Anyone have any experience with Maltese dogs?

Here’s a good little article for you.

www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/maltese.html

I was going to mention, but the article already does, that I have heard they can be very difficult to housebreak. One HUGE negative, infact, it would be a deal breaker for me.

This might help! Dogs 101 helped me to understand each breed’s personality and habits. But not all the dogs of the same breed are the same.

@Coloma Yes, I did some Googling but wanted to hear any personal experiences. I would consider a rescue dog again.

In my opinion labradors and beagles are the cutest ones. You could visit a pet shop and see what seems to be the best for you. Then do a little reaserch and you have nothing to worry about! I suggest you ask a vet before you pick your pet, to learn which breed is the healthiest and how to take good care of it.

I know someone with three and they run his life. They are un-trainable and can’t seem to be house trained or any other sort of trained. They all have huge personalities and demand to the center of attention. I would recommend the breed to anyone who stays home all day or can them with them, but be prepared, they will be like having a toddler 24/7 for 14 plus years.

@cazzie Thanks for giving some personal feedback. That’s what I was looking for. I had a toddler for 7 months who bit and that was enough.

I have a four-year old Maltese-Havenese mix. We’ve had her since 2-months old.

She is my third dog. I had a Basset Hound for ten years and a Yorkie for three years.

The Good
• Maltese do not shed and are hypoallergenic.
• She is very much a lap dog and will sleep nearby you all day.
• She gets all her exercise running around the house. Walks are for fun, not mandatory exercise.
• She’s very loving.
• Easy to wash in the sink. Likes the groomers too.

The Bad
• While she does respond to certain commands (“off the couch”, comes to her name or a whistle, will go eat/drink when told), she’s untrainable beyond that.
• Refuses to “go” outside, but is very good at using a puppy pad (which is like a litter box). I have all hardwood floors though, so mistakes are easily mopped up. I wouldn’t do it if I had rugs.
• Can be overly friendly with strangers (“PET ME, PET ME, PET ME”)

Best advice, because they can be yippy, is observe a few of them for an extended period if time, on different days — and choose the quietest one. That’s what we did and she’s great.

@cookieman Sounds like the bad might outweigh the good for me!

Amy (my sister’s dog, but with me during the day) is a two- year-old maltese-poodle-mix. Three quarters maltese.

The good:
* Extremely trainable. She listens to every word. When we play fetch, she will be running on full speed, and can be stopped with a quiet word- instantly. She sits, lies down, leaves the toy when told, then goes to fetch it. She can twirl on command, heel, change sides, wave, come when called, and she is a star when doing Agility. All this may sound like boasting, but she just grasps new things in seconds. Very high attention level – think working sheepdog.

* She loves to play. In fact, that’s the only way training her has been successful. Treats are fine, but rarely get her excited. She wants and needs long walks or exercise with a flirt pole.

* She hardly sheds.

The bad:

* She’s timid. She has growled at a couple of people she considered to be threats. At the moment, she’s in training to get over this.

* She was ridiculously hard to housebreak and still has occasional accidents.

* To look good, she would need a weekly bath and daily combing.

Oh, and she barks at strange noises when inside. I don’t like that, but some people love a little guarding.

We have a Maltese which my husband had before we were together and she is very sweet. As a puppy she was a little testy with who she liked around I remember, but she is very loving, and they are VERY easy to train. So well behaved.

Maltese dogs are so small and very beautiful. These dogs are coming in toys category. These dogs look like toy so somebody tell them toys dogs. They are very lovely and playful dogs. I have the experience with these dogs. These dogs don’t byte anyone.