Maltese
8–10 in tall · 7–9 lb · ~15 yr · long silky coat
Next to the average dog it is grooming-heavy, low-shedding, not for small children, and strong-willed. Day to day it needs a moderate amount of exercise.
Find out if a Maltese suits youA good fit if…
- you would rather not vacuum daily
Think twice if…
- you do not want a grooming routine
Trait profile
Scored 1–5. A blank means the trait is not recorded for this breed.
About the breed
Maltese dog refers both to an ancient variety of dwarf, white-coated dog breed from Italy and generally associated also with the island of Malta, and to a modern breed of similar dogs in the toy group, genetically related to the Bichon, Bolognese, and Havanese breeds. The precise link, if any, between the modern and ancient breeds is not known. Nicholas Cutillo suggested that Maltese dogs might descend from spitz-type canines, and that the ancient variety probably was similar to the latter Pomeranian breeds with their short snout, pricked ears, and bulbous heads. These two varieties, according to Stanley Coren, were perhaps the first dogs employed as human companions.— English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
