# My little CupCake



## Cupcake2007 (Jan 22, 2008)

hi! im am very new to owning a puppy. so im still kinda confused about how my puppy should be acting. she is now 4 months and she is so mean. she will bite and bark at anyone and anything. i take her for a walk everyday unless it is rainy. i play with her as much as i can but i cant seem to make a break thru with her. potty training is also quite hard. i take her outside so she can learn and for a while it was working but lately she has been doing potty in the same place in the house. she has learned to fetch finally but as for any other tricks she is just so stubborn. i've had alot of people tell me that their dogs represent their owners and i think its true. lol. but i would really appreciate any advice.

oh yes and another thing. we bought cupcake from this lady we found in the news paper. when we called to inform ourselves about the puppies she told me that they were not registered because she says that sometimes people tend to breed them and then obviously sell them. So we said it was fine that she didnt come with her papers just as long as she was a full breed and the lady said she was. but cuppy is now 4 months and shes pretty big compared to pictures posted on here.... how do i know if she is a full breed. 


thanks,

Cupcake and Klarisa


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

How old was she when you got her? Sometimes that can affect how they act later on, if they are sold too early.

EDIT: I wanted to add that the 'breeders' excuse for not having papers is a bunch of cr*p. That is why AKC has limited registration, so offspring with dogs that have limited registration CANNOT be registered. My thinking is that she did that exact same thing herself and cannot get AKC papers on these puppies. were they advertised as registered?


----------



## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

omg she's adorable. I love her name :wub:


----------



## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

> How old was she when you got her? Sometimes that can affect how they act later on, if they are sold too early.
> 
> EDIT: I wanted to add that the 'breeders' excuse for not having papers is a bunch of cr*p. That is why AKC has limited registration, so offspring with dogs that have limited registration CANNOT be registered. My thinking is that she did that exact same thing herself and cannot get AKC papers on these puppies. were they advertised as registered?[/B]


Cupcake is sooo cute. Enjoy her, and maybe try using a trainer or training classes.


----------



## Cupcake2007 (Jan 22, 2008)

thank you all for your replies!!!  in the ad it did say that she was not registered. i didnt mind at all because she is just too adorable. and also i wasnt planning on being a "breeder" or anything. but now as i look through the pictures of everyones maltese, she doesnt look anything like them. maybe its just me. what do you all think? o yes, i got her when she was about 2 months old. i chose the name cupcake because my sister has a lhasa apso name cookie! so i thought that would be cute 










Cookie and Cupcake
(Cousins)


----------



## Moxie'smom (Dec 16, 2007)

It sounds like cupcake and you could benefit from some puppy obedience classes. They give puppy classes at doggie daycare places. I think they are pretty helpful, especially of you've never had a puppy before. 

Puppies will bite, which I still find unacceptable. They use their mouths as hands.They're also teething so they want to chew on anything, fingers included. But there's degrees of biting, When I first brought Mr. Moxoe home I always had a Nylabone in my pocket so instead of my hand I could put the bone in his mouth. 

Also what works is when she bites you say a loud "Ouch!" then turn your back and just ignore her then say " No Bite!" . If she bit her mother dog, mom would just ignore her too. You can also try to look her in the eye and growl in a low deep voice. She'll understand what that means too. Just continue to be consistant and she will get it eventually. 

Socializing with other dogs if she's had all her shots is also a way to help teach them when it's Okay to bite and not. Biting is never acceptable, but in order to teach them not to, you have to be consistant and follow through. Let them know that biting has consequences. Usually it means they want to play. Moxie is 5 months old..he's getting better, but he still gets excited and gives me soft bites. It's a much liter bite. He's worse with my husband. You have to teach her who is the alpha dog in the house. Once they learn that the bitting and aggression will end. A puppy class will help you. We are working with a trainer, that is also a good idea. 

All malts are different. Moxie has "Moxie". My first malt, mogie, learned not to bite a little faster. Also at this age, don't play tug of war with her. 
Good luck.


----------



## phesty (May 30, 2006)

Welcome to Spoiled Maltese Klarisa and CupCake! :aktion033: :aktion033: :aktion033: 

CupCake looks very maltese to me, not that I'm an expert or anything. It's very possible that she will be larger than the breed standard. Many poorly bred maltese are bigger than the 4-7 pound standard, but that doesn't mean they don't make wonderful pets. Josie is a maltipoo (maltese-poodle cross) and weighs 7.5 pounds full grown. When I bought her, I didn't know any better and wouldn't buy a cross again. 

You have to be firm with training pups. Do some searching through the forum for advice and tips on potty training and managing the little chompers, there's lots of good info.

And, my one 'beef' with you is that your dog is named CupCake and that sounds really really good right now and I'm on a diet and can't have cake of any kind! :smmadder: So, if you could rename your puppy Celery, that would really work better for me.  

Josie says: Don't worry, she doesn't hold food related grudges for very long.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Many unreputable breeders mix in poodle or bichon. The idea is that larger dogs have larger litters. And as pups, they look the same. I wouldn't worry about knowing. She may be a little bigger than standard, but she'll still be a great dog and small. I had one that, as an adult, was obviously mixed with bichon. She had mostly curly hair, but was a great dog! 

CupCakes behavior sounds like a normal, unruley, obnoxious puppy. Setting down some firm rules and working on training will help her along. Find a puppy class and sign her up. Look for a class that uses positive, motivational methods (like clicker training). 

Most of her behavior and potty problems can be solved with some changes in your household routine. 
1. Make a schedule. Have a time to take her out, feed her, play, walk, etc. Do things the same every day. If you need to, keep a check list on the fridge (write in sharpie on a whiteboard and then mark it off daily with a whiteboard marker). This will help CupCake know what is expected of her. It will help her be more consistent with potty training (she'll know when to go and have a routine for going out). 
2. Confinement! If she has a chance to have an accident, take a newspaper and hit yourself on the head for not watching your puppy. If you cannot actively watch her, put her in her crate. You can leash her to you while you do things around the house. Her free time with you watching should be after you know she has gone potty. 
3. Rewards! Dogs repeat behaviors that are rewarding. Make the behaviors you want more rewarding. Extra yummy treats for every correct potty. Reward with praise and cookies when she is laying quietly. Try not to focus on her bad. Try to focus on rewarding the good things so she does them more often. 
4. Be consistent. Be consistent in what you ask of her and what you reward. For biting, yelp and ignore her. Games end when you bite. And they have to end EVERY time. 

I think with some rules and work, she'll be fine.


----------



## ShilohsMom (Jun 25, 2007)

> Many unreputable breeders mix in poodle or bichon. The idea is that larger dogs have larger litters. And as pups, they look the same. I wouldn't worry about knowing. She may be a little bigger than standard, but she'll still be a great dog and small. I had one that, as an adult, was obviously mixed with bichon. She had mostly curly hair, but was a great dog!
> 
> CupCakes behavior sounds like a normal, unruley, obnoxious puppy. Setting down some firm rules and working on training will help her along. Find a puppy class and sign her up. Look for a class that uses positive, motivational methods (like clicker training).
> 
> ...


You always give such sound advice JMM. Totally agree- she knows you love her now its time to show her she is not the alpha dog and needs to learn your rules. Good luck to you!


----------



## llf060787 (Nov 19, 2007)

Cupcake looks just like my Bianca. Bianca is a maltepoo - maltese and poodle mix. She's now 18 monts and weighs 12 lbs. Her brother Lucio is now 22 lbs. I gues she must have been the runt of the litter.

Anyway, don't worry too much about her biting. Bianca did tons and tons of it. I had marks all over my hands and arms for months. She didn't mean it, it was just her way of playing...she would get so excited and then bite. It stopped at around 9 months or so. Same here, she was slow to train and she would be great for weeks and ten fall back. Just be persistent and she'll learn. Lots of luck!


----------



## binniebee (Sep 27, 2007)

I think Cupcake just looks like a Maltese. Although, Maltese vary so much from one lineage to another! Cupcake is a doll! And Midis (my current Malt) was a holy terror the first few months! Several months, actually! I went from a sedate, loving 14 1/2 year old Malt to a 3 month old Monster Malt who wanted nothing more than to chew me and my husband and everything else in sight to pieces! I cried on several occasions! "Why can't he just let me love him? Why does he want to hurt me? Why can't he just be sweet?" Well, now he is. Very well behaved, very sweet, very cuddly and never chews on me. As you can see from his age chart at the bottom of this post he is just short of 14 months old. His behavior improved drastically at somewhere between 10 and 12 months. And he just keeps getting more loving and more snuggable. 

Try to be patient. I have NO patience, so that was very hard for me to go through especially since I was experiencing such deep grief over my dearly departed Casper at the time. But it has all worked out for us, and I am sure it will for you and CupCake as well. As far as being AKC registered or 100% Maltese? Don't sweat it. You bought a beautiful "Pet" Maltese, just as I did. Mine probably costs much more because he is registered, but so what? I have a limited AKC registration, as I should, since I have no intention of breeding or showing him. He has been neutered and I am fine with the fact that he is a bit larger than I expected. He is perfect for me and I have no regrets (except perhaps for my lack of patience when he was such a terror!) 

*hugs*
Cyndi


----------



## bigsmom (Sep 8, 2007)

well I think she looks like a beautiful little maltese....and I love her name as well :wub: :wub: :wub: 

and if I interpreted correctly.....Biggles sends some winks Cupcakes way :HistericalSmiley:


----------

