Having no idea of his background Spirit and I started on our journey. We started with the basics of crate training, socialization, basic obedience and of course housebreaking. – Crate Training….NO problem, he loves his crate, even though the door is left open, he spends most of his time lounging in it of his own free will.
– Socialization, NO problem, he does very well with other dogs at first meeting on every occasion. He has done well with all sizes of dogs, big and small. One thing I found odd though was that he really had no desire to “cuddle” which I found extremely odd given my past experience with the traditional “velcro” dobermans I had owned and fostered previously. I noted immediately he was a voracious eater, and ate the food almost as quickly as it was being served into his dish. We would need to work on that for sure! He has since learned to sit and wait for the food to be put into the bowl, but we are still working on slowing down.
He loves to go for walks and gets very excited when he sees the walking collar and leash so he is also learning how to sit and wait by the door on our way out.
– Last but not least, housebreaking. I have had a number of foster dogs, each with their own issues, most had at least one “potty accident” in the house. It is almost expected, especially from newly neutered males in new environments, so not a big deal, right? Well after several weeks, several “accidents” and even wetting in his beloved crate I was perplexed..why? He was let out regularly, given limited water at night and still just did not seem to “get it”. He initially had a wire crate and would lift his leg and pee out of it…pretty smart guy! 🙂 So, we changed to a plastic crate and things got better, but he would still occasionally wet in that, no rhyme or reason to it really. Again, I was perplexed and frustrated. What was I doing wrong? We had ruled out any medical reason for the issue. The answer to my questions came in late July when I received information and photographs on where Spirit had come from, the images were horrible. He did not come from a “breeder” in Iowa. He spend nearly the entire first two years of his life in disgusting and deplorable conditions in a “puppy mill”. From the reports there were over 350 adult dogs and 50 puppies on site. Several different breeds, large and small. The housebreaking issues all made perfect sense now. He had always had no choice about where he went potty. He literally ate and slept in his and other dogs urine and feces.
After learning about where he came from the puzzle started coming together. He probably never knew when his next meal would be and likely had to compete for food so eating as much as he could as quickly as he could was a survival instinct. He very likely had little to no human contact, let alone any human touch or kindness which shed a bright light on why he is not a typical snuggly “velcro” doberman. Rest assured, Spirit has a nice warm bed and no lack of love or affection shown to him now.
So, What’s in a name anyway? Although I was trying to be clever about naming him, associating it with the fact that he was white, without flat out calling him Casper or Ghost. It turns out “Spirit” is more than a reference to his coloring or ghostly appearance, it represents his will to survive deplorable living conditions and still be trusting and willing to learn, adapt and love. His spirit was not broken and if fact is helping him now to thrive. We just celebrated Spirits 2nd Birthday on July 31, 2013. The only thing remaining is for him to get the ultimate gift…..to find his forever home, could it be with you?