HOME LIFE—If she gets an idea, she is likely to run with it (further, and more impressively, than most dogs would). Much of the time, these ideas are simply harmless and highly amusing: Playing with two toys at the same time, make-believing they are critters trying to get away. Grabbing the blanket off of the back of the chair with her teeth and pulling it over herself in order to make a “doggie burrito.” Using three separate pieces of furniture as leap pads to reach the counter where you have left your sandwich. Pushing the door handle down with her paw to enjoy the rest of the house, where she can bark at the squirrels like a broken record before disemboweling your new sofa cushions for fun.

Though these creative antics are admirable (and you just have to appreciate the dog for her humor and boldness), you may occasionally find yourself pulling your hair out as you enter a room to discover the latest fruits of her labor. The good news is, she is probably as lazy as she is creative. If you wear her out sufficiently, you can avoid a great number of trials and tribulations in your living room.

Yes, her “act first, think later” behavior can create some interesting moments in the home. When she sees a squirrel on the bird feeder for the tenth time, she is likely to be so excited that she must tell you “Squirrel!! Squirrel!!” with her excited braying. She totally forgets that you have asked her not to bark at the squirrels. You can be doing everything right when it comes to teaching her, and she may be genuinely trying to oblige your request that she stop barking just as soon as she can get a handle on herself, but you still find yourself in a pickle when it comes to the neighbor’s complaints about her frequent loud barking.

She wasn’t bred to be protective of your home, and so is likely to be welcoming to your company. She is generally enthusiastic about socializing, so long as she has had good experiences with people in the past. She can, however, overwhelm certain guests with uninvited sniffs before they’ve had a chance to experience the more amusing and endearing side of her gregarious personality.