He hasn't even been with us for 48 hours and he's already made quite an impression. I've started calling him The Perfect Dog. I hope I don't jinx the whole thing.

Up to this point, he's everything we've hoped for. He's quiet, docile, a quick learner, independent, and aloof. That's not to say he doesn't enjoy attention, he most certainly does, but he doesn't seem to need it like most pet breeds do.

He also couldn't care less about the chickens, which is great! They'll run around all around him and he never gives them a second look. I've heard of Labrador owners or Golden Retriever owners whose dogs can't stay away from their chickens -- they constantly harass and, sometimes, kill them. Seeing how Labs and Retrievers are bird dogs, it's not surprising to me that training them to stay away from poultry can be challenging. That's one of the reasons I was so sold on a Pyrenees (Bouncer is 1/2 Pyrenees and 1/2 Anatolian Shepherd; both of those breeds are Livestock Guardian Dogs); I knew they were generally aloof and not interested in killing small animals, but they are supposedly very protective of their owner's property, especially at night when all the critters come out. I've heard that at night they quietly roam around their owner's property, keeping an eye out.

Right now we keep Bouncer in our little fenced yard at bed time, but after a few nights I'm going to allow him to roam freely after hours. I just want to make sure he's completely "imprinted" with our property. I don't think LGDs have a tendency to run away, but I want to give him a little more time to adjust.

When I picked him up from his previous owner yesterday, he said, "He's not leash broken. He's going to fight you on a leash." And boy did that prove true yesterday. I'd try and lead him on a leash and he'd dig his little doggy heels into the ground -- he didn't want to budge! Today, however, he seemed to understand that I wasn't going to let him have his way, and he passively let me walk him around our entire property while on a leash.

So here are some photos: