In good shape, dog gets home in spring (5,4)
I believe the answer is:
doing well
'in good shape dog gets home in spring' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'dog gets home in spring' is the wordplay.
'gets' indicates putting letters inside (gets can mean captures or absorbs).
'home' becomes 'in' ('he's home' can mean 'he's in').
'in spring' becomes 'well' (both can mean a source of water. I am not sure about the 'in' bit.).
'dog' going around 'in' is 'doing'.
'doing'+'well'='DOING WELL'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Another definition for doing well that I've seen is " Making good progress, say patient".)