Dewey FAQ
In response to various questions people have asked, I've decided to put together a little page to answer some of the more Frequenlty Asked Questions about Dewey.
Q - Does Dewey show any aggressive tendencies?
A - Before we had received Dewey, another foster parent in Phoenix fostered him for several days. She had
6 dogs, including Dewey. While living with those 5 other dogs he displayed no aggressive tendencies.
We've seen no aggression towards people or animals in our home.
Dewey's been to a nearby dog park several times, and he seems to get along with other
dogs just fine. While there, he was friendly and outgoing. He loves to play with any person
or dog that will play with him. He's always ready to play. Unfortunately, our dog Zeke isn't really playful with other dogs, however, Dewey and Zeke get along fine.
Q - Is Dewey an alpha dog?
A- No
Q - Is Dewey house broken?
A- When we received Dewey, he was not house broken, had severe diarrhea (diagnosed to have giardia,
which has been cured) and seemed to have no sense of house manners at all. Our guess is that he never
lived in a house before. He jumped right over the furniture and he had no issues lying down
and sleeping on the furniture. He's now house broken, never jumps over furniture, and does not lay on furniture.
He uses the doggy door as if he has used it all his life. He even takes himself out in the middle of the night.
On a related note, Dewey still has a lot of puppy left in him. He loves to chew. He has chewed up a pen
(on the carpet), at the heel of a bedroom slipper, and pretty much damaged a blanket we gave him. He
now has his own stuffed animals and chew toys, which helps a lot.
Q - Does Dewey bark a lot?
A - Like most Springer Spaniels, Dewey makes a good watch dog, but a very poor guard dog. He doesn't
bark at every sound he hears, but when it's a new sound, or something he sees through the window happening
on or near the property, he'll let you know. Overall, a day around the house is pretty quiet.
Q - How is Dewey in the car?
A - When Dewey first arrived he resisted getting into the car or truck. It was something of a struggle
getting him in, but after several trips to nearby desert, he now can hardly wait to GO and get in the vehicle.
He Springer squeals with excitement and is almost disturbingly anxious to get to the outdoors. We're
currently taking him on more low reward trips (e.g., the grocery store, gas station, library, etc.), and we're
noticing improvement on that overzealous behavior - unless we get close to any of his high value destinations.
Q - Does Dewey know any commands?
A - He knows STAY; he doesn't get out of the car until told OK. He generally comes when called by his name,
and knows SIT. He understands WANNA GO(?), or WHO WANTS TO GO FOR A RIDE(?). When he gets fed, the excitement is so great that he just can't stay still. He will SIT, but if you say STAY and move away or turn around, he'll wiggle to be closely in front of you. Same thing when you put down the food and say STAY. This little excited lover does need a little work.
He knows the commands, and generally obeys, but not always. He needs more and more disciplined training to get close to 100%. He would benefit with further training and perhaps obedience school. He's not a finished dog, but he is smart and wants to please. He will pick up any training pretty quickly. He'll also learn what he can get away with!
Q - Will Dewey bolt and run away?
A - As you can see from the photos and movies, we're pretty comfortable letting Dewey run loose. He goes
to the street with us when we get mail or take out the garbage. When we're working in the front yard, he'll be out there with us, but we keep him fenced in the back yard (with access to the doggy door) when we're not in the front
yard to keep an eye on him. He has shown no tendency to bolt and run away.
Q - Is Dewey a good hunter?
A - Dewey runs pretty hard for up to an hour (the longest we've been out with him at a time), and chases rabbits and flushes quail. I don't think he has a high quality nose, because when the tennis ball gets lost, our dog will find it more often and from farther away than Dewey. Once again, he's an energetic dog who loves the outdoors, and will chase anything he finds. With proper field training, I think he'd be a good hunting companion, but I could be wrong. If a good field dog is important to you, you should get a dog with a good field pedigree from a reputable breeder.
Q- Is Dewey leash trained?
Dewey was not trained in any discernible way when he came to us. That includes leash training. He's been taken out on the leash maybe 4 times, and has shown dignificant improvement each time. He hardly pulls at all anymore, unless there's a really good smell we're walking past. He will benefit with proper leash training. He's a happy lovable dog that learns quickly.