Tristan 4

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Original: “If he starts inappropriate chewing, his foster parents just redirect with a toy which is generally successful.”

This poor young guy was seized by Virginia officials for having no food or shelter on a farm where he apparently had been dumped.   When MAESSR learned of his presence in the shelter, a foster home was quickly found for Tristan.

Housetraining is a work in progress but with the resident lab as a role model and frequent walks and trips to the backyard, Tristan is beginning to understand that he must eliminate outside.  In the morning he is let out immediately after getting out of his crate. 

Tristan was resistant to being crated at first. It seems his primary concern was the fear of being left alone there. His foster parents wisely acclimated him to the crate by getting him to go in the crate for a training treat and leaving the door open. Now, he no longer fears his crate. Being the intelligent little guy he is, Tristan has learned the nighttime routine for going to bed.  After being let out before bedtime, he comes in and runs upstairs and gets in his crate where he waits for his night time training treat.  The crate door is shut to prevent him from wandering in the night and having an accident, but he doesn’t mind.  If he needs out in the night, he whines and paws at the door. Then after going out, he goes back upstairs with his person and gets back in his crate.  What a good boy!   He is kept in his crate if his foster parents are not at home. Music or the television is turned on for him for company if his people have to leave the house without him. Tristan sleeps in his upstairs crate beside his parents’ bed at night so he can be with the rest of the family.

For a puppy Tristan has fairly good house manners.   Fortunately, he follows the lead of resident female lab, who is a well-trained ten-year-old.  Tristan follows her and their people from room to room. He definitely does not like to be alone. He has learned the house routine and has integrated well into the family.  When given permission, he sits on couch and bed, again, following the resident dog’s lead.  Tristan is very adaptable and smart. A curious boy, he does counter-surf and jump on people in greeting. He has also tried to get in the trash a couple of times but this has not been a major issue. His foster parents have been able to work on these behaviors but it is an ongoing process.   

Still very much the puppy at ten months, Tristan chews constantly.  He will chew on anything including human hands, clothes, and the resident female’s ears and tail. Fortunately, there is a plethora of toys for him to chew on in the house. If he starts inappropriate chewing, his foster parents just redirect with a toy which is generally successful.

Tristan has begun learning basic commands. He understands “sit” both verbally and with a hand signal. He is good with “stay“ as long as he is not distracted and he is learning the “down/settle” command. In two weeks, he has come a long way in his obedience training. Every day after the morning walk, his foster parents have “school” for Tristan where they practice basic commands with him for 20-30 minutes. That is about as much as a puppy with a short attention span can stand at one sitting but his foster parents reinforce commands throughout the day. Tristan has a tendency to rush a door when it is opened so his foster parents are vigilant to prevent an escape. Learning the “stay” command has helped as is training with “come.”  Although he has not been in the car too often, Tristan is a good passenger.

Please note that MAESSR will require Tristan’s adoptive family to take him through a series of obedience classes within 90 days of adoption.  MAESSR only places puppies – even older ones – in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. Puppies require a lot of care, attention, and patience.  MAESSR believes the decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment.

Every morning his foster parents take walks with their girl, Tristan, and a neighbor and her border collie. Being a puppy, Tristan tends to pull and is easily distracted. He is attached to the resident girl on a double lead so this helps.  When he meets both people and dogs, he is friendly and wants to interact. If a dog is aggressive to him, he comes to his people for protection. His border collie friend sees it as her place to take care of him.  Everyone loves Tristan!

Full of puppy playfulness, Tristan enjoys a lot of toys.  His favorites are crinkly no-stuffing animals with a squeaker, Nyla bones, and a stuffed honking hedgehog. Because of his housemate’s age, she does not play with him the way he would like and needs.  Tristan’s foster parents supplement his playtime by having regular play-dates with a neighbor’s ten-month-old Golden retriever and his morning walking partner– the three-year-old border collie.  With all of the chasing and wrestling they love to do, Tristan burns off a lot of his puppy energy.  The border collie has a strong maternal instinct and while she will roughhouse with Tristan, she will correct him if he gets too rough.  She is also very protective of him if they are around anything (like other dogs) that she perceives as a threat.  This dynamic is fun to watch according to his people.  Tristan is one lucky boy to have good dog friends and wonderful foster parents who take care of all of his needs.  He is one happy boy!

The only interaction Tristan has had with cats involved his barking at one he saw in the bush outside of his fence. 

With the resident lab, Tristan has not displayed any guarding of toys or food as there has not been any need since he has an abundance of both in his foster home.  His canine housemate is not possessive of the toys she has accumulated over the years and she has no problem with his going through her toy baskets for whatever he likes.  He is willing to share the toys that have been bought specifically for him too.       

Tristan is fed in the same room with the resident girl. He tends to gulp his food very quickly as if he were afraid someone else would get his food. When he finished, he would want his foster sister’s food. His foster parents resolved this issue by getting him a compartmentalized food bowl. This really slowed him up and the resident now finishes before him.

This loving boy wants a forever home where his family would be home with him most of the time as he does not like to be alone.  A playful doggie friend would be a big plus too so he could get exercise playing and have a companion if his parents needed to go out. Tristan is smart and has great training potential as he is curious and loves to explore.  His foster parents find him a joy to be around and so will his adoptive family.