Mara is about 9 months old and weighs approximately 8 lbs. I suspect she will mature to about 12 lbs tops. She is a lovely little dog with an immense personality in a very small package. She is good with other dogs, though a little shy at first around the bigger ones. She appears to have no issues with polite children and is undetermined with cats and other small critters. Her schipperke nature suggests she would be prone to chase smaller animals. She is housebroken for the most part. She does alert when she wants to go out and has a fairly well defined potty schedule. Due to her age, potty training will have to continue until she fully "gets it" but I have had few accidents with her. She is kennel trained but we've been working on leaving her out for longer periods and so far she's been exemplary. She does bark, but no where near what her breed would suggest. I have taught her that barking is normal, but when I say "enough" it's time to stop. She does a pretty good job, but her breed is known for its watch dog abilities. She is super smart and is learning the basic commands quickly. She loves to go for walks and ideally would go twice a day or I could see how she could become destructive. She walks very well on a leash. The dog park is a new adventure for her and she enjoys it for the most part. She gets tired of being chased after a while and just wants to hang out by your side. She does this running/hopping/stag leap thing and it is hilarious. It's the most perfect representation of doggie bliss. When she is outside, she needs to be on a leash or in a well fenced yard. She is so fascinated by anything and everything she will wander off. While she knows her name, she only feels like listening to the "come" command when it suits her interests. She can be bone aggressive. We've worked through the food bowl issues successfully so I don't think her tendency to resource guard will be a long term problem.

She is a funny and warm little dog. She makes me laugh every day. I'm absolutely convinced that she was a benevolent princess in a former life. She loves to play with toys, go for car rides and curl up on your lap or chest. I believe she is best suited for a family that is familiar with dogs. Schipperke's have a tendency to be dominant and stubborn, Mira is no exception. She requires a firm, patient hand and someone who lets her know who the boss is without crushing her spirit. She would do fine in a home with other dogs, even if she wasn't the alpha but she would need to be given the time to learn her position. My miniature schnauzer is a hard critic of, and dominant to, most other dogs and she likes him just fine, he's not sure about her though. She will make someone very very happy with her foxy little grin and eagerness to please.

She does have a neurological disorder that we hope she will grow out of with age. She only tremors when nervous or highly excited, otherwise it has become very minimal.

Here is a link to her disorder and a discription explaining:

http://ic.upei.ca/cidd/disorder/hypo-dysmyelinogenesis-shaking-pup

Mato's adoption fee is $350.00.

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