Susan Howell

You have given so many great ideas for us to try. I cannot thank you all enough for your ideas and experience. Hopefully, some day I can help someone myself. On Monday I'm having knee replacement surgery, but we do have some family who can walk her. We also have a pond and I had never though of the tiring effect of swimming, so that's a real possibility! My house is a bit small for the treadmill, but I've tried fetch with her and sometimes that works; other times she just isn't interested. Sadie has a nice large yard. The main limiting factor with her seems to be that she wants to be with one of us ALL the time. I've even noticed that she spends more time eating her food when I'm nearby in the kitchen.
Anyone have any great tricks to teach? She knows sit, stay, down, speak, shake, come, and turn around already.
We're not new to this dog-rearing thing. We've had three German Shepherds in succession, just no one the slightest bit like Sadie. She's smarter than any of the GSD's, by a long shot. It's amazing. And don't even get me started on the scent-detection ability. There's no way to every have a secret snack around here!

Unfortunately, I'm not able to give Sadie organized exercise, i.e. walking on the leash or anything where I have to do the moving along with her. I have a knee injury and am facing a total knee replacement this month. Husband has psoriatic arthritis and peripheral neuropathy in his feet. We're not old; we just have joint issues, especially for me, in the time since we adopted Sadie. For me, things will improve, but for now I cannot walk or actively play with her. It makes me sad, but it's just life for us right now.
This Springer is absolutely brilliant! That probably doesn't help the situation. She has almost immediately learned everything I've taught her. As a retired teacher, however, I know that the brightest kids are often the ones who are the most easily bored and get into trouble! This is the case, too, with Sadie. BTW, we will be breeding her once. We live in Alabama, in case anyone is interested.

Sadie's an almost 8-month-old English Springer Spaniel. She's the smartest dog I have had in my 62 years and she's also the most destructive. Like a gifted child, I think she bores more easily than most and has to find things for those 'idle paws' to do! We're retired and I'm guessing she wants us to go outside with her, also take her everywhere with us. If we don't, she tears something up, including her crate. It's been a trip! The responses to my posts have been so helpful - several of them! We got her to calm down at the front door by putting her on leash. I now know WHY she may be 'faking us off' at the back door, but I don't know how to fix it, not when we can't go out with her. Thanks for ALL the help.

Our dog goes to the door all the time, but 3/4 of the time she won't go outside. We figure there's some personality or psychological reason, but just can't find out what it is. Oh, she completely housebroken; she just fakes us off over and over!

We have an English Springer Spaniel puppy. Well she's 7 1/2 months old. She goes berserk when anyone comes in the door! I mean she really loses it! We don't know what to do with her. She's the smartest dog I've ever known, and really sweet, but she just has this problem.