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We had the pleasure of having Phoebe come stay with us for a few days which gave me the opportunity to really get to know the little red whirling dervish. I found Phoebe to be an extremely intelligent girl who loves to have her mind engaged. If you watch Phoebe closely, you can actually observe her thinking things out and pondering what her next move should be. Should she do it your way or her way? Phoebe also likes to second guess you. And yes, sometimes she does know what you are going to do before you do it and positions herself to take advantage of the situation. Very clever girl our Phoebe is. Phoebe is also a stubborn little one. She is used to waging her will against humans and winning. It takes an extra special stubborn person to out win Phoebe.
Yes Phoebe is stubborn but, when given very clear signals of communication, she is also pretty obedient. Phoebe knows many human words and responds to them well. These are just a few of the words Phoebe responds to: “sit, down, stay, off, come, to the back (very important when traveling in the car with Phoebe). Because Phoebe has a good understanding of these words, it was very easy to integrate her into our household with our dogs and cat. In the right environment, Phoebe is actually a fairly calm dog. You just have to be fair |
Phoebe does have a dominant personality. So, if you yourself do not have a dominant personality, you must at least be very consistent with her and use fair and positive methods of communication/training with her. Phoebe reacts negatively to any negative training. Phoebe can, at times, become reactive with other dogs – usually smaller dogs. But again, if you communicate well with Phoebe that you will not tolerate this kind of behavior, I don’t believe she will continue this behavior in a home. I do believe Phoebe can live with other companion animals quite successfully.
Phoebe’s major problem and it is a problem that should not be taken lightly, is that she resource guards her space. Sometimes it can be a spot on a couch or on someone’s lap. It can sometimes be the space around her if someone approaches her that she is not comfortable with. But Phoebe’s biggest problem is when she resource guards her space when she has a blanket with her. Phoebe likes to burrow under her blanket. She can become extremely protective of her blanket and will bite to safeguard it. Phoebe does give very clear and easily readable signs that she is being territorial. So, unless you ignore what she is telling you, yes you will get bitten. However, there is some good news too. In the few days that Phoebe was with us, we were able to already begin working on her guarding issues. By the end of the 4 days that she was with us, yes she still wanted to guard her sleeping space but would come off/down/away from her sleeping space when asked to. We were able to work on this issue using positive reinforcement. I truly believe that if Phoebe found the right home that understood her nature and was comfortable working on her guarding issue, that she would eventually learn to trust the people/person in her home and the guarding would eventually phase out.
Did I forget to mention that Phoebe is a highly energetic girl? Although she settles down nicely in the house, when outside, she is ready to go and go and go. She is like the energized pink bunny that kept on going and going and going. At minimum, Phoebe requires 1 hour of physical exercise a day. Exercising Phoebe’s mind along with her body will go along way into keeping Phoebe engaged so she does not become bored. Being true to her breed, Phoebe is a working dog and really does require the work to keep her happy and content. I think Phoebe could make an amazing agility dog. She is very focused on the person who works with her and most likely would become very focused on any job that was given to her. So is there anyone out there who would like teach Phoebe agility, keep up with her mind and show her that she need not guard her space because nothing is going to be permanently taken from her.
Within a two year period, Phoebe has been in no less than six different environments simply because she was misunderstood. Throughout all this upheaval in her life, I think Phoebe has displayed an indomitable spirit. Because she is intelligent, Phoebe is fun to work with and, best of all, she engages and challenges you. What more could someone want in a companion animal.
Ok...Phoebe is not for the faint of heart, she is for a person who loves a challenge. She needs a home with a human who loves dogs that are neurotic and spoiled and self centered and not always very nice. She can be spastic, and hyper, and this dog is fast as lightening (she can slip thru a door in the blink of an eye.) We call her "the red whirling wonder" and she is. Phoebe has been in several different homes, she has been with trainers and other rescues. Lot's of people do not like Phoebe when they meet her, she can be an irritating, noisy, and prissy prima donna. But we love her. We love her spunk and her fiery spirit, and her self centeredness and her joy in living. Phoebe needs a home that will love her, exactly as she is...maybe someday she will settle down but for now she is a high flying fiend. |
