Both of our dogs were adopted from the Humane Society at about 9 months old.
Ben (shown here at rest) is a australian shepherd/blue heeler cross.
He was already housebroken when we got him but had been put up for adoption because he was a 'little' hyper. We took him to a couple of series of puppy school at Petsmart and worked at socialising him at the offleash park. He's going on 6 years now and is still hyper, still kind of crazy, has discovered random barking as a hobby, inserts himself between me and my wife at every opportunity and I don't even rightly remember when we were just a 'cat only' household. He went through his destructive phase, which was mercifully short, and has full run of the house and our full trust. He's an awesome mutt. He has a bit of an identity crisis though. When he's not trying to be a human (watches tv, sits in chairs etc.) he thinks he's a much smaller dog or maybe a cat. That's when he's either in a lap or lying across the back of the sofa.
Mo. Is a force of nature. She's a Shiba Inu (japanese hunting dog) cross rescue from Louisiana.
She was an uphill battle with training which I attribute as much to the breed as to her time in the kennel system. Very stubborn, possessive, fierce and loyal. We're still working out her destructive quirks after 2 years and have narrowed it down to anything that moves in the backyard and shoes.
When it comes to training, with the exception of non-negotiables such as shitting outside, it's a fair balance of training the dog and the dog training you. A basic obedience course worked wonders, much to my surprise.
Whippets are cool, though a little high strung. My first dog, who moved to Canada with us, was a whippet/jack russell cross and she was the most nimble dog I've yet seen. Somewhere I've got a pic of her standing like a figurehead on the bow of a speedboat at full throttle on Georgian bay.
But I babble. If you want a dog, please research the breeds. Dog ownership is a real responsibility. But it pays back in spades.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
gonski
Fine looking chap. 
). We like the look of manchester terriers but someone has said they can be a bit difficult ? A friend from 'backhome' in Norn Iron has a whippet and tells me they are great pets, and with me now living in the north of england and all that it would be the perfect match for my new flat cap.
