Sweet, young, energetic, and full of puppy foolishness, Marva came to us from a home where she was chasing all the cats in the home and causing havoc. (Imagine, a puppy chasing cats.) As a result of the stress this happy-go-lucky girl was causing, the cats were acting out and peeing on the owners’ bed; you get the picture.
I’ll go out on a limb here and say at the core of this is what’s at the core of most canine behavior that is unacceptable - lack of training. I don’t mean hollering or striking or crating or shock collars or what have you. I mean consistent one-on-one time spent with a puppy gently, repetitively, showing what is expected, correcting/redirecting when needed, rewarding when successful - always loving, always consistent, always gentle-but-firm, as needed. The type of time-consuming commitment and repetition required to outlast the puppyness until the “aha” moment arrives and the puppy experiences the joy of behaving as trained.
If that doesn’t happen, all bets are off, and good dogs get into trouble and owners get exasperated and good dogs get crated and/or leashed ‘round the clock and eventually surrendered regardless of how much money has been well-meaningly spent on the dog along the way.
As already established, Marva is super active and craves attention all the time. (Need I remind? These dogs are born to please and endlessly crave the affirmation of loving attention). She loves being close to humans and even likes to help with chores. She is a bit tentative around men, though, which may be a residual effect of previous, perhaps misguided, training attempts.
She’s a beautiful diamond in the rough who will require a bit of “un-training” and redirecting as she is guided into the outstanding adult she will become with the correct guidance going forward.
Volunteer comments:
“Marvelous Marva! What a doll - full of pep , fun and curiosity! While working in field, she loves to “help” (mostly to be close by and interacting with her human) She’s easily trained with gentleness and consistency, being at a good age for responding.”
“Marva is a young, exuberant Dobergirl when outside playing and exercising in the fields. When inside, she will roll onto her back so that you can pet her belly.”
"Marva is a petite dobe that is just as cute as they come. In the 2 and 1/2 years I have volunteered, I‘m not sure there have been any cuter than her! Right now she is a little intimidated by the larger dobes as she is adjusting to her new surroundings. That has made her a little cautious with strangers but don‘t let that fool you...she loves attention. When sitting on the floor with her, she will roll over and become "paralyzed" as she soaks up every bit of petting that you are willing to provide. She gives out kisses too! She has good energy that makes her fun but not overwhelming. Unless you are just looking for a large sized dobe, there is nothing to dislike about Marva. She just has a way of grabbing your attention and putting a smile on your face! I‘ll leave you with this...there are a lot of "I‘d take her if I could" type comments from the volunteers!"
If you’re home, heart, and level of dedication and knowledge are such as to guide this puppy into adulthood, make an appointment to meet her once your application is approved. She will wiggle herself into your heart and challenge your commitment, but the rewards will truly be “Marva-lous.”
