I was just thinking lately about how different Barley is compared to my first Sheltie.
She was a true 'Diva' in every sense of the word. I don't think she was ever silly, even as a puppy. She housetrained in a week and never destroyed anything. She was friendly but snobby with strangers and other dogs. Not aggressive in any way, just not interested. She liked our family and a few other select people and that was that. Dogs were looked down upon like she wasn't part of their species.
She had no use for toys of any sort and I spent a ton of money on them until finally giving up. She also would never go through puddles of any kind - it was simply beneath her to get her paws wet and dirty. She would just sit down on the sidewalk and wait for you to pick her up and carry her over.
She was pretty lazy for a Sheltie and would be satisfied with a daily walk around the block.
We attended a few obedience trials and she was decent, but not super enthusiastic. She would recall but it was always a slow walk over, like "Fine, I'm coming but it better be worth it..."
She was extremely food motivated and loved all food in that way that only Shelties can.
She loved being groomed, was stubborn as hell and always knew she was being admired for her good looks.
We loved her to pieces and it was a very sad day to say goodbye to her when she passed at 13.5.
This was our lovely lady:
And THEN there's Barley. He's funny, goofy, super silly and prances instead of walks. He loves to run, is very toy motivated - more so than food, and has destroyed most of his toys from 'loving' them too much.
If there is a puddle in the vicinity Barley knows it and RACES towards it. He loves mud, sand, and getting nice and dirty.
He loves anyone he meets, be it human or dog, and greets them with so much enthusiasm he looks like a bouncing ball.
He isn't bad at obedience but still too silly to control himself for long. His recall is a bouncy jumpy happy run across the room, his big furry bum wagging all the way. He eats his food and likes it but isn't huge on treats - he'd much rather be socializing than eating treats.
Here's my pretty boy at almost 7 months:
So funny how different their personalities can be, even though they look alike.
You never know exactly what you'll get when you adopt a new puppy and I guess that's the fun of it.
She was a true 'Diva' in every sense of the word. I don't think she was ever silly, even as a puppy. She housetrained in a week and never destroyed anything. She was friendly but snobby with strangers and other dogs. Not aggressive in any way, just not interested. She liked our family and a few other select people and that was that. Dogs were looked down upon like she wasn't part of their species.
She had no use for toys of any sort and I spent a ton of money on them until finally giving up. She also would never go through puddles of any kind - it was simply beneath her to get her paws wet and dirty. She would just sit down on the sidewalk and wait for you to pick her up and carry her over.
She was pretty lazy for a Sheltie and would be satisfied with a daily walk around the block.
We attended a few obedience trials and she was decent, but not super enthusiastic. She would recall but it was always a slow walk over, like "Fine, I'm coming but it better be worth it..."
She was extremely food motivated and loved all food in that way that only Shelties can.
She loved being groomed, was stubborn as hell and always knew she was being admired for her good looks.
We loved her to pieces and it was a very sad day to say goodbye to her when she passed at 13.5.
This was our lovely lady:
And THEN there's Barley. He's funny, goofy, super silly and prances instead of walks. He loves to run, is very toy motivated - more so than food, and has destroyed most of his toys from 'loving' them too much.
If there is a puddle in the vicinity Barley knows it and RACES towards it. He loves mud, sand, and getting nice and dirty.
He loves anyone he meets, be it human or dog, and greets them with so much enthusiasm he looks like a bouncing ball.
He isn't bad at obedience but still too silly to control himself for long. His recall is a bouncy jumpy happy run across the room, his big furry bum wagging all the way. He eats his food and likes it but isn't huge on treats - he'd much rather be socializing than eating treats.
Here's my pretty boy at almost 7 months:
So funny how different their personalities can be, even though they look alike.
You never know exactly what you'll get when you adopt a new puppy and I guess that's the fun of it.
and Barley looks like he's going to charge the photographer to come PLAY. So similar in looks and so different in personalities.