Gizmo - Australian Shepherd-Unknown Mix Male Dog For Adoption in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Posted Breed: Terrier / Australian Shepherd / Mixed.

Age: 2 yrs Sex: neutered male Estimated Breed: Australian Shepherd cross Weight: 38 lbs Good with Dogs: yes Good With Cats: yes Good with Children: yes Special/Medical Needs: no Energy Level: medium Adoption Fee: $650 Foster Home Location: Trail BC Gizmo's charm is his incredibly short legs but his incredible determination to figure out stairs has been exciting to watch. He took several days to feel at home and spend time out of his house. He needed more than a small amount of encouragement those first few days. He is timid and unsure of anything strange, but thinks the cats are for his entertainment and playtime. He takes a while to warm up to strangers, but soft encouragement and rubs under his chin go a long way. He is best in a harness because even though he is small, he is mighty and I think should he be startled and want to run badly enough that there is only a really tight collar that would hold him. Therefore for his safety, we have been using a harness. He has the timid temperament of the herding breeds along with the stubbornness, but he loves to get praise and his favorite snack. In one 45 minute hike, we had heel right at my left leg down pat. Gizmo has learned fetch and seems to love to do anything that will bring praise or belly rubs. Gizmo is a quiet boy, has not barked once yet while he has been here with us. Has whined a couple of times when the cat did not cooperate with his plans. He seems to have housetraining down pretty well with only a couple of accidents which seemed to be more of dominance than accident. Come is not in Gizmos vocabulary yet, but he is trying very hard to learn. He needs to go outside currently with a training leash on him so he can be brought back inside when time. Like a good herder, he gets focused, sometimes on his own fear and does not hear anything you are saying to calmly get him to come in. I think Gizmo would come out of his shell quickly if brought into a home with another well behaved dog. He is super sweet and lovely temperament.