MalteseLuna

A Maltese is a terrier breed, trainer said he wasn't a shih tzu cross in his opinion just a maltese and that these dogs are renown for being little yappers was his comment!. His former owner told me he used to bark whenever anyone walked past her place but she just ignored him as she thought he was being such a good little watch dog! Don't think a SWF would scare anyone, hopefully as he's only 3 I can train him out of it. Maltese are a spaniel related to Bichon's they are NOT terriers They are in the toy group as well. I have a Maltese and she is not yappy at all - this is because of her temperament and my training. She is 3 years old and whilst she will occasionally bark at neighbours/weird things she is an alarm barker only. I have found that a squirt bottle works well to distract dogs (and cats) from naughty behaviour but the best sort of training is positive - treats and praise for being quiet and not barking.

That's just appalling that people would do that. Really ticks me off when people deliberately introduce non-native animals to a habitat, wreaks havoc on the native ecosystems. We should know enough by now to know that's it not a good idea - there are enough examples of 'invasive introduced species' now ... cane toad anyone?

Ummm I don't know sorry but it has a long tail and erect ears, it's a tan/ginger and white colour Aziah - I have PM'd you! I don't know the mother but I know the kids and dog.

There is a family one street over from me with an adorable corgi puppy - he's roughly 8 months now by the look of it. Anyway I've noticed that the family never walk it on a lead and its always allowed to run around in the back lane (supervised by the 2 children 8-12). A few weeks ago I was walking Luna past their house and the 2 kids (in their PJ's) were outside with the dog - this is in Paddington so the dog wasn't in their yard it was on the sidewalk in front of their house roaming around. It ran up to me and Luna (no biggie) and we kept walking (after giving him a pat). The dog wouldn't stop following us and the kids had to keep running to him and dragging or picking him up and taking him back to their front door. In the end I said "maybe you should get a lead" after he had run back to us for the 4th time. They ignored me and just held on to his collar so I walked away as fast as possible so it would stop following us. Two weeks ago bf and I came out of the house on our way to bus and I saw him walking around the street/sidewalk in my street (so 1 street over). There was no sign of the owners but I knew the dog so I tried to grab him (he was trying to play with me and was mouthing me a little). He rolled on his back in the middle of the road and I tried to pick him up to get him out of the road or lead him out of the road but he wouldn't let me (not in an aggressive way but in a puppy playing way). Nearly got hit by a car (stupid neighbor didn't bother slowing down before parking next to me ). BF had walked around looking for the owner - couldn't see them. So I managed to pick him up and started walking to their house - this all took about 10 mins. As we approached their street the little girl came running out and saw us with the dog. "I said hey, I found him on my street, should be more careful he nearly got hit by a car" - she did not reply nor thank me for getting the dog back to her - just grabbed him and walked back to her open garage. We had tried calling the numbers on his tag but got no response before taking him back to their house. We tried to call and leave a message also so that the parents knew but they didn't have answering machine. Anyway last week I saw him again in the middle of the road but this time being chased by the kids + a few friends and the father - they were trying to catch him and make him walk into the park (which is on lead). Then they picked him up and took him back to the park and set off for their walk. So obviously the parents don't use a lead either. I have decided that if I find him wandering again I will put him in my backyard and call the pound. Maybe then they will learn to put him on a lead and watch him so he doesn't escape. Note escape here means they don't keep their doors/garage closed as they have no yard. I was thinking about leaving a note for them but bf says that's abit much. I feel bad - hes such a nice puppy I don't want him to get hit by a car or lost ;)

I occasionally go to Centennial park - mainly the on-lead areas and Rushcutter's bay park (has on-lead and off-lead times). Both get very busy during peak hours i.e. before and after work hours and on weekends. If you can avoid these times it's much better! I really really like park up on the vaucluse heads - Lighthouse reserve etc which has some on-lead and some off-lead parks. There really aren't any parks 'good' for puppies or small breeds that are off-lead because (1) none are fenced and (2) there is no size segregation - I have found that Luna isn't safe at off-lead parks because too many other dog owners are irresponsible and allow their dogs to hassle, attack etc smaller/younger dogs. If I really feel I must go to an off-lead park I avoid peak times.

But where do those 'in demand' puppies go... over supply of dogs essentially equals an over supply of puppies to the wrong owners. When you think about the history of domestic dogs, how they originated, how they have been kept in the past etc you see that puppy farms are an artefact of today's consumer driven market. Dogs evolved not to be kept as livestock for food/transport - they became domesticated as PETS or companions or to help with the hunt etc. This means that dogs EVOLVED to be included in human lives as a part of the 'pack', they are supposed to live with people and bond with people. To me this is why puppy farms and big kennel operations are so immoral - they lack the bond which should exist between human and dog. I am not anthropomorphizing - it's a simple fact that dogs didn't evolve to live entirely kennels or be kept in paddocks like live stock animals. Every dog needs to have clean, hygienic living quarters but I think the real difference between puppy farm and responsible breeder is the relationship between dog and owner. A puppy farmer has no relationship with the individual dogs whereas a responsible breeder does because they are PETS and companions not 'living wombs' which exist only to breed puppies to sell for $$$. There should also be different codes for sizes of dogs - toy dogs simply should not be kept in outdoor runs year round they are too small (I don't think any dog should be kept outside year-round) at the same time they need to have outside time for enrichment/activity. For long haired dogs there needs to be a clause about grooming - i.e. brushing regularly, clipping coat if matted/dirty. I really think there should be a max limit on the number of dogs you can have i.e. no one person can have more than 50 dogs (which is still high to me) - why people are allowed to have 100+ dogs is beyond me. I should like to see enforced hours of human interaction for each and every dog PER day, enforced duty of care of dogs which can no longer breed (i.e. you can't just euthanize them or dump them at the pound), enforced rules about breeding dogs with genetic diseases like luxating patellas which is very prevalent in puppy farm dogs, enforced rules about helping pay for costs of vet care of puppies with genetic diseases... Basically things which make it non-profitable/impossible to breed excessively large numbers of dogs - the average responsible breeder with 1-2 litters a year who health tests etc will not have costs increased by this.

I have a similar issue with Luna - she is small white and fluffy so parents assume it's 'safe' and let them run up. Now Luna loves people including most kids however what she dislikes is young children who are very loud i.e. make squealing noises. My cousin does this and she is freaked out when ever he is around (not aggressive or fear biting just wants to avoid the squealing child). If a kid approaches I generally say slow down please, make Luna sit and then say "let her sniff your hand" etc I also say stuff about how you should ask before you pat a dog and approach at a walk etc - try to educate a little I did have an experience with 2 kids (maybe 6 and 8) running at Luna and the 2 other dogs I was walking and yelling, stamping, making growling noises at them - poor nu-nu my parents pug cowered on the ground she was so scared (and she grew up with me and my siblings so she knows kids). I was abit rude to them and their mother

My dog can't get the treat out even after a whole day - one everlasting treat lasts about a week. I also put liver treats in the middle part - she gets those out very quickly though! Of course mine is a little 3 kg fluff bum...

I work full time (though with some flexibility as I am a PhD student) - Luna is generally alone from 8:30-9 till 5 and she is fine with it if she gets her kong/treatball She recently got a kitty companion as my bf moved in but I think the cat stays upstairs most of the day unless its cold and he wants to cuddle (or tease her) I want another dog but living in a rental it's not a sensible thing to do at the moment!

I'm pretty much resigned to the tactic of avoidance - have been avoiding places for awhile this was one of those rare occasions I went with my parents somewhere. Maybe I should just buy my own island - beach, park and house all solved in one ... pity about the price tag attached

Hmm just don't get dobbed in by someone who mistakes you for a terrorist! lawl. I'll be sure it's a nice neon coloured one Maybe I should get a shirt that says "if your dog goes for mine expect it to get super soaked!"

Exactly - this has happened too many times to count to me. Luna is well behaved and polite she doesn't bark at other dogs (she hardly ever barks at all), I pick her up when I am not sure about the other dog (giving signs of aggression or at speed) and I can't avoid going past them or am being approached (by dog with aggression signs or high speed) with no hope of the owner doing anything. I also try to head off the dog i.e. stand in front of Luna and this is often helpful. Exactly what I was trying to get at - very eloquent! I wasn't annoyed at the dog as much as the owners who weren't doing anything to stop their dog. I was outraged that the owner of the kelpie (1) wasn't watching her dog and didn't call it back the first time and (2) when she finally was watching didn't call it back or ANYTHING until my dad had thrown a bag near it's head and then the response was "how dare you ..." when it should have been "I'm sorry about that, XXXX come here" and places dog on the lead. I doubt many big dog owners have considered what their dog would do in a situation where a dog even 3-5 times their size stalked and then ran at speed towards them - I doubt it would end happily and so instead of the sympathy for small dog owners one might expect there is ridicule and small dog owners are told to keep their dogs away so the big 'real' dogs can play maybe the big dogs with high prey drive who go for little dogs should be kept away instead of the well behaved little dogs who have done NOTHING wrong. And yes a herding dog which is stalking or herding another DOG regardless of size is acting inappropriately. But then as I don't wish my dog to be fatally injured I will have to avoid most parks unless armed with a super soaker.

What gives the owners of SWF's the idea that it is okay when their dog can run up to other dogs and bail them up? They are putting their own small fluffy's life in peril by allowing this to take place. It really is so darn annoying that people are aware of what their own dog's peculiarities are and still turn a blind eye, patience has to prevail as it seems that such people are the rule and not the exception :D Ummm nobody said this? It's again not really a question of size but manners - dogs of any size can be nasty/poorly brought up and owners of any dog can be stupid/irresponsible. My post wasn't really about SWF vs big dog but rather well behaved vs not well behaved... Unfortunately alot of people impulse buy SWF at the pet store, don't socialize their dogs with people or other dogs and in return get a poorly behaved rude monster which bails up other dogs and snaps at people... more a issue of owner than dog imo. They also see it as non threatening because there dog is small. Wrong but this is what happens when people get impluse buy puppies... and it's not really the fault of the breed (most swf you see nowadays are X breeds).

I don't generally go to off lead parks - after being burned before I decided it wasn't worth it - I only was at the off lead beach because it was fairly deserted (maybe 5-10 people across a 2km beach) and it's where my parents go. I generally keep her on lead or pick her up if we go past a dog/something I don't like the look of but this happened when the dog was quite far away i.e. 50-100 m away the first time and she was heeling. She does run towards me if there is trouble but she had to dart and got cut off from me so was circling back to me. DerRottwelier - most little dog owners have to be paranoid because unfortunately our dogs can be killed very easily even without the intention to do so. I am not overly paranoid given the past experiences I have had or heard of. I am not the sort of person to pick up my dog and scream if a big dog looks at me. I know the basics of dog behavior and have had dogs all my life - I know what a friendly playful dog looks like - and this wasn't obviously so. We get as many issues in the small ON LEAD park as we do in the off lead park (which I don't go to anymore) - more so as most people don't use leads. I love her so I try to avoid dangerous situations. Guess I thought deserted beach, few dogs/people, she is heeling behind me - it's O.K. There should be special parks for responsible dog owners i.e. you have to do a test to get in :D have small, big and puppy sections ... each person could make a donation when they entered to cover vet costs if there was an incident, upkeep, keeping out trouble dogs etc if only

Dang there goes my plan - I was about to go buy a massive super soaker and a sign that reads "If your dog stalks mine prepare to be super soaked" :D DerRottwelier - that solves nothing ... instead my dog becomes a jailed prisoner that never gets to enjoy outside :D Janba - yeah I watch alot of working breeds play like this and yes it's Luna's fault for running if they run at her but I can't really blame her This dog didn't break off or wag it's tail as it got closer it just went for her. There were 2 kelpies at another park near my old house that used to stalk everything (including people) but they wouldn't chase and they pretty much ignored all other dogs just waiting for their owner to throw the ball... it was funny to watch them but abit unnerving

Except for the time when we were right in front - which I should have said something to them about - they were too far away to be able to communicate properly - we could only hear what she was yelling as she ran towards us to protect her dog from the poo bag throwing man (my dad). We were a good 10-20 metres away at least and it's windy on the beach. Agreed - some people shouldn't be allowed dogs! It really isn't the size of the dog but the behavior... I think a big point though is dog owners who don't realise that stalking doesn't equal playing I've noticed particularly that alot of working breeds like to stalk other dogs and it's not really a nice/playful thing they are doing generally - reckon that's because they are bored with inner city life?

She was at a heel the whole time except when it ran at her then she ran away abit too (but circling back towards me) A super soaker is a good idea This happened at a beach I rarely go to with my parents, I avoid the local off-lead park and I take her to the on-lead park where most people walk off-lead (Luna is always on a lead in on-lead areas)... had similar experiences at all places

Now Maltese have a bad rap for being very noisy however I have found that mine is very quiet - she only barks (and very quietly) when there is something strange going on outside! I made sure when I got her to discourage all barking/noisy behavior when she was young i.e. saying NO or ah ah ah or shhhhhht firmly - lots of praise for being quiet instead of barking. I know that Shih's have a rep for being non-barkers also Pugs but my parents dogs do bark quite alot if allowed to be in the front yard (which is on a main road) otherwise they are generally quiet. It depends on the dog and how they have been raised as much as the breed imo.

Whenever I walk past the same chains store in Sydney I always proclaim loudly that they are all from puppy mills and it's horrible what their parents have to live through etc I wanted to hand out letters in front of the store but haven't got the courage yet

It's happened again and I'm sick of it. I went with my parents up to the central coast for the long weekend - they have a house up there and they go up every weekend with their dogs. They take the dogs for a walk on the beach (which is off-lead for most of it) at least once a weekend. Their two dogs are about double Luna's size (they are 6-10 kg and Luna is 3.5kg) and haven't had any issues at the beach. A friend of theirs dog (and owner) was mauled by two huskies 3 years ago on the beach - thankfully he lived though he has a few scars. He was a similar size to Luna and like Luna very well socialized etc (not a yappy aggressive little dog). The beach went from off lead in all areas to restricted and has been opened up to most places (except the flags). During the weekend the two older dogs got tired so mom sat down with them and Dad and I kept going with Luna. When we were on our way back I saw ahead 2 ladies with a kelpie (or kelpie cross). The ladies were staring out across the ocean and ignoring the dog - who had sighted Luna and was stalking her (i.e. down low with eyes focused on her and moving slowly forward). Luna was walking about 1 m behind me slightly off to the side and when I saw the dogs stance I moved in front of her to head it off - it had by this time decided to make a dash for her and bolted full speed towards us, circling back around to get towards her. I yelled at it and it broke off and went back to it's owners. I decided to pick up Luna as we had to walk right past them and I didn't like the way the dog was acting. As we past the owners the dog tried to run up and jump at Luna but I turned my body - owners did nothing. The dog seemed to lose interest and turned back to the owners. We kept walking - about 15 m away I put Luna down because the dog wasn't watching us anymore. Mistake. The dog saw her and started stalking her again and this time it happened much faster - my dad threw a poo bag (which was full) down into the sand next to the dogs head to break it's focus as Luna was by this time trying to run away and it had nearly got her. I picked her up and the dog having been scared by the bag ran back to the owner who was now screaming at us "How dare you throw something at my dog" etc etc with lots of swear words. Dad said back - put your dog on a leash and stop it from running at us and our dog. I said the same thing - and that we didn't hit it just scared it to break it's focus. She wasn't listening just swearing and yelling. Now I'm not saying that the dog meant to hurt her or anything but it was scary to me not matter the size of the dog I don't like dogs running at me or my dog and it's possible the other dog was playing but in an unacceptable way! But in reality I think that it didn't think she was a dog but rather a prey/play item and she would have hurt Luna if she had grabbed Luna. Now the owner was obviously watching her dog run at us and go for Luna or she wouldn't have seen the bag incident... how does any reasonable person then turn it back on the victim (the person who's dog was being stalked/charged)... or do nothing when the dog does it? Now I know there is probably nothing I can do except avoid off-lead parks which I do (except this one beach because its where my parents always go etc) but even having her on a lead at the park wouldn't have stopped this - she was right next to me within the distance of her lead. It was completely un-provoked. I mainly just wanted to rant/vent... it's not the first time this has happened I probably get a similar experience every other time I go to the park (on or off lead - as most people don't use leads near my house). Luna is very polite, quiet, submissive etc it seems to be her size that sets other dogs off i.e. oh get that white bunny I wish there was a small dog fenced park near us... not that it would solve all the problem but it would solve a few for me Sigh

A full coat Maltese (or even a shorter coated one) would be perfect - most of the dogs they have chosen weren't on the list I would post Luna but she has tear stains and isn't looking her best

Great to see other Maltese owners Don't worry about feeling guilty - your looking out for his well-being! Try not to anthropomorphise too much Your being a responsible owner both looking out for the health of your dog and the ultimate well being of dogs everywhere by reducing the overpopulation problem. Dog's don't need to have puppies to feel complete He will be just as happy being neutered in fact more so as he won't get worked up when he smells an in season girl. My little girl was desexed at 9 months, she felt abit sorry for herself but was soon back to her crazy self

That is hugely interesting Maybe this is why hybrid (dog X dingoes) are more aggressive and cause more problems with farmers/stock - they don't have the skills to problem solve and survive in the wild. I think that the 'simple' gene has been found and is believed to be found in all domesticated animals. I can really see it in Luna - she is very 'simple'... I don't think that Luna is great at problem solving - she is just... simple. It's why her nickname is Ja-Ja (after the star wars character). I can't comment on all Maltese though as I know some who are VERY smart and great at Obedience and Agility. I don't think that Maltese would survive in the wild though ;) NB: all the current research seems to indicate that Dingoes are wild and WORTH preserving as Australia's only native/top predator... wish legislation would catch up. Edited to include link to actual paper - Paper Link

hear, hear, I agree. I guess to her, the 15,000 odd years the dingo has been in Australia doesn't count for much. Damn sight longer than sheep, cattle and alpaca's. They have every right to be here. It has been proved that livestock are causing more environmental damage to this country that any other animal. Agreed except they have been here 4,000 - 5,000 years based on DNA evidence (still much longer than Europeans or our domestic farm animals)

There is a distinction, indeed- but all this pack looked very much desert (not alpine) dingo. There was no DNA testing back then ..but general informed opinion was that they were dingoes. It was a rare occurrence , luckily. ..and was due to a break in 'the' dog fence, apparently. I am very pleased to hear that there are still some pure packs which can co-exist with humans! Thanks for that, malteseluna !Made me smile a bit . I find it interesting about the hybrid litters not being whelped by 'domestic' bitches. Bitches who are feral , would, I imagine have good survival skills ..I would think that would make rearing pups possible? I am certainly not talking house dogs here- but tough and smart ferals or station/camp bitches... who often will kill and roam anyway... Do you have links ? I am interested, as in a previous life in melbourne I was a member of The Dingo Foundation for some time .. and we concentrated on the Alpines, of course there . beautiful and interesting critters indeed:) The reason I said that wild hybrid litters are whelped by dingoes not dogs is because all the hybrids so far DNA tested have the dingo mitochondrial genotype which is strictly maternally inherited. There is a paper on this by Peter Savolainen et al (2004) entitled A detailed picture of the origin of the Australian dingo, obtained from the study of mitochondrial DNA (published by PNAS). Also Amanda Elledge et al (2006) entitled Assessing the taxonomic status of dingoes Canis familiaris dingo for conservation (published by mammal review) has a good summary. I can give you more information if you PM me :D