Entered: 09/06/2013
Status: Adopted
Age: 9 Months
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 43 lbs.
Gender: Altered Male
Location: Lancaster, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, good in all areas
Temperament: Good with adults and older children, good with other dogs, good with cats
Original: “…Toby is extremely affectionate and loves nothing more than snuggling up next to or on top of his human once he has burned off some of his boundless energy.”
Toby is a beautiful, healthy Springer puppy with no shortage of energy. A Pennsylvania shelter called MAESSR when his adoptive family wanted to return him to the shelter because he was too much to handle.
This pup had only one six-week session of basic obedience with no follow up by his previous owners. He began a repetition of basic obedience on September 15, 2013, when he came to his foster family. He is such a high energy dog that focusing is a hard task for him. Patience, repetition, and age will resolve his difficulty in settling down to learn how to behave. Please 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 obedience classes within 60 days of adoption. These classes will be a real help for both Toby and his adoptive family.
Toby has never been taught to walk on a leash politely. He does pull and getting him to focus on a treat to lure him to walk by one’s side is difficult. Again, patience, training, and time are needed. In an enclosed area, he will usually come when called; however, this is not guaranteed. He is happy to ride in a car but will move around if not restrained.
Partially housebroken, Toby will indicate that he has to go out by walking away from his person or by whining slightly. Generally, Toby needs to go out after every meal to defecate and he urinates more frequently– in the morning, when waking after a long nap, following periods of exercise, and before bed. While this lively pup has been crated in the past, he is not crated in his current home since a responsible adult is with him throughout the day. He is crated for rest periods when he goes to daycare with no reports of any problems. Currently, Toby sleeps on the bed or on the floor by the bed with the resident Springer and the two cats. Although he is extremely active during the day, he settles down and goes to sleep easily once the family goes to bed.
This opportunistic youngster loves to counter-surf and will even attempt to do so in the presence of his people. He will also engage in trash-picking and chewing anything he can reach. He is very “mouthy,” and, if not otherwise occupied, will select whatever object he can reach to put in his mouth and chew. He especially enjoys grabbing and chewing plastic bags or shredding newspapers. If no object is available, he is more than willing to chew on someone’s arm or hand. Occasionally, he will resource guard a high value item and may grumble slightly if one attempts to remove it from him. However, if he is approached calmly and spoken to gently, he will relinquish his prize without snapping or biting. He is starting to learn to trade an inappropriate object for one of his toys or a treat, but learning not to chew or mouth people is definitely a work in progress.
Although Toby has never shown aggression to children of any age, his high energy combined with his lack of training make being with young children problematic at this time. Mr. Personality loves other dogs. He is happy to play until several other dogs, in succession, are exhausted. He loves running, chasing balls and wrestling with other young dogs and exhibits a relaxed body language when playing. He loves to chase and be chased and reportedly enjoys swimming. If it is fun, he’s ready for anything! He is interested in cats and will try to approach, but does not appear aggressive or act inappropriately with them. Both resident cats in his current home have accepted him and are not afraid to be near him.
This cutie is a diamond in the rough, who, like so many Springers, was not kept by his original owners because he committed the cardinal sin of being a high energy puppy. If he is kept busy, he is happy and very willing to please. In typical Springer fashion, he is extremely affectionate and loves nothing more than snuggling up next to or on top of his human once he has burned off some of his boundless energy. Toby loves attention, affection, and exercise. He will do best in a home that will make sure he gets the exercise and training he needs.