This morning, I was reading an interview with a Scottie breeder. She was going on about how Scotties are very independent and are certainly NOT lapdogs. She said they are likely to be aggressive towards strange dogs and that they hate to be treated with condescension.
Apparently, my Scotties are not really Scotties. Maybe my evil plan worked: I bought them as wee puppies and brought them home to a family of Malteses, six Malteses, to be exact. I reasoned that this environment would teach my Scotties how to behave in a more Maltese fashion, and it worked!
For starters, they are very much lap dogs! They love to lie on me or very near me, and they love to get rubbins and snuggles, just like my Malteses did (before the ex took them to FL). They are very friendly with other dogs, which is rather unlike my Malteses, actually. And they are quite well-behaved, generally speaking.
My Scotties are not typical, then, except for a few factors: First, they do not listen very well, especially to orders. However, I trick them or bribe them to get them to do what I want, so that is ONE problem solved. Second, they are way more destructive than my Malteses. This is because they have bigger teeth and stronger jaws, which is to be expected. Malteses are a toy breed, after all. Scotties are also more tenacious and curious, which is another thing that factors into their destructiveness; however, I have learned to deal with this as best I can. For instance, I leave them in a HUMUNIGUS crate (for Marmaduke dogs) all day when I am at work (about 7 hours). I also have to keep a steady budget for dog treats and new toys because they destroy any toy I give them in seconds or minutes. –This is very Scottie-like behavior on their part! Third, they need to be harshly punished for major offenses in order to get them to obey. Like when they pee on the floor, I have had to whack the devil out of them with a fly swatter while rubbing their noses in the pee in order to get them to stop peeing in the house. I call this a “come to Jesus meeting.” Thankfully, I’ve only had to do this a couple of times before they started to obey. They are certainly smarter than my Malteses; that much is sure!!!
So, over all, I really do not know what people are talking about when they say Scotties are aloof, mean, or independent. I’ve got a couple of goofy, rumble-tumble, happy-go-lucky lap dogs that are just as nice as can be! Guess I got lucky, or I just raised ‘em right!!
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