Maltese Westie Dog - Duke

by Sarah
(Chicago)

I adopted my Maltese Westie dog Duke when he was 8 months old from a Westie breeder. He had ZERO training, he wasn't housebroken and he had never been a crate, or walked on a lease. We live in high-rise in Chicago, so coming "home" was quite a change for him. I also have a hectic schedule, but Duke just rolls with the schedule changes and is very adaptable. Somedays he's at home by himself, somedays he goes to doggie day care, some day's he gets tons of exercise, and some days (usually because of the weather), he doesn't get as much exercise. Duke is very social and gets along with 99.9% all dogs. However there is one dog that he does not like in the building and becomes dog-aggressive when Lucy is around, but she is our only real problem. We do not have children so it's o.k., but I wouldn't want a child around if Duke and Lucy were in the same room. My Maltese Westie dog is very territorial and used to barks at everyone who passed by our apartment. Now because of constant correction, he usually only barks with his "inside" bark, unless his friends Pixie or Ginger are right out side his door! He is very smart and easy to train. I highly recommend training classes for this mixed breed. Duke went through 3 classes and loved them all, he is a better behaved dog since he completed his classes. He also did better in the apartment once he was crate trained. He is now 2 1/2 years old and still stays in his crate when we leave the apartment. He needs daily brushing and needs to be groomed every 8-12 weeks. But he doesn't shed at all, which is a huge plus. He's very independent, but sometimes just needs a good belly rub. Duke's favorite games are Keep-Away, Tug-of-War, and Chase. Duke is finally full-grown and weighs in at 13 lbs. He is curious, fun-loving, smart, protective, and sweet all at the same time. If I had known how hard it was going to be to find a second Highland Maltie, I would have adopted his brother at the same time.