Survivor

Original: When his owners divorced, Survivor went to live with the father of the family; however, because of changing living situations, it became impossible for him to keep his young Springer. His owner then contacted MAESSR for help in finding Survivor a new forever home.

Survivor has a great deal to learn. Kept previously as an outside dog, he is not housetrained and he needs to be taught proper house manners. Currently, he is marking in the house, so his foster mom keeps his leashed to her while he is indoors. At this point Survivor will counter-surf and get into the trash. His foster parents are working with him in all of these areas. When his foster parents are at work and when it’s time for bed, Survivor is crated. He is not thrilled to go into his crate, but once inside, he does very well. Certain things scare Survivor: thunderstorms, grooming clippers, vacuum cleaners, loud voices. Some of these fears may be due to simple lack of exposure to them in his young life and he may get over them with time. There is no submissive urination that accompanies exposure to these loud stimuli, though. Riding in the car makes him nervous, so his foster parents are trying to make the association between car rides and a fun destination.

Obedience training is on Survivor’s to-do list, but formal training will have to wait until he is done with his treatment for heartworms. Survivor definitely has selective hearing. If you have a treat, he will come and sit. Without a treat in hand, he looks at you like he can’t hear a word you have said all with a face that could melt you. Surprisingly, he is very good on the leash.

Survivor loves playing with other dogs as long as he is the commander of all. He also likes to carry stuffed toys around in his mouth, but he doesn’t chase balls. If given his preference, Survivor likes to snoop around in the bushes sniffing away. You can call him out, but as soon as he gets the chance, he heads back to the bushes!

This handsome boy will need a lot of training and he demands a lot of love. Watch for more about him as he undergoes his treatments for heartworms.

Update 06/18/09: Survivor survived and came home strong and ready to keep on living after his first heartworm treatment. He is supposed to stay still and quiet, but he doesn’t know this. His foster mom has got her hands full with this beautiful all-male and a bit stubborn boy. His life needs to be a little slower for his own sake until his treatments are over. Fingers crossed he will get a bit lazy with summer here.

While at the vet’s office, Survivor forgot a little of what he had learned at home, but it will come back with a little reminding. His marking behavior has stopped but his family is still working on potty training. He does not have an obvious sign yet and just needs to learn to get his foster mom’s attention at the right time. He has learned commands and will lay, stay, and come all for goodies but still only if he gets goodies in return.

The heat of summer actually isn’t lost on this hot-blooded dog. His answer to staying cool is to dig holes to lie in under bushes. This is something that his family will be working on with him too. More on Survivor as he sharpens his manners and regains good health.

Update 07/06/09: There is welcomed progress for Survivor. He has started going outside for potty breaks, with just two accidents in two weeks! His foster family has used diapers to stop his marking but having their carpets professionally cleaned worked magic. Survivor was smelling what humans with their inferior noses couldn’t and is now getting the right message.

Recently Survivor went to a picnic with his foster family. There were more dogs there than people, and, he just worked his way in with all those strange dogs beautifully. Survivor loved the water and would follow the other dogs and jump off a low pier. There was a Chesapeake retriever there that Survivor kept up with fine. His foster Mom was very proud of him for all his actions that day.

Survivor has also gotten a little better with his counter-surfing. He still jumps up but doesn’t grab as quickly. If there was a log being kept, his overall training would show up as better with a few areas to work on yet. Survivor has learned from the resident Springer to bark at people walking by and he is persistent with digging behind bushes for a cool spot to snooze in. Still some guidance from his humans needed with this youngster.

Survivor goes back for his second heartworm treatment soon. It will be great to complete this; keeping such an active dog up is not easy for him. After another thirty days, he will be neutered. Hoping to have all good news to come for Survivor next time.

Update 08/16/09: Survivor went in July for his final heartworm treatment. He had a hard time with the second go-around and was a sick boy for a few weeks. Once safely past that, he was neutered, so yes, he’s supposed to be quiet for 7 to 14 days again. With all this behind him soon, Survivor will be playing and running to his heart’s content!

Throughout Survivor’s stay in his foster home, work has been ongoing to shape his manners and create good habits that he’ll carry into his adopting home. Alongside his foster mom, Survivor will be starting his second obedience class. It’s a class that another foster volunteer who happens to be a professional trainer is giving. With all this help, Survivor will likely still be a wonderful, young hand-full in need of continuing guidance. He will need a family that’s ready for just that a handful of joy, love and, at times, also a little trial on patience.

Survivor trots around like he is saying, “Look at me. I am beautiful and all Springer!” In savvy hands, this diamond-in-the-rough youngster can mature into the gem of a lifetime. And it won’t take long. He’s well on his way to you?????????

Update 09/23/09:

Survivor is a work in progress……….and he is making progress! With his health issues resolved, he has settled in with another foster family for some informal and formal training. Following are some thoughts his new foster mom has to share.

This dog loves to play. He loves toys and loves attention. He is all puppy! He has lots to learn. He is an open book.

Survivor loves to smell and track animals. He is good at it too. He got his nose batted at by the mother wild jack rabbit in his yard. Now, he stands back and barks at her! A question to Mother Nature might be “Why did this rabbit choose a wooded, fenced-acre yard with dogs for her home??”

Survivor is learning to walk on a loose leash. He has a beautiful sit and a really nice down. He still needs to work on stay. He wants immediately to bounce up when his foster mom praises him.

He is very good to go in and out of a crate. He is learning to travel to get his obedience and agility lessons. He loves the jumps!

Survivor is very sweet dog, but, he noses for trash cans. Good thing there are lids on all in his foster home. He was obviously disappointed with this find.

He needs more time to transition to inside noises. The dishwasher initially scared him. And, he definitely knew the Shop Vac was ready to swallow him whole. He was sure the food processor was more for him than the raw carrots….

His tail is sure waggy. What a full-of-life dog he is! He reportedly is great with other dogs, but his foster mom has been working with him one-on-one and can’t weigh in on this one right now. Such is the life of this star pupil. More to come as Survivor’s schooling continues.

Update 11/24/09: As is typical of young, healthy springers, Survivor is all energy. He is happy and full of himself. He loves to run and gets to do plenty of that. Laps around the yard are his joy!!

With his energy burned off daily, Survivor is proving an apt pupil. He is learning that his foster mom not only loves him with hugs and kisses but also by setting boundaries for him. The result is that he is doing tons better in the house. He is making a racetrack out of trips to the backdoor, his favorite spot is the kitchen for cookies, and, of course, he loves bed all are off-limits without permission these days.

His basic obedience is moving ahead too. Survivor seems to have his come down. He is working on this in the backyard with a loose line. He has been on a flexi-leash and loves that. He is not so fond of a 6-foot leash yet, but he is better. He still pulls some but can be corrected and stops.

Mixed with lessons is plenty of playtime. Survivor loves to play. He loves to jump for balls and catches cookies. His progress is showing and will ready him for a forever home before long. He will do well with a family that shares his playfulness, provides him with lots of exercise and consistently sets his boundaries. All in all, one great dog on the verge of success!!!!