Merlin *Courtesy Posting*

This is a courtesy posting for Home Herding Rescue. Please direct all inquiries to herdinghomerescue@gmail.com and submit an application at https://www.herdinghomerescue.com/adoption-application<br/><br/>Merlin is an adorably fluffy 1.5-2Y, 17lb mini/toy Aussie mix who was rescued from the euthanasia list at a Houston-area shelter. Don't let his fun size fool you, Merlin shows a lot of working/herding breed traits and is a bundle of fun and energy and can keep up on any physical activity that a dog 2-3x his size can do!<br/><br/>Merlin's top characteristics:<br/><br/>- Very friendly and affectionate! He is sweet with new people (and at the vet!) but is also distinctively loyal to his own people<br/><br/>- Highly intelligent and motivated - picked up most of his basic obedience very quickly and is very motivated by food and toys<br/><br/>- Active, but very easy to entertain. Merlin loves fetch, tug, flirt poles, chasing the jet setting on a hose (his fav and great for a hot day), squeaky toys. He may be small but he is young and NOT a couch potato - he is at his best when he gets at least 2-3 hours of exercise and enrichment per day (walks/jogs, backyard play, puzzle treats, training, etc.)<br/><br/>- Good with other dogs and cats (he lives with 2 dogs and 3 cats and has met several other new dogs). He can be very herd-y when another dog is running, especially a new dog, so would not recommend him for a dog park setting<br/><br/><br/>Merlin's quirks and work-in-progress:<br/><br/>- He has likely been roughly handled / mistreated in the past and is very sensitive to being push into a confined space, like a crate, by any amount of force. He is pretty tolerant with being handled everyone on his body WHEN it's gentle and by someone he trusts and he does go into a crate willingly when a treat is tossed/his food is in a crate. He is crate trained and sleeps in a crate at night, but does require a gentle hand/approach, lots of POSITIVE reinforcement and some trust building. We would recommend that the adopter continues positively reinforcing crating to help him build resilience against his past trauma, but he isn't destructive out of the crate either<br/><br/>- On walks, He has been showing some interest in herding large trucks and likes to bark at runners. He's not difficult to redirect and isn't difficult to handle (being so small). Getting some of his energy out before a walk (with a 5-10 min play session) has significantly reduced these instances<br/><br/>- He is jumpy for attention! He is still working on improving his manners when he gets excited to see you<br/><br/>Merlin is a super fun pup, sweet, and loyal pup for a home that is interested in an active and playful companion and one that is experienced or interested in learning about herding/working dogs and working with those breed-specific traits!<br/><br/>Merlin is being fostered in Houston, TX

This is a courtesy posting for Home Herding Rescue. Please direct all inquiries to herdinghomerescue@gmail.com and submit an application at https://www.herdinghomerescue.com/adoption-application

Merlin is an adorably fluffy 1.5-2Y, 17lb mini/toy Aussie mix who was rescued from the euthanasia list at a Houston-area shelter. Don't let his fun size fool you, Merlin shows a lot of working/herding breed traits and is a bundle of fun and energy and can keep up on any physical activity that a dog 2-3x his size can do!

Merlin's top characteristics:

- Very friendly and affectionate! He is sweet with new people (and at the vet!) but is also distinctively loyal to his own people

- Highly intelligent and motivated - picked up most of his basic obedience very quickly and is very motivated by food and toys

- Active, but very easy to entertain. Merlin loves fetch, tug, flirt poles, chasing the jet setting on a hose (his fav and great for a hot day), squeaky toys. He may be small but he is young

This is a courtesy posting for Home Herding Rescue. Please direct all inquiries to herdinghomerescue@gmail.com and submit an application at https://www.herdinghomerescue.com/adoption-application

Merlin is an adorably fluffy 1.5-2Y, 17lb mini/toy Aussie mix who was rescued from the euthanasia list at a Houston-area shelter. Don't let his fun size fool you, Merlin shows a lot of working/herding breed traits and is a bundle of fun and energy and can keep up on any physical activity that a dog 2-3x his size can do!

Merlin's top characteristics:

- Very friendly and affectionate! He is sweet with new people (and at the vet!) but is also distinctively loyal to his own people

- Highly intelligent and motivated - picked up most of his basic obedience very quickly and is very motivated by food and toys

- Active, but very easy to entertain. Merlin loves fetch, tug, flirt poles, chasing the jet setting on a hose (his fav and great for a hot day), squeaky toys. He may be small but he is young and NOT a couch potato - he is at his best when he gets at least 2-3 hours of exercise and enrichment per day (walks/jogs, backyard play, puzzle treats, training, etc.)

- Good with other dogs and cats (he lives with 2 dogs and 3 cats and has met several other new dogs). He can be very herd-y when another dog is running, especially a new dog, so would not recommend him for a dog park setti