The Adventures of Marley McButters

My Mommy wanted to find out what my personality so that she could better understand me during my dog training classes (although I already know that it is wonderful!) so she took this cool free dog personality test. These are my results:

Your Canine Behavior Type Index is: OGM - Diplomat

Your dog is an Organised, Gamma and Medium Activity type which we call the Diplomat. The Diplomat is a task focused, submissive character employing passive, medium energy techniques. It strives to keep order in a small but meaningful area and do the leader’s bidding in a passive, sometimes underhanded manner. The combination of Submissive (Gamma or G) and Medium (M) energy factors make the Diplomat a soft, loving, easy care character.

I guess that means I’m wonderful! I wonder if your dog has a personality?

Of course your dog has a personality! Play the Canine Behavior Type Index to discover which of 12 types your dog is.

My Mommy & Daddy left me to go on something called “vacation.” I didn’t mind though since they left me with my Granny and Grampy. Here’s the letter I sent to Mommy to let her know how I was doing:

Mommy and Daddy,

I have been having fun at Granny and Grampy’s house. They tried to keep me in the kitchen but I did that cute, constant whining thing and pretty soon I had them trained! I’ve also taught them to talk baby talk to me. I saw a cat in their back yard and barked so fiercely that it ran away. They aren’t feeding me any scraps! I have been eating my dry and wet food and I haven’t peed anywhere (at least they haven’t found it and yelled at me yet). I have been on walks and I taught them that I like to sniff and explore. What’s the hurry? I hope your snowboarding (whatever that is) is fun. I’ll see you Sunday night late. Wake me so that I can lick you. Speaking of licking, Grampy likes licking less since he saw me pick up and chew some delicious, smelly dog poop. I’ve been sleeping in my den at night like a good girl.

Love,
Marley McButters

I’m not sure if any of you pups have heard of this site, but it is the coolest dog website EVER! Since it’s a brand New Year, why not get noticed with a special dog website of your own? Dogster.com is a great site to show off your dog and get connected to fellow dog lovers. Not only do they allow you to create a free personalized site for your dog(s), they offer forums, classifieds, diaries, and private messaging. My Maltese dog Marley McButters even belongs to virtual playgroups (Maltese Mommies) as well as local ones (Atlanta Dogs). Dogster even holds regular online contests where your dog can win a $250 gift basket loaded with pooch prizes! Go ahead and brag a little or a lot. You know your unique dog deserves her own webpage.

How did you get your name?
My daddy picked my name after searching on the internet. He was looking for a name that meant “little princess” and found the name Nikka. The name suits me very well.

What makes you unique?
I think that my most unique quality is my size. I weigh 2.8 pounds and I have the title of the “Smallest Dog in Toronto, Ontario, Canada” which I proudly won at the Woofstock Dog Festival in 2004. Being small attracts a lot of attention and I usually get noticed everywhere I go (although it is easy to miss me if you’re not looking closely!).

I am also unique because I am a bit of a small dog freedom fighter. Through my website, I have lead the campaign to challenge a Canadian airline about their new policy to ban pets from traveling in the cabins of their aircraft. My little website has become one of the leading websites to carry information about this pet ban and I get two to three hits a day from Canadians looking for more information about the airline’s in-cabin pet ban.

Are there any tricks that you can perform?
I’m not much of a fan of performing tricks. I do have some cute behaviours that are not tricks as much as idiosyncrasies; for example, I do a really good “dinner dance” when it’s time to feed me my supper. Also, I make an excellent alarm clock because I know when it’s breakfast time and I cry to be fed every morning at 6:00 am. I guess my talents really revolve around food!

What is your best asset and why?
Once again, I’d have to say that my best asset is my small size. Being small leads to some pretty unique facial features. For example, my eyes, ears, and tongue are pretty normal sized, so they look extra large on my small face. Some say that I have a “little big head” (it’s small, but pretty big all at the same time - if you know what I mean!). Being small can work to your advantage and big changes can come from the efforts of small dogs.

To learn more about Nikka, head over to her website: www.thechihuahuadiaries.com or view some of her videos.

Now, my favorite part of this whole Christmas holiday thing is the eating part! Humans LOVE to eat extra good stuff around this time of year. While that is definately a good thing (alot more scraps to go around) there are some rules to follow to make sure you are included in your human’s holiday cheer.

5. Your humans may occasionally invite lots of strangers to come visit during this season. These parties can be lots of fun, but they also call for some discretion on your part:

a. Not all strangers appreciate kisses and leans

b. Don’t eat off the buffet table

c. Beg for goodies subtly

d. Be pleasant, even if unknowing strangers sit on your sofa

e. Don’t drink out of glasses that are left within your reach

Welcome back to our special holiday series. Now this rule is extra important because I know I myself have gotten into trouble more than I can count on both paws for making mistakes around this favorite human holiday decoration:

4. They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a prominent place and cover it with lights and decorations. Bizarre as this may seem to you, it is an important ritual for your humans, so there are some things you need to know:

a. Don’t pee on the tree.

b. Don’t drink water in the container that holds the tree.

c. Mind your tail when you are near the tree.

d. If there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesting or that have your name on them, don’t rip them open.

e. Don’t chew on the cord that runs from the funny-looking hole in the wall to the tree.

Stick around for next week’s installment of “A Dog’s Rules for Christmas” to learn some very important rules about food around the holiday season.

I don’t know about you, but my schedule allows for a alot of doggie nap time during the day. If you’re like me, you also get a bit chilly while lounging around the house in your favorite naptime spots. My Mommy was getting quite worried about me getting a chill and if I caught a cold she would feel like such a bad Mommy! She found the perfect solution though . . . doggie pajamas!

At first, I was not too crazy about the idea. I was walking kinda funny and felt a bit constrained since these PJ thingys were four-legged. I got used to it quick though. I got so many compliments when I went out for a walk. I can’t wait to try on my Strawberry Shortcake pajamas. Mommy says I might be getting some from Santa this year.

If you’re interested in some doggie pj’s, I recommend getting dog pajamas custom made at Too Hot Dawgs online boutique.

Since a thing called Christmas is fast approaching, I would like to share some tips I got from one of my buddies on a Maltese message board. He sent me this vital information about how dogs can survive the upcoming holidays. I beg you to pay close attention to these rules, they will make for a happier holiday season for you and your humans.

1. Be especially patient with your humans during this time. They may appear to be more stressed-out than usual and they will appreciate long comforting dog leans.

2. They may come home with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not assume that all the gifts are yours.

3. Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers.

My next installment of the “A Dog’s Rules for Christmas“ series will be next week. Don’t miss it and be sure to take lots of notes. Happy doggy holidays!

Another thing I do that Mommy thinks is strange is coughing every time I drink water. I try to keep it down, but I somehow get a tickle in my throat and cough and hack every time I take even a little sip of water. I think it’s going up my nose or something. I don’t mind, but my Mommy sure seems worried. No other dog I know does this, so I guess that means I’m special. Does anyone know what a coughing dog after drinking water means? Do you think I need some dog training on how to drink water or what?

What special things do you do that makes your Mommy or Daddy worry about you?