Toy Maltese or regular Maltese?
 

If you are familiar with these dogs I would love to hear about it. I am thinking of getting one now my little girls are turning 7. I need something to baby. We are always home and we would keep the dog inside. What would be a good way to go about finding a reputable place to buy a puppy or should I look at a slightly older dog?

I have always raised dogs. When my daughter was in high school we bought her a regular Maltese. Petey weighed 6 lbs. soaking wet. I think a Maltese any smaller would possibly be a little fragile for robust girls as young as 7 . Our Maltese had an allergy problem which at times was bad. We loved the dog, but he was hard to house break. LOTS of energy, lots of grooming and lots of fun. Make sure you buy from a reputable breeder, not from a store or puppy mill. Be sure to see both parents and watch them interact with people. Know how many litters the mother has had. Don't buy from an over bred bitch. Some Maltese are very excitable and won't calm down - jump around a lot and pee when a stranger comes in the house, etc. Most traits will pass down from one generation to another. If you like the way both the dam and sire behave you will probably like the offspring. If you can only see the puppy, pass on the deal. EVERY puppy is cute - you need to see the parents to judge what type of dog your puppy will grow up to be. Every Maltese looks like a little snowball that fits into your pocket. Good luck in picking out the right puppy for your family.

Unless you have a lot of experience with small puppies and small children, you need a good book on how to handle both or your puppy will be ruined through no fault of the children, but through inexperience on handling small children and puppies. Children can just be too much for puppies, and they are inconsistent by nature. You will need firm rules for the children but the training will have to be done by you.

Thank you Tanyal. Some good insight. I would not be getting it for the girls as much as for me.

also check with your City's animal control if you want to use a particular breeder. see if they have had any complaints about them. and ask for references of other customers of the breeder. good luck.

Maltese have very soft coat that needs a lot of maintenance...I have known a couple that were very sweet but they need a lot of daily brushing to not mat. And a Maltese is a toy breed, so all are small. If someone is selling teacup or extra small Maltese I would look elsewhere. IMO, theres no need to breed a very small dog to be extra small and that can lead to issues.

Pet stores that sell puppies often get them from sources where the breeding dogs are not well treated. I would look for a Rescue or a reputable breeder.

When I was researching Chihuahuas 10 yrs ago, alot of sites stated that there was no such thing as a toy Chi. They are purposly breed to be small. Not sure if that goes for other breeds or not. And maybe today it's different. Too small for me though and I don't have kids.

I love my toy Maltese and is spoiled rotten. I love him to death and he does rule the roost around here. I am a window and live alone so he is lots of company for me. That's him in my avatar.

Also see if the local shelters ever get any Maltese or see if your state has a Maltese rescue. I had a Maltese many years ago & he was the doggiest dog I ever owned! He was very sweet & was good with the kids but he loved to roll in the mud (so much for that beautiful white coat) & run with the big dogs.

Would you please comsider trying out www.petfinder.com to find your baby? This website allows you to select the age, location, and breed that you are looking for. These are all rescue pets, so not only will you be getting a new baby, you will be saving a life.

I adopted my dogs as adults, and this is why. Adult dogs are usually the ones that are passed over. Everyone wants that cute little puppy in the window. The digs are truly grateful for being rescued. They know what you have done for them, and they do not forget it. Adult dogs already display their personality. There is no guessing about whether or nit the dog is shy, aggressive, playful, out going, etc. What you see is what you get! Last of all, adult dogs have already been past the chewing on thungs and getting you up all through the night thing.

Please do some research if you are going to buy a dog from a breeder. Research puppy mills online before you buy ome from a pet store. Consider buying a puppy directly from a breeder, and get references from them. See where the puppy has been living, and ask to see the parents. A good breeder will be proud to show you these things, amd to give you references. They have nothing to hide Best wishes, and please enjoy your new little nugget!

tdgiffin

We are and have always in the past taken dogs like that. We do not plan to breed the dog either and will most likely spay/neuter.

Mary your little boy looks so happy. I am glad to hear about your experience with Maltese and see his picture.

Thank you Anna...he is so loving and laid back. He sleeps with me and doesn't get up until I do "he just hangs with me" and watches every move I make. He is ALWAYS ready to go with me in the car. All I have to do is start gathering the trash and he runs and gets into his carrier that he rides in in the car, as he just knows he is going to get to go with "Granny, as I have granddogs too" I am Granny to him too, to avoid confusion with the other dogs that belong to my kids. I have a plaque on my front door given to me by a friend that says "A SPOILED ROTTEN MALTESE LIVES HERE" with a picture of a Maltese. Truer words were never spoken. These dogs don't shed (like poodles) so I keep him trimmed short to avoid too many mats in his fur and try to brush him good.

Most small breeds do not shed. A Maltese would make a wonderful pet. I have a 7 pound Chihuahia now. I have had 4 Toy Poodles in the past and think they are the greatest small dog.

I had a lahso apso (sp, sorry) but they are great dogs. their fur gets long but you can keep it cut short but they don't shed alot. They were bred for guard dogs and do a great job at that plus are very loving. I ran a day care center and all the kids loved her and she loved them. They are small but sturdy dogs and very loyal. She was so funny, we'd give her a bone and she go along side the base board and act like she was digging and put the bone down like she was burying it. Of course then our lab would come along later and eat her bones. Later she learned to hide them under the sofa cushions

I had poodles growing up & I agree... they're great dogs! Smart, silly, sweet, non-shedding... love'em!

I would suggest going to the AKC.org website and putting your breed into the search engine and it will come up with reputable breeders who might be in your area. Beware of puppy mill dogs such as those in pet stores.

akc.org gives a profile of each breed and their characteristics. It is a good resource for ensuring you have selected the right breed. I echo the comments about looking for a rescue. There are so many dogs that need homes. Do not ever buy from pet stores as their animals are breed in horrible conditions. akc.org has links to breed clubs and rescue groups. sometimes you can find a reputable breeder in your area who is looking for a good home for some of their older dogs.

Check the rescues as well ..

Last October, we adopted a rescue Shih Tzu mix, and I have never loved any dog more. There are so many doggies that need good homes. Almost every breed has a rescue group available. There are often puppies available in this way also. Our Buddy is absolutely precious! The purebreeds so often have genetic problems. Our Schnauzers always had skin issues, our mini dachshund has had back surgery that cost us $3500. Buddy is just perfect. I will never buy a dog again. I will always rescue. I've tried to download to picture to share, but I've not been able to do that here for some time.

I have a miniature poodle that is 9 years old and he rules the house! He sounds a lot like your Maltese. He's extremely smart and is "my shadow". He knows when I am getting ready to go out and he runs to his carrier that I have sitting on the floor. If I had left the carrier in in the car he runs to the door - ready to get to the car. However, my Rennie does not shed. He has to be brushed every day and I have him groomed like the Maltese or the Bichon - not like the poodle. I don't like that look. He also knows when he is groomed that he is the cutest thing alive. But, Poodles don't shed - they have hair and are also hypo-allergenic.

I second this whole heartedly. I got both my dogs as adults. Andy was a lhasa poodle mix and a failed foster.. Ok so he had issues living alone I could work around those. lol Daisy is 8 and a shih tzu . She is perfect for me. quiet ,doesn't bark, housebroken, follows me everywhere. Shelter and rescue dogs are not broken. If you look for a rescue that does home based fostering you will know everything there is to know about the dog. Whether its good with kids and other animals, housebroken , and most rescues have their vaccines, spay/neuter, microchip done. Can't get any better than that.

What about going online & look for rescue groups/shelters for a Maltese dog. There must be some & need homes too.

I have a maltese, Lexie (in my avatar), that is almost 13 and she is the furkid love of my life. There are no different classes of maltese, they are a small breed 4-7 lbs. normally (mine is 6.5).

There is lots of great information on this forum as well as information about rescues and reputable breeders http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/ . Please do your research first and avoid internet scams & puppy mills like the plague.

I, for one, will always have a maltese in my life. They can be a little maintenance intesive for one who is not used to grooming long coated dogs, but I do all my own grooming for both of mine (self taught by trial and LOTS error, lol). Bath every 2 weeks with nail trim, coat trim once a month (I keep her pretty short now, 'cause bath time is a little difficult with aging pups), thorough coat & tooth brushing daily. Good luck with your search!

Go to the local shelter and rescue a mutt. You will have fewer health problems and that animal will love you better than you can imagine. I have a rescue Pomeranian who had been shaved when we found her; no one knew she was a Pom. But we have rescued mutts, also, and they are wonderful. froggyintexas

If you want a small dog to love, does it have to be a Maltese? the local humane societies have so many loveable small dogs of all ages just waiting to get a forever home with you. Please take the time to go look. You may find that one pair of loveing eyes looking at lyou.

my little 4 month old Maltese
 

I have had Bailey for one month on Sunday, he is 4 months old today. A handful - very playful, smart, energetic and loves people and other dogs. He is fearless when it comes to large dogs - not intimidated at all and loves to play. He is on his way to being house trained and a real joy. He will be no more than 10 pounds, if that, when fully grown. Weighs about 4 1/2# right now. I had planned to get a Maltese/Shitzu mix but he was available and there was a waiting list for the other. He had his first grooming yesterday and the groomer said he was very good to work with. A real cuties - now if he or I would just get a little more sleep at night....

We have a Maltese, Maggie. We have had her for 9 1/2 years and she is the best dog we have ever had. Very smart, and so easy to house and trick train. We keep her hair short but they don't shed and are so loveable and always wants to please. She loves kwould've loves our grand kids and all the neighbor kids. I would never consider another breed after having her. We have been very lucky..

We currently have two, a 14 year old maltese, and a year old one. I love them to death, they are very playful, but all my dogs have been lap dogs too. I am handicapped and they are pretty accomadating. We live in the country and keep our dogs short and, while we do have to take them to get groomed, they also don't shed and they don't cause many allergies.

I have 2 maltese mix dogs. both are 20 lbs and we don't know what the other breed in them is. but both are great dogs. a bit yappy to be sure but good with the grandkids, coats need brushing but not bad. like they have said before me; find a good breeder. I keep their coats shorter for comforts sake. theirs not mine. less matts and cleaner too

Before choosing an adult or pup, I would advice reasearching the health problems in the breed, what to watch for, care needed.
I know Maltese have a lot of cases of luxating patellas (slipping knees, sometimes only taken care of with surgery)

I was the same way... after my first rescue dog, I was a convert! They just seem to "know" they've been "saved". I hope you can post a picture of your Buddy soon!

This is yet another reason to research the bitch and sire (the breeding pair). USually a perfectly healthy pair will not have a litter with genetic problems.

There is a breed called a Morkie which is half maltese and half yorkie and adorable, I was looking into them when we decided to get a dog but none of the local places had any (I did check the local shelter for a small apartment sized dog but they were all big dogs). I ended up getting a yorkie-poo, half yorkie and half poodle and she is wonderful, she was easy to house train, spoiled rotten, loves to go in the car with us and having her head out the window, i made a strap so I could attach her harness to my seatbelt. She'll be 4 in december and is probably more valuable to me than anything else we have. Not afraid of any large animal no matter how big but terrified of thunder and small chickens. I learned how to trim her hair so that it can be kept reasonably short in the summer but I let it go in the winter except for a bimonthly trim, she's only 5 pounds and really feels the cold. So far she's been very healthy. The people in the apartment below us had two 10 lb maltese and they were very nice dogs so we went looking for something similar and I did an online search for maltese and discovered the Morkies and fell in love with them. I'm glad we got Angie but I wouldn't mind getting her a little sister.

Please adopt from your local shelter. Save a life.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple. I, of course, don't know all genetic problems in all breeds, but the one I do know, there are some proven recessive problems. If the parents are only carriers, and do not actually have the disease, when paired, can create disastrous litters.
IMO, it's not worth the "usually," educate yourself on the breed you're considering