Papillon Maltese Mix - Cesar
by Rita
(Orlando, FL, USA)
Cesar - 4 months old
I purchased Cesar, a Papillon Maltese mix from a pet store in September of this year. Out of all the dogs there, he caught my eye and once I picked him up I couldn't put him down. I'm not sure why he was at the Pet Shop for three long weeks, but I'm glad he stuck around. He was 3 1/2 months old at the time and barely weighed 3 lbs. He is all black, but has some white strands of hair throughout his coat which seems to be getting lighter as he gets older. I’m really not sure what color his adult coat will be. I named him Cesar because I am an avid fan of The Dog Whisperer.
Today he is nearly 6 months old and weighs in at 5.2 lbs. My sister lives with me and between the two of us, we spoil him rotten. He can do no wrong. All it takes is one look at his adorable face, and my heart just melts. He probably has more toys than he needs laid out in a path from the bedroom to the living room. He also keeps a couple of toys on the Patio so that he has something to do when he’s out there with me. He is learning how to jump on the furniture, but doesn’t have any luck getting on anything besides the chaise. We live in a 2nd floor apartment and he can't walk up and down the stairs because the steps are higher than he is. (poor guy!)
He loves to go for car rides and he loves people, but isn't able to tolerate young children because he gets hurt easily. He is the most aggressive out of the dogs owned by those in my immediate family, but I think it’s because he's the most spoiled and smallest. We have a Shiba Inu, Yorkie and Schnauzer/Poodle Mix. They are all males so it’s important that they are all neutered.
His worst habits have to do with walking him. When he doesn't want to walk he just stops in his tracks and sits. When he does walk, he's like an anteater with his nose in the ground the whole time. I'm not sure what he's looking for, but it totally distracts him. I have learned over time to feed him and put him in his kennel for 15 minutes and then take him out just so that he could be focused on doing his business first. That seems to be working.
