spot over and over, making yard clean up very easy. Spanky is crate trained. When someone is home, his crate door is left open, and he goes in and out at will to take a quick nap or chew on a favorite bone. When the family is out, he is crated with ease and does not bark.

Spanky has made great progress since joining his foster family. He shows every sign of becoming a wonderful dog with a lot of affection to give the right family!

Original: Spanky came to MAESSR in an unusual way.  A group in New Jersey which primarily rescues kittens and cats had become aware of his need for a new home and took him in.  He had been living outdoors most of the time with limited, positive human contact or proper shelter.  He was observed wearing a collar that he had outgrown and was eating off the ground.

As soon as Spanky arrived at his foster home, his family began introducing him to much that he had missed in his first months.  He is making adjustments, and in many ways, displays the behavior of a mischievous, juvenile springer.  He can be very sweet at times, but he apparently never learned how to play with humans.  His high energy and eagerness to play now results in a very excitable, mouthy pup, one with behavior that is more typical of a 2 month old than a 7 month old.  He needs close supervision to curtail his jumping and mouthing, and his family is careful not to play rough with him.  He has crate trained quickly, so when Spanky needs an occasional “time out” from play to calm down, he is sent to his crate for a short period.  That usually does the trick, and his family is seeing progress.

Spanky is very well housetrained and will “come” to his name. With lots of praise and hugs, he is learning commands, including “no”, “stop”, “wait”, and “sit”.  He is sleeping either bedside on a blanket or in his crate if he is too wound up to settle when his family needs to call it a day.  Either way, he is quiet and does not bark.  He has learned to go up and down stairs and rides well in a car now, something that he was very afraid of when he first arrived.

The opportunities for indoor mischief are not lost on Spanky. He likes to snatch tissues from the wastebaskets, drink from the toilet bowls, and steal socks.  To keep up with him, the waste baskets have been moved inside closets, and the commode lids are kept down.  A very important lesson for Spanky to learn next will be “give it” when he turns a piece of laundry into a toy.

There are dogs on the other side of a neighbor’s fence that Spanky seems to like.  He will run up to the fence and tease the dogs into chasing him back and forth along the line.  It helps to tire him out and gives his friends on the other side a good run, too.

His personality is still emerging, but Spanky seems bright and adaptable to his new indoor life. He needs a continuing opportunity to become better socialized with people. He will benefit greatly from the formal basic obedience class that he will attend with his foster mom. For now, he will remain under the patient guidance of his foster family, and updates will be added as he continues to unfold.