Cute and naughty in a small furry package

There's a latest addition to the family on 5 September 2012. No, it's not a baby, not a human one anyway. It's a month-old Miniature Pinscher mix called Tiger. 

Don't let his cuteness fool you. He'll chew anything he can put his mouth into, and his howling and yelping will put your car alarm to shame. 

My father brought him home that day, a gift from a friend in our neighborhood. He told us about the pup just a day earlier, and without consulting us or bringing us along to pick a suitable pup, he chose Tiger based solely on his "good-looks", which my father regretted later. 

First thing we noticed, aside from the cute furry looks, was that the pup likes to chew or gnaw on anything he sees. We assumed that this was normal since he just developed his teeth. Then was his loud, super high-pitched barks. When we put him into the cage, he would bark and yelp so loud, begging us to release him.

Oh, by the way, the name Tiger was dad's idea. He said the pup looked like a tiger and bites like one. Funny, because everyone else thought he looked like a bear with his brown hair and lack of tail. But we went along with it.

The first few nights were horrible, as Tiger would yelp very loudly and woke everyone. Even during day times, whenever we put him into his cage, he barked and yelped so loud that our neighbors can hear him. If they didn't know better, they would have thought that we're torturing the poor pup and called the police. 

Fortunately, after listening to some advice from my sister who owns two small dogs of her own, much determination, persistence and self-control, Tiger has finally started to get used to the cage. When he's in the cage, he would play with his toys, sleep or look at us with his innocent eyes, silently asking to be let out. He would still yelp when he's hungry or when nature calls. His chewing habit is still there, something we'll need to work on. 

Apple, our pet Chihuahua,  was a bit timid around him at first. After some time, she started to warm up to Tiger and played with him every now and then. Most of the time she would lay on the sofa and quietly look at him. As expected, a bit of jealousy started to develop, and Apple would follow us and sit or lay right next to us, asking for some extra love which we're more than happy to give. 

There's still a long way to go to properly train Tiger. Hopefully he'll develop a good temperament and provide good company to everyone. 

Here's a few more photos: