Everybody, meet our gorgeous little fluff ball, M I L O! Surprise!
Meet Milo the Malshi pup...
Bet you didn’t see that one coming, eh?A handful of weeks ago, just under a month in fact, our family drove a short 20 minutes to a neighbouring town to view a litter of puppies. Each as small as the next, full of personality and fluff and bundles of puppy energy, we instantly fell for this tiny bundle as he was quietly adventurous, super cuddly and had the best squished-up old man face.
Milo is a Malshi - a Maltese Shih Tzu cross - born on the 29th January 2016. His Mum is a Maltese and Dad, a Shih Tzu. Just like his brothers, he is white with the loveliest pale almond ears. His sisters had darker, brown, black and white markings and took after their Dad! He looks very much like a Maltese with the form of a Shih Tzu so far and we just absolutely adore his sweet ‘old man’ face, all squishy and lovable.
I absolutely can’t get over how teeny tiny he is! Whilst he has grown a whole lot since we first set eyes on him, at just over 10 weeks, he’s still very much a small dot.
8 Facts About Milo:
So! A little more about him, I suppose!- Milo is a people person. He absolutely adores company and is currently still quite needy, enjoying placing a paw on your foot or leg if you’re on the floor or if your feet are still on the floor whilst you sit on the sofa. Hopefully we’ll be able to continue training him for separation so he can be a little more independent!
- At around 5pm and 8pm every day, Milo has a crazy hour. I’m not sure if this is because he’s just eaten and has summoned up extra energy or if this is our future, but, twice a day, he has an excellent assault course routine that he sets up and goes mad for.
- We’re currently crate training him and it’s going fairly well. Having never had a dog from its earliest age, this has been a true learning curve for us. Our first night was heartbreaking: he cried for an hour and a half before settling and then woke up and cried on and off until 4am before waking up again just after 5am! The bags under my eyes are Pets At Home.
- Having said that… his toilet training in the house is pretty much there! I feel immense pride every time I spy that he’s done his business correctly. Next stop? Training him for the outdoors once he’s fully vaccinated.
- Milo is also beginning to sit on command which I'm over the moon about. It's so special watching him flourish and develop not only a huge character but new skills.
- Right now, Milo isn’t a very foodie dog. We’re finding it difficult to ‘treat’ him when he’s made the training pad or done something correctly, as he loves to eat his meals but avoids treats like the plague. Rather, we’re simply practicing positive reinforcement and indulging him in his charismatic ‘touch me plz’ personality as we try and figure out which treats he might like. Any tips?
- Milo has also found his ultra small bark recently. It’s the sweetest thing but we’re going to - again - be training it out of him because he barks at the smallest things! He often barks during afternoon naps after his mad hour which is so adorable.
- Last but not least, as you can see, Milo is a curious miniature soul. It’s impossible to photograph this cutie because he forever has his nose in my lens or decides to hop up on me as I ready my amateur pet photographer position!
So there’s a first-timer introduction to my pride and joy! I’m utterly besotted with him and he has certainly upped the atmosphere in our household. I had no idea what it’d be like to own a puppy for the first time and I have to say that I’m embracing it completely. I'm trying my hardest not to become 'that' Crazy Pup Mum but I just can't help it! My brother and I are even deciding whether or not to open up his very own Instagram account!
