diff --git a/lib/document.js b/lib/document.js
index 50d30063fe5..4348e6636e6 100644
--- a/lib/document.js
+++ b/lib/document.js
@@ -35,12 +35,16 @@ function Document (obj, fields) {
   this.schema.requiredPaths.forEach(function (path) {
     self._activePaths.require(path);
   });
+
   this._saveError = null;
   this._validationError = null;
   this.isNew = true;
+
   if (obj) this.set(obj);
+
   this._registerHooks();
   this.doQueue();
+
   this.errors = undefined;
 };
 
@@ -156,51 +160,59 @@ Document.prototype.buildDoc = function (fields) {
  */
 
 Document.prototype.init = function (doc, fn) {
-  var self = this;
   this.isNew = false;
 
-  function init (obj, doc, prefix) {
-    prefix = prefix || '';
+  init(this, doc, this._doc);
+  this.emit('init');
 
-    var keys = Object.keys(obj)
-      , len = keys.length
-      , i;
+  if (fn)
+    fn(null);
 
-    while (len--) {
-      i = keys[len];
-      var path = prefix + i
-        , schema = self.schema.path(path);
+  return this;
+};
 
-      if (!schema && obj[i] && 'Object' === obj[i].constructor.name) {
-        // assume nested object
-        doc[i] = {};
-        init(obj[i], doc[i], path + '.');
-      } else {
-        if (obj[i] === null) {
-          doc[i] = null;
-        } else if (obj[i] !== undefined) {
-          if (schema) {
-            self.try(function(){
-              doc[i] = schema.cast(obj[i], self, true);
-            });
-          } else {
-            doc[i] = obj[i];
-          }
-        }
-        // mark as hydrated
-        self._activePaths.init(path);
-      }
-    }
-  };
+/**
+ * Init helper.
+ * @param {Object} instance
+ * @param {Object} obj - raw mongodb doc
+ * @param {Object} doc - object we are initializing
+ * @private
+ */
 
-  init(doc, self._doc);
+function init (self, obj, doc, prefix) {
+  prefix = prefix || '';
 
-  this.emit('init');
+  var keys = Object.keys(obj)
+    , len = keys.length
+    , schema
+    , path
+    , i;
 
-  if (fn)
-    fn(null);
+  while (len--) {
+    i = keys[len];
+    path = prefix + i;
+    schema = self.schema.path(path);
 
-  return this;
+    if (!schema && obj[i] && 'Object' === obj[i].constructor.name) {
+      // assume nested object
+      doc[i] = {};
+      init(self, obj[i], doc[i], path + '.');
+    } else {
+      if (obj[i] === null) {
+        doc[i] = null;
+      } else if (obj[i] !== undefined) {
+        if (schema) {
+          self.try(function(){
+            doc[i] = schema.cast(obj[i], self, true);
+          });
+        } else {
+          doc[i] = obj[i];
+        }
+      }
+      // mark as hydrated
+      self._activePaths.init(path);
+    }
+  }
 };
 
 // Set up middleware support