Yorktese - Doidle

by Maggie
(Minnesota)

When it comes to women and children, my Yorktese Doidle is a silly little snuggle-bunny of a dog. My Maltese Yorkie mix is a lap dog in every sense of the word and sleeps under the covers curled up in a ball between my husband and myself. However, he is wary of strange men, especially men in uniform. He loves my husband (a soldier), but the second he puts on his BDU uniform, Doidle will perch himself up on top of me barking and snarling like crazy to protect me. Fortunately, his bark is much worse than his bite.

When you are a 5.2 lb fully grown dog, you need to assert yourself around other animals. At any rate, that is what Doidle seems to think. My Morkie has to share his home with two kitties. He gets along great with one of them and picks on the other. Usually keeping a water filled squirt bottle within eye sight is enough of a reminder to keep his little tough-doggie attitude in check.

Doidle has a lot of favorites. Some of them are snuggling, barking, licking, "loving on" his fuzzy blanket (or mine...boo), playing fetch with his stuffed toys (especially the monkey...more on this later), going for walks, going potty for treats, sitting on me, sniffing yummy things, playing chase with the kitty, and having people visit (this involves barking, licking, cuddling, AND sniffing!).

Doidle also has some not so favorites. They are, going to the groomer (which is super necessary due to his long, fine, tangle-prone fur which I find easier for us both to keep on the shorter end...no fuss, no muss), the vet, big dogs (no matter how friendly), loud noises, and monkeys.

Story time! Being a lap dog, my Yorktese likes to snuggle up with me when we watch movies. I had rented the new Planet of the Apes movie. He was sleeping soundly till the monkeys started going crazy making a lot of noise. He jumped up, snarled and barked like crazy, and to this day when I say, "Doidle.....go get the monkeys", he runs off barking. Doidle also being a very smart doggie, was better once we bought him his own stuffed monkey that he could beat up without opposition.

What Doidle has taught me: I am as much a "dog person" as I am a "cat person", and I really do have the patience to firmly, consistently, and lovingly correct a dog that can be rather tenacious, noisy, and a frequent urinater. My Maltese Yorkie really has become a part of our family and we do not know what we would do without him anymore. Even our kitty would miss him... maybe.