Zip, a 5 year old mini aussie, is the sweetest thing in the world. She ignores cats. She’s potty trained and house trained. She loves to play fetch. She sleeps all night next to our bed. She has never barked or made a peep! And she will love and cuddle you all day long. She doesn't have a tail, so when she's excited she has the cutest little wiggle butt! 

 

 She just needs someone that is patient and understanding, that for breeder releases the world can be scary. She is initially scared of new people and sounds. But with calm intros, she warms up to people after just a few minutes. It's just that initial "newness".  She's scared of dogs she sees on the street, but with slow intros, she's fine with other dogs in her home. For her, everything is just about slow intros and her human assuring her that she's safe. She is learning about new things SUPER fast. I don't think it will take much time for her to  love the outdoors and learn about regular neighborhood noises. 

Things we're working on:
 She LOVES the backyard, it's safe there. But she gets scared going for walks when unexpected noises happen. (car drives by, sees a stranger, air conditioners etc...)  We do go for a walk a few times a day so that she can learn how fun it is to explore! But this is a work in progress and her adopter will have to understand that and continue to take her for walks to explore. Once she gets going though, she can actually run pretty fast and keep up with me on a jog. She will probably always be a little skittish, but with time and intentional exposure, she'll learn that the outdoors, beyond her yard, is fun, it's just very new right now. 

 

She hasn't had a single accident. But, because the outside is scary, sometimes going to the bathroom takes a while. If she hears a noise, she can get spooked and hold her pee.  She can and will hold her pee for an entire day, and She doesn't make any noise to let you know she needs to go, she'll just hold it. So scheduled potty breaks are important!  She is SUPER smart so I think she'll be very easy to train to ring a bell when she needs to go out. 

I think she would make the perfect dog for a quiet household with either a calm dog, and/or cats. She will cuddle with you all day if you let her. But she's also happy to sleep in the same room with you while you go about your day. 

She is one of the easiest fosters I've ever had. And with minimal, but intentional training/noise exposure, she'll get over her small quirks pretty quickly. Most of the time she is just happy and enjoying the good life!