So... I'm not much of a blogger

Someone asked recently for an updated picture of Einstein... You may notice the coloring on his head has changed from predominately black with white to mostly tan with some white. Other than that his markings have remained pretty similar. He is about 15-16lbs. :)

Einstein has been with me now for about 2.5 years and I still think he's the greatest - arguably the greatest dog on the planet if you ask me. :))

For anyone looking into getting a Malteagle, the ONLY down side I've found with Einstein is his shedding. Supposedly, Maltese and Beagles don't shed much, some not at all, but that is certainly not the case with my little guy. I brush and comb him as part of our regular daily routine and still I end up with hairs on my clothes. I will say though, he absolutely LOVES being touched, combed, brushed and oh, please continue a little more... he is super cooperative and unashamedly encourages my hand to give attention in just the right spot.

Happy trails everyone...

Einstein Accident Update

Make a Smilebox postcard

Einstein continued

I just answered a question on Yahoo answers, so I am providing a bit more detail here. Our puppy is about 16 weeks old now, house trained (he stands next to the door and looks at us when he needs to go out) and is all around just a great dog. Easily trainable, listens to commands, great with little kids. Probably the worst thing, if you could call it that, is he is too friendly with strangers. He'll go up to anyone, or any other dog, and just start sniffing. He's getting a fence. Malteagles, being part hound, have a ton of wanderlust, and sometimes are unaware that they are so far away from home, when all they have been doing is just following their nose. Pictures to come!

Not from the Bowl - thank you!

I think I've already mentioned that Einstein seemed to be a bit of a picky eater... I should rephrase that. He seems to simply need more mental stimulation. I have found the days that we take on a new route for a walk or learn a new trick in training, he readily eats from his bowl. The days that he has less of a challenge, he seems to require the increased challenge.

Yesterday, was a particularly full day so I put his meal into a brown lunch sack. I cut much of the top off so that it was only about 3 inches high, let him sniff the sack while empty and then let him see me put his food into the sack and set it on the ground.

He was so cute! After trying to indimidate his prey via barking and pouncing, he accidently knocked the sack over causing some of the kibble to spill out. At this point he figured it out and went on to enjoy the rest of his meal.

Introducing Einstein

After a few months of researching different breeds, I finally decided on a malteagle I found on Kijiji.com. This malteagle is my first puppy and although I grew up with a dog I am finding this to be a completely new experience.

Einstein is currently 13 weeks old. We brought him home when he was 11 weeks. I don't think the breeder did any sort of formal house training but he already lets us know when he needs to go outside. I've read that Maltese & Beagles can be tough to house-train, but as long as we pay attention to him, he faithfully lets us know when he needs to go out.

Originally, we chose his name because of his friendly hair, (he has a funky mix of med/longer hair and also short) but we are finding that he is also pretty smart! I've been using clicker training and in about the last week he has come to recognize his name, sit, stay, come, fetch and wait. He follows the commands almost every time but sometimes needs a little help by way of reducing distractions. :) He loves to play in the yard and if I run laps around the house he will stay right next to me ~ This makes walks (on lead) in the neighborhood very fun!

He is somewhat a picky eater. We need to do interesting things with his food before he will eat. Lately, I've been freezing a rolled washcloth with his food inside. He seems to appreciate the challenge.

Both my spouse & I work full time so he is crated for about 6 hours a day. Before I started more regular sessions of training and walks, he was exhibiting symptoms of separation anxiety. With the extra activity and stimulation, he now seems more content.

My New Puppy

Two weeks ago, I drove with a friend to some small town in southeast, Missouri to purchase a Malteagle puppy. The reason I started this blog is because there seems to be VERY little information about Malteagles out there and so far we have had a glorious experience. So if you're interested in purchasing a Malteagle, perhaps what I share about our puppy Einstein, will be of some value to you.