Maltese Temperament
What's Good About 'Em,
What's Bad About 'Em
By Michele Welton. Copyright © 2000-2010
One of the brightest and gentlest of the toys, the Maltese is exceedingly playful and enjoys clever games of dexterity such as "pull the hidden toy from under the cabinet with your paw."
This curious, quick-moving sprite enjoys dashing around the yard and accompanying you for walks. Larger dogs may view him as a delicacy, so he must always be leashed for his own protection.
He will bark to announce visitors, but he is generally peaceful with the world. Some lines are more confident and outgoing than others, and training and socialization also play key roles in how he turns out.
If you treat him like a helpless baby or spoil/indulge him, he is likely to end up overdependent, insecure, or bratty and yappy. Treating him like an intelligent little dog will encourage him to strut out into the world with self-confidence.
Attentive, sensitive, and responsive to nonforceful training, many Maltese excel in competitive obedience and agility.
Toy breeds do have special needs: Fences should be triple-checked for slight gaps through which he might wriggle. Hold him firmly in your arms and remember that falling objects can crush delicate bones.
Maltese are notoriously difficult to housebreak, and excessive barking may need to be controlled.
If you want a dog who...
A Maltese may be right for you. |
If you don't want to deal with...
- The fragility of toy breeds (see below)
- The fine line you need to walk with toy breeds, where you need to protect their safety, yet require them to stand on their own four feet and be well-behaved
- "Separation anxiety" (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much
- Notorious housebreaking difficulties
- Frequent brushing and combing, or regularly shearing the coat short
A Maltese may not be right for you.
If I were considering buying or adopting a Maltese
My major concerns would be:
- Fragility. Too many people acquire a toy breed puppy without understanding how incredibly fragile a toy breed is. You can seriously injure or kill a Maltese by stepping on him or by sitting on him when he's curled under a blanket or pillow, where he frequently likes to sleep. And Maltese can seriously injure or kill THEMSELVES by leaping from your arms or off the back of your sofa. A larger dog can grab a Maltese and break his neck with one quick shake. Owning a toy breed means constant supervision and surveillance of what's going on around your tiny dog. Maltese must always be kept on-leash -- they are just too easy to injure when not under your complete control.
Maltese are NOT suited to young children, no matter how well-meaning the child. Children cannot help being clumsy, and that a child meant well is little solace to a Maltese who has been accidentally stepped on, sat on, rolled on, squeezed, or dropped onto the patio. Most Maltese feel overwhelmed by the loud voices and quick movements that children can't help making -- and stress and fearfulness (even defensive biting) may be the result.
- Housebreaking problems. As a behavioral consultant, I would put the Maltese on my Top Five List of "Hard to Housebreak." Consistent crate training is mandatory. Sometimes a doggy door is necessary. And some owners never do get their Maltese fully housebroken.
- Separation anxiety. More than most other breeds, Maltese need a great deal of companionship and do not like being left alone for more than a few hours. They tend to express their unhappiness through destructive chewing and barking.
- Providing enough socialization. Standoffish by nature, Maltese need extensive exposure to people and to unusual sights and sounds. Otherwise their natural caution could become shyness or fearfulness, which are difficult to live with.
- Grooming. Without frequent brushing and combing, Maltese become a matted mess. If you can't commit to the brushing, you have to commit to frequent trimming to keep the coat short, neat, and healthy.
- Barking. Maltese are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them.
To learn more about training Maltese to be calm and well-behaved, consider my dog training book,
Teach Your Dog 100 English Words.
It's a unique Vocabulary and Respect Training Program that will make your Maltese the smartest, most well-behaved companion you've ever had.
Teaches your dog to listen to you, to pay attention to you, and to do whatever you ask him to do. - Finding a healthy one. Maltese can suffer from skin problems, knee joint problems, eye diseases, heart disease, and epilepsy.
My dog buying guide, How To Buy a Good Dog, will teach you everything you need to know about finding a healthy Maltese puppy. Health problems have become so widespread in dogs today that this book is required reading for ANYONE who is thinking of getting a purebred, crossbred, or mixed breed dog.
If you'd like to consult with me personally about whether a Maltese might be a good dog breed for your family, I offer a Dog Breed Consulting Service.
Once you have your Maltese home, you need to KEEP him healthy -- or if he's having any current health problems, you need to get him back on the road to good health.
My dog health care book, 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy is the book you need. Raise your dog the right way and you will be helping him live a longer, healthier life while avoiding health problems and unnecessary veterinary expenses.
Please consider adopting an ADULT Maltese...
When you're acquiring a Maltese PUPPY, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important.
But when you acquire an adult dog, you're acquiring what he already IS and you can decide whether he is the right dog for you based on that reality. There are plenty of adult Maltese who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics that are "typical" for their breed. If you find such an adult dog, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you. Just be happy that you found an atypical individual -- and enjoy!
Save a life. Adopt a dog.
Adopting a Dog From a Dog Breed Rescue Group
Adopting a Dog From the Animal Shelter
Copyright © 2000-2010 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved.
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