# Help! Crazy Maltese puppy!



## Haleybabee (Apr 17, 2013)

Just got a three month old female Maltese and she is super hyper! 1.5 lbs and petite, maximum weight 4 lbs, but thinks she is a German Shepard! Crawling behind my nightstand, going behind the tv/cable cords/internet cords, crawling through the baby gate, chewing on anything and everything, including her poop. I have a 14 year old female Maltese. I originally fell in love with the breed because of their chill, timid, non-aggressive personalities. I left my elderly Maltese home all day when she was a pup, uncrated/uncaged. The worst thing my 14 year old ever did was shred her wee wee pads. She NEVER TO THIS DAY did anything else sinister. My 14 year old was able to travel everywhere because she would stay in her dog carrier and not fuss at all. What can I do? Help!


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## lynda (Oct 11, 2005)

Congratulations on your new little one. Give her time, she is just a puppy. Probably very smart and wants to explore everything. I would keep her confined in a small area and not give her the run of the house right now. That way, she cannot get into trouble. She is also probably teething so give her cold things to chew on. You can put a face cloth in your freezer and then give it to her to chew on.


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## LovelyLily (Mar 26, 2013)

Haleybabee, welcome and congrats on your new pup!  

I also found that when my now two-year old dog was a pup she was very much like your puppy, and at the time I thought she was unlike other dogs I had in the past (I never owned a Maltese before her). I mentioned that to my vet one time and she noted that it would have been fifteen years or so in the past since I last had a puppy, and like with our own children we sometimes forget with time the more trying times from their youth.

Whether my Lily was like past dogs I had or not, through definitely eleven months of age she was incessant with very annoying nipping at my feet (despite my failed attempts at MANY ways of addressing it) and would do zoomies a lot where she would come back in after each circle and give me a nip with a growl (I guess it was triggered by being anxious/unsure in certain situations).

Training in a puppy obedience class may be very helpful for her. It made small incremental benefit for my dog, and I kept her in classes pretty much of time from age four months on to the present time. It helped hugely with her socialization with other people and other dogs and other environments. She had so many issues in the beginning, timid and fearful about so many things, and only through sticking with it did I see gradual changes. It also helped build her confidence and allowed us to have a special time together having fun training--with lots of treats going her way.

Now, at two years of age, Lily is a cuddly little affectionate lap dog who always looks to please. For a long time now she does not normally do the nipping at feet and is a little bundle of love who is not destructive and has the run of the house and sleeps in my bed at night with no problems. If I go for long stretches of time without doing any type of training with her (trick training, rally obedience or any type of group dog obedience class) only then will she will regress to going back to nipping at my feet in the morning. I think she gets bored and rambunctuous. Soon as I go back to training new behaviors or going to a class, it immediately ceases.

Best of luck! Keep us posted.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

I had 4 puppies in three years!!! Yes they are hyper, get into everything biting machines!!!! I too think that we forget how our ither dogs were as puppies. The puppy period goes by fast. The best thing to do is puppy proof any area where the puppy will be. Cords , shoes, any small items that puppy can choke in should be put away. I would put the puppy in an x pen if I wasn't there or couldn't keep an eye on him. 
The biting will stop too after teething. 
In the meantime enjoy your "crazy " puppy and remember it doesn't last very long! 

Welcome to SM!! We'd love to see pictures!!


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

You came to the right place. Several, if not more, of us have had that kind of a puppy. Initially I seriously thought "this isn't going to work" and I also had an older pup in a stroller who had just had double knee-surgery when we got puppy 2 (don't even ask). :wacko1::wacko1:
But down the road 3 yrs. I can only say it was worth it all! I would not exchange either of them for all the tea in China! Even little schtinky-pants.


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## LovelyLily (Mar 26, 2013)

I second the x-pen suggestion! 

I found it so essential to keeping her safe and helping with her potty training. 

As she got bigger I added more panels to give her more space, and then once she was totally potty trained and able to handle it I only then let her have a gated off room when not being closely supervised by me. 

A little under a year of age she graduated from having the gated room to having free run of the house (which was dog proofed). 

Linda


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

Chances are she'll settle down...an xpen would definitely save your sanity!


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

I agree with what others have said "Give it time", your new baby will calm down a lot more as she gets older. Each Maltese though similar have their own unique personalities just as people do, they are also individuals. Odds are your new Baby won't ever be exactly like your first older Baby. Have fun discovering what is wonderful & unique about your new little one! 

Please be careful about her chewying on those loose live/hot wires ~ you probably have already realized this, but it could potentially be deadly. You may want to think about keeping your new baby in a gated off area such as a Kitchen or in an X-pen where she will be free from danger until she is past the 'chewing phase'. Perhaps allow her only to run free in the house when she is highly supervised during the time she's still chewing. She is 'teething' & needs to chew on things in order to dislodge the baby teeth so her adult teeth can grow in. 'Nylabone' makes chew toys specially made specifically for 'puppy's' . Please make sure not to give her toy's made for adult dogs which can be harmful to a puppy. The first year of puppy hood is the most exhausting & frustrating, I just went through that a couple of years ago with mine, *trust me it will get much better --hang in there!*


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Congrats on the new baby!! Babies are crazy...plain and simple....thank goodness they eventually grow up, LOL. But enjoy these days and don't let her get away with "stuff" just because she's cute. ....it won't be cute later.

A nice xpen is your savior, I like large x-pens with plenty of room for a bed, food/water dishes, a pee pee pad and room to play with toys. 

Tinies will be much safer in a confined area anyway. Enjoy her!!! :wub:


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