Won Over A Critic...With a Compromise - Page 1

I'm sure a few of you here remember the post I posted a few months back, entitled "Winning Over a Critic..." where I asked for suggestions on how to win my husband over to the GSD, since he views them with a touch of suspicion.  I received a lot of wonderful advice from folks on here about the subject, including acknowledging his feelings on the matter...

We are in the midst of a big lumber project right now, and pulling nails is getting really old.  We're almost through, thank God.  I didn't get home last night until about 10:30, and my hubby was acting a bit strange...In the utility room, there was a box, and in that box, unbeknownst to me at the time, was an eight week old Border Collie / Australian Shepherd mix puppy...blue merle.  I was really angry with the man...He got the puppy without talking to me about it first.

In the light of day, today, I have fallen totally in love with the agile little rascal, and as I write this, she's settled quietly (for the moment) in her crate, since she's not even slightly reliably housetrained yet.  She's had a heck of a first day, being at our work site, around a lot of people, noise, boards being stacked, loud noises, the whole works in a lumber reclaiming project, and she's got rock solid nerves.  I asked my hubby today, "So does this mean that I can have my Shepherd, since you got your Border?"  To my everlasting shock, he grinned and said, "I guess."

The battle is won!  Now is definitely not the time to add a Shepherd, not while housetraining this little girl, but it's nice to know that when we are ready to do so, financially, that he will give his blessing on the puppy.

I have never seen a border mix as calm as this girl...She gets wild outside, but in the house, she settles right down, happy as a lark to lay in someone's lap or sit on your feet.  She climbed up on anything she could get up on, totally fearless, and I hope I can find a GSD as solid as this pup is.  She's got the guts to try anything, doesn't shy away from a single thing.  And she's pretty cute, too, though not a GSD.

Got to get off here, and get Misty outside again.  I just wanted to let all of you know that my husband finally gave in on the GSD, and I'm finally getting a feel for puppies again, since it's been a while since I had one to housebreak and train.  I'm thinking agility would be good for this girl...She's demonstrated already a desire to do just that. Now to figure how....I've never done Agility before.

Now that I have the go ahead from the husband, it's time to start searching for a breeder to work with, and to decide between showlines and working lines...

Crys

Congrats on your new girl!  My sister has an Australian shepherd, very nice dog, great with kids, lots of energy! Your future GSD pup will love her! What's the rascals name, and do you have a picture?

Thanks, Beetree...

I don't have pics of her yet...Have been so busy on the lumber project, late nights and early mornings, and up at two hour intervals to get her outside before she messes her crate!!   Her name is Misty, for her misty blue color.  And that one black ear...just cute.  I'll take my camera tomorrow with me...This intrepid little pup, tiny as she is, just loves running with us outside, is learning to settle quietly in her crate, and is just a little nut!  She's right in the middle of everything we do, curious as can be, confident that nothing in the world can ever hurt her.  She's only been here for two days, and already she's climbing up our back porch stairs on her own, and even trying to jump up on and off of things, though I try to keep her from that, since she's so tiny.

I'll try to upload pics of her tomorrow night, but I've had some problems getting pictures to upload...When I click on the browse button on the Upload Image thing, It just takes for ever and never actually brings up my computer's pictures.  I wonder if it isn't my connection.  When I get rich and famous (yeah, right) I'll get satellite internet,  and remove the speed problem.

It's taken two nights of correcting the whining and yelping when she's in the crate, but now it's taking a lot less to get her settled down, and she's getting the housetraining pretty quick. 

I think she'll be an awesome companion to my future GSD pup, once I find the right one.  I just hope I can out-think this little girl...

Good evening.

Crys

Your Aussie mix might not have been what you were looking for but just wait until you have a GSD waiting at the door for you and he/she will have a good mate to help it along. Yes we all have to compromise somewhere and yes she will be a great mate for your future GSD.

You might be better off starting with a different herding breed. My husband thought he was a great GSD breeder when I got him. You should hear him brag about his 160 lb. breeding stock, none ever x-rayed "because they didn't have hip dysplasia." None were ever confined on this 5 acres "because they never left the property" (such a good trainer was he) ...except when they DID, which was a regular occurance according to the neighbors. He still brags about the female who was so smart she would lead her pups across our street without them getting hit by cars. Too bad his stud dog didn't have the same talent the night he ran over his own dog.
7 years of marriage to me and although he likes the dogs, he still refers to my prize GSD's as "shrimps" who "don't have the guts" to go off and beat up the neighbors pets, eat the mail carrier, chase cars, breed the neighbors' bassett hounds... you get the picture.
Argh.

SS

Shelley,

My husband's concern was over the reliability of the breed's temperament, based on what he's seen in this area.  We have a lot of BYBs around here.  I will never go that route for a GSD again...been there, done that.  The next GSD I get will come from a reputable breeder, with good dogs, not a woman who has several bitches in run down kennels and a stud dog chained in the front yard.  Never again...

With regards to the new addition to our family, here's a pic of Misty.  I was vacuuming today, and this happened in my bedroom...Grabbed the camera and snapped this...She found herself!!

She's really a very observant little pup...My stepson, who lives next door, has a VERY large female Malamute that comes over sometimes when I'm out with Misty.  Malamutes are very mouthy and overbearing, and this girl thinks that Misty is another Malamute, and she plays with this tiny little pup a bit rough...and I have to step in.  My neighbor's old Border/Aussie mix deals with this Malamute by snapping at her whenever she gets too carried away, and Misty saw this a couple of times...

Seems Misty decided that if that worked for settling the big dog down, then she'd do likewise, and today, when Cressa was getting a bit carried away, and not stopping, Misty turned on her and snapped at her, with the same type of growl that my neighbor's dog uses, and that backed the big dog off in a hurry.  Misty likes to play with her, but she's shown the bigger dog that there is a limit to how far she will let the roughness go... I've never seen an eight-week old pup with such unshakable nerves, and such intelligence as to figure out what she's figured out already.  When she knew it was time to each, but her food wasn't where she knew it should be (we've only had her since Friday night), she went to the utility room where I keep the puppy food, and stood there, on her hind legs, looking at the bag.  She knew her food was there.

Misty will barge into any new situation, confident as can be.  She's got no hesitation, and seems like she'll try anything once, just to see if she can do it.  And the housebreaking...after only four days, she's getting so she'll go to the door and whine when she needs to go out.  If I don't hear her, she'll go on the floor, but it's not her fault, since she told me she had to go.  I love the crate!!  Far fewer accidents.  Also nice to know that she's safe whenever I can't watch her.  The kids absolutely love her, and she them, so it all works out.

Can't wait to add a GSD to the mix!

Crys

Here she is...Misty

Cute girlie. I love blue merles.
Good luck with her.
SS

Thanks Shelley and Beetree...

She's quite pretty with her one black ear and one blue one...ears aren't quite right for the mix she is, but I've done some research and the ears aren't all that uncommon, though my "expert" mother in law insists she must have some Cocker Spaniel in her...LOL.  She doesn't seem to understand that in a breed, not all dogs will have the exact same ears, either in size or shape.  I have pics I could show her, but I've decided not to argue.  I know what breeds are in her, and how smart she is, so I'll just let it drop.
Here's another picture of Misty, this one with my littlest girl... She caught Misty during a headlong rush across the kitchen, this was right before she got loose and resumed her play. 

Crys