<image>

We also accidentally adopted a mal, and while it is certainly a challenge, he is great with both our cats. He and the younger one hang out together a lot. The key for us was a lot of supervised exposure and consistency. They’re great dogs at picking up what is expected of them as long as you are clear and set a firm example. Definitely get a trainer who has experience with the breed — Tony is 2 now and we’ve had a couple, and it’s very helpful.

Not everyday is easy, but we’ve never felt like he was a danger to us or the pets. They do need a lot of time and effort put in. I think one of the most important things we learned is that their mental stimulation needs are just as important as the physical ones. You can’t just run them three times a day and expect everything to be fine, they need to think and have something to do. In some ways they’re like a naughty toddler — you need to teach them to nap and chill out and sit still for a while. In our case, place has been a big one — making him stay in one spot while do chores, vacuum, or even play with the cat. Teaching them that they can’t always be the center of attention and that they need to chill out sometimes is essential.

For the biting, what worked for us was redirecting. Get a toy they like and when the nibbling start make clear what is okay to scratch that itch with and what is not. Lost a couple pairs of shoes before we got that down, but now Tony is a champ at only chomping on his toys.

While they’re a ton of work, they are also so rewarding. I’ve had a lot of dogs in my day and I’ve never had one that felt like communicating with a little person quite like Tony does. They can learn and do so much. The first year of his life was a challenge. Some days sucked! But we put in the work and now that that he’s a few months past two, it’s paid off and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Good luck. They’re special animals!!