Tell me about my dog's likely temperment?! Mixed breeds?

Question

In the past 6 months I've adopted two dogs from a) being found stray and b) the animal shelter. I know it would just be a matter of guestimating what the temperments of each animal would be -- but would you like to take a guess and give me some constructive advice?

Dog 1 - Ginger - 1yo spayed female JRT/West Highland Terrier
Dog 2 - Foxy... - 3yo spayed female Chi/Italian Greyhound

They are wonderful pets and get along famously, but I was wondering what I have to look forward to for either girl. We love them SO much! Each is crate trained, walked 2x a day, allowed to play in the yard supervised, and fed Artemis Fresh Mix Small Breed Adult kibble (if any of that applies to their temperment).

Constructive advice appreciated and welcomed.

Thanks for your input! Ginger is playful and pigheaded at times, but LOVES to learn and learns quickly. Foxy came in 10lbs lighter than Ginger, but tries her best to put Ginger in her place when she's had enough of the wrestling.

I read a lot about how to introduce them and took special care to make sure neither would feel slighted by one another.

I think Ginger keeps Foxy from being too controlling and uptight - because Ginger wants to play A LOT. Foxy, however keeps Ginger on her toes because Foxy can and WILL draw the line when necessary.

Both dogs are wonderful watchdogs - I don't necessarily need to be startled when a squirrel jumps down off the wall, but I'm happy they're lookin' out for us.

I have 2 kids, 2 cats, 2 snakes and 2 dogs. :)

Pictures --

Foxy - http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=418115
Ginger - http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=418091

Oh GitEmGang I love your passion. I prefer to rescue animals so a pure bred is not for me. And yes, I was bored and sick and looking for comments from the peanut gallery most of which were very sweet. Guess what, I even appreciate you! Merry Christmas!

Answer 1

There is no real way to predict the temperament of a mixed breed. Even when you have a purebred, it may not fall within the normal range for that breed. Each dog has their own personailty. A lot has to do with the way they are teated and how much love they are given. I have seen how much you love your dogs. I think they will be well adjusted happy little dogs. Both may be quite hyper.

Answer 2

I'd say you're already doing a great job with them! If they're happy in your company and get along well with each other, that's most of the battle right there.

There's no way to predict what an individual crossbreed will turn out like, of course, but you can make an educated guess. (And be prepared for it to be totally wrong, too!)

Ginger -- Jack Russells and Westies are both high energy breeds, so she could be a ball of fire who needs a lot of playtime and more walks. She may have a tendency to be a one-person dog as she gets older or at least much prefer not to deal with outsiders. And I suspect that she may be determination squared later in life. . .if she wants something, she WILL prevail!

Foxy -- Italian greyhounds are usually pretty sweet animals, albeit a bit high-strung sometimes. That could combine with the Chihuahua to make her a little bit edgy on occasion. Depending on which part of her heritage is dominant, she will probably either love children or do her best to avoid them.

Congrats on getting such well-mannered, sweet-tempered babies! I hope you all have a long and wonderful life together. :-)

Answer 3

Sounds like Ginger and Foxy have a great forever home. Terriers can be feisty, so be sure to keep the upper hand with Ginger. They can be very strong willed and if they get out of the yard or away from you and see something that they want, will take off and not stop for anything. They will test you from time to time to see if you really mean it, so make sure you mean it. Foxy is a Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound mix (if I'm understanding your shorthand). I don't really know that much about those two breeds, never had either of them. I do know that Greyhounds, of any size, are very laid back dogs and can be real couch potatoes. The Chihuahua can also be a bit feisty and hard to handle if you let them get the upper hand. My mother-in-law had one and he was a nice dog, but he only really liked her and had little tolerance for any one else and would get nippy. I got along good with him because I always pet him and scratched his ears and he loved that. So you might want to watch Foxy being nippy with other people, especially if she gets real attached to just one member of your family.

Answer 4

Well, I don't know much about Greyhound or Chihuahua temperaments, but I too have a JRT mix.

He is a people pleaser. He's also high spirited, fun loving, stubborn, a bit of a smart *ss, a stinker, and he torments my cats when he thinks no one is watching.

When training him I have to tire him out a little first or I can't keep his attention for more then a few seconds. He's very willing to learn new things but he gets so excited about what he already knows that he tends to run through every command he knows even when I only ask for one. As I said, eager to please. If I can get him to sit still and wait for my command he'll do only what I ask, otherwise it's another rendition of "sit, shake, lay down, sit up, and bang". Once he's gone through his tricks he will stay on the floor until I tell him to get up. Then it starts all over again. When we train after a long romp in the yard with my other dog though, his ADHD (LOL!) isn't so bad.

He's a bit of a hard *ss, If he can be that and submissive at the same time. He does NOT like to share. Growling is part of his nature and he takes advantage of that. The poor cats can't come on the bed at night because Junior will claim the bed. He has strong aggression when on a leash (we're working on that) and when there's another dog he can't get to. He's very friendly towards other dogs when he's loose with them though.

I can't punish him because he really doesn't seem to care. What works for me is ignoring the bad and rewarding the good. Obviously he'll get a surprise loud "JUNIOR!" when I catch him trying to lift his leg on something inside (hasn't happened in three months now :) but he responds better to positive reinforcement or "time outs". I make him sit and stay when I'm upset with him and he hates it. He has to follow me everywhere and if I don't let him he's miserable.

Mine has Beagle in him as well so he's also got a lot of scent hound. That's all I can offer you hope it helps.

By the way, I always enjoy your answers to questions, they're wonderfully informative and educated answers for everyone!

Edit>> One more thing I forgot to mention about my JRT mix, if I don't keep him busy, he finds things to keep himself entertained. These are usually things I don't appreciate him doing...

Answer 5

Ignore Won't Ever Stop- he is just plain rude I have a Maltese and as a pup she had tendencies to be aggressive, yappy etc etc However with love and work I trained her to not be possessive with her food or toys. I had my daughter (under my strict supervision) assist me so she would be used to children as well. All are appalled at just how loving and "licky" she is. She loves curling up on your lap or on your shoulders, or next to you in bed. She follows at my heals throughout the house and is very loyal. She seldom barks when I am with her, granted if I put her in the garage and she knows I am home she will protest. I simply make sure she has plenty chew toys things to keep her entertained and reward her good behavior and try and correct her barking if there is no reason for it. (Granted if there is someone/something she feels threatened of, I do not discourage her being a dog and doing her job). I could go on and on, but the bottom line is I had to work with her from a very early age and correct her potential bad behavior. Good Luck

Answer 6

I just wanted to say that those mixes sound so cute!!
I'd love to see pictures!
I dont really have experience with any of those breeds, but Ive read that when you have mixes, you should research all breeds involved since you could get any combo. I think it depends on the amount of each breed in the dog.
I have a Shar-pei / Golden Retreiver mix : ) The retreiver definatly calms her a bit, but Gertie still has some Shar-pei agressivness toward new dogs. She is sooo adorable tho, she's my baby : ) We plan on getting a small dog fairly soon. I'm still not sure what kind, been looking at papillons allot tho. I'll probably go back to the humane society, where i got Gertie, and look there : )

Answer 7

They are both high engery dogs. Terrier can be a bit snapy. So can greyhounds. Greyhounds after they have lived out being race dogs are put down a lot for that reason. Its wrong, people are stuipd. Any good dog food will work, if you like here is a site to help you make your own food for your dogs.
http://www.simplypets.com/pet-recipes/Dog/Meal
Mine like the lamb

Answer 8

Well I would guess that Ginger is probably going to be a bundle of energy. Russel's tend to be really hyper and can be really friendly but can also be aggressive. I don't know much about the other three breeds in the mix, but if you go here: http://www.akc.org/breeds/index.cfm?nav_area=breeds There is a link on the left side of the page that should give you information on each different breed, including personality to give you a better idea of what to expect from your dogs.

Answer 9

Let's see....
Foxy:
Chihuahuas & Italian Greyhounds are both pretty submissive and timid breeds. So she'll probably be your little baby, and will look to you and Ginger, to protect her.

Ginger:
JRTs are extremely active dogs, full of energy, and a little hard-headed, which can make it difficult to train. Westies are very self-confident dogs, and can make wonderful guard dogs, despite their size.

Answer 10

You should KNOW BETTER!!!!

It's ABSOLUTELY***IMPOSSIBLE*** to predict *ANYTHING* about MUTT/MONGRELS! Conformation ***OR*** temperament!

Which,of course,is POINT of pure bred animals!!!

I realize that,like most people her,you're just bored & "making conversation" but...it's REALLY stupid to blather on about MUTTS here & expect ANY sort of intelligent answers from all the members of the Moron League.

Btw..there NO westie AT ALL in the hairy mutt.